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!

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

I’ve been on a salad kick lately; they come together quickly, pair well with a nice piece of grilled salmon, or, like this one, make a meal on their own. 

The garden is flourishing; everything is up and growing (despite the unusual spring weather), and I see cucumbers, beans, peas, and beets in our not-too-distant future. 

Our first grandchild has arrived, and she is beautiful. She arrived in June, has a full head of hair, and we are enamored with her. Her name is Miriam (after her great-grandmother). Mom and baby are thriving.

When time and hot weather team up, it’s a good time to pull out a quick and easy salad for dinner. This high-protein shrimp salad hit the spot and paired well with a glass of white wine. 

Ingredients:

1 pound of large cooked shrimp thawed

2 cups shredded lettuce

¼ red onion diced

2 avocados sliced

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil 

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon 

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

Instructions:

To thaw frozen, cooked shrimp, run cold water over them for 5-10 minutes until thawed, or place frozen shrimp in a bowl, cover it, and thaw in the fridge overnight. Drain off any excess water and pat dry with paper towels.

Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper until emulsified.

Place the lettuce (or mixed greens) on a large platter and top with onion, shrimp, and avocado. Drizzle with dressing. Tuck the sliced avocados around the shrimp and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Thanks for stopping by!