India Chili

1 pound organic ground beef
2 large onions
7 Nash’s carrots
4-6 cups of water
2 tablespoons red or yellow curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
4 or 5 large red potatoes
1 large green pepper
2 cans chickpeas
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
1 can refried beans

In a large pot, brown ground beef, add diced onions and carrots, and sauté. Add water, curry, and salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, green peppers, chickpeas and peas. Continue to boil, stirring in refried beans (for thickening) until potatoes are tender. Serve with pan-fried bread.

We thank Nash’s own Joshua Sylvester for this recipe.

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Sausage Bean Pasta Ragout

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound Nash’s ground pork sausage
2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups cooked beans (kidney, pinto, black)
4 teaspoons dried basil, or 1 cup fresh
3 teaspoons oregano
Crushed red pepper, to taste
1/2 cup macaroni
2 cups fresh greens (kale/chard/spinach/arugula/cabbage)
1/3 cup grated romano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: grated beets, carrot, and turnips

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté 6 minutes. Add sausage and sauté until brown, breaking up meat with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, broth, beans, basil, oregano, and dried crushed red pepper. (Optional: add grated beets, carrot, and turnips too!) Simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to bite, about 15 more minutes. Add greens and cook just until wilted, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Mix in 1/3 cup cheese and more fresh basil, if you have some. Season ragout with salt and pepper; ladle into bowls. Serve, passing additional cheese separately.

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Celery Root & Beet Salad

chioggia beets bunched

Use chioggia beets in your salads for their cheery red-and-white-striped flair.

6 medium beets (2 1/4 lb with greens), trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
1 (1 lb) celery root (sometimes called celeriac)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, additional to taste
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (2 ounces), toasted and cooled

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Wrap beets tightly in foil to make 2 packages (3 beets in each) and roast until tender, about 1 1/4 hours.

While beets roast, peel celery root with a sharp knife and cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks. Whisk together lemon juice, shallot, oil, salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl until combined well, then add celery root and toss until coated. Keep at room temperature, covered, until ready to add beets.

Carefully unwrap beets and, when just cool enough to handle, slip off skins and remove stems. Cut beets into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks and toss with celery root.

Let salad stand, covered, at room temperature 1 hour. Taste salad and season with more lemon juice and salt if necessary, then toss with walnuts.

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Roasted Beets with Balsamic Glaze

beet harvest

Beets me why you wouldn’t try roasting beets with a balsamic glaze.

1 1/2 pounds beets
1 tablespoon olive oil mixed with 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
Salt and pepper

Rinse beets well, but do not peel. If they are large, cut into chunks about the same size. Place in shallow baking dish and pour the oil/water mixture over and toss to coat completely. Cover and bake until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork, 35-55 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover and let cool for 10 minutes.

In a small saucepan, stir together the vinegar and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil until reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Slice the beets into thin slices. Place the beets in a warmed serving bowl and drizzle with the balsamic glaze. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

We thank Susan Molin for this recipe.

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Bay Leaf Beet Soup

A bunch of golden beets

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Wrap beets in foil.

Bake the beets until tender, about 1 hour; allow to cool, then peel the beets. Cut them into bite-size chunks.

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat and cook the red onion, leek, and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth, and mix in the beets, bay leaves, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, cinnamon, cumin, and tarragon. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the flavors of the bay leaves and spices are blended, 20 to 25 minutes. Pick out bay leaves.

Ladle about 1/4 of the beets into a blender, and add soup liquid as needed to fill the blender about 1/4 full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the beets and broth moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree the beets until smooth, and pour back into the soup.

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Sunchoke Soup with Brussels Sprouts

sunchokes handful

Did you know that sunchokes can make the base for a lovely soup? Try it yourself!

1 1/2 pounds sunchokes, scrubbed, dark spots removed
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 can (13.5 ounce) coconut milk
1 quart vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups sliced brussels sprouts
1/4 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coarsely chop sunchokes and place in bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat evenly. Spread sunchokes on two large rimmed baking sheets. Roast until tender.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pot over medium heat and add shallot. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.Stir in coconut milk and broth and bring to a simmer.

Heat remaining oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook brussels sprouts, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown. Transfer roasted sunchokes to broth and blend, using an immersion blender or regular blender in batches until smooth. Add more liquid if necessary and season to taste with salt. Ladle into 6 bowls and top each with some sprouts, hazelnuts and a thin drizzle of olive oil.

