In today's bag:

Romaine Lettuce

Rainbow Carrots

Fennel and/or Endive

Green Chard

Golden Beets

Celery Roots

Fennel:Tips for Preparing:

(whfoods.com)

The three different parts of fennel-the base, stalks and leaves-can all be used in cooking. Cut the stalks away from the bulb at the place where they meet. If you are not going to be using the intact bulb in a recipe, then first cut it in half, remove the base, and then rinse it with water before proceeding to cut it further. Fennel can be cut in a variety of sizes and shapes, depending upon the recipe and your personal preference. The best way to slice it is to do so vertically through the bulb. If your recipe requires chunked, diced or julienne fennel, it is best to first remove the harder core that resides in the center before cutting it. The stalks of the fennel can be used for soups, stocks and stews, while the leaves can be used as an herb seasoning.

Fennel:A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

(whfoods.com)

Healthy sautéed fennel and onions make a wonderful side dish.

Combine sliced fennel with avocados, and oranges for a delightful salad.

Braised fennel is a wonderful complement to scallops.

Next time you are looking for a new way to adorn your sandwiches, consider adding sliced fennel in addition to the traditional toppings of lettuce and tomato.

Top thinly sliced fennel with plain yogurt and mint leaves.

Fennel is a match made in Heaven when served with salmon.

Chard:Tips for Preparing:

(whfoods.com)

Wash the chard well to remove any sand or soil that may be hidden in the leaves. One way to do this is to immerse pieces of cut chard in a bowl of cool water, swirling them around to remove any dirt and then quickly rinsing them with cool running water. Trim the bottom end of the stalk. If you find the stalks to be more fibrous than desired, make incisions near the base of the stalk and peel away the fibers, like you would do with celery.

Do not cook chard in an aluminum pot since the oxalates contained in the chard will react with the metal and cause the pot to discolor. Since the stalks are thicker in texture, they will take longer to cook than the leaves, so their cooking should be started a few minutes earlier. Chard is one of the vegetables that we recommend quick boiling (as opposed to steaming or healthy sauté) since this helps to free the oxalic acids it contains and makes the chard less bitter and sweeter.

Chard:A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

(whfoods.com)

Wrap Swiss chard leaves around your favorite vegetable and grain salad and roll into a neat little package. Bake in a medium-heat oven and enjoy this nutrient-superstar alternative to stuffed cabbage.

Toss penne pasta with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and cooked Swiss chard.

Add zest to omelets and frittatas by adding some steamed Swiss chard.

Use chard in place of or in addition to spinach when preparing vegetarian lasagna.

Celery Root: Although cooked celery root is excellent in soups, stew, and other hot dishes, it can also be enjoyed raw, especially grated and tossed in salads. Raw celery root has an intense flavor that tends to dominate salads, so pair it with other strongly flavored fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, beets, and apples.

Beets: A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

(whfoods.com)

Simply grate raw beets for a delicious and colorful addition to salads or decorative garnish for soups.

Add chunks of beet when roasting vegetables in the oven.

Serving homemade vegetable juice? A quarter of a beet will turn any green drink into a sweet pink concoction, pleasing both the eyes and the taste buds.

Healthy sauté beet greens with other braising greens such as chard and mustard greens.

Marinate steamed beets in fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh herbs.

Fresh Green Beans, Fennel, and Feta Cheese—serves 4

(allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed

1 fennel bulb, cut into thin slices

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation:

Fill a saucepan half full with water and bring to a boil. Add the green beans and fennel slices; cook until just beginning to become tender, about 4 minutes. Pour into a colander to drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Return the empty pan to the stove and set heat to medium. Pour in the olive oil and let it heat for a minute. Return the green beans and fennel to the pan. Season with basil, salt, and pepper; cook and stir until coated and warm. Transfer to a serving dish and toss with feta cheese.

Roasted Fennel—serves 4

(simplyrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

2 fennel bulbs (thick base of stalk), stalks cut off, bulbs sliced

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Rub just enough olive oil over the fennel to coat. Sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar, also to coat. Line baking dish with silpat or aluminum foil. Lay out piece of fennel and roast for 15-20 minutes, until the fennel is cooked through and beginning to caramelize.

Fennel and Endive Salad with Orange Vinaigrette—serves 3

(epicurious.com)

Ingredients:

½ navel orange

¾ tbsp white-wine vinegar

1/8 tsp salt, or to taste

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

1 medium fennel bulbs (sometimes called anise; 2 pounds total), stalks discarded

1 endives, trimmed

Preparation:

Finely grate enough zest from orange to measure 1 tsp, then squeeze ½ tbsp juice into a large bowl. Whisk in zest, vinegar, salt, pepper, and oil until combined well.

Cut fennel bulbs lengthwise into very thin slices. Halve endives lengthwise, then halve crosswise and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Add endive and fennel to vinaigrette and toss to combine. Chill, covered, 15 minutes to allow flavors to develop.

