Chopped Salad and Zucchini Bread

It’s been too long since I’ve posted – the summer is just flying by. Below are two recipes: one is with year round stand bys dressed up as a light and bright cold salad and the other is a tasty exotic zucchini bread full of flavor.
















Chopped Ruby Red Salad with Tarragon and Roasted Garlic Dressing
Recipe by Julie

Beets, carrots and kale are packed full of vitamins when eaten raw which is best done in the summer time. This salad can be made lightly steamed and then chopped in the winter. Also, these veggies together can be dressed up in a million different ways. Another version was created with the help of my friend Rylyn (age 5); we like to call it Sunset Salad. Toss the beets and carrots with rosemary salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil.

1 bunch carrots (~ ¾ lb)
1 bunch beets (~ 1 lb)
1 bunch dino kale
¾ tsp sea salt, divided
2 large garlic cloves
3 tsp tarragon, chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp red wine vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover the unpeeled garlic cloves in olive oil, place on a baking sheet in the oven about 10 minutes. The cloves are ready when they are fragrant, golden, and soft to the touch.

2. Peel and grate the carrots and beets using a box grater or a food processor.

3. Remove the midribs from the kale leaves. You can either cut them out with a knife or place your thumb and forefinger on either side of the midrib on the cut side, hold the cut tip with your other hand and strip the leaf away from the midrib by running your fingers down its length. Stack the leaves together, roll them into a cigar and cut thin strips across the short length.

4. Place the cut kale into a bowl with ¼ tsp salt and begin massaging the kale, grab handfuls and release. Doing this with the salt helps break down the kale and will make it more palatable raw and easier to digest. Continue until the kale looks wet and wilted (see picture).

5. Combine the carrots and beets with the kale.

6. Peel the roasted garlic cloves and place them in a blender.with the tarragon, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, remaining sea salt, and some pepper.

7. Pour the dressing over the vegetable mixture and toss. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve at room temperature or cold. This salad keeps well.


My Special Zucchini Bread
Recipe by 101cookbooks.com

Play around with the optional treats. I skipped the walnuts and ginger and added the poppy seeds, lemon zest, and curry powder. The curry flavor is subtle and brings a nice richness to the bread.














1/2 cups chopped walnuts, plus a few to sprinkle on top
1/3 cup poppy seeds (optional)
zest of two lemons (optional)
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped (optional)

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fine grain natural cane sugar or brown sugar, lightly packed
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini (about 3 medium), skins on, squeeze some of the
moisture out and then fluff it up again before using

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon curry powder (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter two loaf pans, dust them with a bit of flour and set aside. Alternately, you can line the pans with a sheet of parchment. If you leave a couple inches hanging over the pan, it makes for easy removal after baking. Just grab the parchment "handles" and lift the zucchini bread right out.

In a small bowl combine the walnuts, poppy seeds, lemon zest, and ginger. Set aside. In a mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat again until mixture comes together and is no longer crumbly. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Stir in the vanilla and then the zucchini (low speed if you are using a mixer).

In a separate bowl, combine the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and curry powder. Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, stirring between each addition.

By hand, fold in the walnut, poppy seed, lemon zest, and crystalized ginger mixture. Save a bit of this to sprinkle on the tops of the zucchini loaves before baking for a bit of texture. Avoid over mixing the batter, it should be thick and moist, not unlike a butter cream frosting.

Divide the batter equally between the two loaf pans. Make sure it is level in the pans, by running a spatula over the top of each loaf. Bake for about 40-45 minutes on a middle oven rack. I like to under bake my zucchini bread ever so slightly to ensure it stays moist. Keep in mind it will continue to cook even after it is removed from the oven as it is cooling. Remove from the oven and cool the zucchini bread in pan for about ten minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling - if you leave them in their pans, they will get sweaty and moist (not in a good way) as they cool.

Makes 2 loaves.

Late June Russian Borscht

Everything in the borscht takes on the deep fuchsia of the beets.

