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Visit Eating the Local Box Blog! Our fabulous crew of Alex and Lisa write each week about ways you could use all those seasonal goodies found in the local box. Check it out!!!

About Lisa

Hi! I am Lisa Diffenbaugh and I have been a customer of PureSprouts for the past year. I am very excited to be sharing some of the recipes I have been using for the All Local Bins that we have been receiving. A little about myself: I live in Kutztown and I have been married to my husband for 7 years. I have beautiful twin daughters who are almost 4 years old. I am an early intervention Physical Therapist for a great company that serves Berks and Lehigh counties but my passion in life is cooking! Having kids has made cooking a lot more challenging but I have been blessed with children who are willing to try just about anything that I make. My goal: Preparing healthy family friendly meals while challenging myself in the kitchen. I hope you enjoy my recipes!
 

About Alex

Hello there! My name is Alexzandra Warren and am a self-proclaimed “foodie”. I have been cooking for as long as I can remember! I work full-time in a Food Microbiology Lab in Allentown and live in Bethlehem (although it feels like I live at work!) I cook 6-7 nights a week, even though I work about 50 hours a week. Good food is possible even on a tight schedule!!I have 2 cats that are sometimes my taste-testers; they are my babies    I have recently in the past few years found an absolute love in gardening and try to cook all my own fresh grown produce. I try to shop local, organic and seasonally as well. I signed up for Pure Sprouts only this past year  and have only once not gotten a delivery! I am honored and excited to share my love of cooking and food with all of you. My goal: share my favorite fast, easy and super delicious recipes with fellow food lovers!
 

Post this week (see actual blog for pictures)
 

It’s November and the time of year to give thanks for all that we have. This week I give thanks for my home. We are definitely in the minority and we never lost power nor experienced damage to our home or property. My heart goes out to everyone that is still struggling to recover.  I am also very thankful for Pure Sprouts which has helped my family become healthy and enabled me to teach my kids awesome eating habits.

The bin this weekend contained: Arugula, Fuji Apples, Green Kale, Purple/White Potatoes, White Hamon Sweet Potatoes, Daikon Radishes, Winter Squash, Bread and Eggs

Let’s start with the…..

Daikon Radishes
Daikon Radishes are white radishes that are often used in Asian cuisine. They are a low calorie food and packed with Vitamin C. The shelf life of these radishes is not very long so be sure to use them early this week.  After doing some research I found out that a common Asian dish is Turnip Cake (made with daikon radishes) that is eaten during Chinese New Year. I found this recipe from Appetite for China that I am going to try to adapt (I will list my changes in bold) since some of the ingredients may be difficult to find. Be sure to adjust the amounts depending on how much Daikon you have!

Turnip Cakes (Law Bok Gow)
3 1/4 cups rice flour
8 dried shiitake mushrooms (I will leave this ingredient out)
2 ounces dried shrimp (I am going to try canned salad shrimp, you can also substitute corn)
6 ounces Chinese bacon (lop yok) or Chinese sausage (Chinese bacon is just a plain pork belly. You can also use a quality bacon.)
1 large Chinese white turnip, about 2 pounds
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons  rice cooking wine
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce (I am sure plain soy sauce would be fine.)
1 teaspoon salt

Special equipment: Mandolin, 10-inch cake pan, large wok (with lid) that is bigger than the cake pan

1. In a large heatproof bowl, combine the rice flour and 2 cups of water. Mix well until the mixture is smooth and velvety, and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, soak the shiitake mushrooms in about 1/2 cup of cold water for 10 to 15 minutes to soften. In a separate small bowl, do the same with the dried shrimp.

3. Meanwhile, bring water to boil in a small pot. Place the Chinese bacon in the pot and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to soften. Remove from heat and pat to dry. Finely chop and set aside.

4. Once the shiitakes are done soaking, remove from water, sqeeze out excess water, finely chop, and set aside. Remove shrimp from water, finely chop, and set aside.

5. Peel the turnip, and with a mandoline, slice into 2 cm thick slices. Then cut slices into strips about 2 cm thick. Set aside.

6. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok (or large saute pan). Add shrimp and mushrooms and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the cooking wine and soy sauce and stir until the shrimp and mushrooms are well-coated. Add the Chinese bacon, cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.

7. In the same wok/saute pan, toss in the turnip strips and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, adding a bit more cooking oil if necessary. Then pour in 1 cup water, cover the wok, and let the turnip steam for 10 to 15 minutes until just cooked.

8. Pour the hot turnip mixture into the bowl with the rice flour mixture and mix thoroughly, until the turnips are well-incorporated into the mixture. Add the bacon, shrimp, mushrooms, and salt. Stir until evenly distributed. Pour the resulting mixture into a round 10-inch cake pan and smooth out the top.

9. Steaming: Bring water to boil in a large wok big enough to fit the cake pan. Carefully fit the cake pan into the steamer, cover, reduce the heat to a simmer. Steam for 1 hour, or just until the turnip cake is set and is firm to the touch. Check the water level regularly and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. Carefully remove the pan from the steamer and allow to cool on a rack for about 1 hour. You can also place the cake pan in a large pan of water filled to the half way of the cake pan. Cover the whole thing and place in a 350 degree oven. Check frequently.)

10. When cooled, run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen sides. Invert to unmold and flip the cake right-side up onto a cutting board. Slice the cake into rectangles 1-inch thick. You can serve the turnip cake as-is and sliced, or wrap the cake in plastic and refrigerate until ready to stir-fry.

11. Optional stir-frying: Heat a medium to large skillet over medium heat. Add enough oil to barely cover the bottom and fry the cake in batches, about 3 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown. Serve immediately plain or with oyster sauce, soy sauce, or chili sauce.

Kale
My kale is gone already! I was hosting a church dinner this weekend and had a soup/salad menu prepared. I can’t serve soups in this house unless Sausage and Kale soup is one of them! I have posted this recipe a few times so I won’t post it again but please search back!

Kale is available year round but is sweeter in the winter months. Kale stores nicely in the fridge for 3-4 days. If it starts to go limp just cut the ends off of the stems and soak in warm water for 5 minutes. This should bring it back to life!

Kale Pizza
I think my daughters would love this! Next time we have kale I will be making it!

Either make your own or use store bought dough. Layer the pizza with sliced or diced fresh tomatoes, fresh garlic, kale and cheese. Bake in the oven according to pizza dough directions and Voila a healthy and delicious pizza!

Sweet Potatoes/ Apples
Nothing better than a delicious and low-fat side dish for holiday meals. This one is perfect from Fitness Magazine

Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
3  apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch rings
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the sweet potatoes on a piece of aluminum foil and roast until they can be easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly.

2. Trim the ends and pull off the peels; slice into 1/2-inch rounds.

3. Butter a small (3-1/2-quart) casserole dish with half the butter. In a bowl, stir together the cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Arrange half the apple rings and sweet-potato rounds in alternating layers in the dish; sprinkle with half the spice mixture and half the maple syrup. Layer in the rest of the apples and sweet potatoes, ending with the apples. Sprinkle with the remaining spices, drizzle with the remaining syrup; dot with the rest of the butter.

4. Cover and bake until the apples are very tender, about 45 minutes.

Winter Squash
This is a recipe that I posted around this time last year. Another dish that I have been looking forward to making again!

Squash Dip
2 cups of homemade squash puree

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 8 oz package cream cheese

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

First you will have to turn your squash into homemade puree to substitute what would normally be canned pumpkin for this recipe.

Puree:

1.  preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash (seeds removed) in wedges (4-6 should do) and place your the pieces on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with a little butter (very sparingly)

2. roast in the oven until tender. Once cool enough to handle

3. place the roasted squash in your food processor and puree until smooth.Homemade puree has a higher water content than canned so you may have to drain the squash in a colander or cheese cloth to remove as much water as possible.)

Dip:

4. Return to the squash to the processor and add the spices and vanilla and puree

5.  Next blend in the softened cream cheese and sugar. (add sugar slowly more/ less to taste)

6.  Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Serve with graham crackers, ginger snaps, or vanilla wafers

This squash would also make a wonderful pumpkin pie using the homemade puree or pumpkin soup.