Nourishing Potato Salad

Russet potatoes have dark brown skin and few eyes. Their flesh is white, dry and mealy, and they are good for baking, mashing and, most of all, French fries. That’s enough to make them the most widely grown potatoes in North America.

Because we tend to eat the Russet deep-fried, or baked and smothered with sour cream and butter, it can get a bad rap. However, one russet potato (approximately 5.2 ounces in size) has a moderate 110 calories and is an excellent source of potassium (more than a banana) and vitamin C. Russets are also a good source of vitamin B6 and are fat, sodium and cholesterol free.

russet potatoes

The Salad
6 cooked, cooled and diced organic potatoes with skin.
1 cup chopped organic celery
1 cup chopped organic carrots
2 medium-sized organic, naturally fermented chopped pickles
2 teaspoons organic celery seed
4-6 hard-cooked pastured eggs, peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

The Sauce
2 pastured eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sucanat or rapadura (optional)
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt or other unrefined sea salt
1/3 cup organic apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon organic yellow mustard
4 tablespoons butter

Mix all the salad ingredients together.

For the sauce, whisk together the 2 beaten eggs, optional sucanat or rapadura, arrowroot powder, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in the vinegar, milk and mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. You must stir constantly so the eggs to do not scramble.
Remove from heat and cool about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the butter. Refrigerate until cool.

Gently fold in the sauce with the ingredients and serve immediately or you can let “sit” in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to let the flavors blend.

We thank westonaprice.org for this recipe.

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Squash, Cranberries & Barley

We found this recipe, and many other delicious recipes, in Debra Daniels-Zeller’s The Northwest Vegetarian Cookbook.

2 Tbsp. ghee (clarified butter)
1 large onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (Use a small Poblano pepper for less heat)
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup currants
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 butternut squash, seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups naked barley (hull-less)
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped and toasted

Soak the barley overnight, drain and rinse, cover with water and cook until done, about an hour.

Saute the onion and jalapeno over medium heat in the ghee in a heavy skillet until soft and just brown, about 5-10 minutes. Add apple juice, currants, cranberries and squash. Cover and cook on low heat until the squash and cranberries are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in salt and barley and continue to cook until heated through. Transfer to a serving bowl and mix in celery and nuts.

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Corn Chowder

Source Note: This is a lower-calorie version of the traditional corn chowder that is usually made with lots of cream and butter. If you are on a sodium-restricted diet, omit the salt. 
bicolor corn
2 pounds white potatoes, diced (River Run Farm Yukon Golds!)
1 bay leaf
4 cups water
3 teaspoons margarine or butter
3 medium onions, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 tablespoons Nash’s soft white wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage, or 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried sage
1/2 teaspoon crushed white pepper
2 cups skim milk
1 1/3 cups cooked sweet corn
Salt

Optional
Parsley, for garnish
Red bell pepper slices, for garnish

In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, bay leaf, and water; bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Discard the bay leaf. Drain the potatoes, reserving the liquid. Set both aside.

In the same saucepan, melt the margarine. Add the onions, celery, and cumin seeds; cook until the onions are tender. Stir in the flour, sage, and white pepper. Stir in enough reserved potato liquid to make a smooth paste, then stir in the remaining potato liquid and potatoes, and heat through. Stir in the milk and corn, season to taste with salt, and heat thoroughly.

If desired, top with snipped parsley and bell pepper slices.

We thank Bounty from the Box, the CSA Farm Cookbook for this recipe.

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Sweet Cherry Feta Quinoa

We have been partnering with PDQ Farm in Zillah, WA, for over 10 years, and this is another example of how our Store supports Washington State organic farmers and their high-quality products. We picked up their beautiful Bing cherries on Wednesday, so they are fresh and delicious.

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup peach or apricot jam
1/4 cup white wine or apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup fresh cherries, pitted, quartered
1 cup shucked fava beans, outer membrane removed, and steamed to al dente
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted

For the dressing, place the jam, vinegar, olive oil, Dijon, salt, and water in a small jar. Screw on the lid and shake until thoroughly blended and emulsified.

Rinse the quinoa and drain well. Bring 1 1/4 cups water and the quinoa to a boil in a large pot, cover, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook 10-12 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is just tender but still a little firm. Once cooked, remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, and then drizzle about 1/2 of the vinaigrette over the quinoa and toss to coat. Allow to cool.

Add the cherries, favas, celery, onion, herbs, and feta to the quinoa. Toss to combine and refrigerate until ready to serve. Before serving, sprinkle with toasted almonds and drizzle with additional vinaigrette.

We thank fountainavenuekitchen.com for this delicious recipe.

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Rutabaga Borscht

Rutabagas in a basket

What to do with a basket full of rutabagas?

2 Tbsp oil or butter
1 1/2 chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped potatoes
1 or more cup chopped beets
1 large carrot sliced
1 stalk of celery sliced
3 cups chopped rutabaga
1 cup tomato, diced or puréed
1 tsp caraway seed
4 cups stock (veggie or chicken)
2 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp dill weed
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp honey

Sautee onions in oil or butter. Add caraway and salt.  When soft add the other veggies, stock/water and remaining ingredients.  Simmer until tender for at least 30 minutes. Whiz in the blender until smooth.  Serve with sour cream or yogurt dollop on top.