We thank Sunset Magazine for this recipe.

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Triticale and Squash Risotto

winter squash: delicata, sweet meat, sugar pie pumpkin, lower salmon river

Which squash is your favorite in triticale risotto? Let us know in the comments below!

2 cups triticale berries, soaked for at least 8 hours and drained thoroughly
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 medium butternut, acorn or delicata squash, peeled, seeded and diced
2 x 14-1/2-ounce cans chicken broth
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup white wine
3/4 pound winter greens (kale, chard, collards), trimmed and leaves chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Cover triticale with fresh water and boil for 20 minutes. Drizzle melted butter over squash on a jelly roll pan; toss. Bake 25-35 minutes or until tender and browned. Bring broth and water to a simmer in a saucepan. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pot; add onions and cook 4-6 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add wine and cook 1 minute more. Stir in drained triticale and cook until wine is absorbed. Reduce heat to medium and gradually add broth mixture half a cup at a time, stirring, until liquid is absorbed and triticale is tender, 12-17 minutes. Stir in the squash, greens, thyme, salt, pepper and nutmeg; cook, stirring, 4-5 minutes or until greens are tender. Stir in grated parmesan. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

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About Kidney Beans

Kidney beansOne of the earliest cultivated crops, beans offer nourishment to both us and the soil. As is the case with all legumes, they are nitrogen fixers. This means that they have symbiotic bacteria within their root systems that produce nitrogen compounds that help the plant to grow. When the plant dies, it releases this nitrogen into the soil thus acting as a natural fertilizer.

Kidney Beans are an excellent source of vegetable protein, containing 15 grams of protein/cup. Because they are also a good source of soluble fiber, they have been shown to reduce serum cholesterol levels. They help regulate blood sugar levels because they are a complex carbohydrate, which supplies stable energy over a longer period of time than simple carbohydrates, that provide a burst of energy and then leave us feeling depleted.

This powerful little bean provides iron, that is an integral part of transporting oxygen to all of the body’s cells. Thiamin, a B-vitamin, is a critical component for brain cell and cognitive function and kidney beans have it in spades, as well as manganese, essential for energy production and supporting our antioxidant defense systems.

Unsure of trying kidney beans because of unwanted intestinal gas? Those unfortunate side effects come from complex trisaccharide sugars, stachyose and raffinose, that our systems cannot digest. Soak your beans for at least 8 hours (overnight makes it easy!) to leach out those indigestible sugars and also phytic acid, which binds to the minerals. By removing phytic acid, the minerals become more available to our metabolisms. Do NOT cook your beans in the soaking water, which now contains the phytic acid and the undigestible sugars. Strain them, rinse thoroughly, and then cook. Soaking cuts down on the cooking time, too.

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Warm Quinoa Salad with Cilantro and Kidney Beans

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-large red onion, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 cup dry white quinoa
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
1 1/2 cup of vegetable or chicken broth (water can be substituted)
1 cup dried kidney beans, soaked overnight, rinsed well and pre-cooked
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
4 cups spinach
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Lime for garnish

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the quinoa, paprika, cumin, chili powder, and salt; stir to combine. Add 1 1/2 cups broth or water and increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer, covered, until the quinoa is almost soft and most of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Add the beans and half the cilantro; cook until they are heated through, uncovered, and no water remains, about 3-4 minutes. Serve on a bed of spinach and scatter the feta and remaining cilantro on top. Garnish with lime wedges. Serves 6.

Recipe adapted from 50 Best Plants on the Planet: The Most Nutrient-Dense Fruits and Vegetables, in 150 Delicious Recipes by Cathy Thomas.

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Roasted Vegetable Bisque

1 bunch leeks, quartered
2-3 turnips, cut into 1″ cubes
2-4 carrots, quartered
2-4 stalks celery, quartered
1 bulb garlic, raw, cloves separated, paper and skin removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cups broth (whatever kind you prefer)
1-2 cups water

Place prepared vegetables and olive oil in plastic bag and toss to coat evenly. Place on ungreased baking sheet and spread out so they don’t touch. Roast 15 minutes at 425 F, turn over, and roast another 15 minutes until golden brown (caramelized) on both sides.
Transfer roasted vegetables to soup pot. Add broth and enough water to cover vegetables. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes. With ladle or measuring cup, transfer soup to food processor or blender and puree until smooth (may have to do in batches).

Serve in soup bowls and top with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream. Serves 4.

We thank Chef Annie McHale of Port Angeles for this recipe.

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