Heirloom Tomato Salad

I've been terribly slack in posting recipes recently, so sorry about that!  While I love everything summer, I have found myself so busy with cooking, canning and trying to find ways to use all the amazing food I've had recently.  But this tomato salad adapted from 101Cookbooks was wonderful and I wanted to be sure to post it while tomatoes are still in season. 

One of these days I'll get back to posting health facts!  But for today, all I have to say is that tomatoes are full of lycopene and are very good for you so eat a lot!  And actually, cooked tomatoes have more lycopene than raw ones, so you're getting your fill with this recipe!

• 2 pounds (a mix of small heirlooms & cherry tomatoes), halved
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
•  tablespoon brown sugar or maple syrup
• couple pinches of fine grain sea salt
• 1/3 cup toasted almond slices
• 2 tablespoons capers, fried in a bit of oil
• 6 oz good mozzarella, torn into chunks
• a handful of torn lettuce leaves
• generous drizzle of lemon olive oil or chive oil (I used regular olive oil and it was just fine)

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Nothing is better than homegrown heirloom tomatoes.  Yum!

Tossed in oil, maple syrup and salt and ready for baking.

1.  To start, you're going to roast about 1/2 of the tomatoes, preferably a mix of cherry and heirlooms. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and adjust the oven rack to the top third of the oven. Toss the tomatoes you will be roasting gently (but well) in a bowl along with the grapeseed oil, sugar, and salt. 

Roasted tomatoes

2.  Arrange them in a single layer, cut side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, without stirring, until the tomatoes shrink a bit and start to caramelize around the edges, 45 to 60 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3.  When ready to serve, gently toss the roasted and raw tomatoes with a bit of chive or lemon oil, most of the almonds, the capers, the mozzarella, and the lettuce. Taste and season with a bit more salt if needed. Serve topped with the remaining almonds, and any herb flowers you might have.

Delicious!

*To make chive oil, use a food processor to puree 1/4 cup chopped chives with 1/2 cup good olive oil. Stir in another 1/4 cup finely chopped chives by hand. Season with sea salt to taste.  I omitted this step and it was still super tasty!

Lemon Cucumber Tofu Salad

One thing I really love about having a garden is that I can grow all sorts of cool heirloom plants that I can't find at the grocery store or many farmers markets.  One of my favorite veggies in my garden is lemon cucumbers.  They are these precious little cucumbers that have the coloring of a lemon and are shaped kind of like a small apple.  They taste a bit different than regular cucumbers, but aren't lemony at all as you would imagine. 

Look how cute they are!

I didn't have to look much further than one of my favorite cooking blogs, 101 Cookbooks, to find a great recipe for my lemon cucumbers.  This recipe caught my eye, and has been a hit in my house all summer (I have had a ton of lemon cucumbers!).  You could easily substitute regular cucumbers if you would like.  Definitely give a lemon cucumber a taste if you can find them!

• 2 (or more) lemon cucumbers, quartered then sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 1 handful of fresh dill (about 2/3 cup loosely packed)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 big pinches of salt
• 8 ounces extra firm tofu
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds
• 1/2 of a large, ripe avocado

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1.  Toss the cucumbers, dill, olive oil, lemon juice and salt together in a medium bowl. Let sit for at least 20 minutes tossing gently once or twice along the way.

2.  In the meantime, cook the tofu. Cook the tofu and a pinch of salt in well-seasoned skillet until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy. Set aside.

3.  Just before serving cut the avocado into cubes.

4.  Spoon the cucumbers out of the lemon-olive oil mixture into a large salad bowl. Add half of the remaining dressing, the tofu, and half of the nuts. Gently toss. Taste. Add more dressing or salt if you like. Sprinkle the avocado across the top of the salad and gently toss once or twice to distribute it throughout the salad. Serve topped with the remaining pine nuts.

