Beets

It is usually not necessary to peel them, just scrub the skins to ensure you won't eat our dirt. Try steaming them. then drizzle them with a little butter and salt. Or you could make a sweet and sour "sauce" to pour over them by combining vinegar and a bit less sugar and maybe some cloves, or allspice. Or you could make a cake...

Beet Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3-4 ouncees unsweetened chocolate
4 eggs
1/4 cups oil
3 cups shredded beets
Heat oven to 32 degrees. Grease two 9 inch cake pans. Whisk dry ingredients together. Melt chocolate very slowly over low heat or in a double boiler. Cool chocolate and blend thoroughly with the eggs and oil. Combine dry ingredients and the chocolate mixture alternating with the beets. Pour into pans. Bake until a fork can be remved from te center cleanly, 40-50 minutes.

Fennel bulbs

We have had many people ask us what to do with this. It is related to dill and anise. It can be used in any recipe that calls for celery. Try it in your favorite egg salad recipe. Or marinate thin slices in a dijon salad dressing made with a bit of orange juice, dijon, a dash of wine vinegar (red or white), salt, and olive oil to taste.

Chard: Chef Harants' style

Here is a simple recipe for Chard that takes almost nothing from your pantry...

Wash and chop some chard. Separate the leaf parts from the stem parts, chopping all of it. Peel and chop some onions. Carmelize the onions in some olive oil. Get them pretty dark. Chef Harants said "burn the onions". Remove them from the pan and reduce the heat to about medium . Add the chopped chard stems (they take longer to cook), sprinkle with a bit of salt, and cook for a few mintes. Add the chopped leaves and stir. Saute the whole mess until the stems are soft and the leaves are wilted. Remove the chard to a serving dish and top with caramelized onions. Squeeze the juice of a lemon half over it and you are ready to chow down. Serve it with couscous or quinoa.

Also check out other postings for chard.

Green Beans

Beef with Green Beans
10 oz green beans cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp oil (I used olive)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tsp ginger pulp (I used powdered since I was out of fresh)
1 tsp garlic pulp
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp tumeric (I couldn't find mine, so I skipped it)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 pound of beef, cubed
4 cups of water
1 tbsp cilantro (I didn't have this, so I skipped it)
1 sweet red pepper, sliced
2 jalapenos, chopped

Boil the green beans in salted water for about 5 minutes, then drain and set aside. Heat the oil in a dutch oven or saucepan and fry the onion until it turns golden brown. I a separate bowl, mix together the ginger, garlic, chili powder, salt, turmeric, and tomatoes Spoon this mixture into the onions and stir fry for 5-7 minutes. Add the beef and stir fry to another 3 minutes Pour in the water; bring to a boil and lower the heat. Cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour until most of the water has evaporated and the meat is tender. (I had to remove the lid toward the end to evaporate the liquid. Add the green beans and mix everything together well. Add the sweet pepper and jalapenos and cook stirring for another 7-10 minutes. Serve with rice or Chapatis.

Ham and Green Beans - a dish I grew up with...
Cook one ham in a several inches of water on the stovetop for an hour or two depending on the size of the peice of meat. Don't completely submerge the ham or your broth will be too diluted. Once cooked through, remove the ham, let it cool, and cut it into 1 1/2" cubes. Sprinkle about a half teaspoon of dried oregano into the ham juice. Add some new potatoes to the cooking liquid and cook over meduim heat until they are nearly done. Add green beans and cook them almost to your liking. Add the ham cubes and heat through. Serve on plates so you can mash up the potatoes with your fork and get the ham juice on them. Andy and his family like to sprinkle cider vinegar over their platefuls. My family eats it just as we made it. Enjoy!

Tomatillos

Chicken and Tomatillo Tacos with Queso Fresco - recipe from Dennis Mawhinney
Serves 4.
6 tomatillos huked, washed, and grilled until blackened
1 serrano chile, grilled until blackened
olive oil
1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 lime juiced
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
8 blue corn tortillas
1 cup crumbled queso fresco
Preheat the grill to medium. Add the blackened tomatillos and serrano to a small saute pan and briefly saute in a little olive oil on the grates of the grill or stovetop. Place the tomatillos, serrano, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and honey in a blender and blend until smooth. Place the tomatillo mixture in a large saute pan and place on the grates of the grill. Bring the mixture to a simmer, add the chicken and heat through. Place the tortillas on the grill, and grill for 20 seconds on each side. Spoon the chicken mixture into the tortillas and top with a few tablespoons of queso fresco. Fold the tortillas in half. Serve immediately.

Tomatoes

Simple Grilled Tomatoes
This is a easy way to use up lots of tomatoes. Place slices of tomatoes on a well-oiled grate over hot coals. After about one minute flip the slices and sprinkle some feta cheese (I used some of Keswick's) over the top. Close lid so cheese melts. Serve plain or on grilled bread.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers and Onions
3 cups thinly sliced cucmbers
1 1/2 cuos thinly sliced onions
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup light colored vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 T dried dillweed or fresh dill or some dill seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a medium bowl toss together cucumbers, onions, and carrot; set aside. In a liquid measuring cup combine vinegar, sugar, dill, 2 Tablespoons of water, salt, and black pepper. Pour over cucumber mixture; toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves 6.