Pad Thai-na

Traditional pad thai contains bean sprouts, which lend a nice crunch. I substituted bean sprouts for a nice purple pepper from my farm share. There are many many recipes out there for this simple, essential Thai dish. I've made it a couple times and tried to tweak it-just sweet/tangy enough with the faintest hint of salty fish sauce. It's always a work in progress.

13.2 oz bag rice noodles, or whatever size bag you can find (you may need to adjust amounts)

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 purple pepper, very thinly sliced (you can reserve a few strips for garnish)

1/2 a white onion, thinly sliced (can use thinly sliced green onions in place, of or in addition to)

3 eggs

1 lime, cut into wedges

Cooked marinated tofu

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

3/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped or ground

**To make tofu, wrap the block in a couple paper towels and press between two plates with something heavy on top for about 20 minutes. Slice the tofu into cubes of a size which is pleasing to you. Marinate in a mixture of rice vinegar, soy sauce, and wasabi.... about 1/4 cup vinegar, 3 T. soy sauce and a teaspoon wasabi would be my guess. Sautee in oil until the cubes are browned on several sides. I usually add the marinade at the end to really soak up the flavor.

Mix together:

1 T. tamarind paste

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 T. fish sauce

4 T. brown sugar

1 T. rice vinegar

1 T. fresh lime juice

1/3 cup hot water

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

1. Soak the rice noodles according to the directions on the package. This step is key! I let them sit in hot water for about 15 minutes. You can always cook them more but you can't uncook them.

2. Cook tofu and remove from pan- they can break apart if you mix them too much.

3. Sautee the onion in oil for a few minutes, until soft and translucent. Add garlic and pepper strips and cook a minute more. Add eggs and cook briefly until they begin to set. Add noodles and sauce. Stir fry until sauce is absorbed and noodles are soft.

4. Stir in 1/2 cup of the ground peanuts, and the tofu.

5. Serve sprinkled with ground peanuts, cilantro, and pepper strips. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Loaded Potato Fritters

A more "advanced" recipe. This one takes a bit more time, effort, and trial-and-error in technique, and lots of patience. But it's worth it- this recipe is one of my favorite farm share creations of the season.

4-5 cups shredded potato

1 medium white onion, shredded

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 ears corn, roasted

1 t. curry powder

3 eggs

1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

salt + pepper to taste

lots of oil for frying

1 cup chopped cucumber for garnish (but not an optional garnish)

For sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream

2 T. chopped cilantro

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. onion powder

salt + pepper

1. Mix shredded potato and salt together in a colander. Let it sit over the sink or a bowl while you prepare the other ingredients. Occasionally press the potatoes with the back of a large spoon to squeeze out liquid.

2. Mix together eggs, curry powder and baking powder in a large bowl. Sprinkle in a bit of salt and pepper. Add all ingredients except cucumber and stir well.

3. Put a large pan over medium heat and add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Let the oil get hot, and then drop in spoonfuls of potato mixture (not too hot-they'll burn before cooking all the way through). Press into 1/2 inch thick fritters. Let the babies fry until golden brown. This step takes PATIENCE, because if you try to flip too soon, they're likely to fall apart. Flip each fritter carefully.

4. While the fritters are a'fryin, make your sauce by stirring together all ingredients and adjusting seasonings to taste.

5. When a batch of fritters is done, set them on a paper-towel lined plate. You'll probably have to do several batches.

6. Serve fritters topped with sour cream sauce and chopped cucumbers.

Beet-Carrot Salad

Something like:

3 cups shredded carrots

juice of 1/2 orange

1 t. fresh ginger, finely grated

3 beets

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/2 t. salt plus more to taste

1. Boil beets until soft (check by poking with a fork). This takes about as long as boiling a potato. Let them cool a bit then peel and slice into half moons. Sprinkle some salt on the slices.

2. Meanwhile stir together orange juice, ginger and salt.

3. Combine all ingredients. Stir gently.

4. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, stirring halfway through.