Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea Salad

Last weeks temps were perfect but we need rain Rain for the grass, the veggie garden, and the flowers. I water the veggie garden regularly and things are doing well but nothing really nourishes like rainwater.

I’m still working in multiple community gardens and in many of them, we have shifted our hours to early morning to weed and water before the heat of the day. We’re still dealing with horrible air and it looks like this week we have air quality warnings again - tell me how Climate Change is a hoax. 

The heat has put a stop to turning on the oven these days but on the positive side, we’ve been eating more salads and fresh vegetables. Last week I turned some quinoa, veggies, and pantry ingredients into a delicious Moroccan carrot and chickpea salad. 

Ingredients:

2/3 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cup water or veggie broth

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 onion - diced

1 cup carrots - grated

1 can chickpeas - rinsed and drained

2 cups spinach - torn

1/2 mint - finely chopped

1/3 cup raisins 

Salad Dressing

1/4 cup plus 2 T olive oil

2 T lemon juice

2T apple juice (can also use orange juice)

1T maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp sea salt

pinch of chili flakes

Instructions:

In a saucepan combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook quinoa for 12 - 15 minutes. Fluff with a spoon and cover - Let cool.

Prepare dressing in a small jar by whisking together oil, lemon juice, apple juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, coriander, salt, and red pepper flakes. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine quinoa, onion, carrots, chickpeas, spinach, mint, raisins, and sunflower seeds. Pour the dressing over the quinoa/veggie mixture and toss to combine. 

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 days (if there are any that is).

Enjoy!

Hello +

Apple and White Cheddar Tart

I’m trying to be more intentional about blogging because when I have long gaps it feels like I’m not cooking or creating but I am - I’m just not blogging. So, here I am all intentional and ready to tell you about my last delicious dish - a 5 ingredient Apple and White Cheddar tart; it’s fast, easy, and you will get rave reviews. 

With only five ingredients, this tart recipe is perfect when you’re pressed for time or looking for a few minutes to sip a glass of wine before the guests arrive. To save time I used puff pastry - vegan if you can find it.

Ingredients:
1 sheet of puff pastry

1 crisp apple

3 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar

Honey

Fresh thyme leaves

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Thaw 1 sheet of puff pastry, roll it out, and place it on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Thinly slice 1 tart/crisp apple into half moons and set aside. 

Distribute the shredded cheddar on the puff pastry, be sure to leave a border around the edge. 

Place apples on top of the cheddar and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the puff pastry is browned. 

Remove from oven, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle fresh thyme leaves on top. 

Cut and serve. 

Thanks for Stopping By!

Dilly White Bean Salad

The garden is planted and so far thriving. I was worried about planting so late (after Memorial Day) but our recent tropical-like weather has really given the garden a boost; especially things we’ve started from seed like eggplant, squash, and okra. 

We are of course doing our favorites - tomatoes (8 plants this year), zucchini (just one plant), honey nut squash, acorn squash, and this year we are trying patty pan squash. We have grown patty pan in the past with mixed success, so we’ll see what happens. 

This year we have started more things from seed rather than buying seedlings because I feel like plants do better if they aren’t planted in one location, trucked somewhere, and planted in another location. Also, there is the whole concept of knowing for sure your plants have not been treated with chemicals. 

One advantage of later planting is that you can decrease or maybe even eliminate squash bugs. A later planting means the eggs have already been laid and since your plants are non-existent they don’t lay eggs on them. You should, however, check your plants every day to make sure they haven’t found you. And choose varieties that can grow and mature within our shorter growing season.

This week Mother Nature has given us a heat break and I am very grateful. I hate turning on the oven when the temps are near 90 and you can only eat so many veggie burgers, so last week I decided on a cold salad dinner. I made a big green salad with so many veggies and then I decided to try a new recipe that had just the right amount of protein and flavors for a warm Summer night. 

When I first put it together I felt like it was too lemony but then I put it in the fridge to meld the flavors and when we had dinner - it was perfect.

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, minced

Juice of 1 small lemon; about 2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

Black pepper, to taste

2 15-ounce (225 g) can of white beans*, rinsed and drained (about 3 cups cooked)

2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced (or 1/2 a large cucumber)

3–5 radishes, cut into matchsticks

.75 Oz (21g) fresh dill, stems removed and finely chopped

2 green onions, green and white parts thinly sliced

Instructions:

Make the Vinaigrette: add the garlic, lemon juice, oil, mustard, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk well and set aside for 5 minutes while you prep the remaining ingredients; the lemon juice will mellow out the flavor of the raw garlic.

