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!

Eggplant Parmesan

Here's a healthier take on eggplant parmesan.....well I should say eggplant mozzarella because that's all I had in the fridge.  I'm sure almost any cheese would be good with this dish though.  A combination of mozzarella and parmesan would be worth a try for sure! 

The measurements below are really just suggestions....I used as much eggplant, tomato and basil as I could until I filled the baking dish up.  I actually made it even easier than the original recipe, so there are plenty of things you can do to make this recipe good!

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 small eggplants, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 3 tablespoon minced fresh basil
• 2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese

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Ready to be baked!

1.  Combine oil and garlic; brush over both sides of eggplant slices. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes; turn. Bake 5 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Fresh eggplants, tomato and basil...yum

2. Place half of the eggplant in a greased 1-qt. baking dish. Arrange tomato slices over top.  Sprinkle with half of the basil and half of the cheese.  Continue layering eggplant, tomato and basil and then top with cheese.

3. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. 

Ready to go in the oven

The finished product

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.

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

Blueberry & Peach Gazpacho

I thought I'd mix it up and throw a dessert recipe out there for you guys.  I love dessert, but try not to make it often.  But my husband loves sweets, so I thought this would be a nice treat.  I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine and wanted to give it a try.  I have a plethora of blueberries right now, and also picked up some fresh peaches that I thought would go well with the berries.  The original recipe doesn't call for peaches, but I thought they were fantastic.  The original recipe also calls for olive oil to drizzle and pepper, which I omitted and still found it super tasty!  And as per usual for me, I didn't exactly follow the measurements (I used half a lemon, half a lime and half an orange and added more sugar until it was sweet enough for me.  You really can't mess this recipe up, so use whatever amounts you like.).

• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 cups peaches
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1 sprig basil, torn into pieces, plus small leaves for garnish
• Vanilla ice cream

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1.  Combine first 7 ingredients and basil sprig in a medium heatproof bowl; toss to coat.  Place over a large saucepan of simmering water; cook for 10 minutes. 

2.  Let cool for 15 minutes. Chill until cold, about 4 hours. (Note: Berry gazpacho can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)

3.  Divide fruit and juices among bowls; garnish with basil leaves and top with a scoop of ice cream.

Spicy Zucchini Frittata

Note:  Don't forget to put oil your skillet or it will burn and stick like mine did.

I really enjoy Whole Living magazine.  It's a great resources for all sorts of interesting and useful information, including great recipes.  I saw this recipe in the latest issue and thought I would give it a try.  I've been using a lot more animal products than I would like recently, but it's sort of a compromise since no one else I cook for is interested in trying to be vegan.  So while I won't budge on meat, I do cook with cheese and eggs every once and a while (ok, I always cook with cheese...I love cheese!).  

In addition to the zucchini the recipe calls for, I also threw in some pattypan squash from my garden. I also put a little dusting of parmesean cheese on the top, but this is totally optional as well.

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• Coarse salt
• 8 large eggs

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1. Heat broiler. In a medium ovenproof (preferably cast-iron) skillet, heat oil over medium heat and cook onion and jalapeno, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and corn and cook until tender, about 7 minutes more. Season with salt.
   
   

   

   Baby zucchini from my garden (well they would have been more baby in size if I had harvested them early enough).  They are a really tasty heirloom variety that I plan to grow next year as well.

   

   I used a jalapeno from my garden too :) 

2. In a bowl, whisk eggs with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pour into skillet with vegetables. Cook until sides are just beginning to set, 2 to 3 minutes.
   
   
3. Transfer skillet to oven and broil until just set in the middle and lightly golden and puffed on top, 2 to 3 minutes.
   
   

   

   I promise, I'll start working on better photography!  I realize my pictures make my food look less than appetizing.

   
   

Summer Veggie Torte

This is a fabulous recipe that I have made many times in the past.  In the fall, I make it with butternut squash as the original recipe calls for and it is so yummy!  In fact, I was making this dish when I had my horrific mandolin slicer incident.  So needless to say, I don't neatly slice everything with a mandolin as I should when I make it now.  Even if it isn't as pretty and doesn't cook as evenly, it is still tasty.  Do try to cut everything as thinly as you can, but be sure to use the guard if you use a mandolin slicer!!

