Mushroom and Olive Pasta

Mushrooms, olives, and capers give this pasta a ton of flavor; it's an easy recipe that is easily prepped and cooked in under 30 minutes. This pasta is also a great way to use up a big bunch  of swiss chard or other greens without feeling like you're even eating greens. 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. penne pasta, or other pasta of your choice
• 1½ Tbsp + 1½ Tbsp olive oil
• 8oz baby bella mushrooms
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 3 large onions, diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp red chili pepper flakes

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 28oz can diced Italian tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp capers, chopped
• 1 cup kalamata olives, sliced

• 1/2 cup red wine

• 1 large bunch swiss chard, rough chopped (about 4-5 cups)
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup basil, chopped

Method

• Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat 1½ Tbsp oil over medium-high in large skillet. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper, squeeze lemon juice into skillet, and remove mushrooms and all juices to a bowl. Set aside.
• In same skillet, heat remaining oil. Sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic and continue sautéing for about 1 minute. Add oregano, chili flakes and garlic powder; stir to combine.
• Add capers, olives and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add wine, reserved mushrooms, and swiss chard. Reduce heat medium low. Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Taste and add salt if desired (the sauce is naturally very salty due to the olives and capers, so be pretty conservative with your salt at first). Add fresh ground pepper.
• Combine drained pasta with sauce and toss to coat. Top with fresh basil and serve. 

Fresh Corn Salsa and Insanely Easy Southwest Salad

This corn salsa is incredibly easy and very versatile. It’s a great dip for chips, topping for tacos, or salad mix-in. The umeboshi vinegar increases the health properties and eliminates the need for salt. It will keep in the fridge for a few days, but it probably won't last that long! You may want to wake it up with more umeboshi vinegar after sitting for a few days.

Ingredients

• 2 ears organic corn, husked and cleaned
• 1 ½ cups black beans (about ½ a can) drained and rinsed
• ½ pint cherry or grape tomatoes, diced
• ½ medium red onion, minced
• Handful fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp umeboshi plum vinegar + more as needed
• Fresh black pepper

Method

• Remove corn from ears by holding corn vertically and passing a knife down all sides.
• In a large bowl, combine corn, beans, tomatoes, and red onion. Stir to combine.
• Start by adding 1 tsp of umeboshi vinegar. Mix in, taste, and add more as needed. (I usually use about 2 tsp, but I also like things salty.)
• Add fresh black pepper and basil. 
• Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.  

Serving suggestions

• Serve as a dip for chips
• Top tacos, fajitas, or any Mexican dish
• Create an easy salad with lettuce, corn salsa and a simple dressing of Vegenaise and Frank’s Red Hot sauce (salad shown below). Of course, you can go a lot further with the salad by adding tostada shells, TVP/Boca crumbles, jalapeños, etc. 

Apricot Love

5-6 pounds of apricots in the CSA box this week! I know there will be more to come, and we’re still eating up gobs of wonderful cherries, so I decided to preserve them in a few different ways.

Dehydrated Apricots

Ingredients

• 3 pounds apricots
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 4 cups water

Method

• Wash apricots, cut in half, and remove the pits.
• Prepare a large bowl with 1 cup lemon juice and 4 cups water. Place apricots in the solution for 5 minutes. (This helps prevent browning. There are other ways to do it, but this is the most natural method.)
• Place in a single layer on food dehydrator trays. Set dehydrator to 110 degrees and dehydrate for 24 hours. (You can use a higher temperature to expedite, but it will kill the enzymes and the food won’t qualify as “raw” anymore.)

Apricots before dehydrating

Apricot Jam

This is my household's favorite jam recipe. It's all natural, so simple, and not too sweet. If you’re not familiar with procedures for water-bath canning, Real Simple Magazine has many helpful articles. One of them can be found here. There are many other helpful resources online that can guide you through water-bath canning. It is a bit overwhelming at first, but after your first successful batch, you'll be hooked. 

Ingredients  

• 3 pounds apricots
• 3 cups sugar**
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

**Ingredient note: I use sugar that is labeled as organic, evaporated cane juice. This type of sugar must be heated to break down, and is perfect for jams, preserves, and jellies.

Method

• Prep: Wash jars and bands - this recipe makes 3 pint-sized jars or 5-6 small jam jars. Place in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to use. Put lids in a separate pot of hot, but not boiling, water.
• Wash and quarter apricots. Combine apricots, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a large pan over high heat.
• Bring to a boil and mash with a potato masher. Skim off the scum as you go.
• Continue boiling for about 10-15 minutes until all scum is gone, mixture becomes clear, and bubbles slow. Mixture should cling to a spoon. (Some people take out the skins, but I leave them in. This jam is so think and chunky, there is no need.) Remove from heat.
• Remove jars from hot water. Fill jars, leaving ½ headspace. Use a non-reactive spatula to remove bubbles. Please lids on and tighten bands until resistance is met. Process for 20-25 minutes for pint size jars (1/2 the time for smaller, jam jars). Then, let sit 5 more minutes in the canner.
• Let jars cool overnight, tighten bands, and store.

Variations: You can actually use any type of stone fruit (peaches, plums, etc.) for this recipe, including a mix of whatever stone fruits you can get your hand on. Peach and plum has always turned out very well for me in the fall. 

This recipe is not also part of the Fresh Bites Friday blog carnival http://www.realfoodwholehealth.com/2012/07/fresh-bites-friday-july-13-2012/