Category: Recipes

This is a hodge podge of things from the coop and my own gardens. I find the best dishes generally come together without much of a plan, but rather simply based around what is available fresh! This all might sound a little involved, but if the Baba Ghanoush is prepared ahead of time, it goes quickly.

Lamb burgers:
1 lb ground lamb(Fieldstone Farms)
1/2 TBsp Penzey’s Greek seasoning
1 TBsp safflower oil

Veggie sides:
8 okra, sliced thin
3-4 turnips, peeled and cubed (Raccoon Forks Farm)
3-4 potatoes, cubed
1 bunch collard greens, chopped
oil as needed
salt and pepper
1-2 TBsp honey (Ebert Honey Co)
1-2 TBsp balsamic vinegar (we have to use brown rice vinegar)

Baba Ghanoush:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baba-ghanoush-2/
The eggplant I used in this was grown in my own garden, but from the lovely heirloom plants purchased from Pickle Creek Herbal!
I also added a bit of cumin in our BG, because cumin makes everything better.

Lamb burgers- Take the thawed lamb, add a 1/2 TBsp of Greek seasoning, plus a full tablespoon of safflower oil, and mix all together in a bowl. Form into patties and grill over medium high heat for approximately 3 1/2 minutes each side.

Veggie sides- Preheat the oven to 425. Put sliced okra in a bowl and drizzle with oil(safflower, sunflower, etc). Lightly salt/pepper, and mix together to get it evenly coated. Place the okra in as much a single layer as you can manage on a large rimmed cookie sheet. Leave some space, because the potatoes and turnips are going on it, too! Place the potatoes and turnips in the bowl used for the okra and drizzle with a little of the same oil, lightly salt/peppering again. Arrange on the sheet but keep them separate from the okra. Roast for 10-15 minutes, or until the okra is tender. The potatoes and turnips will take longer, so remove the okra via spatula and place in a covered dish to stay warm. Continue roasting the potatoes and turnips until they are tender or browned.

For the collard greens- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the greens and stir until just wilted. Then pour 1/2 cup water in the skillet and cook 5-7 minutes. You can make a separate sauce if you’d like, or take the easy way and just add a tablespoon or two of honey and balsamic vinegar to the skillet while it cooks. Drain and serve. (What I did was loosely based on this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-and-tangy-sauteed-collard-greens/ )

I was on a mission for something new to try with the beautiful Savoy cabbage we bought from Black Cat Acres, and came across this recipe on www.bbcgoodfood.com. Due to severe food restrictions for my son, I modified it heavily, but it still was very good. This is one to put in your back pocket for the upcoming brisk fall days!

1 onion (7 Pines)
1 carrot (we omitted)
1 celery stalk
garlic cloves to taste (Pickle Creek Herbal has some amazing, very strong garlic and one clove was enough!)
4 cups cubed potatoes (Maxwell Farms’ Red Thumb Fingerling potatoes)
stock of choice or water, we used 2 cups homemade lamb stock
1/2 head of Savoy cabbage (Black Cat Acres)
Bacon of choice (we omitted, by error as I forgot to pickup turkey bacon!)
2 TBsp oil, grapeseed, safflower, or sunflower

Chop the onion, carrot, celery stalk to preferred size- the smaller the piece, the quicker it will cook. Cube the potatoes to about 1 inch size. Heat oil in a cast iron dutch oven on the stove. Put all vegetables in the pot, except the cabbage. Season the vegetables to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and reduce the heat for about 5 minutes while they soften. Stir as needed. Add the garlic, minced, to the pot towards the end and allow it to soften for a minute. You do not want it to brown! Then add the stock or water until the vegetables are just covered(this will vary, and that is ok). Bring the pot up almost to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer covered until the vegetables are tender.

While the vegetables simmer, fry the bacon and set it aside to cool. Then break into small pieces. Shred the cabbage and discard the core.

When the vegetables are almost done, add the cabbage to the pot and cook until just tender. Serve with bacon pieces on top.