For those of you who weren't able to make it to last night's food group, here's a little of what we discussed. Thanks again Lisa for opening up your home!
What’s in Season and What to do with it:
One challenging aspect of eating locally and in season is utilizing loads of produce that one does not normally cook with, or cook with in great quantities. For instance, getting a bunch of radishes in your CSA is exciting, but how do we make the most of an item that isn’t exactly “main course” material. Here are a couple of recipes and ideas for using in-season produce. The important things to remember are be creative, experiment, and have fun!
Radishes: Most people assume the radish is the only part you eat, but did you know you can eat the leafy green tops too? Here are a couple radish recipes for both the radish and the leafy green tops. Recipes courtesy of allrecipes.com…Enjoy!
Radish Dip: (I made this for food group and Paul loved it so much he barely let me take it!)
4 cloves garlic peeled
6 radishes, quartered
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (Or better yet, homemade!)
Place garlic in the container of a food processor, and pulse until finely minced. Add radishes, and mince. Add cream cheese, and mix until well blended. Transfer to a serving dish, and chill until serving.
Radish Top Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, diced
2 medium potatoes, sliced 4 cups raw radish greens 4 cups chicken broth 1/3 cup heavy cream 5 radishes, sliced
1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and saute until tender. Mix in the potatoes and radish greens, coating them with the butter. Pour in chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.
2. Allow the soup mixture to cool slightly, and transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth.
3. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Mix in the heavy cream. Cook and stir until well blended. Serve with radish slices.
Lettuce: Currently, in the space of a square foot, I’m getting enough lettuce for Paul and I to each have a salad everyday. It’s a great feeling knowing I always have fresh greens right outside my door and only have to pick what we’ll use without letting it go to waste. Since lettuce does go bad so quickly and can’t easily be preserved I foresee the challenge of using it up (along with any from my CSA) in a timely and tasty manner. Here are some ways that I have and will put my leafy greens to use:
Taco Salad: Instead of using seasoning packets from the store I used the following recipe. I didn’t have enough chili powder so I improvised, but it was tasty. This recipe can be made in larger quantities and stored for later use.
Taco Seasoning
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1 cup chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons salt
In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine flour, onion flakes, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and salt. Close lid securely, and shake well to mix contents. One half cup is equivalent to 1 (1.25 ounce) package of taco seasoning. Courtesy of allrecipes.com**This recipe will season 4lbs of ground meat
Veggie Sandwich: Spread some hummus on pita or fresh bread, stuff it with lettuce and other veggies in season, add some Greek olives and/or feta cheese, and enjoy this delicious spring lunch.
Spring Salad with Balsamic Dressing: Conventional salad dressings are filled with artificial colors, flavors, stabilizers and genetically modified organisms. When I first tried this recipe from Nourishing Traditions I was amazed at how tasty and simple this dressing is. This recipe is by far my favorite salad dressing and tastes wonderful paired with feta cheese, Greek olives, nuts and anything else that suits your tastes.
Balsamic Dressing:
1 tsp Dijon-type mustard, smooth or grainy
2 Tbsp plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
½ Cup olive oil
1 Tbsp expeller-expressed flax oil (good source of Omega 3 to balance out the Omega 6 in the olive oil; if you don’t have it, don’t worry about it)
Dip a fork into the jar of mustard and transfer about 1 teaspoon to a small bowl. Add vinegar and mix around. Add olive oil in a thin stream, stirring all the while with the fork, until oil is well mixed or emulsified. Add flax oil and use immediately.
Recipe note: I like a more acidic punch to my dressing so I usually don’t like to use this much olive oil, so adjust the recipe to your taste.
Thanks for a great time!
