Peninsula Chicken Salad

Nearly all these ingredients are grown, raised, or produced right here on the Olympic Peninsula. How local can you make your meal?

Serves 10-12

6 pounds chicken
Bay leaves
1 cup water or white wine
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons fresh garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons raw honey
1 cup crumbled feta (optional)
4 tablespoons plain sauerkraut
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch kale, finely chopped
1 small head or 1/2 large head Napa cabbage, finely chopped
2 medium cucumbers, sliced
1 bunch arugula, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh dill weed, roughly chopped
1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped
1 small bunch fresh basil, finely chopped

Roast chicken with bay leaves and one cup of water or white wine. When chicken is cool enough to touch, shred the meat. Don’t forget to save skin and bones for a fabulous healthy, healing stock or broth. Freeze broth in ice cube trays for fast and easy flavor bombs to soups, casseroles and sauces.

Make vinaigrette with wet ingredients and lemon zest. Pour over chicken and refrigerate for 2 hours. (May be served warm.) Wash and prepare greens and cucumber. Toss with chicken salad. Add the fresh herbs promptly before serving.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on July 21, 2014

Arugula Pesto

Our first arugula harvest of the season comes this week!

4 cups fresh arugula leaves, packed
1 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Plunge arugula into boiling water and stir to blanch evenly, for 15 seconds. Immediately remove and plunge into ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and squeeze water out. Chop and put into blender. Add garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons nuts. Blend for about 30 seconds. Add cheese and pulse to combine. Store in the refrigerator. Before serving, bring to room temperature and garnish with remaining toasted nuts.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on July 17, 2014

Arugula Pesto with Chickpeas

This bright, peppery pesto is also delicious tossed with a combination of white beans, string beans, and tuna. Or mix it into 2 cups of cooked whole wheat couscous or bulgur.

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic
2 cups arugula
1 cup fresh basil
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 15-ounce can no-salt chickpeas, drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 butter lettuce leaves

Combine lemon juice, garlic, arugula, basil, oil and pepper in a food processor. Process until the herbs and garlic are finely chopped. In a medium bowl, toss the chickpeas with the pesto and season with up to 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve on the lettuce leaves.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on July 16, 2014

Grilled golden beets with brown butter vinaigrette on greens

Imagine the brilliant colors in this salad: sunny oranges and reds from the beets, toasty golden brown of the butter, and rich greens of the lettuces. Beautiful!

1 bunch golden beets (or any other beets), washed and cut into 1-inch slices
(Keep the tops; cut and reserve for salad)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons smoked Hungarian or sweet paprika
1 tablespoon ground fennel
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs thyme or 2 tablespoons ground thyme
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or vine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 bunch spinach
1 bunch reserved beet tops
1 bunch red leaf lettuce
1 bunch arugula
1 bunch romaine lettuce
1 bunch Italian parsley

In a bowl, combine olive oil, paprika, fennel, coriander, garlic and thyme. Add beets and let marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat a grill pan. Remove the beets from the bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on medium heat for 10 minutes until they turn brown, then transfer to a bowl. Meanwhile cook butter until it turns brown and starts to have a nutty smell (about 5-10 minutes). Add the sherry or vine vinegar and water. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Add the vinaigrette to the beets and serve it on the bed of greens.

Greens
Chop the spinach, beet tops, red leaf lettuce, arugula, romaine, and parsley into bite-sized pieces and combine in a bowl. Put a serving of greens on each plate and top with grilled browned buttered beets.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on July 10, 2014

Shara’s Pesto

Basil shares the spotlight with arugula and fava beans in this tasty hummus dip.

1 bunch basil
1 bunch arugula
1 bunch garlic scapes
1 cup shelled fava beans
2 tablespoons soy sauce, Braggs, or tamari sauce (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt to taste

Boil 5 cups water in a saucepan. Add the fava beans and garlic scapes and cook 5 minutes or until soft. Add the arugula and basil and cook 2 minutes more. Drain, add all other ingredients, and put into a food processor. Process until smooth.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on July 8, 2014

Grilled Chicken Winter Salad

Chicken and greens: simple and delicious.

