Kia’s Chilled Veggie & Bean Salad

This wonderful summer salad hits the spot for cookouts, as a topping for a fresh green salad, or as a high-protein snack on the go. It’s also versatile, so get creative about what types of veggies you use, depending what’s in your fridge or your weekly CSA box!

You can also mix up the types of beans you use in this dish. Any combination of black, kidney, garbanzo, Nash’s dried favas, or even lentils will work well.

This recipe was whipped up for one of Nash’s’ July Farm Lunches, as a topping for tacos. It makes about 3-4 quarts. Downsize the ingredient list accordingly, to make a smaller batch, as desired.

1 medium zucchini
1 medium-large cucumber
1 small-medium Wall Walla onion or red onion
1 green or red pepper
6-8 cups cooked beans (any kind!)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3 limes, juiced
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 cups fresh cilantro, finely minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or tamari soy sauce
(A cup or two of fresh cut corn and some diced tomatoes are also wonderful in this salad. I didn’t have any on hand at the time, but they would be a great addition!)

Shred or small diced the zucchini, cucumber, onion and pepper. Add the cooked beans to the fresh veggies and toss well.

Combine the vinegar, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, oregano, fresh cilantro, chili powder and liquid aminos or tamari with the veggies and beans, and mix everything up really well.

Eat immediately, or let dish rest for an hour or two, or even a full day if possible, for the marinade to work its magic!

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Posted on July 10, 2015

Kia’s Bean Dip

What’s your favorite bean to make into dip? Let us know in the comments below!

You can use pretty much any bean you want in this recipe. Seriously. I recently did a combo of Nash’s dried fava beans, black beans and the last of my dried scarlet runner beans from the garden last year. Any combo of beans (or lentils!) will work great for this recipe, so use up the little bits of this and that in your pantry and get dippin’!

5 cups cooked beans, drained
1/3 cup Walla Walla onions or red onions, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 cup salsa, or fresh or canned tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 teaspoons toasted cumin seeds, or ground cumin, or chili powder
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine everything in a food processor or blender and whirl it up! Thin with a splash of water or more olive oil as needed. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 5 days or so. This dip is great with raw veggies, pitas, chips, burritos or as a side with rice and a green salad. Yum!

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Posted on July 10, 2015

Kia’s Toasted Cumin Broccoli Salad

Pan-toasted cumin and fresh broccoli steal the show in this easy summer salad.

4-5 medium heads broccoli
1 cup mayo and/or Greek yogurt
2 limes, juiced
1 clove garlic, minced or finely grated
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoons ground toasted cumin seeds (see below) or cumin powder or
chili powder
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Pickled hot peppers, minced (optional)

Pan-toast the cumin seeds by putting several heaping tablespoons of whole cumin seeds in dry skillet on medium-low heat. Stir or flip the seeds carefully, off and on, for about 5-7 minutes, until they start to show a little sign of color, and are getting really aromatic. Don’t let them smoke or burn! Remove toasted seeds from pan and let cool completely before grinding them in a spice grinder. Coffee grinders reserved for processing herbs and spices work well for this type of job. I found a used one that I keep around just for spices, so I don’t adulterate my precious coffee beans! (You’ll have more ground cumin than you need for this one recipe, and it will remain freshest if you store it in a little jar in the fridge. Toasted cumin is fabulous in scrambled eggs, rice, beans, chili, etc.)

Prepare the dressing for the salad by whisking together the mayo/yogurt, lime juice, garlic, vinegar, salty liquid aminos/soy sauce, ground cumin, fresh cracked pepper and optional pickled hot peppers. Set aside and let the flavors meld while you prep the broccoli.

Mince or shred the broccoli, stems and all! This is a great job for a food processor if you have one with a shredding attachment. Peel the broccoli stems prior to shredding if needed.

Thoroughly toss dressing with shredded broccoli and taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed. This salad can be eaten immediately or left to marinade for a few hours or even a day before you dig in.

