Berry Apricot Salad

It's fruit season and the market gets crowed so I arrive early.  The only problem is so does the Parking Troll.   It didn't used to be like this with meter trolls fishing for freee parking violators, but the city needs money so why not target the farmers' market shoppers in those one hour spaces? 

I met my friends and we waited in my car, watching the Parking Troll mark tires until she pulled up next to us.  She gave us the stink eye as she marked the tires and then drove on.

I wonder how it feels to go home from a job like that?  Who is that person outside her job.  Is she only working for the "benefits," like many workers these days?  Maybe the city makes more money from handing out parking tickets than it does for metered parking.  And maybe, just maybe Seattle, like Chicago sold the rights to parking meters and writing tickets is another revenue stream for the city.

Whatever the reason, complaints to the city are pointless, this is the new economy.  The market manager said the mayor rides to 4 farmers markets on his bike.  But what about older people who have health issues?  Sure it's greener but not everyone owns or can ride a bike.

So, I was in a rush to buy my weekly produce and get out, but I got some fabulous strawberries and as I walked out, I found luscious apricots at Pipetone Farms.   I knew I'd pair them with fresh berries.

And we have berries in our garden at home, but I needed more because my Cooking Assistant has already helped himself to too many.   

He's up for apricots, too.  Poor boy--he's overwhelmed with the scents of the season. 

I tell him to wait and mostly he's good, but sometimes he can't help himself.

Blueberries aren't available locally yet, but I thought they'd add to this amazing fruit salad.

Berry-Apricot Fruit Salad

(Serves 4)

1 cup strawberries

1 ripe banana

1/4 cup pomegranate or orange juice 

1/2 cup citrus sorbet (tangerine, lemon, orange)

1 tablespoon almond butter

2 cups diced fresh apricots

2 cups mixed berries

2 tablespoons grated coconut, optional

Blend strawberries, banana, pomegranate juice, sorbet and almond butter in a blender.  

Place berries and apricots in serving bowls and pour the sauce over them. Gently blend.  Top with coconut, if desired. 

Black Bean-Quinoa Salad and Grilled Zucchini

Sometimes my food blog posts are dictated by hunger.  This is one of those times.  

Last week, I'd gotten two great books-- Grilling Vegan Style by John Schlimm  from the library; and The Spectrum by Dean Ornish, MD, a gift from a friend.  I'd wanted to get started reading both books, but I was already reading this book, which I'll write more about in a future post.  

Anyway, Saturday morning arrived, and I still hadn't spent much time with either of these books.  With few plans for buying, I tossed my market bags in the car and went to the farmers' market.  I was thinking about grilling, so I got some zucchini, figuring the book had to have a grilled squash recipe. 

River Farm had large sized summer squash,which are a lot less expensive than baby varieties. (You can pay up to $6.00 a pound for those when they first come to the market.)  But because the large ones have been allowed to mature, they taste much better on the grill. 

Zucchini may not be a nutritional powerhouse, it does contain vitamin A, and it's so easy to get in the summer, even if you don't grow it.  It's worth it to cultivate a taste for summer squash.  One or two plants in the garden is practically all you need for the summer, and River Farm has amazing produce deals on seconds and large squash.

Grilling Vegan Style offers 6 recipes, every one sounded delicious.  But I didn't get basil or chervil for the recipe I'd had in mind, and even though I was hot to make these recipes, when I got home from the market, I was hungry.  So, I made a quinoa salad and figured I'd make the grilled zucchini later, maybe even add it to the salad.

    

Here is what I ended up doing with the zucchini:

Easy Grilled Zucchini

(Serves 4) 

2 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise

1/4 cup Italian dressing

Brush each slice of zucchini with dressing.   Grill for about 5 minutes or until the zucchini begins to brown.  Remove from grill and serve.  These make excellent additions to sandwiches and roll-ups.

But while I was still musing about the possibilities for summer squash I quickly came up with a quinoa salad recipe to tame my hunger.  I'd add black beans and  make an easy dressing.

I keep a good supply of Rockridge Orchards cider vinegar, and since we're cutting back on oil these days, I used just a couple tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to the mix.  I figured if we had some leftover, we could brush the zucchini slices with it.

You can also  make your own berry vinegar when berries are in season.  I used a recipe similar to this one, minus the sugar.   I'm not a big fan of adding sugar to everything. 

Corn, black beans and quinoa scream salsa, so I added that to the mix as well.  And since I'm a big fan of color, I got parsley from our garden to add for eye candy.

I love parsley.  It grows like a weed in my garden. 

One can never have too many whole-grain and bean salad recipes.  Here is my newest creation:

Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa Salad

(Serves 4)

1 3/4 cup water

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

Pinch of sea salt

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup berry vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon agave nectar or sugar

2 to 4 tablespoons salsa

1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives

1 cup finely chopped curly parsley

1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan.   Add quinoa, corn and sea salt.  Cover and bring to a second boil.  Reduce heat and simmer on low for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to  rest for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.   Stir in black beans. 

