Kohlrabi and Apple Slaw

We’ve returned from Scotland and have been enjoying some amazing fall weather, and so has the garden. Yesterday, we took down the tomato vines, pulled the last kohlrabi, and discovered an eggplant that we hadn’t known was hiding (yay).

There is still some kale and collard greens waiting to be harvested and donated - that will happen today. To date, we’ve harvested more than 250 pounds of produce from our little garden, and except for the squirrels who ate many of our winter squash, it’s been successful. 

For the first time, we grew pumpkins, rutabaga, and kohlrabi.  We ended up with 4 pumpkins: two white, two orange. The seeds came from the same packet - hummm. The grandbabies got the orange pumpkins, and the white ones are decorating our front deck. 

The kohlrabi was prolific. I’ve roasted, air-fried, and added them to a veggie tray - all delicious options. We were gifted some apples from a neighbor, and I made an apple cake. However, I still had a few left, so I decided to make a simple and easy salad to accompany dinner. 

This salad takes about 15 minutes (max) to make, but for the best taste, sit back and enjoy a glass of wine while the flavors meld. 

Ingredients:

2 medium kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and julienned
1 large crisp apple (such as Fuji or Honeycrisp), cored and julienned
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 cup raisins
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (optional)

Instructions:

Prepare the produce: Peel the kohlrabi and cut into thin matchsticks using a knife, mandoline, or food processor. Core the apple and cut it the same way.

Toss with lemon juice: Immediately toss the apple and kohlrabi with lemon juice in a large mixing bowl to prevent browning and add brightness.

Make the dressing: In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey or maple syrup, salt, and pepper.

Combine ingredients: Pour the dressing over the apple and kohlrabi mixture. Toss until everything is evenly coated.

Add garnish: Stir in raisins and nuts or seeds, if using, for added flavor and texture.

Chill and serve: Let the salad sit for 10–15 minutes to allow flavors to meld, then serve chilled or at room temperature.

Tofu Palak

We have been powering through the garden produce, and we still have a lot of greens: collards, kale, swiss chard, and spinach. The tomatoes are plentiful, but they are very slow to ripen, which annoys men. I've pulled all of the remaining beets and turnips, 2 kohlrabi, countless zucchini and summer squash, and we are patiently waiting for the watermelon and winter squash to ripen. 

The cucumbers are finally done (yay). At the end of the day, we harvested 65 pounds of cucumbers, and the last time I tallied up the produce, we had 137 lbs of produce - that does not include the produce from this week or the winter squash - I'm guessing we will end up with over 200 lbs this year. 

Sometimes I feel like all Indian food tastes the same, and then I remember palak paneer, a spicy spinach sauce with Indian cheese. I love the flavor of the sauce, but the cheese does me in every time. I decided to substitute tofu for the cheese and bake it with a little nutritional yeast to give it that cheesy flavor. The result was delicious. We served it with basmati rice and naan. 

Ingredients:

• 14 oz spinach
• 1 large tomato - chopped
• 1 pkg tofu - extra firm - drained and pressed
• 5 -6 cloves garlic
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 inch ginger - freshly grated
• 5 oz coconut milk
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 T nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp - cumin seed
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander 
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
  

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the tofu into cubes, place them on baking paper, and sprinkle some nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper over the tofu. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until they have a light golden brown color. Turn them over halfway. 

Meanwhile, bring a pot to a boil and add the washed spinach leaves. Cook for about five minutes, take the spinach out, rinse with some cold water, and set aside.

Cut the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger. Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a frying pan. When heated, add the cumin seeds together with the onion, garlic, and ginger.

Cook for about 3 minutes on medium-high heat. Next, add the chopped tomato and cook it until the tomato is soft. Remove from the heat and let it cool down.

Once cooled down, put everything in a food processor or blender together with the spinach and a splash of water. Blend into a smooth paste.

Using the same frying pan, heat 1 more tablespoon of oil and add all the spices and salt. Mix it all together before adding in the spinach paste. Also, add the coconut milk and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

When the tofu is nicely baked, mix it well with the curry and remove from the heat. Serve with basmati rice and naan. 

Cucumber Beet Salad

I can’t believe it's Labor Day - where has the Summer gone? The cucumbers are finally winding down; I’d say when all is said and done, we will have harvested about 68 - 70 pounds. Thank goodness for friends, neighbors, and my Buy Nothing group - they took them eagerly. 

We’re still getting lots of zucchini and yellow squash, greens, beets, turnips, kohlrabi, and the tomatoes are finally starting to ripen; as a matter of fact, we had veggie bacon BLTs for dinner tonight with a delicious Brandywine tomato - it was so so good. 

Today we harvested the black turtle beans, and they are sitting in the drying rack - can’t wait to turn them into soup this winter. Hope everyone is enjoying this lovely day.

