CSA - Week 4

This week's CSA box made me really happy. We got more beets, which I will touch on shortly, and the sugar snap peas and Swiss chard made their debut! Here is the rundown:

Swiss Chard - nearly 4 1/2 lbs.

Sugar Snap Peas - nearly 2 lbs.

Beets - 6 1/2 lbs.

Yellow Scallions - over 1/4 lb.

Mizuna - 3/4 lb.

I teased you with talk of pink pancakes last week when we first got beets. I made them this week, and they were a huge success. In fact, I need to double the recipe in the future. It's a good thing I now have frozen beet puree at the ready!

Pink Pancakes

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup beet puree (see below)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup pancake mix

1/4 cup grated apple

nonstick cooking spray

*1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

pure maple syrup or fruit, for serving

1. In a blender or food procesor, combine the water, ricotta cheese, beet puree, vanilla, and cinnamon and blend. Dump the mixture into a medium bowl, add the pancake mix and apple, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix - the batter will be a little lumpy.

2. Coat a griddle or large nonstick killet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil*. Spoon the batter onto the griddle or skillet, using about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook the pancakes until bubbles form on top and the batter i set, 1 to 2 minutes. Then flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm, with syrup or fruit.

Mine were slightly undercooked, but since there was no egg, I wasn't concerned. First my griddle wasn't hot enough, and then it got too hot. We'll get it just right tomorrow...I mean, um, next time I make them whenever that might be.

*I did not use oil

Courtesy of Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld

How to make perfect beet puree:

1. cut the greens off of the beet leaving about 1 inch.

2. wrap in foil.

3. roast in a 400 degree oven for about an hour.

4. refrigerate just long enough that you luckily remember to puree them before they go bad.

5. remove from fridge.

6. peel skin off and cube.

7. frantically search for blender lid so you don't end up with a pink kitchen.

8. blend, taking a break every 5 seconds to stir beet mixture and dream about this.

I scrambled up a couple of eggs and we were all happy. My son would eat anything, as long as it looked like a pancake. As I said, I'm not generally a fan of hiding fruits and veggies just to get your child to eat them. However, since my kids are luckily pretty good about it, I don't see the harm in making recipes like this to give them even more. Plus, since they are always helping me in the kitchen, they know exactly what they're eating. Well, they sort of know. Z calls beets "boots," so he may be chewing on his shoes a little more tomorrow. We'll play that by ear.