Pomegranate and Orange Salad

Holiday food is here. It seems greens are getting the shaft for most events I've attended this season, so I took this recipe to a family gathering and got several high 5 thank yous for the fresh glory (and beautiful color) it added to the food table.

For help getting the seeds out of the pomegranate, I searched YouTube and found plenty of suggestions (like this from Martha Stewart). Ultimately, you just gotta get in there and get your hands dirty. It's totally worth it!

Ingredients 
Juice from one Orange
Equal amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dollop of Dijon Mustard
Dollop of Honey
Sprinkling of sea salt
Fresh lettuce, washed
Pomegranate Seeds (as many or as few as you'd like)
Red Onion, thinly sliced crescent shapes
Slivered Almonds

Directions

1. Mix first five ingredients in a jar with tight fitting lid and shake vigorously. Taste and adjust seasoning. Shake again and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients and place together in large serving bowl (I like to stack them starting with lettuce, then onion, then pomegranate, then almonds).
3. Shake dressing again, taste, and adjust as needed. Pour over salad, toss, and serve.

Carrots, Cashews, and Cannellinis

I'm so grateful for the fresh carrots our local farms are providing. I put together this simple salad with them that is warming (thank you, ginger!), even though it requires no cooking.

Ingredients
4 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Tamari Soy Sauce
~2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger (how warm do you want it?)
juice of 1/2 lemon
sea salt to taste
2-3 medium carrots, washed and grated
1 15 oz. can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 leaves fresh greens (I used Swiss Chard), washed and finely chopped
1 cup raw cashews

Directions

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in jar with tight fitting lid and shake it up. Taste and adjust seasonings. Shake again and set aside.
2. Combine carrots, beans, and greens in medium size bowl. Toss.
3. Test dressing again and adjust to taste.
4. Pour over salad and toss to coat.
5. Add cashews just before serving.
6. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Fries--the Wildtree Way!

I cannot believe how stinkin' good these oven roasted sweet potatoes are. The blend from Wildtree was made for this--not it's stated purpose. Take note--this is a seasonal Wildtree item, so stock up* to get you through the winter.

Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes (I used one huge one for 3 of us), washed
Wildtree Natural Grapeseed Oil
Wildtree Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend
Sea Salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Be sure racks are in the middle of the oven.
2. Slice sweet potatoes into thin "chips." I cut the potato down the middle, placed the flat part on the cutting board and cut as thin as possible. It's helpful if you get them all about the same size so they cook evenly, but I got some super thin, which made them really crisp, and some not-so thin, which made them "meaty." I think just chunking them into bite size pieces would be good, too, and would require less time.
3. Drizzle some oil in the bottom of bowl (maybe a Tablespoon?) and add the blend (2-3 teaspoons depending on how many potatoes and how much flavor you want). Wisk until dissolved.
4. Add the sweet potatoes and toss to coat well--I had to use my hands here.
5. Place potatoes on cookie sheet in one layer (you can crowd them a little, if they are not thin sliced chips). It took 2 sheets for me.
6. Put both pans in the oven--I have to "stack" them, so I rotated the pans every 8 minutes (set a timer) to help them cook more evenly. 
7. When edges start to curl, they're done. Cook until really brown for extra crispy chips.
8. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste and enjoy!

*Order by emailing here. While you're at, check out all the other good (NATURAL!!) stuff Wildtree has to offer here.

Lemon, Basil Pesto Meal (No heat involved)

It's almost too hot lately to keep the computer running, but I'm sacrificing for the 3 folks who read this blog with a dinner I surprised myself with just last night. It's pretty quick and definitely cool, which we need on these 105 Heat Index days.

I have modified my pesto slightly to include some salad greens. The reason is 2-fold:

1. It keeps the pesto green.
2. It gets salad greens in my child without complaint.

The meal is enough for two generous servings, but quantity of ingredients can easily be increased to serve more. The pesto made enough for the meal several times over. Or just to dip with crackers or slather on bread for an appetizer.

