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Kale and Collard Chopped Salad

8/30/2018

Kale and collard greens are great choices of plants to grow in your garden as both are ranked 19th on the 2018 Dirty Dozen list. They consistently rank on this list. Making the top 12 in the past. In case you are not familiar with the Dirty Dozen list, it is a list put out every year by the EWG (Enviromental Working Group) listing the 12 foods most contaminated with pesticides and other chemicals. The “guide” is based on analysis of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Data Program (PDP) report, which is published annually. The USDA and Environmental Protection Agency work together to identify foods to be tested for pesticides on a rotating basis. Follow this link to see the entire list. https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

Kale

Basil

Collard Greens

Thyme

1. Head out to the garden and pick 3-5 leaves each of kale and collard greens.
2. Go ahead and pick 4 or 5 basil leaves and a few sprigs of thyme. To me, these two herbs are what make this salad delicious!
3. Pull up a carrot if you have any. Wish I had some in my garden, but I don't.
4. Return to the kitchen and rinse all the produce. Mainly just to remove any dust or unseen bugs.
5. Chop or cut into bite-size pieces with a knife or kitchen scissors.
6. Fermented foods are great for gut health and disease prevention, so I like to throw in a little sauerkraut and pickled beets I've purchased from the store. I also tossed on some purchased carrots, cooked chicken and parmesan cheese.
7. Now drizzle on a little olive oil and organic vinegar. (1 tsp each). Toss to cover salad ingredients.
Serve as the main or a side dish.

Sauteed Rainbow Swiss Chard

8/30/2018

Go out to the garden and cut off some brightly colored chard at the base of the stem.

Rinse in cool water and chop or cut into bite sized pieces. (You can stop here if you like and serve as a side salad!)

Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to a skillet and saute until wilted. If you don't like crunchy stalks, you might want to add the stalks first and cook a few minutes before adding the greens. The greens will cook faster. Feel free to add salt, pepper and garlic to taste.

Kohlrabi Fries

8/30/2018

2 kohlrabi - roods, stems & leaves removed
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Peel off outer skin from kohlrabi root. Be sure to remove all the woody layer. You only want the softer center area.
3. Coat with oil
4. Sprinkle with cumin and chili powder and toss until evenly coated.
5. Bake on a cooking sheet in a single layer for 45 minutes.

Helpful Tip:
Take a knife to the garden with you. Pull up the entire plant. Go to the compost pile. Break off all stems and cut off the roots and top stems with a knife. Toss the roots and stems in the compost pile! Head to the kitchen and start cooking....

Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Zucchini, Squash and Tomatoes

6/25/2018

Sorry, guys, I didn't take a picture of this dish. I must do that some day soon! With that said, this is a delicious and nutrient packed summer recipe.

1 lb (2 small) zucchini
1 lb (2 small) yellow squash
2 medium tomatoes
3 TBSPS olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
parsley for garnish

1. Slice zucchini, squash and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces
2. Toss with oil, garlic, seasoning, salt & pepper
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes, stir once
4. Garnish with cheese and parsley

Roasted Acorn Squash

6/25/2018

This is my new favorite recipe of the summer! The caramelized sweet, but not too sweet, honey glace on the squash is delicious!!

You only need 4 simple ingredients....

Acorn Squash
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Honey

Then slice, sprinkle, drizzle and bake!

1. Cut squash in half and rake out seeds
2. Slice each squash half into quarter inch slices
3. Coat pan with olive oil
4. Lay slices on greased pan
5. Lightly salt slices
6. Generously drizzle honey over each slice. This would be a great use for any crystallized honey you may have. Remember, crystallized honey is NOT spoiled.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes; flip slices and cook another 10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Mashed Rutabagas

1/9/2018

Ingredients:
1 Rutabaga
2 TBSP Butter
Salt & Pepper

1. Peel and cut rutabaga into bite-size cubes.

2. Boil cubes in water until soft. You should be able to easily pierce cubes with a fork.

3. Remove from heat and drain water off with a colander.

4. Put drained cubes in a mixing bowl and mash with either a hand masher or electric mixer. Add butter, salt and pepper to taste.

Great taste! Serve with a kale salad and lean meat.

Roasted Rutabagas

1/9/2018

Ingredients
1 Rutabaga
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP Chopped Parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Peel and cut rutabaga into bite-size cubes
3. Toss rutabaga cubes with oil, salt & pepper. Place on baking dish in a single layer and roast until soft. (30 to 45 minutes) Stir after about 20 minutes of cooking.
4. Remove from oven and put in serving bowl. Toss with vinegar and parsley while still hot and before serving.

Sauteed Tumeric Cabbage

1/9/2018

Ingredients:
1 medium cabbage (green or red)
4 TBSP Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Tumeric

Adding heat, black pepper and oil to tumeric increases it nutritional benefits!

1. Slice the cabbage into wedges. Just a few for a single serving or two, or the entire cabbage for a family-size side dish.

2. Chop cabbage wedges into bite-size pieces.

2. Heat oil in skillet then add cabbage, pepper and tumeric. I ususaly stick the tip of my knife in the tumeric spice jar and get a little to cover the tip. For these three small wedges, I put 3 small scoops of tumeric in my cabbage. You can use more or less, depending on your taste.

3. Cook on medium/high until cabbage has soften, but is still a little firm. About 5 or 10 minutes.

Bon Appetit!

Served here with a lean burger patty, and one half sliced avocado and tomato.

Carrots & Parsnips

1/5/2018

This is a really simple side dish. Only a few ingredients needed.

Ingredients
3 Carrots
3 Parsnips
2 TBSP butter
1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1. Wash and slice the carrots and parsnips into bite size pieces. You can peel if you like, but I don't as I want all the goodness that's in the peel.

2. Melt the butter in a skillet.

3. Add sliced carrots and parsnips. Sprinkle on the cinnamon and stir.

4. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft. You want them soft, but still a little firm. Stir occasionally and allow them to brown slightly. The sweetness of the parsnips will come out as they cook and caramelize in the butter.

ENJOY! Served here with sauteed okra and left-over rotisserie chicken.

Recipes

You hear us talking a lot about eating healthy and growing your own food. Some may think this is all fine and dandy, but, HOW DOES ONE COOK all these wonderful vegetables? For that reason, I'm going to share some recipes for you to try. Happy cooking, and let us know how they turn out. We'd love to hear from you!

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