7 Spring Recipes for Eating Seasonally

It's finally that time of year when fresh, local vegetables are mature and waiting to be devoured- and some of the best ones at that. I have a love affair with root vegetables like beets and carrots, and we all know how much our bodies thank us when we fill up on leafy greens like kale, spinach, and swiss chard. My CSA bag has been imploding with more vegetables than I know what to do with, so I have been in the process of compiling a list of recipes that'll put them to use. I have found that the hardest obstacle to overcome when it comes to eating healthy is planning ahead, so coming up with weekly meal plans and recipes makes it much easier to stay healthy. I suggest allocating one or two days each week to prepping food. Roast your vegetables while a casserole or these mini frittatas bake; dice ingredients to go in a salad as a pot of soup or stew simmers on the stovetop. It definitely takes a little bit of practice, but once you find your groove food prep will seem so much easier!

Here is a list of what is fresh and in season for the Spring.

• Asparagus
• Spinach
• Kale
• Carrots
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Lettuce (various varieties)
• Onions
• Rutabaga
• Peas
• Strawberries
• Turnips
• Parsnips
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbage

And here are some delicious seasonal recipes that'll be sure to get you excited about your next trip to the farmers market.

1. Chilled Carrot Ginger Soup via Free People Blog
2. Kale Chips via Smitten Kitchen
3. Asparagus Soup via Cook Eat Paleo
4. Beet & Brown Rice Salad via Whole Living
5. Green Smoothie via Simple Green Smoothies
6. Strawberry, Arugula & Asparagus Salad via The Back Burner
7. Warm Spring Salad via Oh She Glows

One of the best ways to sneak in your daily leafy greens is to throw them into a smoothie. I like to start with 1 cup almond milk then add in 1 cup frozen fruit, 1 scoop protein mix, and a handful of greens. The website SimpleGreenSmoothies.com has a plethora of smoothie recipes and also discusses the benefits of adding juices and green smoothies to your daily routine.

CSA Series: Mini Frittatas

I'm always on the lookout for meals that are easy to prepare, convenient when on-the-go, and nutritious, and these little 'tatas tick off all the above criteria. I wanted to use up the greens I received in my CSA bag last week and this was the perfect way to make use of them. You can really add in whatever mix-ins you'd like, but I think a mixture of greens and crumbled cheese is the best combination. 

Ingredients

7 eggs

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

2 cups fresh greens or vegetables (I used kale and swiss chard)

1/4 cup crumbled cheese

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a saute pan then add your greens and cook until wilted. Meanwhile whisk together your eggs, then add in non-dairy milk and yogurt. Add your cheese of choice, then mix in your vegetables or greens. Spray a muffin tin pan, then scoop the mixture into the individual holes. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the centers are firm. This should make about 10 mini-frittatas.

Again, a great way to use up an abundance of fresh produce. These can be easily stored and even frozen, then popped into the microwave when ready to eat!

CSA Series: Spring Root Vegetable Soup

This past week I received my first share of produce from the local CSA that I joined. CSA's are a great way to support your local farmers and economy while ensuring you get the most out of your fruits and veggies. Local produce is much nutrient-rich than the produce you buy at the grocery store which has traveled for days to reach you.

Here's what was in my first week's bag:
-cabbage
-kale
-swiss chard
-asparagus
-turnips
-carrots
-rutabaga
-spinach
-onions
-strawberries

To make use of my root vegetables I whipped up a large pot of root vegetable soup. The best thing about this soup is that you can throw in whatever happens to be growing at any given time. This week meant turnips, carrots, and rutabaga, and I threw in some fresh rosemary and thyme leaves from my patio to make it extra savory.

Spring Root Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

3 lb root vegetables, chopped and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 onion, green & white parts, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme
2 Tbsp butter
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
4 cups water salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat butter in a large stock pot. Add onion and celery and saute until tender. Add in garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for 1-2 minutes more. 

2. Add in root vegetables, stock, and water. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30-40 more minutes. When all vegetables are soft, remove from heat and use an immersion blender to puree the mixture. You may work in batches with a traditional blender to puree the soup.

