Stuffed cabbage soup

http://sundaynitedinner.com/stuffed-cabbage-soup/

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 lb ground beef, ground turkey or ground pork
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons paprika
6-7 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 head of cabbage, cored and coarsely shredded
4-6 cups of steamed rice

Directions:
1) In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground meat, break into small pieces and partially brown for 2-3 minutes. Drain excess fat, if necessary. Add 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, garlic and onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until onions are soft.

2) Add thyme, parsley and paprika to ground meat and cook for 30 seconds. Add 6 cups chicken stock, tomatoes and 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, add cabbage, cover pot and simmer for 10 minutes, or until cabbage is desired tenderness. Add additional chicken stock if necessary and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve over rice.

Makes 8 servings

Beet Largesse

Some people really don't like beets. Thankfully, we are not those people.

This year Nora and I decided to invest in a pressure canning setup. This week a few people decided that beets were not for them, so we roasted them (my favorite way to eat a beet) and canned them. They looked so pretty on the counter, that I thought I would share.

Anyone have a good borscht recipe? Mmmm.... borscht. I did not know I liked it until we went to a really yummy polish restaurant in Montreal on our honeymoon. If you are ever in Montreal, stop by Stash Café. With all the incredible food in that city, we went back a second time.

In addition to the beet canning, we have been blanching and freezing kale and beet greens for those dreary winter months.

To blanch greens:

Wash and stem the greens.
Cook for 4 minutes in boiling water.
Plunge greens into ice water
Put in a colander or on kitchen towels to dry.
Freeze in freezer bags in a thin layer (so that it is easy to break off a portion later).

Hope everyone is ready for the tomatoes!

Chocolate zucchini bread

http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/ChocolateZucchiniBread.html

Chocolate Zucchini Bread:

1 1/2 cups shredded raw zucchini (about 1/2 pound or 227 grams)
1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (not Dutch-processed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup (120 ml) safflower or canola oil
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (125 grams) semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Grease (or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray) a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Set aside. Grate the zucchini, using a medium sized grater. Set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground allspice. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract until well blended (about 2 minutes). Fold in the grated zucchini. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Then fold in the chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely. Makes one - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.

Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/ChocolateZucchiniBread.html#ixzz0LKPPBODy&C

Fried cabbage (vegetarian)

1 medium Cabbage
4 tbs butter
3/4 C water
1 tbs cider vinegar
1 tbs brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

cut the cabbage into strips, melt the butter in a big pan and put the cabbage in. Add a little water to help it cook, then add cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Let it cook covered for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Megan says: Toward the end, I actually like to uncover it, turn up the heat and let some of the pieces brown a bit - it kind of caramelizes it.

thanks to Megan's Grammy

Roasted beet and fennel salad

2 large	beets
1 lb	fresh fennel
1 tsp	olive oil
1/4 tsp	salt
	fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp	ground cumin
1 ounce	feta cheese(or chevre)

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Cut the stem and tip ends off of the beets. Scrub well and wrap in aluminum foil.

Place in the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Remove and let cool. (This may be done in advance and the beets place in the refrigerator overnight.)

Remove the leafy ends from the fennel and any stalk that appear too tough. Slice very thinly.

Place the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Remove the beets from the aluminum foil. The skins will slip off easily after roasting. After they are skinned cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Mix together the beets, sautéed fennel, salt, black pepper, ground cumin and crumbled feta. Chill well.

http://www.drgourmet.com/recipes/salad/beetfennelsalad.shtml

Cabbage with ham and dill

Ingredients:

• 2 small to medium cabbages
• salt
• 8 ounces smoked ham, diced
• 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped, about 1 cup
• ground black pepper

Preparation:

Cut cabbage in wedges. Put in a large kettle; cover with water and add 2 teaspoons salt. Cover and cook until tender. Drain well. Shred the cabbage and blend with ham. Add the dill. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Heat through.

http://southernfood.about.com/od/cabbagemaindishrecipes/r/bl50613f.htm