Salad 4: Spinach Mandarin Salad

I really like pairing spinach and tat soi with fruit. Their stronger texture compliments the soft fruit, and the sweetness of the fruit seems to enhance the greens' flavor, too.

Ingredients

1/4 pound tat soi

1/4 pound spinach

1 small onion, chopped

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1/4 cup roasted almond slivers 

Raspberry vinagrette, or another sweet dressing

Wash and chop the greens. Top with onions and oranges. Add the almonds and dressing just before serving. (Super easy!)

Salad 4: Spinach Mandarin Salad

Day 3: The Traditional

This sala is our basic, go-to, three-times-a-week salad. You can top it with your favorite dressings and toppings to fit your household. For us, that means homemade ranch dressing, boiled eggs, bacon bits, and shredded cheese.

Ingredients:

Red head lettuce

Green head lettuce

Turnips

Radishes

Carrots

Green onions

And, as soon as available, tomatoes as cucumbers

Wash it all. Chop it all. Mix it all.

As a side note, if you spin out your greens after you wash them, you will get many days additional freshness out of them. The salad I made tonight, we will still be eating on this weekend.

Day 3: The Traditional

Day 2: Strawberry spinach salad

With a house full of girls, pink is always a winner. This salad is definitely pink, and a favorite use of the spinach.

Ingredients:

1/4 pound spinach

1/4 cup tat soi

1 green onion

6-8 large strawberries

1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup sugar

In a small saucepan, add the sugar and pecans. Roast on medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Pour pecans onto wax paper to cool.

Coarsely chop the spinach and tat soi (after you have washed it, of course). Finely chop the green onion. Slice the strawberries. Mix all together in a large bowl.

Serve topped with the sugar roasted pecans and a favorite sweet dressing. Make the salad super pink and delicious by making your own strawberry vinaigrette. I used the recipe from here:   http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/89812/strawberry-vinaigrette/

It's also good with a store-bought raspberry vinaigrette.

Day 2: Strawberry spinach salad

Salad 1: Kale and cilantro

We love it when people ask us what to do with the veggies we sell. Since we have so many types of salad greens this time of year, We thought we should post some salad recipes. So, I will post a new recipe every day for the next week, starting with a kale salad and homemade vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

1 pound of kale

2 green onions

5 cilantro sprigs

1/3 cup apple juice

1/3 cup vinegar

1/3 oil, olive oil or canola

1/2 cup sugar

2 T soy sauce

In a saucepan, combine the apple juice, oil, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Whisk together over high heat. Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Wash the kale, cilantro and green onions. Rough chop the kale and dice the cilantro and onions. Mix in a large bowl.

Pour the dressing over the greens.

Optional: Top the salad with crushed toasted dry ramen noodles.

Salad 1: Kale and cilantro

Salad Season

It's salad time!

I love salad. I'm kind of a nerd that way. I guess it's a good thing I married a vegetable farmer.

This time of year, our salads are made up primarily of five types of greens. You can mix them up anyway you wish, or eat just one kind. Either way, they are delicious, better than you are probably used to. It's like the difference between the cheapest store brand toilet paper and super soft Charmin. Seriously.

Anyway, back to salads. The five types of greens we have right now are tatsoi, tokyo bekana, arugala, romaine, and summer crisp lettuce. (and yes, I had to ask Jay to know those last two.) So, what's the difference? And what do you do with them?

Tatsoi is also called spoon mustard, spinach mustard or rosette bok choy. It's similar to spinach in texture, with a little less overwhelming flavor. It will add crunch to your salad mix, some good bite to it. And it's good for you, providing a healthy amount of Vitamins A, C, beta-carotene, calcium, folate, and of course fiber.

Tokyo bekana, also known as mini Chinese cabbage, doesn't have anything near the texture of cabbage. In fact, in my opinion, it's the softest of the greens we have right now. But the flavor is great, and its light green adds a nice color to the salad. Plus, it absorbs the flavor of your salad dressing so well. But more on that later.

Arugula is not new to most people. It has a strong peppery flavor, very distinct in any dish. Personally, I don't enjoy a salad of just arugula, but rather prefer to mix it in with any of the other greens.

Romaine lettuce is making its debut for 2014 on our market tables this Saturday. Romaine is an excellent source of Vitamin A, but also provides a healthy amount of potassium, fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Iron. Of all our offerings this week, Romaine offers the best crunch to your salad.

Summer crisp lettuce, in both red and green, will be also for sale for the first time this season. This salad component offers some color to the bowl, as well as a medium texture.

Really, you can't go wrong with any of them, alone or mixed together. Our salad mixes are picked fresh just prior to the market, so you can rest assured they won't get all slimy by the time you get home.

But what to do with it. It just depends on your taste. My favorite is a mix of all the greens with fresh green onions, chopped fresh asparagus, maybe a boiled egg, and homemade ranch dressing. From the packet. I'm not that pioneer here.

The Tat Soi is also great with fresh strawberries, sliced almonds, and Kraft's raspberry vinaigrette.

