Mustard Dill Sauce

dill, bunched

Try this sauce on salmon or other fish, or on chicken.

4 ounces silken tofu
1 tablespoons homemade mustard
4 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
1 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients except the extra virgin olive oil into a blender and blend on high for about 1 minute. While blending, slowly drizzle olive oil into blender. This sauce is a great topping for chicken or fish.

We thank Mustard Dill Sauce Recipe for this recipe.

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Kia’s Tahini Beet Salad

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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About Spring Green Garlic

green garlic, chopped

Green garlic offers the same nutritional benefits as bulb garlic, with a milder garlic flavor.

The Plant that Keeps On Giving
Garlic is the plant that keeps on giving. It stays in the ground for nine months and offers us delectable treats along the way. The first of those treats is green garlic, which comes in the spring, and some farmers grow garlic just to harvest this delicacy. It looks like green onions, but is actually the garlic before it has developed the head with individual cloves. Green garlic can be used like chives or green onions, but it has a delightful mild garlic flavor without all the work of peeling the skin off each clove.

The next offering from the garlic plant are the garlic scapes. These come along a few weeks before the garlic bulb is ready to harvest. Scapes are the flowering portion of the garlic plant, and taste like a mild, garlic-flavored green bean. They are easy to spot because they make the coolest curlicues as they grow. Growers cut the scapes so the garlic plant will focus its energy on the developing bulbs.

Finally, we harvest the garlic bulbs sometime in summer. These are dried, cured and used to robustly flavor our dishes for the fall and winter months until we start the beautiful culinary garlic cycle all over again.

Nutritional Benefits of Green Garlic
Green garlic offers all of the nutritional benefits of garlic, just in a different package and with milder flavors. Garlic is a well-known antibacterial and antifungal remedy. It has a sulfurous compound called allicin, which helps lower oxidative stress and inflammation in our body, which benefits our cardiovascular health. Garlic is extremely efficient in extracting selenium from soil, even if that mineral is depleted. Selenium is a required nutrient for a number of our bodies’ detoxification systems. It is also important for the health of our thyroid gland, an important regulator of many metabolic processes within our bodies.

Garlic should be chopped first when cooking any dish. It takes about 10 minutes for enzymes to be mobilized when exposed to air before being heated. Basically, it needs some time to rest before offering us all of its many health benefits.

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Green Garlic Hummus

green garlic

Green spring garlic is milder than garlic in bulb-and-clove form, but it can still garlic up your favorite dishes.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 bunch green garlic (6 to 8 stalks)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or Nash’s field peas*
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

Trim the green garlic stalks and chop them. Let sit for 5-10 minutes while you drain and rinse the chickpeas and gather the rest of the ingredients. Put chopped green garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they’re more finely chopped. Add the lemon juice and salt and whirl until a rough puree forms. Add the chickpeas or field peas and pulse until everything is combined. Whirl in the oil until a puree forms again. Stir in pepper and/or lemon zest to taste. Adjust seasonings, adding more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as you like. Serve with crackers, bread, or crudités.

Although this recipe uses green garlic, which is milder than cured garlic bulbs, it still packs a big punch! The flavors will intensify over time, so if you want a milder hummus prepare just before serving.

*Try using a cup of Nash’s dried field peas instead of canned garbanzos. Soak them overnight, and then cook until tender, about an hour. Cool, drain, and add to the recipe.

Recipe adapted by Virginia Newman from About.com.

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Three Surprising Facts About Oats

As with most grains, the more processed oats are, the more their flavor and nutrients are compromised. Nash’s whole oats offer a hearty start to your day. Haven’t tried whole oats for breakfast porridge? Maybe these facts will inspire you.

Lore: Scottish highlanders carried pouches of oatmeal with them and dinner involved mixing it with sea water to form a cake which was baked over an open fire on a hot stone. Their enemies correlated these meals with their invincibility in battle.

