IG Fresh Haul Week 8
Bean there, Celery that.
Whoa, you feel that chill in the air? I don’t want to be a Debby downer, but the seasons seem to be changing.
The temperature change doesn’t seem to be slowing down the garden. If anything everything seems to be coming on at a rapid pace.
There isn’t many things that are better than making a meal and using all the ingredients from the garden. I find it to be one of the simplest and most earth connecting joys in life.
*Banana Zucchini Cupcakes *Storm Thursday Evening The Change…
If you are like me and have worked outside all summer, then this change in the weather feels noticeable. The distinct switch from summer to fall, is probably one of the many reasons why I love living here. The air is changing and you can feel it in the wind. Sweater weather is on the way.
It almost seems like the plants know the change in seasons is coming. Because the garden is popping with so many fresh vegetables. The garden is bountiful with cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, celery, potatoes, carrots just to name a few.
With all of these amazing vegetables we can start making the fresh garden meals that we love. Like a fresh greek salad. Or with this cold, damp weather we have been having, a warm and hearty minestrone soup seems to be in order. However you decide to enjoy your fresh veggies I hope you do it with enthusiasm.
What’s In The Haul
HALF
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Beans
Onions
FULL
Zucchini
Cucumber
Peppers
Beans
Collards
Beets
Celery
Onion
Week 5 Recipes
Zucchini
Zucchini Spice Cake
Mediterranean Zoodles
Thai Zoodles
Zucchini and Shallot Scrapple
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 Spice Cake
4 cups zucchini, grated
3 cups flour or GF flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup white sugar or 1 cup of honey
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9”*13” pan.
Grate the zucchini and add the 1/2 tsp of salt to it, mix well and set off to the side in a colander.
In a large bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl mix together the eggs, honey, vanilla and coconut oil. Combine the dry and wet ingredients together. Lastly add the drained shredded zucchini to the batter and mix well to combine.
Pour into the greased baking dish and bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes. It will be done when you poke it with a tooth pick and it comes out clean.
Mediterranean Zoodles
1 large zucchini
1 cucumber, roughly chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp oregano
Salt and Pepper
Spirralize the zucchini into noodles and set off to the side. In a bowl mix together all the ingredients for the dressing. Mix the dressing and the raw zoodles and dressing together until evenly coated.
Add the chopped vegetables and feta to the top and enjoy.
Thai Zoodles
2 zucchini, spirralized
1/4 of a purple cabbage, shredded
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
1 onion, sliced
3 medium carrots, cut into strips
2 tbsp olive oil
Thai Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup plain peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 clove of garlic, grated
1 tsp hot sauce
Water as needed
In a sauté pan over medium heat add the oil and let it heat up. Add in the cabbage, carrot, onion and pepper; letting it cook until just soft. Add the zoodles to the pan and let it cook for just a minute. Remove from the heat and make the sauce.
In a bowl combine and the sauce ingredients and whisk together. If the sauce is thick add a tsp of water at a time to thin it out.
Add the peanut sauce to the veggies in the pan and mix to coat evenly. Serve with fresh cilantro, peanuts and lime.
Zucchini and Shallots Scrapple
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 tbsp salt
3/4 cup of flour or gluten free flour
1/4 cup corn meal
1 egg
Thinly slice the zucchini and shallots. Mix together in a bowl with the salt and let stand for 1 hour.
Once the hour is up squeeze the liquid from the zucchini and onion. (Save the water)
In the bowl of save zucchini water add the flour, corn meal, egg and baking powder. Mix together to form a batter. Add the zucchini and onion to the batter and mix until everything is combined. Pour out onto a oiled baking sheet and baking in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy.
Cucumber
Crispy Chick Pea and Cucumber Salad
Herb Cucumber and Whipped Feta Salad
Tzatziki
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.
Herb Cucumber and Whipped Feta Salad
1 large or 2 medium cucumbers
1 bundle of green onions
1 cup of feta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
Fresh chopped dill
Fresh chopped parsley
Pistachios, toasted
In a food processor add the feta and sour cream, and blend until nearly smooth. Pour out onto a serving tray.
