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recipe: easy roasted red pepper dip

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There’s cheesecake in the fridge and a box of Girl Scout cookies in the pantry. I’m trying very hard not to eat either.

The other night I was tired and hungry, and needed a quick healthy alternative. I whipped up this simple little dip and was pleasantly surprised by the creamy sweet taste.

It was a little thin, but thickened up after a few hours in the fridge. The next day I drizzled it over some leftover tofu and couscous. Yum! I finished it off with some pretzels.

I’ll be making sure to stash some jarred peppers in the pantry for the future.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

1 12-14 oz jar of roasted red peppers (packed in water not oil) drained
1/3 cup almonds, skins removed*
1 small garlic clove
pinch of sea salt

*how to remove almond skins here

Combine everything in a food processor. I actually used my NutriBullet.

The “chips” are just raw zucchini thinly sliced on my cheapo mandoline slicer purchased from the grocery store.

What are some of your favorite easy snacks? Share in the comments!

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trying something new: kale + coconut

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I’m not usually a fan of coconut, but there’s a recipe in Super Natural Every Day that I’ve been wanting to try. Recently my daughter decided she liked coconut popcicles, so I figured since I had a big bag of kale in the fridge, now would be a good time.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I didn’t change much with the recipe, just used a bit less oil, and served it over farro. It was awesome.

I can’t recommend the flat variation enough for baked kale. I used curly for this, and my daughter was finicky because it doesn’t crisp evenly. She still ate most of it, though.

You can find the recipe on amazon if you “look inside” the book. Page 80. Yum.

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my fridge is filled with these

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My husband keeps teasing me about all of the jars in our fridge. I’ll admit, I have quite a collection, but I’m not a fan of plain water. Here are some fun drinks I’ve been playing around with since it got warm outside.

cold-brewed tea: You’ll find at least one jar of tea concentrate in my fridge at all times. Lately it’s been green and I’ve been adding it to my morning smoothies. I also make regular, decaf and passion teas. Just add four bags to a jar and let it steep for 12-24 hours. I dilute it with water in my glass, but the green goes in my smoothies at full strength. GOOD MORNING!

iced coffee: Cold brewed toddy or just leftovers from a morning latte. I’ve been trying to create my own frappuccino at home for an afternoon pick-me-up. I’ve come close, but it’s still missing something. (Probably sugar!)

fruit infused water: This is something new for me. So far I’ve tried cucumber and strawberry (not together) and my daughter and I love them. They are a great alternative to flavored waters, which can have just as much sugar as soda. I fill these up at night and use the fruit in my morning smoothies. We drink the water during the day.

homemade lemonade: My husband makes this from scratch with lemon juice and sugar. My daughter is usually the only one who drinks it, so he just makes a jar’s worth instead of a whole pitcher. It usually winds up getting frozen in popsicle molds.

So, that’s not too many jars, is it? How do you stay hydrated during the summer months? Do you have a stash of jars or are you more of a pitcher person?

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recipe: a mellow hummus made with almonds and perfect for experimentation

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I don’t have anything against tahini. I love it. It’s just that I never seem to have any around when I need it. Then, if I buy a jar, it seems to sit in the refrigerator unused forever. So the other day when I had a craving for hummus, I decided to improvise. I may have discovered something awesome: a basic hummus recipe with a window full of opportunites.

Almond Hummus

1 can of chickpeas, drained reserving some of the liquid
1/4 cup almonds
1 small clove of garlic
1 T olive oil
splash of lemon juice
salt
hungarian paprika, optional

The first thing you’ll want to do is remove the almond skins. You could skip this step, but the color and texture might be weird. Drop the almonds in some boiling water (I just microwaved some water in a mug) for about a minute. Drain and cool to the touch. Pinch the almond and the skins should pop right off.

Drop the garlic clove in a food processor and chop it into bitty pieces before adding the other ingredients. The flavor will blend better. Then add the chickpeas, almonds, olive oil, a splash or two of lemon juice and a couple pinches of salt. Process and slowly add some of the reserved chickpea water until you get a nice consistency.

I like to sprinkle a little bit of paprika on top, but the sky’s the limit. This hummus has a nice, mellow taste that can blend well with so many different flavors. I already have a few ideas: lime juice with cilantro and jalepeño, mixing in fresh mint or basil leaves, trying cashews or walnuts.

Tahini definitely gives hummus a distinctive taste and I do love it so. However, I’m looking forward to experimenting with variations of this recipe. Let me know if you try it and discover a special combination of your own.

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ok, csa. we’re ready for you.

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Bring on the spinach, curly kale* and leaf lettuce mix!

After much debate on whether or not to get a juicer, I decided to opt for the NutriBullet. I know it’s technically not a juicer, but it does an amazing job and there’s no leftover pulp. So far, I’m in love.

Now I’m even more excited for the CSA season to begin. Hopefully, the freak snow this week did’t hurt the veggies.

*the flat leaf kale will most likely be baked into chips for my daughter. I’m ok with that.

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something new: ethiopian food

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I have only eaten Ethiopian food once before, a long time ago, and don’t remember much about the experience. My husband and I are always looking to try new restaurants and types of cuisine, so when he suggested buying a groupon for a local African restaurant, I said, “Sure!”