If you want a darker, stronger flavor to your salad dressing, you could whip up some balsamic vinaigrette. Just mix together 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Whisk it right before pouring it over your salad, because it will re-separate if you make it in advance. Or, just go to the store and buy a $2 bottle of salad dressing. That works too.

Or if you need a sweeter dressing (you know, something the kids will love), whip up some honey mustard dressing. Whisk together 1/4 cup mayo, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice. Trust me -- it's yummy.

Either way, we hope to see you this week at our market. Weather permitting, we will be able to offer these salad options for weeks to come. We will also have radishes and haikuri turnips at the market this weekend.

Salad Season

Ginger-Sesame Chicken with Carrots and Bok Choy

Here is a really yummy recipe that used everything we had on hand from the garden. I added my adaptations. It had a very nice balance of spice, but if you aren't a spicey person, you may want to omit the crushed red pepper.

ENJOY!

Ginger-Sesame Chicken with Carrots and Bok Choy

Adapted from http://ellysaysopa.com, Food & Wine, as seen on Proceed with Caution

1/2 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. unseasoned rice vinegar (used white vinegar)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1.5 Tbsp. canola oil (used olive oil)
3/4 lb. Carrots
3/4 lb. chicken breast, cut into 1″ pieces
3/4 lb. bok choy, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips ( we used frozen pepper strips from the garden)
2 scallions, sliced, green parts separated from whites
2 Tbsp. freshly minced ginger ( 2 tsp of ground ginger)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

In a medium jar or bowl, mix together the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch slurry, rice vinegar and crushed red pepper. Shake or whisk well. (I marinated the chicken it this sauce and then, took out the chicken and added the sauce at the end.)

Heat 1/2 Tbsp. of the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then add to the hot oil and cook through, about 4 minutes. Remove from skillet.

Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil to the pan. Add the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Stir in the bok choy, red pepper, white slices of scallion, garlic, and ginger and cook until crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes.

Return the chicken to the skillet. Shake or stir the sauce, and then add it to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened, about a minute. Stir in the sesame oil and scallion tops and serve.

Ginger-Sesame Chicken with Carrots and Bok Choy

Red Russian Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares Recipe

1 bunch Red Russian Kale, chopped, or use any other variety of kale
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (1/2 tsp. teaspoon minced garlic)
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Tamari or other soy sauce
1 C grated cheese (I used mozarella, colby and white cheddar from the Wiebe Dairy)
1/4 cup 100% whole wheat bread crumbs (optional; I've made this successfully without the bread crumbs)
6 eggs, beaten well

6 strips of bacon, crumbled (optional)


Preheat oven to 350F. Cut off kale stems and discard, then wash kale leaves and dry well. (I used a salad spinner.) Pile kale leaves up on top of each other and cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide, then turn cutting board the other way and cut again so you have squares just under an inch square. Chop onion into pieces about 1/2 inch.

Heat olive oil in large heavy frying pan, then add onions and saute 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute about 2 more minutes, then add kale, turning over as it wilts and sauteeing about 5 minutes, or until kale is significantly wilted and softened.

Put sauteed vegetables into large bowl and add Tamari, cheese, bread crumbs, beaten eggs. Stir gently until ingredients are well distributed. Spray a 13 by 9 pan with olive oil or nonstick spray and pour in egg mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes until eggs are well set and the top is lightly browned. Serve hot. This is good with low-fat sour cream or salsa.

Source: http://www.kalynskitchen.com

Red Russian Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares Recipe

Round Zucchini?!

Jay doesn't like to get bored. So, instead of just planting "normal" vegetables, he seeks out strange shapes and colors of typical vegetables. That's how we end up with purple and pink potatoes; purple, orange and yellow tomatoes; and zucchini of every shape and size.

One zucchini that many customers have asked about this year is the round ones. Eight ball, cue ball, and one ball zucchini are all round zucchini, with the same great zucchini taste but with a fun round shape. I usually have multiple customers asking, "What do you do with those?!"

You can prepare the round zucchini in the same manner that you would prepare the long, cylinder zucchini. One of our favorites is grilling them, but saute is also tasty.

For the Fourth of July, we decided to get creative and make a new recipe to share with you all:

Zucchini-Tomato Napoleon

3 one-ball, cue-ball, or eight-ball zucchini
3 large tomatoes
1 package of fresh mozzarella cheese
3-4 leaves of fresh basil
extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
 

Slice the zucchini into 1/4" to 1/3" slices.  Brush both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill on a preheated grill at medium heat for 4 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes and slice into 1/4" to 1/3" slices. Also slice the mozzarella into 1/4" slices. Dice the basil. (If using dried basil, mix 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil with 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil.)

Now it's time to assemble. On each plate, put down one slice of zucchini, then one slice of mozzarella, next one slice of tomato, and finally another slice of zucchini. 

Sprinkle with basil and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Enjoy!

And, like most meals in my house, I like to re-purpose the leftovers. As an encore, I diced the leftover stacks and sauted them for a few minutes, until the cheese was melted. Then I stirred in some cooked angel hair pasta. Voila! Second meal with hardly any effort.

Round Zucchini?!