I know that there are a great many of you trying to get back into the swing of school, transport back and forth to team practices, games, play dates, and all of the other various events of your kids. Even without kids, getting into the fall and eventual winter mode of life can sometimes be a struggle.

This is where freezer food comes into play. Anything that you can pull out of the freezer last minute and magically turn into a meal or part of one is always a win in my eyes.

So…… we’re going to start with freezer burritos!! I LOVE these little babies! Pull them out in the morning and they’re good to go for lunchtime, or add a nice salad for a quick dinner on busy nights. Patricia & I had a burrito making date a few weeks ago, and Izaak, Lily & Frank are all happily devouring them at a quick pace. These are 100% Bishop/Oulton kid approved!

The recipe below makes about 40-45 burritos (I prefer the large tortilla shells found in the bread section that are used for wraps rather than the smaller “soft taco/fajita” size.) Feel free to add or delete any veg based on personal tastes, however, I would suggest that you steer clear of zucchini. The volume of liquid that it releases when thawed will turn your tortilla shells quite soggy. I also skip the tomatoes & add them on top when I serve them. Again, this is to avoid the burritos becoming soggy when thawed.

Ingredients

1.5 lbs cooked diced chicken (or any type of cooked ground meat. For our burrito day, Patricia & I split the batch & did half chicken, and half ground bear)

2 cans black beans or 2 cups dry black beans soaked overnight and boiled until softened

2 cups corn

2 cups uncooked rice (basmati works well, but anything other than instant will be great)

4 cups grated cheese (any kind that you like. Feta also works well)

2 red onions diced

4 carrots grated

1 bunch of parsley chopped

1 head of garlic peeled & rough chopped

2 sweet peppers (red or green) diced fine

1/4 cup chili powder (often listed as Mexican chili powder. NOT ground hot chilies. This is flavour, not heat.)

1 tbsp ground cumin

salt & pepper to taste.

40-45 large tortilla shells

roll of tin foil or parchment paper

**optional a few jalapeno peppers for a little kick

Directions

Cook your rice according to package directions, but also add the rough chopped garlic & a tbsp of your chili powder to the water that you’re cooking the rice in. When the rice is done, In a very large roasting pan, bring together all ingredients and mix well until everything is evenly blended and coated with the bright red chili powder.

Now tear off lengths of foil or parchment that are about 8″ long. This doesn’t have to be exact, but you don’t want to make them much larger or you’ll have a very thickly wrapped burrito, and be wasting the parchment or foil. (Parchment is certainly a better option from a composting stand point- either are fine- but you do need to wrap them with something or you will not be able to pull them out individually once frozen.)

Once you have a stack of wrappers ready, place a tortilla on top, add a couple of scoops of burrito filling on the first 1/4 of the wrap. Fold the sides over the filling, then the edge closest to you, and roll. Now roll burrito in the foil and gently fold over the excess on the sides, and keep rolling those gorgeous burritos until you run out of topping and wraps. The resealable bags that the tortilla shells came in are the perfect packaging for the burritos to go into for the freezer, but don’t pack them in too tightly (or stack them too high in the freezer) or you will squish them.

To thaw, simply place in your lunch kit in the morning. You can also take them out the night before and thaw in the fridge, and reheat in the oven or microwave (after removing foil) or warm them in a dry frying pan like a panini.

Serve topped with salsa, sour cream, or diced tomatoes.

Enjoy!

K

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Here is number two in the train of delicious tomato recipes, just when they’re at their vine ripened best. We had this one for dinner just the other night, and even though it was definitely too hot to run the oven, I simply couldn’t resist. I’ve used Taproot chicken pieces, but ground meat, or lentils would be equally fantastic.

Ingredients

About 10 large rough chopped fresh tomatoes (I also added a handful of mixed grape tomatoes for colour)

6 pieces of chicken (thighs & drums are best)

1 cup chopped herbs (I used parsley & tarragon from the garden)

2 cups chopped kale

1 large diced onion

3 cloves chopped garlic

2 cups chicken or veg stock

Splash of oil

Salt & pepper

**optional- 1 diced hot chili

Directions

In a very large pan, saute onions in oil until they’re soft & transparent. Add garlic and saute additional couple of minuets. Add tomatoes and chopped kale (and chili if using) Season well with salt & pepper, add stock, and nestle in chicken pieces. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 min. Uncover and place under broil to crisp up exposed chicken pieces. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Serve with salad or grains and fresh crusty bread.