2. Combine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, cayenne, agave nectar, and salsa in a small bowl.  Stir into quinoa and bean mixture.  Stir in olives and parsley.   Serve with grilled tofu and vegetables. 

I topped it with a few spears of pickled asparagus just for show.  My Cooking Assistant seems impressed.   I think both of these recipes together would make an amazing tortilla roll-up.

These whole grain-bean salads make a quick hunger fix any time.   Enjoy each bite.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Ingredients

First peas at the market are sno peas and sugar snap peas.  These are a good deal for the price because you only remove the tough end.  When English or shelling peas come to the market, they cost about twice the price because the pods are tough and recipes for them are so few. 

If the price puts you off, you're a little late, but you still have time to get plant starts and grow your own. 

I got half a pound, but I lost one or two during the photo session when my Cooking Assistant decided to sample the goods.

It's still early for tomatoes at the markets and those I've found are still a bit tart because they come from greenhouses and haven't developed the sweet flavor that comes from hot sunny days.  But I get so excited about tomatoes I got some anyway.

The scent of fresh tomatoes on a hot summer day . . .

Oregon tomatoes ripen before Washington tomatoes.  Oregon prices were a bit more consumer friendly there last year.  I'm not sure why--the ag laws?  More farms?  Here, selling at markets with all the city fees involved can kick up the cost of foods local farmers sell.

Organic and pesticide-free is a good thing, but the best is picking it from your own yard.  If you're new to gardening, Stupice is a good tomato type to cultivate west of the Cascades in the Northwest.  I got a great stupice plant start from River Farm a few weeks ago.

I bring a cooler with me to the market, that way greens can stay cool.  My assistant is always eager to survey the produce bounty.  I think he's looking for carrots. . . 

Or the berries . . .   

He's actually hovering here, but very close.  These peas are about to be blanched.  I looked and looked for a good sugar snap pea salad recipe and when I came up with little inspiration, I made my own.  I think strawberries would also be a great pairing with sugar snap peas . . .   Maybe next week.

Here's the recipe.  I'd serve it with marinated tofu or a rice pilaf or both.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad

(Serves 4)

1/2 pound sugar snap peas

1 large tomato, diced

1/2 large avocado, peeled and diced

1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped

2 tablespoons Italian vinaigrette

Remove tough ends from sugar snap peas.  Compost ends.  

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch peas for 30 seconds.  Remove and plunge into cold water.

Combine vegetables and toss with vinaigrette.

I love the variety of colors in this festive salad.  I think my Cooking Assistant is more interested in the overwhelming food scents. For just one day, I'd like to detect scents like a dog.

He would eat everything on the plate if he could.

Super Green Guacamole

Eat your greens--I don't need to tell my Cooking Assistant twice.  In fact, I can't get him out of the long grass in this abandoned yard.   His favorite yards are the unkept ones filled with knee high greens.

Greens have lots of  fans in the Northwest.  I'm cultivating more dandelions, purslane and amaranth greens in our garden this year--things that grow easily and take little care.   And I'm continually musing about what to do with them in the kitchen.

Recently I read this post by Deborah Madison on Culinate about using the whole vegetable.  She wrote about radish leaves, of all things.  Check out the article and get some ideas--smoothie, salad, soup, saute--who knew?

Funny, on Saturday I'd asked people at the market, while standing in line, what they intended to do with their radish greens.  I got a lot of blank stares which is kind of unusual at the farmers' market.  Usually someone can come up with something. But people just wanted the radishes this time. 

More people need ideas for these greens or they'll get tossed into the compost heap prematurely.

I started concocting my own recipe as I stood in line.  Soup usually works, but I was thinking dip for a change.  It involved avocado, and what isn't good with avocado?   I was thinking guacamole, but I didn't have a lime, so I'd make it work with lemon.  

How much dip you get depends the size of the avocado you use.

Don't stress if you don't have radish greens.  Use what comes with your CSA or harvest something from your garden, if you want.  Looks like some chard or spinach here.

 Whispering Winds Farm, near Mount Vernon.  I love the flags here.

Lemons in Arizona

Lemons take special care in the Northwest (if you want to grow them), and only a few varieties survive.  For fresh lemons from trees, you'd have better luck in Arizona or California.  Get them organic if you want to use the peels. Winter months are best for citrus, but I love the tangy bite all year long.

Avocado adds the perfect texture.  This dip isn't just about healthy--it's about vibrant flavors and a decadent texture.

Even my Assistant agrees--this is a flavor you could get addicted to.