Ingredients for Pesto
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup pine nuts
juice of 1 lemon
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 salad spinner filled with fresh basil, parsley, and salad greens
sea salt to taste

Directions for Pesto*--put all ingredients in a food processor and turn it on. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Ingredients for Meal
1 can tuna, drained
1 summer squash, washed and cut into chunks
5-8 grape tomatoes, washed and quartered
Pesto to taste
Salad greens

Directions for Meal--put tuna, squash, and tomatoes in a bowl. Add pesto and toss to coat. Serve over salad greens.

*I love having extra pesto around for a quick salad side. Try putting on chopped summer squash or mix with tomatoes and feta or add to lightly steamed carrots. Simple and fast, and the taste is divine!

Orange and Blue Salad

Take a few carrots, wash them, cut the ends off, and grate them in a food processor (or coarsely chop).
Put them in a bowl.
Add some fresh, washed blueberries until the proportions look right.
Drizzle with Zesty Lemon Grapeseed Oil* and mix until well coated.
Season with sea salt and (a generous amount of) freshly ground black pepper.
Toss again.
Taste and see if seasoning needs adjusting.
Adjust as necessary.
Top with roasted, salted sunflower seeds.
Sing the Auburn fight song as you enjoy!

*Email here to order this summer must have!

Red, White, and Blue Dinner

Love this simple dish to celebrate the 4th (how many red, white, and blue meals can there be?), AND I didn't have to turn on the heat producers in my kitchen, AND my husband thanked me for not only a great meal, but also minimal kitchen clean-up. Set yourself up for a yummy holiday with this one!


Ingredients
Couple of peaches, skin removed or a healthy chunk of watermelon, seeds removed
A vine ripe, luscious tomato, diced
A sprinkling of blueberries
A bunch of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (this is the key ingredient--don't skimp)
1 can of chunk, white tuna, drained
Olive oil and rice vinegar to taste
Sea salt to taste
Salad greens (optional)


Directions

1. Combine everything in a bowl (NOTE: I cut peaches over the bowl to be sure to catch all the sweet juice).
2. Toss to coat. 
3. Taste.
4. Adjust seasoning.
5. Enjoy (cue patriotic music and fireworks)!

Tomato, Cucumber, Kohlrabi salad with Cilantro Pesto

The Easter Bunny was good to us this year bringing several little pots of herbs. One in particular has done extremely well--cilantro. So glad this one decided to be the herb of choice, because it's one of my favorites. I decided to use a chunk of our harvest to make pesto to serve as the dressing for the veggies multiplying in my fridge. It turned out so yummy I had to distract my four year old with a homemade popsicle to keep him from eating all the pesto on crackers (our preferred taste-test method). Hope it's a winner at your house, too!

Ingredients
1-2 garlic cloves
2 cups cilantro, washed*
1/2-1 cup parsley leaves*
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4-1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
sea salt to taste
Veggies that need eating--couple of tomatoes, cucumber, summer squash, kohlrabi, etc.
a little feta cheese ('cause feta makes everything betta!)
*I decided not to get anxious about the stems of the cilantro or parsley, because it was quite a lot of leaves to pull. Didn't seem to make a difference in the final product, so pull the leaves away from the main stem, but do it several leaves at a time to keep it simple. Also, small hands can help here!

Directions

1. Add garlic to bowl of food processor or blender and chop.
2. Add cilantro and parsley to garlic, chop, then add pumpkin seeds and chop.
3. With the blade running, add olive oil and sea salt.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings.
5. Combine chopped up veggies and feta and toss with pesto to coat well.
6. Enjoy!

Quick Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers are one of those summer crops that can quickly overtake your fridge, which helps me understand why someone came up with the pickling option. Today, I found a simple way to enjoy cucumbers as a side dish (i.e. use up several at once!), leave the oven in the "OFF" position, and give thanks for cucumber's ability to keep me cool.

Ingredients
2-3 small to medium size cucumbers, washed and quarter chopped* (remove skin if you'd like)
1/2 small red onion, chopped
Fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Rice wine vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

*I removed skin from some, cut in half, placed flat side down, and cut in half again. Then chopped into smaller pieces.