Swiss Chard Lasagna with Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce—serves 10

(cooking.com)

Ingredients:

Lasagna Sheets

1 pound chard, trimmed, rinsed, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp water

3 cups ricotta cheese

2 large eggs

3 ½ cups Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce

5 ½ ounces Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated

Preparation:

For Lasagna Sheets: Follow method for making Fresh Pasta and forming pasta sheets. Cut pasta into 5x15-inch sheets and let dry just slightly, about 10 minutes. Fill large bowl with cold water. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, about 1 1/2 minutes. Using pasta insert, transfer pasta from boiling water to cold water. Drain. Shake excess water from pasta and lay pasta atop clean dry kitchen towels.

For Filling: Place Swiss chard in large pot over medium heat. Cover and cook until chard wilts but is crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; drain any excess liquid. Transfer chard to large bowl. Season lightly with salt. Set aside.

Meanwhile, combine garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon water in small saucepan and bring to boil. Cook over medium heat until garlic is tender and water has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix ricotta cheese and garlic mixture into cooked chard in large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs.

To Assemble Lasagna: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line bottom and sides of 15-by-10-inch baking dish with pasta sheets, overlapping sheets slightly. Spread 1/3 cup ricotta mixture over pasta sheets. Spoon generous 1/2 cup Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce evenly over ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with generous 1/4 cup Parmigiano. Repeat layering 3 times. Cover with pasta sheets. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over, and sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil atop lasagna.

Bake lasagna uncovered until top is deep golden and sauce bubbles, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven; cool slightly before serving.

Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce

Ingredients:

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, halved crosswise

sea salt

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp water

½ cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Preparation:

Lightly sprinkle cut sides of tomatoes with salt. Place tomatoes cut sides down in rack set in a jelly roll pan. Let stand 30 minutes. Coarsely chop tomatoes (do not remove salt).

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan. Over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and 2 tablespoons water and cook until onion is just translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until tomatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add basil and continue cooking until tomatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes longer. Remove from heat.

Rainbow Chard with Lemon, Fennel, and Parmigiano—serves 8

(finecooking.com)

Ingredients:

1 large bunches rainbow or Swiss chard (about 3-1/2 lb.)

Kosher salt

½ cups thinly sliced fennel bulb, plus 1/2 cup chopped fronds (fronds optional)

½ medium lemons

½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

½ medium cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano (shave with a vegetable peeler)

Preparation:

Cut the chard stalks off just below each leaf and thinly slice the stalks. Chop the chard leaves into large pieces. Keep the stalks and leaves separate.

Bring a large, wide pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the sliced fennel and chard stalks and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chard leaves and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well in a colander. (The chard can be cooked to this point up to 3 hours ahead.) Rinse and dry the pot.

Finely grate the zest from the lemons and set aside. Cut the top and bottom ends off the lemons, then stand each on a cut end and slice off the peel to expose the flesh. (Try to remove all of the bitter white pith.) Cut the lemon segments from the membranes, letting them drop into a small bowl.

Heat the oil and garlic in the pot over medium heat. When the garlic begins to sizzle, add the fennel fronds (if using) and the lemon segments and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Add the chard leaves and stems and fennel and cook, stirring, until heated through. Stir in the lemon zest and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, sprinkled with the Parmigiano.

Celery Root Purée—serves 6

(epicurious.com)

Simmering in milk coaxes the very best out of celery root, giving this silky puree a flavor that's both mellow and full.

Ingredients:

3 cups whole milk

3 cups water

1 tbsp salt

2 large celery roots (about 2 ½ pounds total), peeled, cut into 2-inch cubes

1 medium russet potato (about 10 ounces), peeled, cut into 2-inch cubes

1 small onion, peeled, quartered

5 tablespoons butter, cut into 5 pieces

Ground white pepper

Chopped fresh chives (optional)

Preparation:

Bring milk, water, and salt just to boil in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Add celery root cubes, potato cubes, and onion quarters; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, discarding cooking liquid.

Combine vegetables and butter in processor and puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Do ahead Celery root puree can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Re-warm in microwave before serving.

Transfer celery root puree to bowl. Sprinkle with chopped fresh chives and serve.

Celery Root and Beet Salad

Ingredients:

3 medium beets (with greens), trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached

1 small (1/2-lb) celery root

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp fresh lemon juice, plus additional to taste

1 tbsp minced shallot

2 tbsp cup olive oil

2 tsp salt

¼ cup chopped walnuts (2 oz), toasted and cooled

Preparation:

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Wrap beets tightly in foil to make 2 packages (3 beets in each) and roast until tender, about 1 1/4 hours.

3. While beets roast, peel celery root with a sharp knife and cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks. Whisk together lemon juice, shallot, oil, salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl until combined well, then add celery root and toss until coated. Keep at room temperature, covered, until ready to add beets.

4. Carefully unwrap beets and, when just cool enough to handle, slip off skins and remove stems. Cut beets into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks and toss with celery root.

5. Let salad stand, covered, at room temperature 1 hour. Taste salad and season with more lemon juice and salt if necessary and toss with walnuts.

Slow-cooking Beets

Leave the beets whole with their root ends and one inch of stem attached. Wash thoroughly. Add ¼ cup boiling water and let them simmer for at least 1 hour. Drain, rub off tops, skins and roots. Slice, dice or serve whole, season as desired.