Shaved Fennel Salad

Another solid salad from 101cookbooks!  I've been wanting to make this recipe for a while, but due to my fear of the mandolin slicer, I have been putting it off.  Because even the sight of the mandolin makes me cringe, my sweet husband sliced the fennel and zucchini for me.  I was also on a cooking rampage the night I made this, therefore I forgot to take a lot of pictures (sorry!).  I also have to confess that I made this a while back...but June was a crazy month and I got behind on blogging.  The fennel in my garden are ready to be harvested, so I figured now was a good time to post this recipe since I have fennel and a ton of dill that I've been using for pickles.

• 2 medium-large zucchini, sliced into paper thin coins
• 2 small fennel bulbs, trimmed and shaved paper-thin
• 2/3 cup loosely chopped fresh dill
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
• sea salt
• 4 or 5 generous handfuls arugula
• Honey, if needed
• 1/2 cup pine nuts or almonds, toasted
• 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

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1.  Combine the zucchini, fennel and dill in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice, olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside and marinate for 20 minutes, or up to an hour.

2.  When you are ready to serve the salad, put the arugula in a large bowl. Scoop all of the zucchini and fennel onto the arugula, and pour most of the lemon juice dressing on top of that. Toss gently but thoroughly. Taste and adjust with more of the dressing, olive oil, lemon juice, or salt if needed. If the lemons were particularly tart, you may need to counter the pucker-factor by adding a tiny drizzle of honey into the salad at this point. Let your taste buds guide you. Serve topped with almonds and feta.

Charred Corn Salad with Basil & Tomatoes

I just want to start by saying how much I love summer and the wonderful veggies that are available during this time of the year.  I wish it could be summer all of the time!  I've spent the better part of the past week canning/freezing so that I have some of this wonderful produce to enjoy in the winter months when I'm longing for summer.  I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine and thought it looked super tasty and incorporated lots of veggies that are in their prime season.  Boy was it tasty! 

The first onions that I have ever harvested from my garden! 

The thing I loved the most about making this dish is that everything in it came from less than five miles from my home (except I realized later that the lime wasn't local, boo).  The corn and basil from the CSA, and the onion, tomato and thyme came from my garden.  Something about being local makes it taste even better to me (and not to mention feel good about what I'm eating!).

I halved this recipe and it still made quite a lot.  This is the original recipe, but any variation of this would still be fine. 

• 12 ears of corn, husked
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves, large leaves torn
• 1/3 cup (or more) fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

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Corn from the CSA on the grill

1.  Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high. Rub corn with 1 Tbsp. oil. Grill, turning frequently, until corn is charred and heated through, 10-12 minutes. Remove from grill; when cool enough to handle, cut kernels from cobs and transfer to a large bowl. 

 

All of the ingredients except for the corn

2.  Place onion in a strainer and rinse with cold water to mellow its flavor. Drain well. 

 

3.  Mix onion, remaining 5 Tbsp. oil, tomatoes, basil, 1/3 cup lime juice, and thyme into corn. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more lime juice, if desired.

White Bean Salad with Zucchini and Parmesean

 

This is a good, simple recipe to prepare and enjoy during these hot days. I modified this recipe and think it turned out great.  The original recipe calls for the veggies to be raw, but I decided I would rather cook them.  So this can be a super simple recipe, I just chose to make it more complicated.

I also chose to make this recipe more difficult by cooking my own beans.  I do not eat beans that come out of a can, and while it's more work to make them yourself, it's definitely worth it.  Canned beans are soaked in not only a lot of sodium, but also highly toxic BPA.  In addition to being a hormone disruptor and causing a slew of other health problems, BPA is now being linked to brain cancer.  I strongly urge you to avoid canned goods whenever possible.  Don't forget to soak your beans the night before, and then they only take an hour or less to cook, so it's not that much of an inconvenience.  The recipe calls for cannellini beans, but my sweet husband accidentally bought cranberry beans instead.  They turned out pretty well, so if you can find them, I definitely recommend them!