Nutrients: Oats are high in protein and unsaturated fat, making them a great breakfast choice for sustaining blood sugar levels. The more refined the oats are, the quicker they will spike your blood sugar (leaving you feeling hungry more quickly after eating). Because of their fiber content, oats can help to reduce cholesterol in the body.

Whole Health: Oats are the only grain that is considered an adaptogen, meaning that they help our bodies to better cope with stress. People often think of particular herbs as adaptogens, but oats offer us a hearty AND calming breakfast.

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Easy Breakfast Porridge

Whole Grain Naked Oats

This breakfast takes a little forethought but after some soaking and throwing ingredients into a crock pot you can wake up to a nourishing warm breakfast, ready to eat. Make a large batch and eat it all week!

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup millet
1 cup whole naked oats
6 cups warm water mixed with 4 tablespoons yogurt (yogurt is optional)*
5 cups water
1 cinnamon stick broken into 2 pieces (plus any other spices you want)
4 cups milk (or a non-dairy milk, such as almond or rice)

The morning before you want porridge, soak all the grains in the warm water/yogurt mixture until after dinner (for at least 2 hours), then rinse and drain well. Pour the soaked grains into a slow cooker with water, milk, and cinnamon or your other favorite spices. Cover and set unit on low to cook overnight (7-9 hrs). When you wake up you will have hot delicious porridge ready for you! Add nuts, seeds, fruits, and additional yogurt to create your unique breakfast.

*The lactobacillus bacteria found in yogurt helps to breakdown the phytates found in whole grains. Phytates can bind to nutrients and inhibit their digestion, so this process helps us to better digest the nutrients in our meal!

We thank Virginia Newman for this recipe.

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Wilted Spinach Salad with Asparagus

6 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed, dried, and chilled
1 pound asparagus stalks, washed and trimmed
3 tablespoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
1 hard-cooked egg, chopped

Remove stems and veins from spinach leaves and tear into bite-sized pieces; place spinach on individual serving plates.

Blanch the asparagus in lightly salted boiling water for approximately 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; do not overcook. Remove from heat and refresh under cold water; drain and dry well; set aside.

In a large frying pan over medium heat, whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, red onion, garlic, and pepper; heat mixture until hot, stirring occasionally. Add cooked asparagus spears to dressing mixture, tossing to coat and reheat.

Remove from heat. Place asparagus spears over the top of the spinach. Pour warm dressing over asparagus and spinach. Sprinkle with chopped egg and serve immediately. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

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Asparagus Leek Soup

1 1/2 pounds asparagus
3 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup minced leek
2 gloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup half-and-half or raw milk
3/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup parmesan cheese (optional)
Splash lemon juice (optional)

Cut asparagus into 1-inch chunks and simmer in chicken broth for about 5 minutes, until tender. In a small saucepan, melt butter and sauté leeks and garlic for five minutes on medium-low heat. Add flour and cook for one more minute.

Add the flour mixture to chicken broth and stir until thickened. Blend everything together until semi-smooth. Then return soup to sauce pan, add raw milk, thyme, and salt and pepper. Simmer everything for five minutes and then top with optional parmesan and lemon juice.

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Potato Soup with Bacon and Asparagus

4 slices thickly cut bacon
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups low-fat milk
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives (optional)

Place bacon slices into a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Stir onion, garlic, and salt into the hot skillet and cook and stir until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and stir in the asparagus; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until asparagus are softened but still bright green, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain asparagus and set aside.

Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes; drain.

Transfer cooked potatoes to a soup pot and mash them with a potato masher, leaving some potato chunks for texture.

Pour milk into a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high until the milk is hot, 1 to 3 minutes; stir milk occasionally as it heats. Pour hot milk into the potatoes and stir to combine.

Place soup over medium-low heat. Crumble bacon slices and stir bacon and the onion mixture into the soup; heat to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until soup thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle soup with chives to serve.

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Quinoa and Parlsey Salad

Curly Parsley

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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