1 large chicken breast
1 tablespoons grape seed oil or cooking oil
Small pinch fresh cut culinary herbs like rosemary, thyme or basil
1 bunch arugula
1 bunch mizuna
1 1/2 savoy or leafy cabbage
1/2 bunch spinach

Vinaigrette Dressing
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoons chopped thyme
1 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon maple syrup
3/4 cup olive oil

Grill chicken in a skillet with salt. Cook until golden brown and well done. Toss in herbs last. Set aside to cool, then slice thinly into small strips.

Prepare greens by chopping them into bite-size pieces and submerging them into a filled sink of cold water. Gently move greens around to wash off any garden dirt. Then spin dry or lay greens on a kitchen towel to dry. Mix all ingredients for the vinaigrette dressing, drizzle on the greens and top with the chicken.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on May 9, 2014

Mixed Greens with Oranges and Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 small navel oranges
2 bunches arugula or watercress, stemmed, washed and dried (about 4 cups)
1 small head romaine lettuce, washed, dried and torn (about 4 cups)
1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Whisk together orange zest and juice, balsamic vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil until well blended.

Remove the rind and white pith from the oranges with a very sharp knife and discard. Slice oranges thinly, or remove the individual segments by slicing between the membranes. Halve the orange slices if they are large.

Toss the arugula and romaine together in a shallow salad bowl. Separate the onion slices into rings. Scatter the onions and oranges over the greens. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and toss.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on February 19, 2014

Honey Roasted Pumpkin Salad

1 pie pumpkin (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut in 1 1/2″ chunks
5 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon raw honey
3 tablespoons lime juice, fresh
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 pounds arugula, stems removed
6 ounces feta cheese

Preheat oven to 450 F. On a large, rimmed baking sheet, toss pumpkin with 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until pumpkin is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove garlic cloves from pan; set aside to cool. Drizzle pumpkin with 2 tablespoons honey and toss to coat evenly. Return to oven and continue roasting until pumpkin is glazed, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Meanwhile, cut one end of each garlic clove and squeeze garlic into a mixing bowl. Mash into a paste with the side of a knife. Add lime juice, mustard, 1 tsp honey, salt, and pepper. Stirring constantly, add remaining olive oil (3 tablespoons) in a steady stream; set aside.

Add arugula and pumpkin, and toss to combine. Serve salad sprinkled with crumbled feta.

We thank Annie McHale for this recipe.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on February 18, 2014

Arugula Chicken Salad

Nash’s arugula has impressively large leaves and a spunky flavor!

1/4 cup minced pimiento
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Six chicken thighs, or other dark chicken meat, barbecued on a grill (If you bake or sauté the chicken, add a few drops liquid smoke to the dressing)
2 bunches arugula

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Wash the arugula and gently pat dry. Heat the other ingredients together in a saucepan. Put arugula in a bowl and add hot dressing, tossing to coat. Serve with chicken pieces on top.

Arugula makes a terrific wilted salad because its piquant flavor stands up so well, but there is something special about combining it with a smoky taste.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on October 10, 2013

Arugula Pine Nut Salad

Nourish, Sequim’s new garden-to-plate restaurant and gathering place, is featuring a series of meals created using items from Nash’s farm share boxes each week. This recipe highlights arugula.

2 bunches arugula, washed well, large stems removed
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

Tear arugula into bite-sized pieces, toss all ingredients together and serve.

Nourish Tip: Arugula, also known as rocket, has a nice peppery flavor. It’s a good source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K as well as B-complex vitamins. Overall, it’s a great anti-oxidant.

Nourish Tip: Use a potato peeler to shave from a block of Parmesan cheese.

Nourish Tip: Pine nuts can be expensive, so try using sunflower seeds in their place.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on September 30, 2013