Winter CSA Begins Weekly Pickups

Our first 2016 Winter CSA scheduled pickup was on November 15 at the Burnsville Health and Nutrition Store.  All our subscribers loved their boxes.  The various farmers were on hand to meet and greet CSA members and offer some delicious appetizers that featured recipes using items from the CSA boxes.

The boxes contained free range, non-soy and non-GMO eggs, microgreens, a mix of purple top and white salad turnips with greens, collards, salad mix, butternut squash and the Thai Red Chili peppers and sage needed to make Sandie’s delicious Butternut Squash Tart.  Members who signed up for some of the add-on selections received a gourmet mushroom sampler that contained Lion’s Mane, Phoenix Oyster and King’s Trumpet mushrooms.  Other add-on options included frozen hens and rabbits from Serendipity Farm and selections of pork from Hall’s Hill Farm.

With multiple pickup locations available, several CSA members opted to pick up their boxes at Hall Young’s store in Minneapolis, NC.

We’re Now “Loca-vores”

Well, sports fans, I just found out we’ve all acquired a new ‘handle.’ We’re all “loca-vores.” Yep, just read the latest newsletter from ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project). Apparently, that’s what they call someone who values eating locally. I like it!

Having eaten my way through a copious helping of microgreens this morning and having also just biked back from the farmer’s market with a basketful of fresh goodies, I feel quite smug about my eating habits and I have patted myself hugely on the back for being a “loca-vore.”

There is a growing trend in agriculture for eating local, sustainable foods, and I am amazed at the number of folks here in Oriental who value eating fresh picked goodies. My microgreens business started out as a way to get fresh, quality produce into a diet controlled by my hectic schedule. Now I’ve got a growing business and I’ve made a lot of great friends. I also feel like I’m part of a well informed, ‘hip’ community that’s serious about taking care of themselves. Thank you all for your support these last few months! And here’s a new recipe to try – take them to your next ‘bring a dish’ party and impress your friends. Happy Eating!

Microgreens Roll-ups

1 small zucchini (preferably a fresh zucchini from the farmers market – SUCH a difference in taste and texture!)
1 cup Microgreens
1/3 to 1/2 cup Garlic and Herb Goat Cheese at room temperature
2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons of water

Wash the zucchini and slice lengthwise on a mandolin slicer and place slices in a shallow dish.

Add the lemon juice and water together and sprinkle over the zucchini slices. Use your fingers to cover each zucchini slice with the liquid.

Spread the Goat Cheese on the zucchini slices.

Take enough microgreens to form a small bundle with the heads all facing up in one direction and lay the bundle on one end of a zucchini slice.

Roll the zucchini slice up creating a ‘holder’ for the microgreens with the greens sticking up out of the top of the bundle (like flowers sticking up out of a vase). Secure with a decorative toothpick and repeat the process until all the slices are rolled. This makes a tasty treat that looks amazing as well.

Meatless Meat Sauce — Approved by Real Italians

I’ve decided to add some recipes that don’t include microgreens. Shock! Why? Because when I first started down the path of vegetarianism, I was never sure how a meatless recipe would taste and – frankly – I was always looking for foods that tasted very similar to the yummy things I grew up eating and still love, even if I don’t want the meat any more.

One of my favorite things to eat (especially on a cold dark night) was spaghetti with meat sauce. Oh how I missed the satisfying, hearty taste of a good meat sauce. Somehow, after becoming a vegetarian, the paltry little puddle of marinara sauce lying on top of my penne or spaghetti seemed like an insult after chomping on a sauce with texture, taste and bite. I tried using tofu crumbles but it didn’t taste right and I wasn’t crazy about the texture. So I started experimenting.

After watching an episode on a local food channel where the chef made a mushroom Bolognese sauce I thought – EUREKA! And thus this recipe was born. Hubbie loves it and I make it often and we eat waaaayyyy too much but oh boy, does it ever hit the spot!  And it comes with the official seal of approval of a real Italian girl from Brooklyn– my sister-in-law.  She loved it.

Meatless Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

1 package portabella mushrooms, diced small (retain a few to put in the sauce as actual slices)
1 package white button mushrooms, diced small
½ medium white or yellow onion, diced small
1 four oz can ripe sliced black olives (you can eliminate if you don’t like olives)
1 clove garlic, chopped (add more if you like)
2 dried bay leaves
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried basil
1 jar organic marinara sauce – use the brand of your choice – we love the Harris Teeter Organics sauces

 Directions

Using a non-stick skillet over high heat, put the onions in to soften. As they begin to become translucent, add the chopped mushrooms. Cook until tender. I don’t use any oil unless it’s a light brushing with a paper towel that I’ve put a teaspoon of oil on. The onions and mushrooms produce enough moisture as they cook to keep from needing oil.

When the onions and mushrooms have cooked (about 5 minutes) add the remaining ingredients. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer the sauce for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaves and serve over your favorite pasta. Add a side salad and a crusty loaf of bread and – YUM! – tastes just like the spaghetti and meat sauce that mom used to make but without the meat!