3. Add any additional seasonings you prefer, and enjoy!

Healthy Chicken Salad

What I love most about experimenting in the kitchen is creating new recipes from not-so-healthy classics and discovering that they end up not just healthier, but even better tasting. This recipe is a healthy spin on the classic Waldorf salad which can be enjoyed entirely guilt-free. In place of mayo I used all natural almond butter for my healthy fats, with a touch of honey for some added sweetness. This recipe is super easy to make and can be enjoyed all week long for a quick, easy meal. For a low cal, high-protein lunch that will keep you satiated throughout the afternoon, wrap 1 cup of this chicken salad up in a romaine lettuce leaf.

Also, feel free to make tweaks of your own to suit your preferences. Because I used almond butter in place of mayo, I decided to leave out the chopped nuts that are typically in a Waldorf salad. But hey, if you're feeling nutty you go right ahead and throw some pecans in there! (or almonds, or whatever else is hanging out in your pantry). You could also use apples in place of pears- whatever is in season is your best bet.

Keurig Takes Over the World... and All the Landfills

There is one recent American consumer-based fad in particular that sufficiently demonstrates just how lazy we have all become. Let me introduce you to the Keurig, although I highly doubt you need introduction. Have our personal and professional lives really become that urgent that taking an extra five minutes to brew a pot of regular, old-fashioned coffee is out of the question? To me, coffee is more than just a means of kicking my body in gear for the day. It's a ritual. I cherish taking those first thirty-or-so minutes of my day to sip on a mug of freshly brewed coffee and savor a hearty breakfast. It's the one part of the day that I happily allow to transpire in slow motion. Do we honestly need our lives to happen at fast-forward like speeds for every waking second?

North American consumers go through roughly 2.5 million Keurig singles daily... daily! And almost 2 billion cups have been brewed since the company first started doing business in 1998. You can listen to them boast and brag about these statistics right here in their corporate profile. Also adding to the carbon footprint left by Keurig are the production and shipping processes that are required to deliver the machines and single coffee cups to households around the nation. 

In comparison, old-fashioned ground coffee can be composted, along with those paper coffee filters. Coffee beans make an excellent addition to compost for acid-loving plants like hydrangeas, blueberries, and azaleas. By reverting back to old fashion brewed coffee, you're not only saving on grocery bills but preventing thousands of those plastic-squandering Keurig cups from making homes out of landfills.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

I love a good homemade veggie patty. It allows me to use my creativity in the kitchen, and I also love being able to throw in whatever I happen to have on hand. Which in this week's case happens to be spicy peppers. I've got jalapeños and chili peppers dropping by the dozen in the garden, and I decided they would make a great addition to a black bean burger. These patties are hearty, healthy, and have a nice kick to 'em.

Ingredients:

-1 cup dried black beans
-1 cup chopped onions
-1 cup chopped peppers
-1 cup bread crumbs
-1 egg
-3 cloves garlic
-1 Tbsp ground cumin
-1 Tbsp chili powder
-olive oil, for frying

Directions:

1. Cook the black beans according to the package. They will make about 3 cups cooked black beans.

2. Mash the cooked black beans and mix together in a bowl with the chopped onions and peppers. Add the spices. Whisk the egg, then add to the dry mixture.

3. Form 6 individual flat, round patties.

4. Heat a lightly oiled pan or skillet over med-high heat. Cook each patty for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until slightly browned.

Enjoy in a pita pocket with spinach and guacamole, atop a bed of lettuce, or whichever other way floats your boat. You can also add a crumbly cheese like feta or goat cheese to the recipe to give it a little extra oomph. Leftovers can also be frozen for later enjoyment, so don't be afraid to make a big batch of them.

