Colorado Local Market Recipes

Okay, so the pineapple in this recipe is not local, but this chicken is too good not to list. Also, it provides a non-desert option for your local, organic apricots.

INGREDIENTS:

2 fresh apricots, pitted and diced
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup dark rum
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch ground white pepper
salt to taste
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped

Place the pineapple and its juice and the apricots into a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken into the skillet, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Cook until lightly browned on both sides, about 10 minutes.

Stir the butter and orange zest into the skillet, then when the butter is melted, pour in the rum. Carefully light with a match, and let the mixture burn until the flame goes out. Stir in the blended pineapple and apricot mixture, brown sugar, onion powder, ginger, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the red and yellow bell peppers, and simmer until the peppers are hot, but still crisp. Remove from heat, and serve.

Buy local, organic apricots at Colorado’s virtual farmers market, Colorado Local Market.

Now that we have organic raspberries, what are you going to do with them (besides snack on them)? Try this Rhubarb Raspberry Crunch. Rhubarb is at its peak right now, so combine those local fresh ingredients for this delightful summer dessert.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon instant tapioca
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup raspberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup butter, chilled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, tapioca, cornstarch and salt. Place rhubarb and raspberries into bowl making sure to completely coat them with dry ingredients. Pour into baking pan.

In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour and oats. Cut in butter until mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs. Spread on top of fruit mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until rhubarb is tender.

Order your fresh, organic raspberries today.

Order some lean ground lamb from Haugen’s Mountain Grown Lamb at Colorado Local Market and make these yummy Gyros! Who knew making them at home could be so easy.

INGREDIENTS:

1  pound  ground lamb
1/4  cup  golden raisins, chopped
1/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2  cup  bread crumbs
1  large egg, beaten
1  bunch scallions (white and light green parts), sliced
4  pieces flat bread
1/2  cup  Greek yogurt
2  tablespoons  fresh mint

Place an oven rack in the second-highest position and heat broiler.

Combine the lamb, raisins, cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the bread crumbs, egg, and three-quarters of the scallions in a large bowl.

Shape the mixture into golf ball size meatballs and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Broil, turning once, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total.

Divide the flat bread among individual plates and top with the meatballs, yogurt, mint, and the remaining scallions.

Radishes are some of the first crop to pop up in the garden. So, in the beginning of the summer, when you haven’t started canning yet and you’re eager to get started, here’s a recipe that will get your canning gears going.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch red radishes
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons salt (kosher or sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seed (note the original recipe calls for yellow or brown mustard seed)
Dash of coriander (note original recipe called for 1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seed)
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 dried bay leaf

Cut top of radish and leafy green off. Slice into thin rounds. Set aside.

Combine remainder of ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. 3-4 minutes

Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Put radishes into a clean 1 pint jar.

Pour vinegar solution over them. Let cool at room temperature for 20 minutes; cover and refrigerate.

Find local radishes at Colorado Local Market.

My husband is Greek and it took nearly three years of marriage before I cooked him a Greek dish. This was not intentional, it’s just that he never asked me to do so, and I never thought about it. Needless to say, he was singing my praises with this dish… just like mom used to make!  This recipe is actually really easy and if you don’t have carrots, slice any veggie you want and add it to the chicken. I made it with peas and it was delicious.

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons chopped dill
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablesoons olive oil
salt
pepper
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 eggs
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablesoon flour

Rinse and clean chicken breasts. Place one chicken breast between two piece of wax paper and beat until thin. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Sprinkle salt, pepper and dill on both sides of chicken breasts.

Heat butter and oil in large pan over medium heat. Cook chicken breasts with carrots in pan. Be careful not to brown the chicken. Approximately ten minutes on each side.

In the meantime, make the lemon-egg sauce. Beat the eggs with the lemon juice. Gradually add the stock and stir constantly while the sauce is heated. Do not let the sauce boil. Add flour if you want to thicken the sauce. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens.

Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken and carrots and turn the heat to low. Let the chicken cook in the sauce for five more minutes. Be sure to stor the sauce throughout so that it remains smooth.

Get free range chicken and eggs with Colorado Local Market. Start shopping at Colorado Local Market today!