Enjoy!

PS- Your house is going to smell incredible!

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When it comes to vine ripe, local tomatoes, I’ll take them any way I can get them. Canned, stewed, on toast, or just by the handful as I’m walking through the gardens. They’re versatile, delicious, and…… FINALLY HERE!!!! (Sorry. I get really excited about tomato season.)

I’m going to share my favourite tomato recipe when I have a group of people to feed. It’s easy, adaptable, and can be breakfast, brunch, or even dinner. It’s also a one pot wonder, which is always a winner when it comes to clean up, right?

Ingredients

Tomatoes, chopped into bite size pieces (depending on size, plan for one medium size tomato per person)

salt & pepper

Handful of fresh basil leaves

Handful of fresh parsley

1 egg per person

1 large diced onion

2 or 3 cloves of garlic, diced

A bit of grated Parmesan or feta

**optional- pitted black olives, capers, panchetta, sprinkle of chili flakes

Directions

In a very large skillet, saute the onions in a little splash of oil until they’re soft & transparent. Add garlic & saute for another minute of two. Now add tomatoes, including any juice from chopping and mix everything up really well (if using any of optional ingredients, add them now) Crack eggs individually into pan, leaving a bit of space between each one. Season with salt & pepper & cover. Simmer until eggs are poached to your liking, hard or soft, and scoop an egg and some tomatoes into each bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and top with chopped basil & parsley. Serve with toast, warm bread, or naan.

Enjoy!

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For some people, garlic scapes are an unfamiliar ingredient, and for others, it’s all about garlic scape pesto, but little else. Since the season that they’re available is so fleeting, I’m going to give you some alternate ideas that will have you hunting down more of these curly little treats to enjoy all year long.

Garlic scape pasta sauce- I think scape pesto is the one that most people default to- and for good reason- it’s so scrumptious!! It also happens to be pretty easy. Just swap out the basil for garlic scapes in your favourite recipe and suddenly you’ll have a bowl of gorgeous pesto! But guess what- it can be even easier than that…… Blend up your scapes with a good glug of olive or grape seed oil, a pinch of salt, and maybe even a little lemon zest if you have it available. You now have the starting point for an amazing pasta sauce. Use it as is tossed over your favourite noodles, or add a few things from the fridge & pantry to jazz it up a bit. I usually add a jar of diced tomatoes, maybe a little pancetta, and some olives or capers, and top it all off with a bit of grated parm or some feta. The scapes are so flavourful that you can totally skip using the nuts that you would normally add to a pesto sauce!

BBQ scapes- If you love garlic, and you love potatoes chips, this one is for you! Toss your scapes in a bit of oil and season with salt & pepper. Put them on a hot grill and turn them frequently until the scapes are nicely charred. Allow them to cool, and then munch away. Their crispy salty goodness is highly addictive.

Frozen scapes- This is something I do every year with the bulk of our scapes harvest because I love having them available through the winter. All you need to do is blend them up with some oil and salt & pepper until smooth, and then separate into your family sized portions to freeze. I form them and cover each with a little clingfilm before putting them in the freezer on a tray. Once they’re frozen, they can all get tossed into a bag in the freezer (this step ensures that they don’t freeze into one massive clump.) Now you have them readily available through the cold winter months to serve with pasta, spread on fresh bread, over baked chicken or fish, or even as a topping for steak, or a dollop added into humus. The possibilities are endless, and trust me when I say, a steaming bowl of bright green garlic scape pasta on a cold January night is pure heaven.

Happy eating & I’ll see you next week!

Kim

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Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE soup, and it’s the perfect way to use up all of those little odds & ends in the fridge before your new share arrives for the week. However, when it comes to the great “fridge clean out” meal, I like to shake it up a bit. We all have our favourite versions of this meal, and I’m going to show you two of mine that are perfect for this time of year. Most of the greens coming out of the fields are sturdy ones that can stand up to some heat & are delicious when sauteed (think kale, chard, spinach, turnip greens, nettle, dandelion, beet greens, etc) all of this goodness has a place in my fridge clean out meals……

Ground Meat Magic– For this one, I take 1 package of Taproot ground beef or ground pork and mix it with pretty much anything else that’s in my fridge. Greens, root veg, fresh herbs, you name it, it all goes in. Depending on what you season it with, you’ll end up with a completely different bowl of awesome every single time. Some of our favourites include;