And while I'm on my anti-can goods soap box, remember to never buy pre-shredded cheese (it's full of chemicals and other crud like wood pulp!).  Freshly grated cheese is awesome :)

• 1 1/2 pounds cannellini beans (or cranberry beans)
• 3/4 pound zucchini (about 2-3 small), trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 4 ounces green beans, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil for cooking (or olive oil if you prefer)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

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1. Soak beans overnight.
2. When you are ready to start cooking, drain beans and add them to a pot of water with a pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil.  Depending on the type of bean you use, cook for 30 minutes to an hour.

Cranberry beans ready to be cooked

3.  Fill a medium size pot with water and bring to a boil (for blanching green beans).

4.  Chop zucchini and green beans.

Beans from the CSA

5.  Add grapeseed oil to a skillet.  Saute zucchini with salt and pepper for a few minutes.  At the same time, add green beans to the pot of boiling water.  Allow them to boil for a few minutes (depending on how crisp you want them, this can be anywhere from a minute to five or more). 

Zucchini from the CSA also

6.  Drain cannellini beans and green beans.  Run cold water over the beans to stop them from cooking further.

7.  In a medium bowl, place cannellini beans, zucchini, green beans, Parmesan, basil, lemon zest and juice, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

The finished product

Roasted Veggie, Quinoa, Millet & Arugula Salad

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I found on Good Things Grow, another great blog I've discovered!  I substituted many of the vegetables the recipe suggests for whatever I had in the fridge from the CSA.  I replaced the sweet potato with a regular potato (which I thought would be bland, but my husband said the potatoes were his favorite part of the whole dish).  I used beets to add some sweetness, and then awesome purple and orange carrots I had gotten from the CSA a few weeks ago.  They were so pretty :)

I realize millet may be hard to find for a lot of you, so this would be fine if you use all quinoa.  For those of you close to a Whole Foods, they have millet in the bulk section (quinoa too).

for the salad

• 1 bunch carrots, sliced
• 2 potatoes, washed and sliced
• 3 beets, roasted and chopped
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup millet
• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 1 bunch arugula, washed and trimmed

for the dressing

• juice of a lime
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

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1.  Heat oven to 425F.

2.  Wash beets (and cut tops off if necessary).  Wrap the beets in foil, sprinkle with grapeseed oil and roast until fork tender (45-60 minutes).

3.  Chop the carrots and potatoes and place on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with the 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, season with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands until everything is well coated, then place in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until just tender, stirring half way through.

Awesome carrots before they were chopped

I'm obsessed with these purple and orange Clemson carrots I got from the CSA (ok, they aren't really called Clemson carrots, but I have decided that is the best name for them).

Ready for baking!

4.  In the meantime, rinse and drain the millet and quinoa. Place in a small sauce pan and add the water. Bring everything to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes. Use a fork to fluff up and check for doneness. Set aside to cool slightly.

5.  In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking as you go. Stir in the salt and pepper.

6.  When the beets are finished roasting, remove the skins and chop.

7.  Place all the veggies and the millet/quinoa mix into a large serving bowl and toss together. Pour in the dressing and toss so everything gets well coated. Serve over arugula with extra lime wedges if you wish.

Health Benefits

Millet - Many of you may not have heard of millet before, but it is an awesome gluten-free grain!  It protects your heart, lowers diabetes risk and helps to prevent gallstones.  Read more here.

Quinoa - This is also another gluten free grain that is very healthy for you!  It is full of nutrients and is a complete protein source (unlike most grains).  It also has more calcium than most grains.  More on quinoa here.

Tassajara Warm Collard Salad

This is going to be a new go-to recipe for me, it was so tasty and easy to make!  My friend Heather suggested this recipe from 101 Cookbooks and recommended that I substitute collards for the cabbage because that's what I got in the CSA share this week.  Next week I'm thinking about trying it again with cabbage...it was that good!  I'm sure kale or another leafy green would work as well.

Fresh rosemary is a key ingredient in the recipe.  I'm not sure if dried would have the same effect.  If anyone reading this lives close to me, stop by my house and get some rosemary from the giant bush of it that I have.  I bought a small plant a few years ago, and that thing has survived multiple transplants, two or three winters and will not die.  I recommend making an investment in a rosemary plant...it will last a long time!

• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 teaspoon natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
• fine grain sea salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 5 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch of collards (or a head of red cabbage or radicchio), quartered and cut into thin ribbons
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 ounces golden (or regular) raisins (or other plump, chopped dried fruit)
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• a bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to garnish

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1.  Roast the sunflower seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Sprinkle on the sugar, and a couple pinches of salt. Stir until the sugar melts and coats the seeds (you pan will need to be hot enough). Transfer the seeds immediately to a plate so they don't stick to the pan. Set aside.

2.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and saute the onion for a minutes or two with a couple pinches of salt. Stir in the garlic, and the collards, and a few more pinches of salt. Stir and cook for just a minute or so, or until the collards soften up just a touch. Then stir in the rosemary, most of the raisins, and the vinegar. The collards will continue to get more and more tender even after you remove it from the heat, so keep that in mind, and do your best to avoid overcooking it - where it collapses entirely.

3.  Fold in half of the feta cheese, most of the sunflower seeds, then taste. Season with more salt if needed. Serve garnished with the remaining raisins, feta, sunflower seeds and Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 to 6.

Health Benefits

Rosemary - Rosemary contains substances that are useful for stimulating the immune system, increasing circulation, and improving digestion. Rosemary also contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may make it useful for reducing the severity of asthma attacks. In addition, rosemary has been shown to increase the blood flow to the head and brain, improving concentration. Tea made from a thumb-sized piece has been known to lift spirits in people suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and hangovers. Infuse warm red wine with rosemary, cinnamon, and cloves to soothe winter colds.  More here.

Yellow Split Pea Salad with Cilantro Pesto

So this recipe is loosely related to anything that I got from the CSA this week, but I love it and I did have some fresh lettuce to go with it.  We also have an absurd amount of cilantro growing in our yard that needed to be used.  Fresh cilantro is amazing!  We bought one plant a few years ago and it has turned into at least 15 plants without any effort on our part. 

I wasn't sure whether or not to include a picture because I realize it does not look all that appetizing.  But I promise it's good.  My husband tells me he gets picked on at worked for all the healthy food he eats, but he shared this with some co-workers a while back and they asked for the recipe.  I consider that a success.

The cilantro pesto calls for freshly grated Parmesan.  Let me get on my cheese soapbox for a few minutes.  Please, buy a block of Parmesan cheese and grate it yourself!  I prefer using a microplaner, but a regular grater will do just fine.  Please do not buy that disgusting pre-shredded cheese.  It is full of chemicals and other nasty stuff to prevent it from clumping.  Like wood pulp.  I know it's easier, but it's gross and not good for you.  Freshly grated cheese tastes totally different and very yummy!  And also, don't buy reduced fat cheese.  Buy real cheese.  If it's reduced fat that means they have taken something out and replaced it with something unnatural and disgusting.  Calories are something humans created and do not matter.  If you eat real, whole food you'll lose weight without counting a single calorie.

Moving on....this is another fabulous recipe from 101 Cookbooks!

• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, toasted (divided) 
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves and stems, well washed and lightly packed
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• juice of 1 medium lemon
• 1 serrano chile pepper, minced (2 jalapenos will work just fine if you can't find a serrano.  If you like things spicy you can easily add more...I usually do)
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups cooked yellow split peas
• 2 handfuls lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

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1.  To cook the dried yellow split peas bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add 2 cups (rinsed) dried split yellow peas and cook for 20 -30 minutes, or until tender. Drain, salt to taste and set aside. 

Yellow Split Peas

2. Make the cilantro pesto by blending 1/3 cup of the toasted pumpkin seeds, the cilantro, Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, and chile pepper with a hand blender, food processor or standard blender until smooth. Continue blending as you gradually drizzle in the olive oil until the pesto comes together into a vibrant green sauce. Taste and add a pinch or two or salt if needed.

Freshly cut cilantro from our garden in the food processor! 

3. In a large bowl toss the yellow split peas and remaining pumpkin seeds with the pesto until everything is coated. Add the lettuce and gently toss again (or you can serve this on top of the lettuce if preferred).

