Rainbow Shepherd's Pie

Most of the ingredients in this pie come from the Eatwell Farm box this week. I used a somewhat general recipe for shepherd's pie from Heaven's Banquet and substituted the vegetables I had this week. The result was every color of the rainbow, except for blue!! I served this pie with a green salad with sliced turnips and radishes.

You'll also see in the first picture a bunch of lavender, also from Eatwell. It smells divine!





Rainbow Shepherd's Pie
Serves 6

Topping:
6 Yukon Gold potatoes (or 10-12 baby potatoes) (yellow)
1/4 cup creme fraiche
2 tablespoons butter

Filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh Genovese basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 cups zucchini, finely chopped (green)
2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced (purple)
2 cups baby carrots, thinly sliced (orange)
8 ounces crumbled firm tofu
3/4 cup vegetable broth
salt and pepper

paprika (red)
parsley

For the topping, boil the potatoes in their jackets until soft. Drain and peel. Mash with a potato masher with the butter and creme fraiche.

For the filling, heat olive oil in a skillet. Add basil and thyme and saute for 1 minute. Add veggies and broth with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook covered until veggies are tender.

Butter a casserole dish and fill with veggie mixture. Top with mashed potatoes. Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve garnished with paprika and parsley.

Sesame Radish Salad

This post is for all my Eatwell Farm friends who have a 50% chance of getting radishes in their boxes this week. I never realized that grating a radish could yield such a beautiful color and texture. At first, when I tasted this salad, I was a bit dubious, but after eating it for a minute or so, I was addicted!! I never thought I'd be addicted to radishes!! I again have Miriam Kasin Hospodar from Heaven's Banquet to thank for this one.



Sesame Radish Salad
Serves 4

2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 cups grated radishes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Liquid seasoning (such as Bragg's amino acids) or salt
Black pepper
Toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the mustard and sesame seeds. Saute until the sesame seeds are golden brown.

Pour the hot oil immediately over the radishes. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool to room temperature, then stir in a few drops of sesame oil and the cilantro.

Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese and Almonds

While we were visiting in-laws in southeastern Ohio, my father-in-law gave me a task for one night of dinner. He would make blackened halibut, and I needed to build the rest of the meal. After visiting the local farmer's market and reading through a few books, I decided on yogurt and mint cucumber salad, strawberry salad, and baked yellow squash with herbs. For dessert, I surprised my father-in-law with a banana cream pie he had been craving all week. I made strawberry salad because strawberries and lettuce were the main things in season there. Almonds, goat cheese, and a port and pomegranate dressing from a local vendor topped off the salad. I did indicate exact amounts because it's really up to your taste. Enjoy!



Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese and Almonds


Head of Boston lettuce, torn
Basket of fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
Crumbled goat cheese
Almonds, sliced and toasted
Port and pomegranate dressing

Combine all ingredients and enjoy!