IG Fresh Haul Week 8
Back to Your Roots Haul
Hauls are looking good this time of year. There are so many colours and flavours happening, also nutrition.
Celery is making its way into this weeks haul. I want to touch on how this celery is different from the celery you find in the store.
We are almost at tomato season, the plants are putting on a tone of fruit and its just a matter of time until they ripen.
With all of these zucchini coming at you rapped fire. I will share some of my favourite ways to use zucchini.
*Tomatoes on the vine *Half HaulQuality is Number One
A humble brag, the hauls are looking good! There are so many colourful vegetables coming out of the garden right now and to make it better they are tasting great. I think most of you would agree that a freshly picked carrot is one of life’s simple joys. One thing that we might not think of is the nutrition of that vegetable, or maybe the lack there of. You know when you support a local farmer by buying their product you are investing back into your community. Also by purchasing food from a local farmer you are investing in yourself. Local produce is picked, washed, packed, and delivered to you most times with in a two day span. This means you are getting a vegetable that is at its peak nutritional value, the best quality. The same can’t necessarily be said about produce that is sold in the store. I don’t know when those cucumbers that are wrapped in plastic wrap were harvested. How long has it been sitting in storage? The thing is the people at the grocery store probably couldn’t tell you either. I bet your local farmer could tell you when those beets were picked, they could probably also tell you what the weather was like when they picked those beets.
All I am saying is yes, you may pay more for a local product, but you can guarantee that it is the highest quality product. And that there was great pride and joy put into it.
Celery is a great example of this. You will notice that my garden celery looks different than the ones in the store. For one simple reason. Commercially grown celery is wrapped in a sunblocking container that makes the plant turn a pail colour. Nothing wrong with that at all. My celery doesn't have the same treatment. it gets the full effect of the sun and all the bright green colours that a plant would naturally have. You will notice that it tastes a bit stronger. It still works great in soups, salads or however you are using it.
I will admit my tomatoes are late, its something that is always on my mind when I am out at the garden. Starring at them, willing them two grow. No matter, how things go. Nature is always on time, even if it is its own time.
One vegetable that is in full swing is zucchini. Everyone and there dog has zucchini this time of year. If anything you might see people shoving it in their neighbours mailboxes. So with this huge influx of summer squash, what do we do with it all. Naturally eat it. We can only eat so many zucchini boats and zucchini muffins before we start to go mad. I find the best method is to freeze it. Let yourself enjoy the freshness of the summer in the dead of winter. If you want to know how to freeze your own summer squash, check out the zucchini section under storage tips to find out.
What’s In The Haul
HALF
Garlic
Rainbow Beets
Zucchini
Cucumber
Dill
FULL
Celery
Potatoes
Carrots
Beets
Kohlrabi
Cucumber
Zucchini
Onions
Week 8 Recipes
Potatoes
Potato Pancakes
Gnocchi
Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
Potatos Storage Tips:
Store potatoes in a cool, dry, dark and well ventilated place. Typically in a cardboard box in the pantry or garage. Do not store them in the fridge. The humidity in the fridge will make them sprout over time and the cold air will make the potato convert its starch to sugar. Making the potato sweet.
Potato Pancakes
5-6 medium potatoes, shredded
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp salt
4 sprigs of thyme, stem removed
1 large egg
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 cup flour or gluten free flour
Shred the potatoes and add the salt and mix thoroughly, let sit for 10 minutes. Drain off the liquid in the bowl. Squeeze the potatoes removing any extra water from the potatoes. In a bowl combine all the ingredients to the potatoes and mix until everything is incorporated. In a frying pan over medium high heat add 4 tbsp of cooking oil or fat of your choice. Wait till the oil is hot. Form the potato pancakes into little patties and place into the pan to fry for 3 minutes each side. Serve with sour cream and chopped chives.
Gnocchi
1 cup potatoes, boiled and mashed
2 cups flour
1 egg
Boil and mash the potatoes. In a large bowl add the mashed potatoes, flour and egg, mix together until the dough forms a ball. Divide the dough into 1/4’s and form into a little ball. Take each small ball of dough and roll out into long snakes. On a floured surface cut the snakes into half inch pieces.
In a large pot of lightly salted water cook the gnocchi for 3-5 minutes. Drain and serve with sauce of your choice.
