Fresh Hummus with Parsley

Italian parsley on a purple background 3 cups garbanzo beans
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon tahini (sesame seed butter)
2 cloves fresh or roasted garlic
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Save juice from beans and use to thin mixture if too thick. In a food processor, chop garlic first, then parsley. Add all other ingredients and blend until desired consistency. Cover tightly and store unused portion in the refrigerator. It will keep well for about a week.

Things to dip in hummus: fresh bread, bread sticks, bagels, hardy crackers, pita chips, and all sorts of veggies.

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Posted on July 29, 2015

Raw Beet Salad

This sweet and crunchy salad is the perfect nourishing side dish for these hot summer days. Yield: 4 servings.

1 to 1 1/2 pounds beets, preferably small
2 large shallots
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, or to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry or other good strong vinegar
1 sprig fresh tarragon, minced, if available
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves

Peel the beets and shallots. Combine them in a food processor and pulse carefully until the beets are shredded; do not purée. (Or grate the beets by hand and mince the shallots, then combine.) Scrape into a bowl.

Toss with the salt, pepper, mustard, oil and vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Toss in the herbs and serve.

Recipe from Mark Bittman.

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Posted on July 10, 2015

Stuffed Chard Leaves

Did some of your chard get away from you and is now a little wilted? Here’s a fancy way to turn it into a culinary showpiece!

16 chard leaves, slightly wilted or blanched
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove ribs from chard leaves and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together green onions, rice, feta, cottage cheese, egg, parsley, raisins, dill, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Lay chard leaves with underside up and place 2 tablespoons filling on each leaf, one-third up from bottom of leaf. Fold over sides and roll into a square packet. Place seam side down in a greased casserole dish. Do the same for all leaves and brush lightly with oil when all packets are in the casserole dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Bake any extra leftover filling and serve as a side dish. Serves 4 to 6 people.

We thank The City Gardener’s Cookbook: Recipes from Seattle’s P-Patches for this recipe.

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Posted on June 25, 2015

Garlic-Spinach-Yogurt Dip

Garlic scapes may look wild, but they have a pleasantly tame garlic flavor.

Use as a dip for veggies or strawberries, or use the dip to top baked potatoes. As a dressing it’s excellent on any salad, but really good with a salad made from lettuce, spinach, strawberries, Walla Walla onions, and pecans.

1 cup oil
2 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
5-6 leaves spinach
4 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
5-6 large fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic scapes, chopped
1 cup nonfat Greek or plain yogurt
For pourable dressing, add a small amount of buttermilk to thin.

Blend all ingredients except yogurt for about a minute. Add yogurt and give it a brief blending. Chill about an hour. Keeps for about a week in refrigerator in closed container.

We thank Pam Maurides for this great recipe.

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Posted on June 17, 2015

Ful

Fava beans are fun and delicious!

Ful is considered the national dish of Egypt and it is eaten at all times of the day, but it is most popular at breakfast.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried mint (can substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 3/4 cup cooked fava beans
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
5 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Warm the oil in a saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, and salt, cover, and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft (about 7 minutes). Add the mint and cumin and sauté for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the tomatoes, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beans and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Adapted by Virginia Newman from The Moosewood Restaurant’s Low Fat Favorites by the Moosewood Collective.

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Posted on June 12, 2015

Mother’s Day Quiche with Leeks and Bacon

Farm-fresh pastured eggs make this Mother’s Day treat eggstra special!

Crust
2 cups Nash’s soft white flour
2/3 cup butter, chilled, chopped
1 egg yolk

Filling
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 large leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
6 1/2 ounces rindless bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup grated cheese
4 Nash’s eggs
1/2 cup milk

Combine flour and butter with a fork or in a food processor until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 2 tablespoons chilled water and egg yolk. Process until dough just comes together. Turn pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until just smooth. Shape into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Melt butter in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add leek and bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes or until leek is soft. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Let cool. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a standard glass or ceramic pie dish.

Roll out pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper to form a 12 inch circle. Line base and side of prepared dish with pastry, trimming excess. Place dish on a baking tray. Line pastry with baking paper. Fill with uncooked rice or ceramic pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove baking paper and rice or weights. Bake for 10 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes.