I could almost categorize these under “cake”. But to make us feel just a little better, I’ll call them muffins.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
2 cups (firmly packed) grated zucchini–use largest holes on box grater

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and spices. Whisk well to blend.

In a mixing bowl beat the eggs, sugar and oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until very smooth. Add the zucchini and beat just until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat until completely moistened.

Scrape the batter into greased and floured (or paper cup-lined) muffin tins, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake 20-25 minutes, until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Unmold onto the rack. Cool completely and wrap airtight.

I grew up in New York where the Chinese restaurants would serve monstrously huge egg rolls. They were my favorite part of dinner. Now, I replicate them, filling the egg roll with an assortment of different veggies. Here’s the great recipe with some guidelines on the filling. But remember, you can really fill it with any combination of delicious food that you want.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 cup chopped spinach leaves
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
1/2 cup chopped pea pods
1/2 cup chopped bamboo shoots
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
Dash salt
12 Egg Roll Skins
Cooking oil for deep-fat frying
Sweet and Sour Sauce

Preheat a large skillet or wok over high heat; add the 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Stir fry spinach, carrot, cabbage, mushrooms, onion, water chestnuts, pea pods, bamboo shoots, garlic and gingerroot for 2-3 minutes. In a bowl combine egg, soy sauce, sherry and salt; stir in the vegetable mixture.

Place an egg roll skin with 1 point toward you. Spoon 1/4 cup vegetable filling diagonally across and just below center of skin. Fold bottom point of the skin over the filling; tuck point under filling. Fold side corners over, forming an envelope shape. Roll up toward remaining corner, moisten point; press firmly to seal. Repeat with remaining egg roll skins and filling.

Fry egg rolls, a few at a time, in deep hot cooking oil (365 degrees) for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper toweling. Serve warm with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Makes 12 egg rolls.

Sweet and Sour Sauce: In a small saucepan stir together 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Stir in 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1/3 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped pimento, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder ad 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger. Cook and stir until bubbly.

This is so easy to make and just delicious. Great to have on hand as a tasty treat.

INGREDIENTS

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 (or 5×9)  inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

This just might have to go on my Christmas menu. Holy butter!!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
4 white peppercorns, crushed
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat just to melt.

Boil shallots, tarragon, and peppercorns in vinegar and wine in a nonreactive medium-size saucepan over medium heat until reduced to about 1/4 cup.

Strain into the top of a double boiler. Whisk in the egg yolks. Place the top over the bottom of the double boiler containing simmering water. Make sure that the top of the water is below the bottom of the upper part of the double boiler. Whisk constantly. The second that the yolk mixture begins to thicken slightly, remove the top of the double boiler from above the hot water and continue whisking. Turn off the heat. Add four ice cubes to the bottom of the double boiler to cool the hot water a little. Put the pan of yolks back above the hot water.

Whisk in the melted butter, drizzling it in very slowly. If at any time the sauce looks as if it is about to break, remove the top and continue whisking to cool it down or whisk in 1 teaspoon cold water. With constant whisking, whisk in the salt and cayenne. When all the butter is incorporated, taste and add more salt or cayenne as needed.

This almost has the consistency of ice cream, but just a bit lighter. The combination of the vanilla wafer crust makes this cake heavenly. I made it for my brother-in-law for his birthday, and he finished the entire cake in one night. He just couldn’t put it down.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups vanilla wafers, finely crushed
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large egg yolks
1 cup superfine sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel, plus 1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel, plus 1/4 cup orange juice
2 cups heavy cream
Shredded coconut, toasted

Line a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing a 4-inch overhang on all sides. In a small bowl, stir together the wafers, butter and salt; press evenly into the bottom of the pan and freeze.

In a double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar and cook, whisking, until the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the citrus peel and juice over low heat until the mixture has thickened, 10 to 12 minutes; let cool for 10 minutes.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Fold into the custard. Pour the filling over the crust. Fold the plastic wrap over the cake and freeze for at least 5 hours or overnight.

To serve, run a wet knife around the sides of the pan and invert onto a platter, discarding the plastic wrap. Sprinkle with the coconut.

Get fresh local eggs from Colorado Local Market. Order yours today.