Or try this sauce to go with your gnocchi, you can find most of the ingredients in your IGFresh hauls.
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 leaves of sage
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup cooked peas
Salt and Pepper
In a saute pan over medium heat, warm up the olive oil. Once the olive oil is warm add the sage leaves and let them fry for 1 minute. Next add in the chopped garlic and cooked peas. Let everything gently fry for another minute. Add cooked gnocchi to the pan and toss everything together. Add salt and pepper together to taste.
Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
1 lbs of baby potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup shredded Parmesan
Salt and Pepper
Preheat the oven to 400F. On a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil. Evenly sprinkle the 1 cup of cheese in a circle on top of the oil. Season the top of the cheese with salt and pepper.
Cut potatoes in half length wise. Place potatoes on top of the cheese cut side down.
Cook in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Cheese will melt and start to form a crust.
Celery
Waldorff Salad
Caribbean Golden Rice
Celery Storage Tips:
Store celery in a resealable plastic bag with a piece of paper towel in the bag. This will help to wick away the moister and make your celery last in the fridge for up to a week..
Waldorff Salad
1 bundle of celery, roughly chopped, use the celery leaves as well
1 onion, chopped
1 apple, cut into cubes
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
1/4 toasted walnuts
1/4 cup mayo
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice from 1/2 lemon or 1 tbsp vinegar
Salt and Pepper
*optional chicken breast*, chopped
Cut and chop all of the ingredients and place in a bow with the mayo, olive oil, lemon juice, chicken, salt and pepper. Mix everything together and chill in the fridge for 2 hours before eating.
Caribbean Golden Rice
1 cup of celery chopped
2 onions, diced
3 carrots, diced
1-2 Jalapenos, diced
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 zucchini, diced
2 cups Rice of your choice
1 can of light coconut milk
2 cups chicken broth
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
Salt and Pepper
Start by placing a large pot over medium high heat, add in the olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic and jalapeños. Let all the veggies cook together for 4-5 minutes. Once the vegetables are softened slightly, add in the rice, stir the rice into the vegetables and oil to insure that every grain of rice is coated in oil. Next to the pan add cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, cloves and allspice. Let the spices cook for a minute to start to release all of their natural oils.
Add the coconut milk and broth, bring up to a simmer. Once the rice is simmering add the chopped tomatoes and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low and let the rice cook for 20 minutes or until its tender.
Cucumber
Crispy Chick Pea and Cucumber Salad
Cucumber and White Bean Salad
Cucumber Storage Tips:
Storing cucumbers is easy as wrapping them in dry paper towel and placing them in an open plastic bag. Make sure the bag is left open to allow air flow. Cucumbers will store in the fridge like this for a 10 days.
The alternative method is to just store the cucumbers on the counter. They will delicious and crisp like this for 7 days.
Crispy Chick Pea and Cucumber Salad
1 Cucumber
1 shallot, sliced
1 16oz can of chick peas
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup yogurt
1/8 cup tahini
1 tbsp lemon
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp dill
Salt and Pepper
Preheat the oven to 425F. Drain and rinse the can of chick peas. Toss together the chick peas, shallots, olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
Combine the yogurt, tahini, lemon, honey and dill in a food processor and blend.
On a plate spread out the dressing, then top with the crispy chick peas and shallots.
Cut the cucumber into 1/2 inch pieces and garnish on top of the chick peas.
Cucumber White Bean Salad
1 cucumber
1 can of navy beans, strained and rinsed
1 onion, diced
Dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar or white vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp thyme leafs
2 cloves of crushed garlic
Salt and Pepper
Chop the cucumber and onions into bite size pieces and combine in a bowl with the drained and rinsed navy beans. For the dressing combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Pour over the beans and cucumber and mixed thoroughly. For best results, let the salad sit and marinate in the fridge for a couple hours.
Onions
Caramelized Onion and Bacon Jam
Caramelized Onion Pasta
Onion Storage Tips:
Whole onions can be stored in a cool, dry, dark and well ventilated place. This would be a basement, cellar, or garage. Already peeled and cut onions can be stored in the fridge in a air tight container to prevent the onion odour corrupting other foods. They will store in the fridge for 7-10 days.