Serves 6 or so.

Health Benefits 

Yellow Split Peas - Split peas have soluble fiber, resulting in lower blood sugar and cholesterol.  This can also help with conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis. A single cup of cooked dried peas in your daily diet provides 65.1% of the recommended daily fiber. They also provide a good amount of protein, two B-vitamins, and several important minerals. Peas also include isoflavones, which are helpful in reducing the risk of breast and prostate cancer.  More info here.

Pumpkin Seeds - Also called pepitas, these are a very healthy snack!  Be sure to buy raw ones and not the flavored processed ones you find in a lot of stores.  For men, they can help with prostate health and with bone protection.  Because they are high in zinc, pumpkin seeds are a natural protector against osteoporosis. Low intake of zinc is linked to higher rates of osteoporosis.  They also contain L-tryptophan, a compound naturally effective against depression.  1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds contains 92% of your daily value of magnesium, a mineral in which most Americans are deficient.  Pumpkin seeds effectively reduce inflammation without the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs as well.   Visit here or here for more info.

Beet Green Chopped Salad

Finally a recipe with beets!  I feel obligated by the name of my blog to at least have a few beet recipes on here every once and a while.  I don't have a particular love for beets or anything...I just couldn't think of a better name and it seemed to fit with the vision I have for this blog.  Anyway, I got a bunch of beets in the CSA share this week and thought this recipe sounded good.  I always feel guilty throwing the beet greens away because I know they are so good for you, but I never know what to do with them.  

This recipe was really good!  While the amount of dressing was adequate, it might have been nice to have a little more.  If you enjoy dressings/condiments like I do, I would suggest increasing the amount of each ingredient in the dressing.  It was super tasty and I would have liked to have had more!

As a side note, I'm still getting the hang of taking pictures while I'm cooking.  It's quite inconvenient and I hate having to stop what I'm doing, wash my hands and try to take a lovely picture of something that may or may not look lovely.  A big reason I got a fancy new camera was to take pictures for my blog, but I'm still learning how to use it.  I hope the photography will improve with time!  Anyhow, on to the recipe:  

• 1 bunch of beets, including fresh looking greens
• olive oil and sea salt for roasting beets
• 4 scallions, white and light green parts
• 1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
• 1 small avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds

Tahini dressing

• 2 Tbsp. tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 tsp. honey (or agave nectar), depending on desired sweetness
• 3 Tbsp. water, or as needed
• hefty pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic finely minced
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped chives (I didn't have chives and it was just fine without them)

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1.  Preheat the oven to 450'.

Beets ready for roasting 

2.  Cut the greens from the beets at their stem. Rub a bit of olive oil on the skin of the beets, sprinkle with salt and wrap them all in a foil pack. Set on the middle oven rack and cook for 45-55 minutes until you can easily piece through with a knife. Set them aside to cool.

3.  While the beets roast, clean and dry the greens. Chop off and discard the long red stems. Chop the greens and put them in a large mixing bowl.  Also begin cooking the quinoa.  Rinse it well, bring it to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes and then let it sit with the top on for about 10 minutes before allowing it to cool off.

4.  To prepare the dressing, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, vinegar, honey and water. Mix in the garlic, hearty pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Add more water if you prefer it thinner. Mix in the chives. Adjust to your taste and set aside.   

5.  Once the beets are cool enough to touch, you should be able to just push the skin off with your fingers. Use a paring knife to help it along. Dice the peeled beets. Thinly slice the scallions. Add the beets, scallions, quinoa and avocado to the mixing bowl and toss with a generous amount of dressing (note: the salad will turn pink from the beets. If this bothers you, you can toss everything without the diced beets, and sprinkle them on top). Sprinkle in the sunflower seeds, give it one more toss.

Health Benefits

Beets-  These colorful root vegetables contain powerful nutrient compounds that help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer.  More info here. 