Make the Salad: add the beans, cucumber, radishes, dill, and green onions to a large bowl. Add the dressing to the bowl and then mix well until evenly incorporated. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if necessary.

Serve: Store in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to combine. more. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Portabella Mushrooms with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce

I’ve been so lax with my blogging lately - for lots of reasons but mostly I’ve been gardening; at home, at the Hopkins Community Garden, at Vera’s Garden, and soon Karamu Communal Garden - I guess you could say I like to plant things, let’s hope they all grow.

We’ve also just returned from a 12-day vacation in Europe. We traveled with friends starting in Prague and then on a Viking River Cruise from Regensburg to Budapest. We had some good and some not-so-good weather but the sights were beautiful - we even took a bike excursion around the Inn River in Passau, Germany. 

Now we’re back, the garden is planted, flowers are in pots and the peonies will bloom this week - Summer has arrived. 

Dan did his traditional Memorial Day camping with his family last weekend and I had a weekend of cleaning out flower beds and hanging out with friends. 

Last night we decided to grill some portabella mushrooms with zucchini and onions and I tossed together a chimichurri sauce for the mushrooms - it was quick. It added something that I always feel is missing when grilling mushrooms. 

Ingredients:

3 portabella mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed 

3 T balsamic vinegar

2 T olive oil

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 salt and pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

Chimichurri Sauce

1.5 cups finely chopped cilantro

2-3 cloves garlic (minced)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 tsp red pepper flake

2 Tbsp olive oil 

2 red wine vinegar 

1/2 tsp each sea salt and black pepper

1 small ripe avocado, cubed

Instructions:

Clean mushrooms. Combine all marinade ingredients in a shallow container and add mushrooms - marinade for 10 minutes on each side. 

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients for the chimichurri sauce and set aside. 

Grill mushrooms put them on your plate and add the sauce. It’s that easy!

Here's to Summer - may she treat us well and improve our garden harvest!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Mighty Microgreens -Little Greens with a Powerful Nutrient Punch

Last night we had dinner with friends and it was brought to my attention that I have not blogged in quite some time - almost a month to be exact. I guess that’s what happens when you have a lot going on. 

I’ve been working on my garden design and thinking about moving our front lawn from pretty grass to more flowers and a bee lawn mainly because pretty grass is just too hard to maintain and I have other things I’d rather do with my time. 

The garlic in the veggie garden has emerged and it looks like it will be a good crop - fingers crossed. The crazy Spring weather has me wondering when to begin planting. I’ve got some spinach growing in winter sowing jugs - but it’s not doing much - we need more sun and warmth. 

I’m planning to add some new veggies - okra, patty pan squash, and some lemon cucumbers and I’ve got all my seeds purchased just waiting for some real growing weather, which to be honest doesn’t arrive in Minnesota until mid to late May. So while I wait I’ll clean garden tools, finalize my growing plan, and read. 

You may recall I mentioned a Master Gardener class for Microgreens in my last post - it’s come full circle. The class, which will be held on May 1st & 2nd, is in the final stages. Microgreens are planted, slides are ready and we have our activities and tastings all planned. 

Microgreens (aka vegetable confetti) are very young vegetable greens that are harvested when

they are 1–3 inches tall. They consist of the stem of the plant and 1-2 leaf pairs. They are low in calories and high in fiber, are good sources of vitamins A, C, E, and K, have many minerals and antioxidants, and have as much as 4 to 40 times the nutritional content of mature vegetables. The best part, they can be grown year-round.

Mighty microgreens are also pretty easy to grow; you can grow them in soil, use hemp or fiber mats, or hydroponically. With just a few items - soil or mat or water, a container, seeds, and water you can get started and in about 2 weeks they are ready to be harvested and enjoyed. 

Many vegetables can be grown as microgreens from broccoli, kale, and chard, which are mild to radish, mustard, and arugula, which are spicy to peas and sunflowers, which are crisp there are many options. You can use microgreens in many ways; add them to a salad, as a replacement for lettuce in tacos, as a nutrient punch to a smoothie, or my favorite on avocado toast - yum. 