Directions

1. Combine cucumbers, onion, and parsley leaves.
2. Drizzle vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Cool off and enjoy!

Companions Quinoa Salad

There is a group of women ("Companions") for whom I am so grateful, I am dedicating this recipe to them. We gather twice a year for brunch to celebrate the conclusion of a study, and I took this as my contribution today. Our group is sort of like this salad--simple, yet complex and oh-so-rich and yummy.

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa, washed in a fine mesh strainer
just under 2 cups water
3 T fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
3 T extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
leaves of your favorite green (I used rainbow chard and included the stems), finely chopped
feta cheese to taste (not much--maybe 1/8 cup to start?)
1-2 avocado, chunked
about 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted in a dry skillet
Additional greens (for eating and/or garnish)

Directions

1. Placed well washed quinoa and water in saucepan with tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and set a timer for 15 minutes. Check at 15 minutes to be sure most of the water has been absorbed. Let cool. I like to make this the day before I plan to use it, so it's cool when I add remaining ingredients.
2. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, and sea salt in a jar with tight fitting lid and shake to mix. Set aside.
3. Add onion, greens, and cheese to quinoa. Mix. Shake lemon juice and oil once more and add to quinoa mixture. Toss to coat well.
4. Before serving, add avocado chunks and almonds.
5. Serve over greens.
6. Enjoy!
   

Mustard Greens

Photo by Jill Richards

True confession: when mustard greens arrive in my CSA bounty, I tend to sigh and slump. They have such a strong bite that I am constantly searching for some recipe that will balance out the bitter-spice so my family--OK, so I--can stand to eat them. But there's been a shift at our house this week.

I love mustard greens. I'm still in awe that I actually wrote those words, but thanks to a Chattanooga's own Storier, who happens to be part of my CSA community, I say and write these words easily. He turned it all around for our house. AND he shared the recipe in language I understand--little bit of this, little bit of that until it tastes good to you!

So this recipe is shared from a place of deep gratitude as I pass the love on to you.

Ingredients
1-2 cloves garlic
Handful of pecans
Multiple mustard green leaves, washed and removed from stems
olive oil
sea salt

Directions

1. Place garlic and pecans in bowl of food processor and process until finely chopped.
2. Add mustard greens and chop some more.
3. While the blade is running, add olive oil to help things stick together.
4. Scrape down the sides, add some salt, and process a little more adding olive oil as needed to help stick things together.
5. Taste and adjust with a few more pecans, oil, or salt.
6. Serve with pasta (or on crackers/bread/chips/carrots/whatever is closest).
7. Tell all your friends you love mustard greens!

Chick Pea Spring Salad

Let me start by saying I have already made this recipe twice--in one week. I foresee this one becoming a regular in our spring and summer rotation. I'm not sure whether it's the avocado (healthy, yummy fat) or the Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil (another great fat source) or the fresh cilantro and salad greens (I love our Farmer's Market!), but whatever it is, it's a total party in my mouth. And with spring in full swing, I'm ready for a party to celebrate the change in seasons!

Ingredients
1/4 cup Wildtree Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil (email here to order)
2 T rice vinegar
1-2 t honey
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 generous t coriander
1/4 generous t cumin
1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes (optional or to taste--be careful, a little goes a long way!)
2 (15 oz) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 medium onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, shredded or chopped
1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks
juice of 1 lime
handful of fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
salad greens, handful chopped and additional for serving

Directions

1. Make dressing by combining first 7 ingredients (through red pepper) in a jar with tight fitting lid and shake it up baby! Set aside.
2. Combine beans, onion, carrot, avocado, lime, cilantro, and chopped salad greens (I like to add some greens to the actual salad, because my son doesn't "like" lettuce--although he's eaten it straight from the fields and said, "Yum!") in a large bowl.
3. Give the dressing one last shake (it's ok if it separates) and pour over bean salad. Toss to coat.
4. Serve over salad greens and enjoy the taste of spring!