Ingredients:

1 small to medium cucumber - sliced

1 large or 4 small beets 

1 Tbsp sunflower seeds 

2 Tbsp feta cheese -crumbled 

Lemon dijon dressing:
3 tbsp lemon - juiced
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 small clove of garlic - crushed
1 tablespoon of olive oil
salt and ground black pepper - to taste

Instructions:

Wrap the beets in aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, and roast them at 400 degrees until cooked. 

While the beets are roasting, combine all dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine. 

When the beets are cooked, remove from foil, put in a cold water bath, and slide off the peels. 

Slice cucumbers and scatter 1/2 of them on a platter. Add the beets and drizzle with some of the dressing. Add another layer of cucumbers and beets, and drizzle with additional dressing. 

Sprinkle the feta and sunflower seeds over the cucumber/beets and serve!

Chickpea Nectarine Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Our Summer routine: morning walk, visit the garden, figure out what to do with the cucumbers we picked. Yesterday, we harvested 6 cucumbers, which brings our total to approximately 48 pounds for the season.

The basil is ready to harvest, which means it's time for pesto! We’re still enjoying beets, turnips, summer squash, and yesterday I picked the season's first eggplant; so ratatouille for dinner tonight. 

Most of the tomatoes are still green; although the Cherokee Purple and 4th of July are ripening, and we have some cherries, but other than that, green. We need temperatures below 85 and moderate humidity to get the ripening party started. 

Last night it was warm and humid, and I wanted something light and refreshing, so I chopped some cucumbers (of course) and nectarines, added some scallions and a can of chickpeas, and made a lime dressing. I garnished it with feta and mint - it was tasty. 

Ingredients:

Salad:

• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 ripe nectarines, pitted and sliced
• 2 scallions - finely chopped
• 1/2 cup cucumber, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 

Dressing

• 3 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed 
• 2 tablespoons honey 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid, and shake to combine.

On a plate or in a bowl, scatter the nectarines, onions, cucumbers, and chickpeas. Fifteen minutes.

Before serving, dress the salad and top it with mint, feta, and a few grinds of black pepper. 

Enjoy!

A Bountiful Summer Harvest

After our morning walk yesterday, we headed out to the garden to see what needed to be harvested, and if you’ve been following along, you can guess it in one; cucumbers, 5 to be exact. To date, we have harvested about 41 pounds of cucumbers, and the neighbors are starting to avoid me (well, some of them). 

We’ve pulled out the last of the green beans, which ended up in tonight's salad, found a few more beets, turnips, some yellow and zucchini squash, and a lovely kohlrabi - I love Summer produce, there are so many things to enjoy!

At some point, I’ll need to harvest the basil and make pesto. The tomatoes are still slowly ripening, the eggplant is just about ready to pick, and the peppers - well, they are still ignoring me; I think I’ll skip them next year. 

I was looking for a salad recipe that wasn’t the traditional greens, tomatoes, … and I found one - but I didn’t have all the ingredients. So I made some substitutions, and added my own spin - it was delicious; Dan even said the beets in the salad were the best he’s ever had. 

Ingredients:

1½ lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2–3 inch pieces
8 - 10 baby beets 
Kosher salt (for boiling water + seasoning)
4 cups finely chopped green onions
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Crumbled feta
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400. Trim and scrub the beets. If large, cut them into a consistent size. 

Roast the beets until they are fork-tender

While the beets are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and blanch for 2–3 minutes until bright green and crisp-tender. Drain and immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Drain again and pat dry.

In a large bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add onion and green beans and toss until coated. Top with roasted beets, basil, and feta. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower Salad

It’s been one of those weeks - so much to do, so little time; hot one day, sweatshirt weather the next - who can keep up!

The garden is starting to explode; the snow peas, green beans, cucumbers, and turnips are doing well. We’ve harvested 1 tomato, with 2 more just about ready. The summer squash will most likely have 2 - 3 fruits by the end of next week, and the winter squash are climbing and flowering. 

All of the greens are doing well, the only disappointment is the zucchini (IKR - they can grow on concrete). I tried a new variety this year and I have lots of flowers but no squash - if I don’t see any in a few days I’ll try hand pollinating to see if that i the problem. 

I had a head of cauliflower in the fridge that was originally going to be used for buffalo cauliflower tacos, but I wasn’t in the mood, so I searched for something totally different, and this fit the bill. The slight char on the cauliflower paired nicely with creamy dressing, avocados, and roasted pistachios. 

Cauliflower:

• 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Dressing:

• 1 cup mayonnaise 
• 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup packed fresh chives, chopped
• 1/4 cup packed fresh tarragon leaves
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad:

• 1/2 cup roasted pistachios 
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1 avocado, diced (optional, add just before serving to prevent browning)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). 

Wash the cauliflower and cut it into bite-sized florets. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes (if using), salt, and pepper until all florets are coated.

Spread the seasoned cauliflower florets in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and slightly browned, flipping halfway through.

While the cauliflower is roasting, combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth; add salt and pepper to taste. 

Place the cauliflower on a serving platter, pour the dressing over it (don’t use it all, you will have plenty for another salad or 2), and add the toppings. 

Enjoy!