I enjoyed this dish so much the first time I made it last week, that I made it a second time last night.  Except I used baby zucchini from my garden instead of  yellow squash.  It was equally as tasty.  I also used cherry tomatoes the first time, but used a regular sized tomato the second time.  Pretty much anything works with this recipe.  Don't be scared to add some extra layers in there if you have room in the springform pan.  I used extra squash and potatoes because I have so much!  I find it's helpful to squish it down with your hands so you can fit more in.  If you don't have a springform pan, I think a regular baking dish would work fine, the presentation just won't be as good.  Here is what you need:

• 1 tablespoon grapefruit oil (or olive oil but since it's being heated up I recommend grapeseed)
• 1 or 2 large summer squashes, thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 leaves of kale, stems discarded and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium potato, thinly sliced
• 6 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced
• Salt & pepper 
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesean cheese
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1.  Heat oven to 425.  Oil a 9 inch springform pan.  Arrange half the squash in the bottom of the pan, in concentric circles.  Top with half the onions, separating the rings.  

2.  Top with half the kale, drizzle with oil and season with 1/4 tsp. salt.  Top with the potatoes and half the provolone cheese.

I used curly kale because that's what I had from the CSA, but definitely recommend lacinato if you can find it!

3. Top with remaining kale, drizzle with the remaining oil and season with 1/4 tsp. of salt and pepper.  Top with the remaining onion, tomatoes and provolone.  Arrange the remaining squash on top and sprinkle with Parmesean.

3.  Cover with foil, place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake until the vegetables are tender and the top is beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes more.

Yummy layers of goodness

Squash Tacos

Summer squash seems to be hitting it's peak right now, and I've had more than I know what to do with most weeks.  I stumbled across this recipe and thought it was worth trying out.  It wasn't my favorite squash recipe ever, but I suppose if I had taken the time to make corn tortillas from scratch as the recipe suggests, it would have been better.  But, I didn't have that kind of time, so organic tortillas from Whole Foods had to suffice (I'm breaking my rule of not eating food that comes from packages more often than I would like recently, ugh).  There are no lovely pictures of the squash in the tortillas because they totally fell apart.  Flour tortillas may have been a better choice, but I have to stick with corn to avoid gluten.  Just make sure you don't get too much of the liquid in the tortillas and you should be fine. 

Fresh organic squash from the CSA

• 4-6 yellow crookneck squash
• 1 cup of fresh dill, minced
• 1 red onion, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1 tsp grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• salt/pepper
• chopped kale or other green

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1.  Cut squash into small diced bits. 

2.  Combine with minced red onion, shallot and kale over medium heat with the olive oil and vinegar. Coat and stir until you get a bit of steam going, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, mix in dill, mustard, and salt and pepper.

3.  Mix feta into the squash mixture and toss with a bit more salt and pepper.

Health Benefits

I found these tidbits about dill here:

1. Dill can be use as a digestive aid. The dietary fiber is believed to calm an upset stomach, reduce acid reflux, and prevent diarrhea. If you need a little help in this area, toss some fresh dill on your salad.

2. When dill leaves are the brightest green they have the strongest ability to fight free radicals. These are environmental toxins found in such things as second-hand smoke and air pollution. Reducing the amount of free radicals you are exposed to is linked to preventing hair and skin damage, heart disease, and a range of cancers.

3. Surprisingly dill has been used for centuries in preventing bacterial overgrowth. Like its pungent friend, garlic, dill is a natural antibiotic. Maybe the stronger an herb smells, the higher the antibacterial properties? That's something to look into later. What is for sure is that chewing on some dill seeds helps prevent bad breath by fighting bacteria. Conversely, chewing on garlic will most definitely not help halitosis.

4. As great plant-based source of calcium, dill promotes bone and tooth health. Be sure to pair this with a generous helping of Vitamin D from (safe) exposure to sunshine to beef up the bone benefits.

5. The seeds and essentials oils have long been used as a calming aid and a cure for insomnia. A tea steeped of warm water and dill seeds is said to calm a colicky baby. And for adults dill is traditionally used in conjunction with chamomile to promote a restful night sleep.

