Apple Crisp with Almonds

Last night I made Apple Crisp with Almonds to use up the remaining apples from our trip to the orchard. I followed the recipe except for the process, and I used slightly less lemon zest and I subbed some rolled oats for the flour (so I guess I did change it quite a bit...par for the course). We were lacking in the bowl department, so I put all the apples in the baking dish, then mixed up the rest of the filling ingredients and sprinkled it on the apples as uniformly as I could. I also forgot the almonds for the topping until I sprinkled it on, so I just spread the almonds on top.
I thought it turned out really yummy. I tasted all of the subtle flavors of the lemon zest and almond extract wrapped around the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and crumbly topping!

Cream of Leek and Potato Soup

Thanks to Ebon's searching and a leek in the CSA share we made a Leek and Potato soup the other night for dinner.

It turned out really great and it was super easy. Ebon's request was to have a few potato chunks in the soup. He also said it could have been a bit thicker. I wanted to add more potatoes, but he wanted to follow the recipe... oh well.
We served this with salad and bread.

Quesadilla

Last night we had quesadillas for dinner. Ebon suggested it after his nightly request for Pizza, and I thought it was a great idea!
I used the largest burrito tortillas which became problematic when trying to flip the quesadilla. The tortillas fit in our largest frying pan-barely, but trying to turn it over without spilling everything required using 2 plates. Even with my aids, I folded and spilled the tortilla and it's contents, respectively. As I said, it wasn't pretty, but it was delicious!

2 tortillas
3 green onions, chopped-white and green parts separated
1/2 red pepper, chopped (CSA)
2 medium tomatillos, chopped (CSA)
1/2 16oz can of black beans or ~1cup cooked
1-1.5 cups cheddar cheese shredded

Beet and Fennel Soup

I made Beet and Fennel Soup last night. I was the only one who ate it, but I thought it was really good.

I had some roasted beets and fennel that I needed to use up, so this recipe was perfect! The only modifications I made was to use the roasted beets, so the cooking time was much shorter, and I used yogurt because I didn't have kefir.

The beets made it sweet and I thought the fennel balanced the flavor very well. Unfortunately, since I was the only one who liked it, I probably won't be making it again.  Ebon's suggestion for using Fennel is a Leek and Fennel soup - next time!

Green Smoothie

I love me a good Green smoothie, generally, I use whatever I have on hand, but it usually starts with a frozen banana or two, orange juice and some kind of green - usually chard, spinach or kale.
After much experimenting, I do prefer kale, but if I use chard, i remove almost all of the stem/rib. Otherwise, I think it tastes too "earthy" and sometimes it can be a bit chewy/stringy/fibrous.

bunch of chard
2 frozen bananas
1/2 a peach
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
enough orange juice to get the blender going
few tablespoons of flax seeds.

Since we have Popsicle makers now, I'm going to have to come up with some good smoothies to make into pops!

I could also add yogurt to amp up the protein and calcium!

Rhubarb Walnut Muffins

Along with the Pumkin Carrot bread, I made some Rhubarb Walnut Muffins for our recent flight as snacks. I thought they turned out pretty well. Again, not the sweetest muffin, but I did not use the streusel topping to avoid extra crumbs while traveling. Also, the muffins were a little dry and therefore crumbly. I would like to try these again with a second attempt.

Pumpkin Carrot Applesauce Bread/Muffins

In preparation for a flight, I made Pumpkin Carrot Applesauce Bread to bring along as snacks.I used a muffin recipe, but didn't have enough muffin tins to make this and the Rhubarb muffins I was also planning on.
I had just recently purchased some glasslock containers that are oven safe, so I used the smallest ones to make mini breads. The larger breads didn't cook quite right, but the smaller ones turned out pretty well. It isn't super sweet, but tastes like pumpkin and carrot. I don't think I'll make these again.