I’m on my third batch of microgreens and today I harvested some broccoli and used them on top of my avocado toast. I started with a slice of toasted seeded bread, mashed avocado, added a little salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and then topped with the microgreens - a quick and delicious breakfast. 

Enjoy your greens and thanks for stopping by!

Jackfruit and Black Bean Enchiladas

Happy Spring! The days are getting longer and I love waking up and finding out that the sun has gotten up before me. It’s time for the snow to melt - like now!

The gardening season is beginning to heat up. I’ve been working on a Master Gardener project about microgreens. I’ve learned so much and I’ve started to grow some on my own. There are so many options from spicy radish to sweet broccoli - the options are amazing. 

We’ve been laying low recently and trying to empty out the freezer and pantry. I had a can of jackfruit that I purchased a while ago and it just seemed like a good time to use it. If you haven’t heard of jackfruit before - it is a tropical tree fruit grown in Asia, Africa, and South America. It belongs to the same plant family as figs and mulberries. It’s very versatile; if you use it when it’s green it is a great replacement for meat especially BBQ meats as it has a neutral flavor and nice texture. If you let it ripen it is sweet and delicious. 

To get started, I did some Pinterest searching and found several possibilities but decided on enchiladas - mainly because we haven’t had them in ages. So, I chopped, sautéed, stuffed, and baked - the result was delicious. 

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

1 can jackfruit - shredded

2 T chopped cilantro

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp salt

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 onion - diced

1 1/2 cup delicata squash, seeded and chopped in small pieces

10 corn or wheat tortillas

vegan cheddar cheese 

1 small can of diced green chiles

1 1/4 cups enchilada sauce

 Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray
2. Drain and shred jackfruit. 
3. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add jackfruit, squash, cilantro, garlic, smoked paprika, and salt, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the black beans, and 4 tablespoons of the enchilada sauce and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, mix well, and set aside
4. Spread ½ cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Spread 1 tsp of the enchilada sauce on each tortilla. Fill each tortilla with a heaping amount of the jackfruit mixture.  Roll them and place them seam-side down on the baking dish.  Spread the remaining enchilada sauce in the middle of the rolled tortillas, leaving the ends without sauce
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil, and sprinkle the remaining cheese and diced chiles as desired. Bake, uncovered until the cheese is melted. Serve warm

Vegan Italian Wedding Soup

Good news, bad news. The good news is that Dan is just about over his cold and is feeling ready to be out and about. The bad news is that he gave it to me and I am feeling crummy. 

We’ve been cautiously going out - flew to Ft Myers Florida to visit my sister (masks on the plane), eating out once in a while, and for the first time since 2018 we went to the Home and Garden Show, which is where we think Dan got the bad cold from. 

I have also been meeting with other Master Gardeners at a few events, although most of those are asking for masks. We have still not gotten COVID, which means we are doing something right, right? I think in time COVID will be like the flu, we will get an annual vaccination and move on. This is not to diminish the incredible loss many people have felt during the pandemic. My heart goes out to you and your families.

When Dan was feeling bad I made a batch of Vegan Italian Wedding Soup - it was so good. Carrots, onions, and celery sautéed in olive oil then add veggie broth and orzo pasta and finally some vegan meatballs from Aldi (they are soy based but delicious) the result is a delicious and tasty soup that warms your soul. And the leftovers tonight have definitely warmed me up. 

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced including leaves

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup dry white wine

8 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 large handfuls of spinach  

1 package Earth Balance Vegan Italian Meatballs (from Aldi)

Instructions:

Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots and celery. 

Sauté until the veggies begin to soften a bit, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until very fragrant, about 1 minute more. Stir in the wine and bring it to a simmer. Cook until reduced by about half, about 4 minutes. 

Add in the broth and thyme and raise the heat to high. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and allow to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the orzo and spinach. Continue to simmer until the orzo is fully cooked and the spinach is tender about 8 minutes.

While the soup is cooking place the entire bag of vegan meatballs on a baking tray and bake according to the package directions

Ladle the soup into bowls, then add a few meatballs to each bowl. serve.

For those of you who know about Dan's robot passion, here is a little sneak peek of his new project - I love the faces!

Thanks for stopping by!