This soup can amazingly use mostly farm ingredients when made at the right time of year! Cabbage, carrots, beets, and new potatoes are easy to come by late June. We used some frozen tomatoes from last year's crop, and if you stocked up and stored your onions carefully, you might just have one still lying around come June. (That might also be the case for potatoes if you stored them carefully, rather than using the more tender and precious new potatoes.)

This year's farmer's market offerings on June 20th included carrots and beets.

adapted from The Moosewood Cookbook

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced potato
1 cup thinly sliced beets
4 cups chicken stock or water
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 scant teaspoon caraway seeds
1 1/2 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
1 medium sized carrot, sliced
3 to 4 cups shredded cabbage
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Bill's honey
1 cup crushed tomatoes
fresh dill and sour cream for garnish

Directions:
Place potatoes, beets, and stock in a medium-sized pot. Cover and cook over medium heat till tender (20 to 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven. Add onion, caraway seeds, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent (8 to 10 minutes).

Add carrots, cabbage, and 2 cups of the cooking liquid from the potatoes and beets. Cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender (another 8 to 10 minutes).

Add remaining ingredients, including all the potato and beet liquid, cover, and simmer for at least 15 minutes. Taste to correct seasonings, and serve hot, topped with sour cream and a pinch of fresh dill.

Peeling the beets.

Sliced beets and potatoes are cooked till tender in chicken stock.

The carrots, cabbage and onions are combined with 2 cups of liquid from the beets and potatoes.

Bowls of soup garnished with sour cream and dill and served with slices of Cafe Demeter walnut bread.

Odessa Beets

Odessa Beets. I was unable to find information on the origin of this recipe's name, but I do love the name very much.

adapted from The Moosewood Cookbook

1/2 lb beets (weighed with leaves removed)
2 tbs lemon juice
9 prunes
2 medium cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap all the beets up in a big sheet of foil and bake until tender, about 45 minutes.

While the beets are roasting, chop and toast the walnuts, mince the garlic, and very thinly slice the pitted prunes.

When the beet are done, let cool a bit and trim the ends. Then under running cold water, rub off the skins. Coarsely grate the beets into a medium mixing bowl.

Add all other ingredients into the bowl with the beets, mix to combine, and chill until serving time.


Serving suggestions:

• Sprinkled with blue cheese.
• In a sandwich with roast beef and mustard on rye.

Mise en place of julienned prunes, minced garlic, toasted chopped walnuts, lemon juice, and grated beets.

Lentil Beet Salad

Adapted from: Emily's Purloined Beet and Lentil Salad

3 cups green lentils, picked over and rinsed
5 cups chicken stock (best from Synergy chickens!)

6 medium beets, washed thoroughly, but not peeled!
8 Napoli carrots, chopped into 1/2'' cubes
1 medium onion, julienned
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
20 basil leaves, torn

For mustard vinaigrette:
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
8 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp reserved roasting juice
salt and pepper to taste

Wash lentils well in cold water, removing stones and skins and discarding. Bring stock to a boil -- don't add salt of your lentils can become tough. Add in your lentils, boil for 2-3 minutes and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for approximately 45 minutes -- be sure to check after 30 minutes since you don't want these to become overdone and mushy!

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place beets (sans greens, with skins), carrots, onion slices, and garlic into a baking dish. Top with olive oil, cumin, and salt and pepper and mix well to coat. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake for about an hour without uncovering.

To make the mustard vinaigrette, put ingredients together in a jar and shake until emulsified, or whisk in a bowl.

Remove from oven and let cool. Pour off juice, reserving at least 3 tbsp of the bright red roasting juice. Peel and chop beets into 1/2'' cubes. Mix beets, carrots, lentils and onions together, then add vinaigrette, to taste.

Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve at room temperature, or chill and serve cold for a refreshing side dish.

Basil starts keeping warm in the Synergy flathouse

Newly harvested Napoli carrots at the washing station