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) -  Many of you may have heard of quinoa because recently it's been talked about a lot as being a superfood.  Quinoa is not a grain and is actually a seed related to the spinach family.   It actually cooks and tastes like a grain, making it an excellent replacement for grains that are difficult to digest (and it's gluten free!).  Quinoa is full of phytonutrients, antioxidants AND can even help balance your blood sugar.  Quinoa is a complete protein.  It contains all 9 essential amino acids that are required by the body as building blocks for muscles.  It also contains high levels of magnesium, which helps relax your muscles and blood vessels and effects blood pressure.  This also helps with migraine headaches.  Visit here or here for more info on this great food!

Asparagus Salad with Broccoli and Radishes

All I've got to say about this recipe is yum!  It seems so simple, yet it is so tasty.  I borrowed the recipe from my favorite, 101 Cookbooks.  I used broccoli instead of broccolini because I had wonderful, fresh, organic broccoli from the CSA.  I also used almonds instead of pine nuts (because pine nuts are so darn expensive).  This recipe turned out well and it is something I'll definitely make again!

• 12 spears of thick asparagus, sliced into 1/4-inch thick coins (the slicing into coins is optional, but I think it made it better)
• 1 head of broccoli, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• juice from one lemon
• big pinch of sea salt
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted, and coarsely chopped
• 7 tiny radishes, washed trimmed and very thinly sliced
• zest of one lemon
• a bit of shaved Parmesan (if you are vegan, you won't miss the cheese)

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Asparagus

1. Wash the asparagus, break off the ends and chop into coin size pieces.

Radishes from the CSA

2. Wash the broccoli and chop it into bite-sized pieces.  Steam the broccoli for a few minutes.  Don't cook it all the way because you will be cooking it with the asparagus later (the original recipe calls for broccolini, which would not require steaming.  The asparagus cooks a lot faster than the broccoli, so it's important that the broccoli has a head start).

3.  While the broccoli is steaming, make the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, salt, shallot and olive oil.   

4. Place a splash of olive oil along with a couple pinches of salt in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the asparagus and broccoli. Toss well and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook for one minute. Stir again, taste a piece, and cover again for another minute - but only if needed. You don't want to overcook the vegetables here, they should be bright and with a bit of bite to them. When the vegetables are cooked, remove them from the heat and stir in the radishes and lemon zest. Toss with the dressing.  Taste, add a bit of salt if needed. 

5.  Turn everything out onto a platter and finish with some shaved Parmesan and top with toasted almonds.

The finished product

Health Benefits

Broccoli - Broccoli is so good for you!  There are too many health benefits to list here.  Broccoli has been shown to lower cholesterol, help your body detox, repair sun damaged skin and help reduce inflammation.  It is high in potassium, vitamins C & K, calcium and fiber.  Check out 10 Health Benefits of broccoli here.  Always a great resource, the world's healthiest foods has a great explanation of how awesome broccoli is here.

Asparagus -Asparagus is also a wonderful source of nutrients for a healthy body and mind.  Due to the high inulin and fiber content, asparagus is great for digestive support.  It is also high in folate, which supports our cardiovascular system and can help prevent birth defects in pregnant women.  Find out more here and go here to read about nine health benefits.  

Shallots - Many of you may not be familiar with shallots.  They look sort of like a cross between an onion and garlic, but taste more like onions (but are a bit sweeter and not as intense).  The shallot itself is very high in vitamin C, potassium, fiber, folic acid, calcium, iron and is also a good source of protein.  There have been many studies over the years about the effects different fruits and vegetables may have on the health.  Shallots contain two types of sulphur compounds Allypropyldisulphine (APDS) and flavoniods such as quercetin.  People who consume a lot of flavoniods have been shown to have a reduced chance of developing cancer, heart disease and diabetes, due to the wonderful antibacterial properties they process. As an added benefit they are also anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anti-allergenic.  Shallots are especially good at helping the liver to eliminate toxins from the body, which is essential in the chemically processed foods that many people enjoy, as well as helping to process alcohol. Shallots also contain saponins which have been shown to inhibit and kill cancerous cells in the body, particularly liver and stomach cancer.  Read more here.