All the veg & greens, ground meat, rice, ginger, garlic, shredded cabbage, soya & sesame seeds

All the veg & greens, ground meat, can of mushroom soup, fresh herbs

All the veg & greens, ground meat, pasta, canned or frozen tomatoes

All the veg & greens, ground meat, diced potatoes, chives, feta or cheddar cheese

Veggie Hash– For this one I start with a nice firm winter veg like turnip, potatoes, celeriac or parsnips – this picture is turnip hash – and dice it up, toss with some oil & salt & pepper and roast for about 20 min on 400. Next fry up a couple slices of Taproot bacon cut into small pieces & then dice up onions, carrots, garlic, and any other veg or greens in the fridge. Saute the whole thing for 5-10 minutes until everything is cooked, but not mushy. The bacon grease should provide enough moisture, or as an alternate you could add a splash of stock or oil. I season heavily with salt & pepper, dried chili flakes & lots of fresh chives. This one makes a great side dish at dinner, or top it with a poached egg for a super hearty farmer breakfast.

Both of these make cleaning out my fridge to prepare for a new share week a very delicious venture.

Go empty that fridge & I’ll see you next week!

Kim

The post 2 ideas for a fridge clean out that aren’t soup! appeared first on TapRoot Farms.

It’s some chilly out there. I know, it’s spring and we have to expect some ups and downs, but it’s downright COLD today. This is perfect weather for some soup, and this is one of our very favourites. It’s delicious, but it’s also stunning to look at, and is the perfect recipe to get through a chilly spell in the spring.

Whole Chicken & Cabbage Soup

• 1 whole chicken (4-5lbs)
• 1 heaping tbsp grated ginger
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 medium green cabbage
• 1 lg onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 4 tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• sliced green onions & sesame seeds to garnish
• Salt & pepper to taste.

Directions

Peel the cabbage so that you have a nice pile of leaves, without the tough center core. In a large dutch oven or pot, layer the cabbage leaves in the bottom and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Wash chicken & pat dry, and sprinkle with additional salt & pepper. In a large bowl, mix all remaining ingredients except sesame seeds & green onions. Pour mixture over chicken and bring to a boil. Lower heat to med/low, cover, and let simmer for 1.5-2 hours.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds & green onions, and serve family style in a large bowl or in the pot that it was cooked in.

The chicken will be tender enough for everyone to simply pull off some pieces and then top with broth and cabbage, and enjoy!

This one will definitely warm you up on a day like today.

See you next week!

K

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Roast Chicken with Cider Vinegar Gravy
1 Whole Chicken (any size)
3 carrots
5 waxy potatoes (in this case, red potatoes)
2 cloves garlic
3 large apples (in this case, Golden delicious & honeycrisp)
1 large onion
2 tbsp each of thyme & rosemary (dried or fresh)
2 cups sweet apple cider
2 cups apple cider vinegar
a good splash of oil
salt & pepper to taste
**optional
1 tbsp flour or cornstarch to thicken pan juices
a good sprinkle of dried chili flakes
Directions
Chop apples, onions, carrots & potatoes into bite size chunks and rough chop garlic cloves. Toss all into a large roasting pan, season with rosemary, thyme, salt & pepper, and coat all with a splash of oil. Roast veg at 350 for 20 minutes, uncovered. Remove roasting pan, add sweet cider & apple cider vinegar and rest chicken on top. Spoon some of the cider/vinegar mix from the pan over the chicken, drizzle with a little oil & season with salt and pepper. Roast uncovered for 25 minutes per lb of chicken. We like a very crispy skin on our chicken, but if you feel that yours is getting darker than you like during cooking, just rest a piece of foil over the bird once it is to your liking, and if your chicken is very small, add additional time to the pre-roast of the vegetable to ensure they’re cooked through. When time is up, remove chicken to rest, scoop out veg to a service plate, and pan juices to a gravy boat. If you prefer a thicker sauce, once veg is removed, bring pan juices to a boil and thicken as normal with cornstarch or flour mixed into a cup of cold water. It’s beautiful served family style on a giant platter, either whole or carved, along side the vegetable & potatoes.
I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we do & I’ll see you next Monday with something new
Love some local food,
Kim

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