Cut the cucumber into quarter length wise and then roughly chop into 1 inch sized cubes. Lay the cucumbers and chopped green onion on top of the whipped feta.
Garnish the salad with freshly chopped dill, parsley and toasted pistachios. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, the fresh squeezed lemon, salt and pepper.
Tzatziki
1 cucumber, peeled, de-seeded
1 bundle of green onions, chopped (optional)
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh or dried Dill
1 tsp salt
Using a cheese grater, grate the cucumber and combine the salt. Let the salt and grated cucumber sit for a couple minutes until the cucumber starts releasing its water. Next place the cucumber in a clean dish towel and squeeze the cucumber pulp, releasing the water from the cucumber. In a separate bowl combine the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, dill, green onions. Add cucumber to the yogurt and mix well.
Collard Greens
Bacon and Collard Greens
Collard Greens Storage Tips:
In a resealable bag or container. Place the Collards on one side put a piece of paper towel and seal the bag or container. The container works great cause it prevents the greens from getting bruised in the fridge. This will last in your fridge up to 10 days.
Freezing collard greens, blanch the collards in boiling water. Let it cook for 30 second and strain the water from the greens. Next let the collards cool slightly and then squeeze the water from the greens. Put the collard greens in an air tight bag and freeze. It will stay good in the freezer up to 3 months.
Bacon and Collard Greens
2 strips of bacon, diced and cooked
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, slice (optionally use garlic scapes)
4 leaves of collard greens, roughly chopped
In a sauté pan over medium high heat, add the chopped bacon to the pan and let it cook fully. Once the bacon is cook and released the fat add in the onion and garlic, let it cook for a couple minutes. Next add the roughly chopped greens to a pan and let it cook for a couple minutes.
Beans
Dilly Beans
Grilled Beans and Potato Salad
Beans Storage Tips:
Store string beans in a resealable bag in the fridge. They will stay crisp and fresh like this up to 7 days.
Freezing beans, first remove the stem end of the bean by snapping it. You will notice that there is a thread attached to the woody stem. Pull on the stem and the thread all the way down the length of the bean. Next blanch the beans in boiling water for 1 minute. Strain the beans and shock in cold water. Place the beans evenly, and spaced out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for 2 hours. After the two hours is up pull the frozen beens out and put in a zip lock freezer bag. Put the bag back into the freezer, the beans will last up to 6 months like this.
Dilly Beans
1 bundle of green beans, ends cut off
2 cups water
1 cup white vinegar
6 springs of dill
4 garlic cloves
1 tbsp salt
In a pot dissolve the salt in the water and vinegar, let cool. Cut the ends off of the beans and put in a jar with the dill and garlic. Once the brine is cooled add it to the cucumbers and store in the fridge for4 days before eating.
Grilled Bean and Potato Salad
1 bundle of green beans, ends cut off
5-6 small to medium potatoes
1 onion, sliced
6 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tsp fresh thyme
Salt and Pepper
Preheat the BBQ. Cut the potato into 1/2 inch slices, and cook in a pot of water over medium high heat. Cook the potatoes for 5 minutes. When 5 minutes is up, add in the beans to cook for 2 minutes. Drain the beans and potatoes and put into a bowl. Toss with 2 tbsp of the olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay the potato slices and beans flat on the grill. (you are wanting to see char marks on the potatoes and beans but not too dark). In a bowl combine all the ingredients for the dressing and mix well. Once the potatoes and beans are lightly chard remove from the grill and put into a bowl with the sliced onion. Pour over the dressing and mix well.
Peppers
Unstuffed Peppers
Pepper Storage Tips:
Peppers will last in your fridge crisper drawer for up to 2 weeks.
To freeze peppers, slice or dice the pepper to the desired size. Next evenly space out the peppers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 2 hours. After 2 hours remove the peppers from the freezer and place in zip lock freezer bags and put back into the freezer. Peppers will store like this for up to 6 months.
Unstuffed Peppers
1 lbs ground meat
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 peppers, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Jar of tomato sauce
1/2 can of tomato paste
1 cup water
1/2 cup rice
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
In a pan over medium high heat, cook the ground meat. Once the meat is cooked add in the onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Add in the tomato sauce, paste, water and the rice. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer with a lid on for 30 minutes. Once time is up sprinkle with cheddar cheese and serve.