Broccoli Gribiche

Another fabulous recipe from "Super Natural Every Day" by Heidi Swanson.  I had a ton of broccoli from the CSA, and also had some local, free range eggs from The Happy Berry.  This looked like a great recipe to try.  Again, Heidi didn't disappoint and I loved this recipe!  It was even better after sitting in the refrigerator overnight.

I didn't have any tarragon and I substituted garlic scapes for the chives.  I got the scapes from the farmers market in Clemson last week and was so excited to use them!  I definitely recommend using scapes if you have them/can find them.  I also couldn't find fingerling potatoes, so I just used another type of small potato and they were delicious!

• 1 1/2 pounds of small, fingerling potatoes
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• 12 ounces broccoli florets
• 4 large eggs, hard cooked and peeled
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon capers, chopped
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil or chives

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1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.  If the potatoes aren't tiny, slice them into pieces no larger than your thumb.  Use your hands to toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with a big pinch of salt and turn out onto a baking sheet.  Roast until they are cooked through and starting to brown, about 30 minutes.

3.  About 15 minutes before you think the potatoes are done, toss the broccoli with 1 tablespoon of olive oil sprinkle with salt , arrange in a single layer and place in the oven as well.  You are aiming to have the potatoes and broccoli finish cooking at roughly the same time. 

4.  To make the dressing, mash just the yolk of one of the hard-cooked eggs in a medium bowl.  Very, very slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil, beating constantly; the dressing should look smooth and glossy.  Whisk in the vinegar, then the mustard.  Stir in the capers, shallots, herbs and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

5.  Coarsely chop the remaining eggs and egg white, and fold them into the dressing.  Put the warm potatoes and broccoli in a large bowl and gently toss with the dressing.

Health Benefits

Broccoli-  I found this interesting tidbit in an old issue of Taste of Home:

Broccoli is a cancer-prevention powerhouse, thanks to a batch of tongue-twisting compounds you never learned about in chem class.  Some make cancer cells self-destruct and others protect your gut against certain cell damage that can lead to cancer.  But when you overcook broccoli, you douse it's anti-cancer action.  Bring it back to its full health benefits simply by adding a jolt of mustard, horseradish or wasabi to your cooked broccoli.  "The spicier, the better--that means it's being effective," says Elizabeth Jeffery, professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois.  Her research team recently discovered that teaming cooked broccoli with those hot condiments, or with watercress, raw broccoli sprouts, arugula or radishes, can double broccoli's ability to prevent cancer.  Studies have shown that 3 to 5 half-cup servings of lightly cooked broccoli a week will help fight cancer.  To preserve broccoli's benefits, steam it for just 2 to 4 minutes, recommends Jeffery.

Quinoa and Grilled Zucchini

 

What would I do without 101cookbooks?  Her recipes are awesome!  This one is no exception.  My husband tasted it and referred to it as "good stuff."  Coming from someone who loves meat and probably only pretends to enjoy the food I cook because it's the only option, I take this as quite a compliment.  The dressing is amazing...and could easily be used for a number of other purposes.  I have an abundant amount of cilantro right now (from both my garden and the CSA), so I used a lot of cilantro in it.  I also got like 5 pounds of zucchini from the CSA this week...I don't know what to do with it all!

• 1 large avocado, ripe
• juice of 1 1/2 limes 
• a large handful of cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 small container of Greek yogurt (about 1/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  
• 4 large eggs
• 3 large zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch thick coins
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• couple pinches of sea salt 
• 2 cups quinoa, cooked, room temperature
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted (or pine nuts)
• 1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• a bit of chopped cilantro for garnish

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1.  Prepare the cilantro-avocado dressing by blending the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, yogurt, water, and salt in a blender (hand blender in preferred). Set aside.

Yummy freshly blended cilantro-avocado dressing

2.  Hard boil the eggs. Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2-inch or so. Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly seven minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking place them in the ice bath for three minutes or so - long enough to stop the cooking. Set aside.