Spoon leek mixture into pastry. Top with cheese. Whisk eggs and milk together in a separate bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over leek mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Recipe adapted by Virginia Newman from Taste.com.

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Posted on May 7, 2015

Kia’s Tahini Beet Salad

The crew got to try this vividly colorful salad for lunch recently — and boy, was it tasty!

As the availability of last fall’s beet crops extends far into the spring, I’ve been experimenting with new ideas for preparing these delicious crimson roots. This salad’s rich flavor disguises its simplicity, and no one could guess the secret ingredient… tahini!

For the Salad
3 cups minced parsley
4 cups shredded beets, cooked or raw (6-8 medium beets)
4 or 5 chive blossoms (optional)

For the Dressing*
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (2-3 limes)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Thoroughly scrub the beets, then grate them raw. Or steam/boil/roast them until tender, and then grate. Toss beets with parsley and set aside. Although both are delicious, I love the cooked beet version of this dish better, and my two-year-old son did too!

Combine the olive oil, tahini, lime juice, apple cider vinegar and salt & pepper in a pint mason jar. Screw lid on tightly and shake thoroughly. Dressing will be thick. Thin as desired with another splash of vinegar, or water.

Toss veggies with dressing. Break apart chive blossoms into tiny flowers and sprinkle throughout salad. Serve warm or chilled.

This salad debuted at an April 2015 Farm Lunch. It was accompanied by Mary Wong’s ham and cheese scalloped potatoes. Needless to say the crew returned to work that afternoon with full, happy bellies!

*This dressing would be wonderful tossed with any kind of “chop-chop salad.” That’s my term for chopping up (or grating) raw veggies into a slaw-like salad, like broccoli stems, cabbage, carrots, celeriac, ruatabagas, green onions, etc.

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Posted on April 27, 2015

Quinoa and Parlsey Salad

A flavorful and colorful salad, this can be served cold and tastes even better the second day!

1 cup water
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
3/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup unsalted pumpkin seed kernels, toasted

Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Spoon into a bowl; fluff with a fork. Add parsley, celery, onions, and apricots.

Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt, and black pepper. Add to quinoa mixture, and toss well. Top with seeds.

We thank MyRecipes.com for this recipe.

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Posted on April 9, 2015

About Parsley

Try curly parsley for a ruffly texture or Italian parsley with its flat leaves.

The name “parsley” derives from the Greek word meaning “rock celery” as it is related to celery. A native of the Mediterranean, parsley was used medicinally before it was eaten as a food.

Parsley has a whopping amount of vitamin K making it an important herb to add to meals to help support bone health. It’s also a great immune-supporting herb with a surprisingly high amount of vitamin C. Parsley also is packed with phytochemicals, such as myristicin, which is helpful in supporting glutathione, an important antioxidant within our bodies that vigilantly protects us from oxidative damage. So get that parsley off the side of the plate—better than a garnish, it should be a part of the main event! Here are some easy ways to help you get more of this nourishing herb into your meals.

Combine chopped parsley with bulgar wheat, chopped green onions (scallions), mint leaves, lemon juice and olive oil to make the Middle Eastern classic dish, tabbouleh.

Add parsley to pesto sauce to add more texture to its green color.

Combine chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest, and use it as a rub for chicken, lamb and beef.

Use it in soups and tomato sauces.

Serve a colorful salad of fennel, orange, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds and parsley leaves.

Chopped parsley can be sprinkled on a host of different recipes, including salads, vegetable sautés and grilled fish.

We thank The World’s Healthiest Foods for these great ideas for using parsley.

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Posted on April 9, 2015

Warm Potato Salad with Goat Cheese

Dressing
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small or medium clove garlic, minced or pureed
1/3 cup olive oil — for low-fat dressing, use 1/4 cup yogurt or buttermilk and 2 tablespoons olive oil

Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, salt, mustard and garlic. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings. You can make it several hours in advance.

Salad
1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, washed
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, rinsed with cold water and drained
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
2 ounces soft goat cheese
2-3 sage leaves, cut into thin slivers (optional)

Cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch slices. Steam above 1 inch of boiling water until tender but not mushy, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and while still hot, toss in a bowl with salt and pepper, red onion, parsley, goat cheese and the dressing. Sprinkle the sage over the top and serve.

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Posted on January 5, 2015