Check these out

Maggie’s fresh tomato sauce---- when you have an abundance of garden-ripe tomatoes!

Maggie from The Golden Earthworm Organic Farm loves to prepare this sauce first thing in the morning and let it sit on the counter all day. It fills her kitchen with the most heavenly aroma and keeps her away from the stove!

3 lbs. tomatoes, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon course salt

Combine all ingredients. Let it sit in a large non-aluminum bowl at room temperature, covered, for 30 minutes or up to 6 hours. Add salt before serving.


PRESSING



Call this the "speed dating" version of pickling. You get great taste and nutritional benefits in this easy to make dish and it’s perfect for those who have a difficult time digesting raw vegetables. All you do is cut up your salad ingredients, toss them in a bowl, "massage" them with a little sea salt or vinegar, weigh the mixture down for 20 minutes or so (to extract the liquid in the veggies), drain and enjoy! The quick pickling process makes everything much more digestible and it’s a pleasant change of pace for eating fresh veggies.

Pressed Salad

One of the most satisfying and refreshing salads you can make, and also one of the healthiest. Don’t be afraid to vary the ingredients. Cucumber, celery, red onions, thinly sliced apples, etc., are all great additions. It’s really about the process. If using vinegar, eliminate the salt and use a quarter cup of vinegar. Or try using both in the same salad. Experiment to find your favorite combination. Adapt the ingredients to your taste. One of my favorite ways is to use umeboshi vinegar to add a delicious sweetness to the salad.

1 cup cabbage, sliced thin
1 cup kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite sized pieces
1 small onion, peeled and sliced into thin half moons
1 cup daikon, sliced into thin rounds
1 cup carrots, sliced into thin rounds
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar

Wash and cut all the vegetables. Place them in a large bowl and add the salt and/or vinegar. Mix thoroughly with your hands to ensure all vegetables are coated.
Place a dish on top of your ingredients and place a 2-3 pound weight on top of dish. This will press down on the ingredients. Let it press for at least 20 minutes and up to an hour.
Remove weight and plate. Place salad in colander and drain well. Serve. Note: if too salty just rinse with cold water and drain again.---Michelle Hirsch, Graduate of Kushi Institute


Nicoise salad--favorite picnic salad!

8 cups of green beans, cleaned with stems removed
8 small red potatoes, quartered
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of sliced kalamata olives
a handful of fresh herbs like flat-leaf parsley, basil, oregano, mint
1 cup white wine vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Steam beans for five minutes in a medium saucepan and then immerse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain. Gently boil potatoes until soft. Drain. Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl and mix.


Marinated Veggie Kabobs

The is one example of a combination of veggies for kabobs. Feel free to use whatever veggies are in season all summer long!

8 green onions
12 baby green pattypan squash
12 baby zucchini
1 cup sugar snap pea pods
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoons pepper


Rinse and trim vegetables. Cut a 3-inch portion from the bottom of 6 of the green onions. Save remaining onion tops for another use. Place pattypan squash, zucchini, pea pods, and 3-inch green onion portions in a plastic bag set in a shallow dish.
Finely chop remaining 2 green onions. For marinade, in a screw-top jar combine olive oil, Parmesan cheese (optional), vinegar, finely chopped green onion, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cover and shake well. Pour marinade over vegetables in the bag. Close bag. Marinate vegetables in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.
Drain vegetables, reserving marinade. On 6 long bamboo (first soak in water) or metal skewers, poke vegetables in alternating order. Cook vegetables on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 8 to 10 minutes or until browned and tender, turning and brushing with reserved marinade occasionally. Makes 6 side-dish servings. --BHG


Cucumber Soup

Ingredients

3 leeks, washed and sliced in rounds
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups soy milk
6 cucumbers, peeled, sliced, and seeded
3 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped green onion or chive
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

GARNISH
plain low-fat yogurt, or low-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons capers


Cook the leeks in the stock in a large soup pot for 10 minutes. Add the milk and cucumbers.
Pour small batches at a time into a blender and purée until smooth. Add the dill, lemon juice, green onions or chives, salt, and pepper. Stir once or twice.
Chill covered in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
Pour 1-cup servings into each of 6 bowls, garnish with a dollop of plain low-fat yogurt or low-fat sour cream, and sprinkle a few capers on top.





Snow Peas with Pine Nuts and Mint



2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 pound snow peas, rinsed, dried, tips of the ends cut off, strings re- moved

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

10 large mint leaves, chopped



Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the snow peas, garlic, and pine nuts. Stir to coat with the oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring. You do not want to overcook the snow peas or they will get limp. They should still be a little bit crunchy. Remove from heat. Stir in the sesame oil and chopped mint leaves. Serve immediately. Serves 2-3.

Cure Organic Farm---Boulder, CO


Radishes with Chive Cream Cheese
ingredients
8 medium radishes
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives



Trim root ends of radishes so radishes will stand upright and cut 1/4 inch from stem ends. With a small melon-ball cutter scoop out center of each radish, leaving a 1/3-inch-thick shell.

In a small bowl whisk together cream cheese, lemon juice, chives, and salt and pepper to taste. With a small knife fill radishes with cream cheese mixture.

Boistfort Valley Farm---Curtis, WA


Radish and Spring Turnip Salad

This salad makes a great side dish to serve alongside soy-glazed fish.

12 small radishes, thinly sliced
3 small salad/spring turnips, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
juice of half a lime
1 tablespoon chopped chives
coarse kosher or sea salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and stir gently but thoroughly to combine and coat all the slices. Taste and season with salt (you’ll need salt — start with a little pinch and gradually add it until the flavors “pop” as much as you like.)

Grilled Asparagus Salad

Salad:
1 head of Boston lettuce, leaves washed and separated
1-1/2 pounds of asparagus
10 Kalamata olives, sliced

Vinaigrette:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat gas grill or broiler. Place lettuce leaves on a platter. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients. Brush asparagus with vinaigrette and grill under tender for about 8 minutes. Place asparagus over lettuce and then top with olives.

Asparagus and Kalamata olives are a perfect pairing. Love asparagus on the grill? Take it to the next level with this summer salad.



White Bean and Garlic Scape Dip

1/3 cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling.

1. In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add cannellini beans and process to a rough purée.

2. With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, if desired.

3. Spread out dip on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with more salt.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups.
Source: The New York Times Dining and Wine Section, June 2008

Linguine with broccoli raab and kale

Ingredients:

1 lb. linguine (or your favorite pasta)
4 tbsp. of olive oil
1 small yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch of broccoli raab
2 leaves of kale, cut into strips
1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp. scallions
4 lemon quarters
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until softened.
Add broccoli raab, and saute until until slightly soft but still maintains some crispness.
Add strips of kale and cook until they are just wilted.

At the same time cook pasta until al dente, and toast pinenuts in a dry saute pan over medium heat.

Place Linguine in large bowl and drizzle with olive oil.

Gently mix in sauteed veggies and toss.

Top with pine nuts, scallions, grated parmesan.

Squeeze lemon over each serving.

“Creamy” asparagus soup

3 lbs. asparagus
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
4 c. onion, chopped
1 c. uncooked basmati rice
12 c. vegetable or “no chicken” broth
2 T of chopped thyme
2 T of chopped rosemary
Black cracked pepper

Use all asparagus except ends. Trim tips and reserve. Cut remaining asparagus into small pieces. Add olive oil and onion to a large stockpot. Sauté onions until soft. Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for about 25 mins. When rice becomes soft, transfer batches of soup into a blender or use immersion blender. Blend until creamy. Return soup to pot and add asparagus tips. Simmer for three minutes until tips are bright green and serve immediately.