Green onions can be stored in the fridge in a zip lock bag with a paper towel for up to a week.
Caramelized Onion and Bacon Jam
4 Onions, sliced
6 strips of bacon
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 cup strong coffee
1/2 cup sugar or honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp water
1 tsp cornstarch
Salt and Pepper
In a pan over medium heat cook the bacon until crispy and remove from the pan. Turn the heat down to low and add the sliced onions and garlic to the pan of bacon fat and cook for 8-10 minutes. Remember to stir every couple of minutes to prevent the onions from burning. Once the onions have changed to a caramelized colour increase the temperature to medium and add in the apple cider vinegar, coffee and sugar or honey reduce by half. When the the jam is reduced mix together the water and cornstarch and add to the onions to thicken. Add in the chopped bacon and stir. Place in a container and store in the fridge. This jam is great on burgers and sandwiches.
Caramelized Onion Pasta
4 onions, sliced
1 bulb of garlic
Drizzle of Balsamic reduction
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 block of Boursin cheese
1 box of pasta of your choice
In a casserole dish add the sliced onion, drizzle with the balsamic glaze, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cut the top off of a bulb of garlic place it in the casserole dish with the onions. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. While the onions caramelize, cook your pasta of choice. Before you strain your pasta, reserve 1/4 cup of the starchy cooking water. Strain the pasta and put off to the side. Once the onions are out of the oven, and golden brown. With the back of a fork or using a pair of tongs squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb and mix it into the onions evenly. Add in the Boursin cheese and pasta, mix everything evenly. Until creamy and smooth. Garnish with fresh basil. Enjoy!
Zucchini
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Zucchini Pancakes
Zucchini and Grilled Bread gratin
Zucchini Storage Tips
Store zucchini, in a resealable bag in the fridge, with a piece of paper towel inside the bag to wick away any moisture. Zucchini will stay good this way for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
These little yellow sun looking things.
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
1 1/2 cups flour or gluten free flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola or coconut oil
2/3 cup white sugar or coconut sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup zucchini, grated
1 cup ripe banana, mashed
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the shredded zucchini and place it in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze the excess water out. In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients, mixing together. In another bowl mix together all the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and mix well. Dump in the chocolate chips and fold everything together.
In a greased 9 by 13 baking pan, pour the batter in. Tap the baking pan a couple times to release any air bubbles in the batter. Add more chocolate chips to the top before baking. Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes. Allow bread to cool before cutting into it.
Zucchini Pancakes
2 1/4 cups flour or gluten free flour
1 cup shredded zucchini
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
2 cups milk or dairy free milk
4 tbsp butter or coconut oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar; mix well. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry and mix thoroughly. Next add in the shredded zucchini and mix in well.
In a sauté pan over medium heat add butter or oil to the pan and allow to get hot. Cook the pancakes and serve with butter and syrup. I like to add peanut butter to my pancakes.
Zucchini and Grilled Bread Gratin
1-2 zucchini, Sliced
1 Onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic
3 thick slices of crusty bread or 2 cups premade croutons
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Slice the zucchini into coins. Slice the onion and garlic and set off to the side. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil on the bread and toast or grill. Cut the bread into cubes. In a baking dish toss together the bread, zucchini, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Grate the cheddar cheese over top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy warm.
Carrots
Roasted Carrots and Herb Salad
Carrot Salad with Whipped Feta
Carrot Mustard Slaw
Carrots Storage Tips
When you get your carrots, cut the tops off. The carrot tops will literally suck the life out of the carrot. Place the carrots into a zip lock bag with a dry piece of paper towel. The paper towel will soak up any extra moisture the carrot gives off. The Carrots will stay crisp in the fridge up to 7 days.
Freezing carrots, cut into uniform pieces and blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. This will slightly cook the carrot, but not completely through. With a slotted spoon remove the carrots, or strain with a colander. Dump out the carrots on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Put into the freezer for 2 hours. Remove the tray and put the frozen carrots into a zip lock bag, and store it in the freezer.
Roasted Carrot and Herb Salad
1 lbs carrots, tips cut off
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup cilantro
1/8 cup parsley
1/8 cup dill
Couple mint leaves
Juice from 1 lemon
Roast carrots with the olive oil, salt and pepper for 45 minutes or until tender. Mix the dressing ingredients in a food processor. Pour dressing over the roasted carrots.
