Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Sometimes The Allergenius isn't such a genius when it comes to technology. Take this particular post. If you had checked it but mere hours ago, you would have come across some pretty gorgeous pictures indexed by my amusing short hand:

Chop!

Fennel!

Other!

Enthusiastic, certainly, but perhaps a bit confounding. I’m still getting the feel of the blogger’s digital tools. Luckily, I’m much more adept with the tools in the kitchen, and love experimenting with them.


The other day I started out with some russet potatoes from my local food coop, intending to make mashed potatoes. I like my mashed potatoes especially garlicky, and I threw in a couple cloves of raw garlic before tackling the crumbly boiled potatoes with my hand blender.

Though I hadn’t added any butter, margarine or cream, the blender (which is also appropriately called a “wand” blender) was churning my potatoes into a creamy consistency, sans dairy!

My lactose intolerant stomach was thanking me before I even put the fork to my lips, and I assembled a gorgeous veggie spread with other fodder from my CSA.




Creamy Mashed Potatoes
(2 Servings)

1 LB (4-6 small or medium sized) diced potatoes, with skins on
2 cloves raw garlic, chopped
2 sprigs thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
Chopped green onion

Drop diced potatoes gently in a pot of boiling water, and let sit for 25 minutes, or until the pieces just begin to crumble when you poke them with a fork.

Drain the potatoes in your sink, and let cool.

Place potatoes in a medium sized bowl with garlic, and tackle them with your hand blender until they are the desired consistency, then add salt and pepper to taste

Top with chopped green onion to garnish


Braised Purple Carrot and Fennel Salad
(4 Servings)

1 bunch carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias
1 medium sized fennel bulb, cut across the bulb (to prepare chop across the top to remove fronds, you can peel the bulb's outer layer if desired, but I usually leave it intact)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar plus more as needed for braising
1 bunch reserved fennel fronds

Set stove top burner to medium-high heat, drizzle 1 TB olive oil on oven safe skillet or pan
When oil is hot, toss in carrots and fennel, and let brown

Add apple cider vinegar and deglaze pan

Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Let vegetables cook until tender, when they can be easily pierced with a fork

Uncover vegetables and set heat back to medium-high, cooking off excess braising liquid, tossing vegetables frequently

Add reserved fennel fronds

Serve and Enjoy!


Garlicky Green Beans
(2 Servings)

½ LB green beans
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 TB juice from fresh lemon

Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet or pan, drop the sliced garlic and follow swiftly with the green beans. Cook for three to five minutes on medium high heat, tossing lightly every so often.

Squeeze juice from half a lemon onto skillet, season with salt and pepper to taste



Each of these dishes can be served as a delicious accompaniment to a main course, or served together for a hearty and nutrient rich meal!



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Wheat Berry Fig Salad

Though normally an early morning person, a six AM jump start on the day is not very typical for me.

Still, sunlight streaming, and Mariah Carey's "Honey" pouring in from my neighbor's window I seized the chance to get a start on my CSA veggies.

In a summer rife with transition: completing a graduate degree, moving, and that endless rain, the Crown Heights CSA has offered fresh and organic produce from Sang Lee Farms that has given me endless comfort.

And anxiety.
While Not Eating Out in New York's Cathy Erway (a fellow CSA member) provides some tips to handle that overflow, I still have to face the veggies in my fridge.

As a food allergy sufferer, and a recovering grad student, I continually challenge myself to find affordable sources for my balanced diet. Since tree nuts are often hailed as a good source of protein, and meat and fish don't normally find their way into my diet due to cost, I often look to other creative solutions.

Like wheat berries.

These whole wheat kernels are packed with six grams of protein in every half serving, and are sturdy enough to stand up as a solid base for anything from stir fry to my present salad adventure. They are earthy in tone and I hear they taste a bit "nutty," so I get the flavor without the anaphylaxis. WIN.

I tossed some that I had left over from a stir fry with chopped up leafy tat soy greens and pretty u choy flowers (a sweeter cousin to bok choy), topping it all of with some sliced figs for a healthy, hearty breakfast salad. For good measure (and to make another dent in my CSA) I added Genovese basil I had prepped for a pistou to give the salad another rich layer of flavor.

The result was a warm and inviting inviting dish, with plenty for leftovers I'll use to snack on the go.

Wheat Berry Fig Salad
(makes two full servings)

To Prepare Wheat Berries:
Pick through one cup of berries, removing any grit or stones and rinse in cold water.
Cover berries with water, pop in the microwave for two minutes. Simmer in a pot on the stove for twenty more minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain, Rinse and let cool. Their texture should be firm and slightly chewy.

For the Rest of the Salad
1 bunch tatsoi greens, chopped
flowers from u choy
3 TB Genovese basil, finely chopped, lightly drizzled with olive oil




Toss and Enjoy!



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