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!

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!