Celery
Waldorff Salad
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.
Tomatoes
Roasted Tomato Aioli
Caprese Salad
Tomato Storage Tips:
Store your tomatoes, upside down (stem side down) on a tray left out on the counter. Ripened tomatoes will store like this for up to 6 days. If they last that long.
Freezing tomatoes has never been simpler, start by coring the tomato. Next place the tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 5 hours. Once frozen solid, remove the tomato from the freezer and put into freezer bags. Put back into the freezer, the tomatoes will last like this for up to a year.
Roasted Tomato Aioli
1 cup cheery tomatoes
1 bulb of garlic
1/2 cup mayo
1 tsp dijon mustard
Basil
Salt and Pepper
Roast tomatoes and a bulb of garlic in the oven at 350 F for a half hour. To a food processor add in the cooked tomato, roasted garlic, dijon mustard, basil, mayo, salt and pepper. Blend until the aioli becomes smooth. Enjoy as a salad dressing or a spread for sandwiches.
Caprese Salad
3 ripe tomatoes of cherry tomatoes
Fresh Mozzarella or bocconcini
Fresh Basil
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper
In a sauce pan over medium heat, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil and reduce until the vinegar coats the back of a spoon. Let it cool.
Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into 1 inch thick slices and lay out in a layering over lapping fashion. Drizzle the balsamic reduction and olive oil over the tomatoes and mozzarella. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh basil leaves.
Beets
Crusty Grilled Bread with Roasted Beets
Beet Brownies
Roasted Beet Salad
Beet and Rye Bread 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.
Crusty Bread with Cream Cheese and Roasted Beets
1 lbs of cook and peeled beets
1 cup cream cheese
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp fresh thyme
The juice and zest from half of a lemon
loaf of crusty bread
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cut a couple slices of crusty bread and grill it on the BBQ or toast. Cut the beets into chunks or slices. In a bowl add in the cream cheese, thyme, honey, zest and lemon juice; mixing well. Now to assemble. Take the toast and spread on a generous amount of the cheese mixture. Layer on top as much or as little beets you desire and drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy!
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.
Roasted Beet Salad
Beets, cooked with skin removed
1/4 cup toasted walnuts or nuts and seeds of your choice
1 cup micro-greens of your choice
Goat cheese
Dressing
/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
Thyme
Roast the beets in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees. Once cooked, let the beets cool for a minute and then peel. In a sauté pan over high heat toast the nuts until they are brown and toasted. In a bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. Next add in the diced cooked beets, toasted nuts, cheese and micro greens. Add salt and pepper and toss everything together.
Beet and Rye Bread Salad with Feta
1 Bundle of beets
3 thick slices of rye or pumpernickel bread
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup feta cheese
Salt and Pepper
With some tin foil wrap and roast the beets in the oven for 45 minutes. Grill the bread on the BBQ and set off to the side.
Once the beets are cooked let them cool slightly and carefully peel. Chop into rough chunks and put into a bowl. Roughly chop the grilled bread into bight size pieces and add to the bowl with the beets. Add in the chopped onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss everything together and garnish with feta cheese.
Onions
Caramelized Onion and Bacon Jam
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.
Dill or Basil
Honey Dill Sauce
Basil Pesto
Dill Storage Tips
Break up herbs into to categories, tender herbs and Harty herbs.
Tender herbs are as follows basil, cilantro, mint, dill, and tarragon. These herbs spoil quickly and should be used 5 days after getting. The best way to store them is in a mason jar or glass of water with the stock sitting in the water. Much like fresh cut flowers.
Harty herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sweet marjoram and sage are much more forgiving. Tie the bundle of herbs into a boutique and store in the fridge for 7-10 days
Honey Dill Dip
1/2 cup mayo
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp dill
Salt and Pepper
In a bowl combine all of the ingredients. Enjoy
Basil Pesto
1 bag of basil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or nuts of choice
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 clove of garlic
Parmesan Cheese
Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and combine. Use immediately or store in a air tight container in the fridge for later use.