My hubbie was a ‘meat and potatoes’ kind of guy all his life until I informed him one fine day that we were switching to microgreens and vegetables. He’s actually been great about it all and is quite content with the change. Of course, serving meals that closely resemble the comfort foods we grew up without all the fats helps keep us both satisfied with our new vegetarian diets. This meatless mushroom sauce recipe will be satisfying for even the pickiest carnivore.

 

Kale – Mediterranean Style

Here’s a recipe from Elizabeth White that she found on AllRecipes.com.  Elizabeth prefers it chilled, but says it’s delicious warm or cold.

Kale – Mediterranean Style
Ingredients
12 c. chopped kale
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. olive oil
1 T. minced garlic
1 tsp. soy sauce
½ tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation
•    Place a steamer insert into a saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer.
•    Cover and bring the water to a boil over high heat.
•    Add the kale, cover and steam until just tender, 7-10 minutes depending on thickness.
•    Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, and black pepper in a large bowl.
•    Toss steamed kale with dressing until well coated.
•    This dish is good both hot or chilled.

Steamed kale is tossed in a bright and lemony dressing in this easy side dish.

From “AllRecipes.com”

Microgreens Breakfast Salad

My daughter Sarah took me out to lunch recently in Asheville – a great place for quirky restaurants with the most amazing foods! This restaurant was a charming little ‘hole in the wall’ place that used all local and organic products and it was the best salad I’ve ever had!

I’ve re-created that recipe using Microgreens as well as regular salad greens. This recipe makes two healthy sized portions for a delightful lunch. With the potatoes and egg it’s filling enough for Hubbie and the poppy seed or honey mustard dressing makes it seem indulgent because its taste reminds me of deviled eggs. And it’s mostly greens so you can pig out without guilt! Yum!

Ingredients

2 cups mixed organic greens (I prefer romaine and spinach since the crunchy romaine stands up to the heat of the egg and the potatoes)

1 small or ½ large cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped (I also use the tender parts of the stalk)
2 radishes, sliced
½ red pepper, julienned
½ cup grape or cherry tomatoes
1 cup Microgreens standard blend
2 slices cooked tofu bacon (Morning Star brand is excellent!) cooked, cooled and crumbled
1 medium sized red potato, cubed, salted and peppered to taste and roasted in oven til crisp on the outside and creamy inside

Lastly, 2 eggs over easy (if you don’t like over easy eggs, hard boiled, sliced works just as well)

Directions

Mix all the greens together and divide between two plates. Sprinkle the other veggies over the top. Add the crumbled bacon and roasted potatoes (still warm from the oven) and finish with the over easy egg. Serve with a honey mustard or poppy seed dressing for a yummy salad!

 

Farmer’s Market Fruit Smoothie

For all the brave souls who came out Saturday December 7th in the wind and rain to the Oriental, NC Farmer’s Market and tasted my Fruit Smoothie “Flavor of the Day,” here’s the very fast and simple recipe. There are hundreds of variations on microgreen Fruit Smoothies, but this is one of my favorites and everyone who tasted it loved it! In fact, they couldn’t believe it contained any greens at all!

1 Cup microgreens blend – I used a combination of Black Oil Sunflower for their complete enzymes and protein, Kale, Mustard Greens & Broccoli for their cancer fighting properties and Daikon Radish for liver support – but you can use any single microgreen or any combination of microgreens that you prefer.

1 Ripe banana
1 Mango, peeled and sliced off the pit
½ Medium sized cucumber, peeled
2 Cups cranberry juice, no sugar added
1 Cup plant based milk substitute (I used Almond)

I simply threw all the ingredients into my NutriBullet, hit the “on” button and let it blend for about 20 seconds and – voila! – instant delicious nutrition. You can certainly taste the pungent flavors of the Micgrogreens, but the sweetness of the banana and mango, the tartness of the juice and the creaminess of the Almond milk still makes this smoothie very sweet and delicious.

If you’ve never heard of a NutriBullet , follow the link to go to HSN and learn about an affordable alternative to expensive juicers.
Note: I use NutriBullet because it’s a remarkable little appliance that does everything as advertised. If you decide to purchase the NutriBullet from HSN I may receive a small commission as an affiliate.

 

Microgreens Pesto

We all love pesto.  Microgreens pesto is a delightful twist on the usual.  And since many of us are trying to avoid oils you can replace up to half the oil with pureed (cooked) white beans– such as cannelini or navy.

3 cups (packed) microgreens blend
½ cup toasted pine nuts
1 clove minced garlic
1 t. kosher salt
½ cup good olive oil

Wash microgreens (I used a blend of sunflower, red rambo radish, red Russian kale, broccoli and mustard greens).
Place microgreens in food processor (I used a NutriBullet) with minced garlic, pine nuts and salt.
Pulse until greens begin to break up.
Turn food processor on full and slowly add the olive oil until you reach the desired coarseness.

I recommend NutriBullet® from HSN.
Note:  I use NutriBullet because it’s a remarkable little appliance that does everything as advertised.  If you decide to purchase the NutriBullet from HSN I may receive a small commission as an affiliate. And they even offer an installment payment plan.