We thank Pam & Liam Antrim for this recipe.

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Sweet Barley Pilaf

We got quite a treat this week: Isabelle from the Sequim Food Bank tried out this recipe using Nash’s barley and shared some with us. It’s totally tasty!

Serves 6.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (2 cups)
4 mushrooms, sliced (1 cup)
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 cup slivered almonds (or other nuts)
1 cup barley or other whole grain
1/4 cup raisins, golden or black
Dash of salt
1 Tbsp. each fresh rosemary and marjoram, minced, or 1/2 tsp. dried
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, low-sodium

In large saucepan, heat olive oil and saute onion until translucent. Add mushrooms, celery and almonds. Cook 3-5 minutes.

Stir in barley, raisins and seasonings until barley is coated with other ingredients.

Add broth and bring to a boil for 2 minutes, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 55 minutes.

We thank Well-Fed Me for this recipe, and also Isabelle from the Sequim Food Bank for calling our attention to this delicious recipe.

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Kia’s Crock Pot Favas & Chicken

fava beans

Fava beans are fun and delicious!

Slow-cooked favas are tender and pair effortlessly with anything else you want to toss in the pot. Skip the meat and add extra veggies and lots of herbs for a vegetarian meal.

1-2 cups shucked fava beans
Approx. 2 pounds chicken thighs/drumsticks/breast, or other meat
2 cups fresh or canned salsa
4 cups chopped celery, onions, peppers, zukes, carrots, potatoes, etc.
Approx. two cups water
Salt and pepper
Fresh or dried oregano, thyme, basil, cilantro, rosemary, etc.

Put all ingredients in crock pot with salt/pepper/herbs as desired. Cover and cook on medium heat overnight or 6-8 hours. Add a fresh bunch of roughly chopped spinach/kale/chard the last 30 min of cooking, as desired. Serve hot over rice/quinoa/pasta/shredded cabbage etc.

Fava Tip: Approx 1 pound fresh favas = 1 cup shucked beans.

We thank Nash’s own Kia for this recipe.

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Kidney Bean Sloppy Joes

Kidney beans

We are rolling into picnic season, so we thought we’d offer a meatless version of this classic. It makes about 8 servings.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup dried Nash’s kidney beans, soaked for 12-24 hours, drained, and cooked
8 rolls of your choice

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and green pepper and sauté until tender. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, chili powder, tomato paste, vinegar, and pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Prepare cooked kidney beans by roughly chopping before adding to the skillet. Once added, cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Spoon bean mixture evenly into rolls of your choice and serve immediately. Enjoy this childhood classic!

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.

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Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Two Garlic Bulbs

There will be zero vampires anywhere near your zip code after you make this delicious dish.

Serves 4
Active Time: 15 minutes
Start to finish: 1 hour

In this family-style dish, long, slow cooking transforms its pungency into a sweet, mellow mash, perfect for smearing on a piece of crusty bread. Follow that with greedy forkfuls of the bird, and use a remnant of bread to sop up the luxurious juices.

1 four-pound chicken, rinsed and patted dry (Organic whole birds for sale at Nash’s Farm Store)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 scant cup olive oil
2 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 fresh sage sprig
1 Turkish or California bay leaf
1 celery rib
40 cloves garlic, peeled (3-5 heads)
Accompaniment: toasted baguette slices

Special equipment: kitchen string; an instant-read thermometer

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350F.

Sprinkle chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Tie legs together with kitchen string and fold wings under chicken. Heat oil in a 6- to 8-quart wide heavy ovenproof pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken and sear, turning it carefully, until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Tie herbs and celery together with string to make a bouquet garni and add to pot. Scatter garlic over bottom of pot and put chicken breast side up on top of garlic. Cover tightly, transfer to oven, and bake, basting twice, until thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh (without touching bone) registers 170F, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes; reserve pan juices.

Spread roasted garlic on toasts and cut chicken into serving pieces. Serve chicken drizzled with some of pan juices.

We thank The Gourmet Cookbook for this recipe.

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Stir-Fry Pork with Cabbage and other Super-Vegetables

4 boneless pork chops
2 cups broccoli florets, blanched
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 sweet red peppers, seeded, cut bite-sized
1 head bok choy, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh bean sprouts, rinsed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 slice fresh ginger, minced
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water

Remove fat from pork and cut into thin slices. Have veggies cut and ready. Prepare the sauce by heating 1 tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan. Sauté the garlic and ginger until sizzling. Add broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and hot red pepper sauce. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir the cornstarch into cold water until there are no lumps. Add to sauce, stirring constantly until thickened. Simmer a few minutes longer.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch skillet or wok. Over high heat, stir-fry the pork until it’s just cooked through. Remove and reserve the pork. Add another tablespoon oil to the skillet. Over medium-high heat, stir-fry the celery and onion 1 minute. Add the red pepper and broccoli; stir-fry 1 minute. Add the cabbage; stir-fry 1 minute. Add the sprouts and cooked pork. Stir in the sauce and heat through, stirring well to blend flavors.

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