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Posted on July 10, 2015

Kia’s Pan-Toasted Cumin

Toasted cumin seeds add wonderful flavor to chili, cornbread, soup, lentils, rice, dal, scrambled eggs, cold salads and more. Simple to make, its great to make a about a half cup sized-batch at a time, and to store the leftover ground spice in a little jar in the fridge, where it will stay fresh.

Pan-toast the cumin seeds by putting several heaping tablespoons (or more, depending on the size of your pan!) of whole cumin seeds in dry skillet on medium-low heat.

Stir or flip the seeds carefully, off and on for about 5-7 minutes, until they start to show a little sign of color, and are getting really aromatic. I don’t recommend leaving the kitchen while they are toasting, unless you have super-amazing multi-tasking skills. You don’t want the cumin to smoke or burn, and it can happen quickly if you’re not paying attention!

Remove toasted seeds from pan and let cool completely, before grinding them in a spice grinder. Coffee grinders reserved for processing herbs and spices work well for this type of job. I found a used one that I keep around just for spices, so I don’t adulterate my precious coffee beans!

Use toasted ground cumin immediately in your favorite dishes, and store the remaining spice in a little jelly jar in the fridge, for later use.

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Posted on July 10, 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

Pickled Eggs with Dill

Have you ever pickled your own eggs before? Now’s your chance!

Pickled eggs are delicious! Serve them on a bed of spinach greens, and they make a perfect nutritious snack to grab when on the go.

12 large eggs
1 red onion, sliced
Small bundle of fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 clove garlic, halved
1 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons salt

Fill a large saucepan with water (enough to cover the dozen eggs that you will add). Bring the water to a simmer (not a boil!) and then gently add in the eggs by lowering them in with a spoon, one by one. Set your timer to 12 minutes and allow eggs to simmer. Then turn off heat, remove the eggs from the pot, and run them under cold water. You can gently pour the pot of eggs through a metal strainer and then run cold water over them. Peel the eggs once they are cool enough to handle.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring all other ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.

Pour mixture into a large jar (or two smaller jars), and add the hard-boiled eggs and allow to cool for several minutes. Once cool enough, refrigerate. Your eggs will need anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks to pickle. Once ready though, they will stay good for quite a long time.

Recipe adapted by Virginia Newman from PaleoLeap.

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Posted on July 1, 2015

Kia’s Skillet Brownies

You can’t go wrong with cocoa powder and chocolate.

I’m not gonna pretend these are low fat or low sugar, or some kind of “healthy” brownie. But if you’re wanting the ultimate chocolate brownie fix, make ‘em and bake ‘em in a cast-iron skillet, and you won’t be disappointed!

1 1/2 cup turbinado or raw sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups Nash’s white wheat or triticale flour
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1/.2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa and salt.

In a 10″ or 12” cast-iron skillet, bring butter and cream to a simmer over medium heat. Add chocolate and reduce to medium-low. Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate has melted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.

Add chocolate mixture to sugar mixture, whisking until blended (set skillet aside). Fold in flour mixture, but don’t overmix. Pour batter into skillet.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Don’t overcook, and consider that your skillet will hold a lot of heat for a while after you pull it out of the oven.

Serve warm brownies with ice cream, fresh berries and/or whipped cream! YUM!

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Posted on June 29, 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

Three-Minute Swiss Chard

This simple side dish is an easy way to enjoy this nutrient packed vegetable alongside most any dish you are making.

1 pound Swiss chard, chopped
1 medium clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Optional Additions:
6 kalamata olives
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Chop garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out its health-promoting properties. Use a large pot (3 quart) with lots of water. Make sure water is at a rapid boil before adding Swiss chard. Cut off tough bottom part of Swiss chard stems. Add the chopped leaves to the boiling water. Do not cover. Cook for 3 minutes; begin timing as soon as you drop the Swiss chard into the boiling water. Place in colander and press out excess water.
Transfer to serving dish and toss with rest of ingredients while it is still hot. Using a knife and fork, cut Swiss chard into small pieces for better flavor.

We thank The World’s Healthiest Foods 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