Then I found out there was only one non-meat entrée on the menu, and I put him off every time he wanted to go. (To be fair, there are only like six or so entrées on the menu.) However, the groupon was eventually going to expire, so I finally agreed.

The experience was kind of bizarre. We looked over the menu, asked the waiter to explain the different dishes, and after careful consideration, placed our order. Then, when our food arrived, the waiter apologized for no appetizer — they were out of the non-meat version — and sorry, but they were out of some of the entrée food, too.

Normally this would bother us, but since we had no idea what we had ordered, we figured whatever, we’ll just eat it. And it was good! I had a cabbage dish with beets and potatoes. My husband had lamb and beef. Both were served on injera bread.

When we went to pay our bill, the waiter waved us off and said, “No worries. Your groupon covered it.”

I don’t normally write about local restaurants, but the experience was definitely worth noting. I’m sure my husband will go back. As for myself, I’ll probably only return if I’m in the mood for cabbage and beets.

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green sunday

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I know I slacked off on my Summer CSA posts. I should probably do a wrap-up of the second half, but after spending the day preserving greens, I need to talk about the Winter CSA.

It’s every two weeks. We’ve only had one pickup so far and boy did we get a lot of greens. Granted, the only “official” ones were in a bag of mixed greens, but we also got carrots, beets and radishes. All of those came with big bunches of leaves on top!

It’s not really pesto season anymore so I did a lot of blanching and freezing today. My fingernails might even be a little green. I ready for soup season to begin!

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community crops farm walk

I was invited to share my first CSA experience with Community CROPS on their blog. While I was writing, I realized I had some pictures from the Farm Walk that would be fun to share. It was a lovely evening and my daughter had a blast. If you’re local, I recommend going next year. It will be at their new farm.

Anyone want to guess what vegetable comes from the plants in picture number three?

crops farm walk pepper

crops farm walk chicken

crops farm walk asparagus tops

crops farm walk ginger

crops farm walk sunflower

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homemade pickles

My daughter loves pickles.

I can remember the first time she tried them as clear as if it was yesterday. We were eating take out on the deck—sandwiches and french fries. My daughter asked for a french fry. I asked her if she wanted to try a pickle instead. I thought she would be surprised by the tart vinegary contrast to what she was expecting. Instead, she surprised me by devouring it and my husband’s, as well.

She’s been a pickle girl ever since. Whenever we are out, it’s kind of an unsaid thing that everyone immediately puts their pickle on her plate. Sometimes she’ll ask the server if she can have a side of pickles as an appetizer. Surprisingly, this hasn’t caught anyone off guard.

pickles

A few weeks ago our CSA offered us a choice of two large or five pickling cucumbers. My daughter was stunned. “We can make pickles?!” I remembered a refrigerator pickle recipe in one of the CSA newsletters so I said, “Sure!”

Making pickles is super easy. One of our cucumbers didn’t make it out of the crisper alive, but I managed to fit the other four into a single jar. I chose this recipe from Kate Payne’s website. The hardest part has been the waiting. Just a few more days and we’ll be able to crack open the jar. I’ll let you know what our pickle girl thinks.

After spending a little time on Payne’s website, I checked her book out of the library and I’m really enjoying it. I’ll post a review when I’m finished.

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csa bags 7, 8, 9: leafy green pesto recipe

csa pesto

week 7: potatoes, carrots, summer squash, cucumbers, kale, lemon basil
week 8: potatoes, beets, cucumbers, summer squash, parsley
week 9: potatoes, carrots, cucumber, summer squash, kale, tomato, eggplant

One of the things I wasn’t expecting when joining a CSA was the enormous amount of greens I’d be receiving each week. In addition to chard, kale, spinach, bok choy, cabbage and lettuce, there are the greens that come with beets and turnips. I didn’t know you could eat them. They’re usually removed by the time they reach the grocery store.

Luckily, my daughter loves pesto. As long as it’s green with garlic, lemon juice and nuts, she’s happy. I’ve made it with broccoli, asparagus and all kinds of leafy greens. She never fails to eat it up, especially if it’s tossed with cheese tortellini (her favorite!).

When I found my crisper filled with greens that needed to be used up soon, I threw this together and it turned out so good. Try mixing it up with different ingredients. Enjoy!

Leafy Green Pesto

1 bunch kale, blanched
1 bunch beet greens,* blanched
1 cup almonds, blanched
1/2 cup fresh italian parsley
grated peel and juice from one lemon
1-2 cloves of garlic
sea salt to taste
olive oil optional

Whiz ingredients together in a food processor until mixed thoroughly. Add small amounts of water or olive oil if necessary.

Toss it with white beans, chick peas or pasta. Use it as a dip. Try not to eat it by the spoonful. Don’t forget to top it off with a little grated parmesan cheese. Yum!

*I used the greens from candy-striped beets (Chioggia beets). Red beet greens are too messy for me and go straight into smoothies.

Tips

  • I blanch all green veggies, especially broccoli and asparagus, when making pesto. The only exceptions are herbs and spinach. Give them a whirl in the salad spinner to drain excess water.
  • Don’t spend extra for blanched almonds. Buy raw with the skins on and drop them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Pinch between your fingers and the skins pop right off!
  • Bread and bagel bags are the perfect size for storing long, leafy greens.