Carrot Salad with Whipped Feta
10-12 medium carrots, cut in half length wise
1 tsp olive oil
3 tbsp sour cream
1/4 cup brie
1 tsp honey
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp Chilli flakes
Salt and Pepper
Place the oven wrack at the highest level and pre heat the broiler on your oven to high.
Cut the carrots in half, length wise. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper, spread out evenly on a sheet tray. Put under the broiler and let the carrots cook for 12-15 minutes. You want the carrots to char. While the carrots cook place the brie, sour cream, honey and thyme in a food processor and blend until smooth. Next, make the chilli oil, in a small pot over medium hight heat add in the olive oil and start to warm. Once the olive oil starts to warm and become fragrant add in the chilli flakes and remove from the heat.
Now to assemble, remove the charred carrots from the oven. Take your brie cheese mixture and spread it out evenly on a plate, next place the charred carrots on top and finish with a tbsp of the warm chilli oil. Serve with crusty bread. Enjoy.
Carrot Mustard Slaw
1 Bundle of Carrots, shredded
1 onion, sliced
1 cup of micro greens
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
Salt and Pepper
Remove the tops from the carrots, with a box grater, shred the carrots. Thinly slice the onion. In a bowl mix together the carrot, onion, and micro greens of your choice.
In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon, honey, salt and pepper.
Add the dressing to the vegetables and mix together. Let it marinate together for 1 hour in the fridge.
Garlic
Roasted Garlic Cheese Toast
Garlic Storage Tips:
Store garlic in a cardboard box or paper bag in a cool dark area. The paper bag or box still creates air flow and ventilation allowing the garlic to breath. Avoid storing the garlic in a plastic bag. This will create moisture build up and make the garlic spoil faster.
Roasted Garlic Cheese Toast
1 garlic bulb
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 loaf of French bread or crusty bread of your choice
1/2 cup butter
1 cup of cheddar and mozzarella blend (or any cheese you like)
1/4 chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper
Cut the top off the garlic exposing the cloves inside. Put the garlic in a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over to and salt and pepper the top. Wrap the garlic bulb in the foil and roast in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Once cooled you can squeeze the garlic from the cloves.
Add the roasted cloves to the room temp butter, add in the parsley and salt and pepper and mix well. Add a thick layer of the butter to the c
Beets
Beet Brownies
Beet and Green Onion Salad
Beets Storage Tips
Take the tops off the beets, putting them into a resealable bag and put in the fridge. Beets will last like this for up to 3 weeks. To prolong the life of the beets poke holes in the bag to allow moisture to escape.
Freezing beets, fill a pot with water. Add the beets and bring the pot to a boil. Cook small beets for 25-30 minutes and larger beets 45-50 minutes. The beets are done when they can be poked with a knife or fork. Put the cooked beets in a bowl of ice water, to cool them down quicker. When the beets are cooled down enough to be handled, peel off the skins. This should come off easily. Next slice or dice the beets and spread out on a baking sheet to flash freeze. Once the beets are fully frozen, package them in a resealable bag and place back into the freezer for later use.
Beet Brownies
Beet puree:
1 large Beet, cooked
1/4 milk
In a blender combine the milk and beet into a smooth paste. You will only need a cup of this puree.
Brownie mix:
3/4 cup flour or gluten free flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of the beet puree
2 large eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees farenhiet In a bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt. In a separate bowl mix together the eggs, butter, sugar, beet puree and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then mix in the chocolate chips. Grease a 9 by 9 pan and pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Beet and Green Onion Salad
5-6 medium red beets
1 bundle of green onions
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh rosemary
Steak cooked to your liking
Salt and Pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Wash your beets and place in a casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil and let them roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Just until they are for tender. Once the beets are cooked. Remove them from the oven and let them cool slightly. Peel the beets while they are still warm and set off to the side for the time being. In a bowl mix together the oil, vinegar, mustard, herbs, salt and pepper. Chop the beets and green onion into bit size pieces and put into the bowl with the dressing. Mix everything together until the beets are coated with the dressing. Server with your grilled steak. Enjoy!