3.  While the eggs are cooling start preparing the zucchini by tossing it with olive oil and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Prepare your grill (medium-high heat). If you are worried about the zucchini coins falling through the grill you can thread them onto kabob skewers (stab through the green skin). Grill until zucchini are tender and cooked through, roughly 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and cut each zucchini coin into quarters.

Fresh zucchini tossed in olive oil with Himalayan pink sea salt

The zucchini that did not fall through the grill (I recommend skewering for sure!)

4. Crack and peel each egg, cut each egg into quarters lengthwise. Assemble the salad by tossing the quinoa with about 2/3 cups of the avocado vinaigrette. Top with the grilled zucchini, pine nuts, eggs, goat cheese, and a bit of chopped cilantro for garnish. 

Serves 4 to 6.

 

Health Benefits

Cilantro - I learned some random facts about cilantro from this months issue of Whole Living.

• Prized throughout history for its ability to aid digestion, coriander was a common treatment for diabetes prior to the development of insulin in 1922.
• Cilantro is one of 3,000 members of the carrot family.
• Scientific studies have found similarities between the fat molecules in cilantro and those in soaps, lotions....and bedbugs.  The aversion that some people have to cilantro, in other words, may may triggered by their unconscious association of its aroma with inedible, even poisonous, substances.

Additionally, I found this list of health benefits here:

• Powerful anti-inflammatory capacities that may help symptoms of arthritis
• Protective agents against bacterial infection from Salmonella in food products
• Acts to increase HDL cholesterol (the good kind), and reduces LDL cholesterol (the bad kind)
• Relief for stomach gas, prevention of flatulence and an overall digestive aid
• Wards off urinary tract infections
• Helps reduce feelings of nausea
• Eases hormonal mood swings associated with menstruation
• Has been shown to reduce menstrual cramping.
• Adds fiber to the digestive tract
• A source of iron, magnesium, and is helpful in fighting anemia
• Gives relief for diarrhea, especially if caused by microbial or fungal infections
• Helps promote healthy liver function.
• Reduces minor swelling
• Strong general antioxidant properties
• Disinfects and helps detoxify the body
• Stimulates the endocrine glands
• Helps with insulin secretion and lowers blood sugar
• Acts as a natural anti-septic and anti-fungal agent for skin disorders like fungal infections and eczema
• Contains immune-boosting properties
• Acts as an expectorant
• Helps ease conjunctivitis, as well as eye-aging, macular degeneration, and other stressors on the eyes.

A CSA Mixturement

When I was little, my mom would let me make "mixturements."  I'm pretty sure she just gave me all the rotten food she was about to throw out and let me pretend I was mixing it up and cooking.  I thought I was pretty cool. Tonight I felt like I was making a mixturement.  I still had a fridge half full of vegetables that needed to be cleared out before I got the next load from the farm share.  I also have a garden full of kale I haven't used because I have so much food from the CSA.  So I created this!  The measurements are really suggestions....any combination of this stuff is likely good together, so use your best judgement :)  You could add all kinds of things to this...I think beans would be a great addition!

1 bunch of scallions

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons of olive oil

1 bunch of beet greens, chopped

1 bunch of kale, chopped

3 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger

1 yellow squash

1 zuchinni

1 egg

3 tablespoons of tamari (or soy sauce)

Sriracha (use as much as you want, or none of you don't like spicy stuff)

Freshly grated Parmesan

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1.  Chop up scallions, garlic, beet greens, kale, squash and zucchini.

Green onions (from the CSA) and garlic

Yellow squash and zucchini from the CSA

Kale from my garden

2.  Heat one teaspoon of olive oil and add scallions and garlic.  Cook for about two minutes.

3.  Add squash and zucchini and cook for a few minutes.  Then add beet greens and kale.  Add tamari and ginger (you may need to add a little water depending on how many greens you have).  Cook until greens start to wilt and add ginger and sriracha.

4.  In another pan, scramble an egg (I had initially intended to fry an egg, but the yolk broke so I scrambled it instead.  This could easily be left out for those of you that are vegans).

5.  Add egg to the greens/squash and taste.  Add more tamari or salt if necessary.

6.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan if desired.

There you have it....my CSA mixturement :)

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.