Here's the recipe:

Super Green Guacamole

(Serves 2 to 4)

1 spring onion, diced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups of washed chopped seasonal greens (use radish, turnip, spinach, chard or mustard greens)

1 tablespoon chopped Mama Lil's, or use cayenne or chipole chile powder to taste

1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic scrapes

1avocado, peeled and seeded

Smoked sea salt, to taste

Fresh lemon juice, taste

1. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and oil.  Stir and cook until onions are soft.  Add Mama Lil's and the seasonal greens.  Cook until greens are soft but still vibrant green.  

2. Remove from heat.  Puree with garlic scrapes.  Set aside and allow to cool. Mash avocado, then stir and mash greens, adding smoked sea salt and fresh lemon juice to taste.  

3. Serve with chips or fresh veggies. This puree is also good layered on sandwiches, blended with noodles like pesto, or added as a topping for rice.

Chive and Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

If you plant chives in your garden, the blossoms are a bonus. A lovely shade of pink, they add color and flavor to soups, stir fries and salads, but a little can go a long way.  The problem is so many come at once, I often give them away or don't use them all. 

Last week, I saw this fabulous idea for using chive blossoms on Facebook.  So after looking at a few recipes like this one and this very casual one, I came up with my own version.  You can follow my recipe or just toss some blossoms into vinegar and use your own proportions.

Chive Blossom-Apple Cider Vinegar  

Up to 2 cups of chive blossoms

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

Put the blossoms in vinegar in a glass jar with a lid.   Place jar in a dark place for 2 weeks.  Turn the jar once or twice a day.   When the vinegar is a nice shade of pink, discard the blossoms and store the vinegar.  

My Cooking Assistant isn't impressed with vinegar.

  

Use the best ingredients for this vinaigrette--organic oils, locally sourced garlic, and  a good quality balsamic vinegar.

And for the salad check out the greens at the farmers markets.  We planted micro greens.  I love the idea of eating tender young greens from spring through fall.  These will come up in 15 days.  Some researchers say these tender young greens are also more nutritious.  My idea for our garden was to stick with things that grow really well here.

It's a good thing we all like greens.  We also plant edible flowers.  I found this great list from Swanson's  Nursery.   I'm partial to johnny jump-ups, a kind of viola.  They grow like wildflowers in the Northwest.

We've grown lettuce ever since I was a puppy.  Here's me with our first crop--it was love at first sniff.

I'm not partial to vinegar, I wish it wasn't so tart.

Technically, we have to wait a few weeks to make this vinegar, so last night,  I used plain apple cider vinegar to make this recipe.  I got the original recipe from Jeff Miller at Willie Green's Organic Farm.   The recipe is listed in my book as Willie Green's Sun-dried Tomato-Balsamic Vinaigrette.  This version is slightly different because I used sundried tomatoes from a jar and omitted summer savory.  I'd serve it over a green salad and I'd also try it in a quinoa salad with corn, shredded carrots, chopped parsley and roughly chopped kalamata olives.

Chive and Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette

(Makes 1 1/4 cups)

3 tablespoons chopped sundried tomatoes (soak and soften, if dried)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chive vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons mixed shallot

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 teaspoon agave nectar or honey

Combine all ingredients in a shaker bottle.  Shake well, then let marinate the covered container, at room temperature for 2 hours, shaking every 30 minutes.  Store this vinaigrette covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

Orzo With Arugula and Shiitaki Mushrooms

Greens--you've got to love them if you live in the Northwest.  Most every farmer grows some.  This is Willie Green's in Monroe.

With our cool, rainy climate, greens thrive here.  You could plant some seeds or go pick up some plant starts at a nursery or even a grocery store and start your garden with those.

Or you could get some fabulous tasting greens from the farmers market.

If you get turnip greens, these must be used within a day.  Arugula is one of my favorites and even though we have some growing in my garden, I like to try the different varieties at the farmers market. I never get tired of the peppery flavor.

And if you're using olive oil, always use good quality.  I'm a big fan of these Spanish varieties. 

What was I going to make?  I flipped through a few cookbooks and then I remembered this recipe from The Northwest Vegetarian Cookbook.  The recipe is easy.  Orzo pasta takes about 15 minutes.  I changed it to add the shiitakis.

Orzo with Arugula and Shiitaki Mushrooms

(Serves 4)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 spring onion, diced

1 /2 to 2 cups baby shiitakis or chopped larger shiitakis with the stems removed

Pinch of Cayenne (or chopped Mama Lil's Peppers to taste)

1/2 cup dry Riesling wine

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups orzo pasta

2 cups chopped arugula

1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans

Lemon wedges

1. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat

2. Add oil, onions, cayenne and shiitakis.  Stir and cook until onions and mushrooms are soft.  Add Riesling and stir.  Add water and salt and bring to a boil.  Add orzo pasta. 

3. Reduce heat, stir and cook for 13 minutes or until liquid is absorbed by pasta.  

4. Blend in arugula and cook until wilted (2 or 3 minutes).

5. Garnish with pecans.  Serve with a lemon wedge.

Sometimes the Cooking Assistant feels entitled.