No longer updating, but hope you enjoy the recipes!
Unfortunately, I got too busy to go back to blogging, after I was forced to take a break from it in 2015 because of tendonitis.
But you can still follow my cooking, eating, and travels on instagram: (@spontaneoustomato)
Grilled Summer Squash Pizza
 "Pin it!")
What to do with too many vegetables: Part 3!
Mystery squash.
(The third and final installment of my overwhelming– but wonderful– week of cooking up every single item in a full-share CSA farm box.)
Actually, mystery squash is a bit of a misnomer; the squash is no longer mysterious, thanks to a google image search for “ribbed white and green striped summer squash.” It turns out these squash are called Costata Romanesca, a type of heirloom Italian zucchini (also known as courgette, cocozelle, or ribbed Roman zucchini), and the “best tasting and best textured” of the summer squashes. Score!
But back up a little: it bears mentioning that I did not do this google search until today, just now as I was about to write up this recipe, so I was in complete ignorant bliss the whole time I was recipe-daydreaming, cooking, and enjoying my Costata Romanesca– atop a scrumptious homemade pizza– never even knowing exactly what kind of squash I was dealing with.*
Shaved Fennel Salad with Strawberries & Purple Kale
Dear readers, I have two quick news items for you: First, this is my 50th blog post! (Yay!) Second, Spontaneous Tomato now has a Pinterest page; please follow away! And now, without further ado…
Adventures in using up a CSA full-share farm box, Part 2!
Cast of characters: kale, strawberries, and fennel.
Coming up with ways to eat kale is easy for me. Sometimes I have to remind myself of ways to not eat kale… like re-(reverse-?)substituting good old spinach.
Finding solutions for strawberries is even easier. I toss them in cereal, arrange them on crepes, sprinkle them on salads, or eat them straight out of the basket. (Also, I am not above eating a bowl of fresh berries topped with Reddi-whip.*)
But this was actually the first time I’ve ever welcomed fennel into my kitchen.
Buttermilk Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Last week I cashed in on a groupon-like deal for a CSA farm box from Fairview Gardens here in Goleta. My fridge has never been so full of vegetables!
I mean serious quantities of vegetables. I found it all so completely overwhelming that I promptly skipped a yoga class to start cooking.
If/when I ever join a CSA farm, I’m only signing up for half-shares.
It was like the farmer’s market had come to me. Except it wasn’t just my typical farmer’s market purchases of strawberries, avocados, and kale that had followed me home. There were plenty of other stowaway vegetables that tagged along for the ride. There were pleasant surprises, like red chard, fennel, onions, and lettuce; there were vegetables that I had no idea what to do with (so much of), like white squash, cabbage, and fava beans; and there were other items that just weren’t my favorite… like carrots.*
Tabbouleh (Bulgar Wheat Salad with Parsley and Mint)
 "Pin it!")
I was recently reading up on sources of Omega-3s somewhere on the internet, and was surprised to see that bulgar wheat was on the list.
I’ve only ever had bulgar in tabbouleh, but I dislike the taste of parsley so much (and I LOVE cilantro… strange, right?) that I’d never made tabbouleh at home, even though my mom and sister both have, and both make it well. But because it’s so easy and healthy, and because it made such a nice accompaniment to the other Middle Eastern dishes I made last weekend (<– future blog posts), I decided to give tabbouleh another try.
Continue Reading: Tabbouleh (Bulgar Wheat Salad with Parsley and Mint)…
Eggs Benedict with Greek Yogurt Hollandaise Sauce
Are you afraid of poaching eggs? I’ve latched on to other people’s perfect-poached-egg methods in the past, only to never ever reproduce them. They just weren’t quite perfect (or simple) enough.
That all changed this morning. I discovered a super easy way to egg-poach (that’s a verb now!), thanks to Alice Waters’ “In the Green Kitchen”
Before this, I was totally doing it wrong.
Continue Reading: Eggs Benedict with Greek Yogurt Hollandaise Sauce…
Toasted Orzo with Kale, Feta, and Radishes
After making my first risotto last month, I was inspired to also make my first orzo. I like pasta, but it was unappealing to me to boil the dense grain-like orzo granules in water and drain them, pasta-style. Instead I chose a super tasty-sounding variation from a Cook’s Illustrated cookbook* that I had sitting around: Toasted Orzo!
First you toast the orzo in butter until it’s just started to brown… Sounding tasty yet? Then you pour in chicken or vegetable broth (and white wine), and cook it, risotto-style. Only it’s so much easier than risotto! No constant stirring! Just a little stirring here and there.
spontaneous tomato 