Banana Nut Bread

I'm really not much of a baker- cooking is my more thing. A good 70% of my baking attempt are total flops. However, I needed to do something with our overripe bananas that were quickly en route to the garbage can, so yesterday I whipped up a loaf of banana nut bread. This bread (which is really more like cake) is by far the biggest success I've experienced in the world of baked goods. It's perfectly moist and just the right amount of sweet. I used this recipe, but doubled the amount of chopped walnuts (what can I say?... I like it nutty!) and substituted pure stevia for splenda. 

 

The best thing about this recipe is that it's not even all that bad for you! The use of plain yogurt and mashed bananas are what make it so moist, and when you use calorie-free stevia extract, it's less than 200 calories per serving. The ultimate non-guilty pleasure.

 

I enjoyed a warm piece of bread, fresh out of the oven, topped with some creamed cinnamon honey that we picked up from a local winery on the way back from Walkins Glen on Thursday. My taste buds probably think they died and went to heaven.

  

Shrimp & Pesto Pizza

After coming back from four months of studying in Italy, I was forced to wean myself off of a diet that revolved around pizza, pasta, and gelato. This wasn't too difficult a task because, quite honestly, the pizza over here just does not compare. My all-too-tight jeans were also begging for a break from the carb overhaul, and my broke ass couldn't exactly afford to buy new pants. Now, I love pizza with just about every ounce of my soul and being, but I have come to the acceptance that it is something to be savored and enjoyed in moderation.

Every now and then I like to take a crack at baking a homemade pizza but the crust always seems to be too soggy/ thick/ chewy, etc. I've tried countless different dough recipes, all to no avail. Little did I know, it wasn't (totally) all my fault, it's really just a matter of how the dough is cooked.

Today while my mother and I were out shopping we picked up a pizza stone, which is said to cook a crust that is comparable to those baked in a wood fired oven. And let me tell you, it really makes a huge difference! I finally got the perfect thin, crunchy pizza crust that I've been striving for. So tonight I whipped up a whole-wheat pizza with pesto, cherry tomatoes (fresh from the back deck), roasted shrimp, and creamy goat cheese. For the pizza dough, I used a recipe from Moosewood Classics cookbook, which made enough for two 12-15 inch pizza crusts.

Pizza Dough


Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/3 cups warm water (100-120 degrees)
• 3 cups unbleached white bread flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 to 2 cups unbleached white bread flour for kneading

Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water and leave for 10-12 minutes until it starts to foam.

Stir the water mixture in with the flours, salt and pepper, and 2 tsp of the olive oil. If the dough is sticky, add more flour. Knead the dough for about ten minutes. Next, place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and set aside in a warm place to allow the dough to rise. It should take about 40-60 minutes for the dough to double in size. This will yield enough for two 12-15 inch pizza crusts. You can freeze leftover dough for later use.

You're now ready to make some pizza!

Shrimp & Pesto Pizza


Ingredients

• 1 serving of above pizza dough recipe
• 1/2 cup prepared pesto
• 6 oz. goat cheese
• 1 1/2 cups peeled, deveined shrimp
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

1. Place your pizza stone in the oven then turn the oven on to 450 degrees and allow the stone to preheat for 15-20 minutes. This prevents the stone from cracking- you don't want to put it through any drastic changes in temperature.

2. Meanwhile, roll out the pizza dough until you've reached your desired shape and thickness. For tonight's dinner, I made two long, skinny pizza crusts (morel like a flatbread pizza). Once the stone has heated, place your dough on top and bake in the oven for about ten minutes.

3. Mix the shrimp and cherry tomatoes in olive oil with a dash of paprika and some garlic powder, then roast in the oven for twenty minutes (you can do this at the same time that you have the dough in the oven).

3. Take the pizza crust out and top with pesto, goat cheese, and the roasted shrimp and tomatoes. Put back in the oven and allow the cheese to melt, for about 5-7 minutes.

 

{my cherry tomato plants that have found a home on our back deck}

Peace, love, and pizza. Now go invest in a pizza stone, my friends.

snapshots from D.C.

Last week I visited D.C. for the first time. One of my good friends Molly got an internship with the mega-successful PR company Ogilvy, so I decided to grace her with my presence for her birthday. I arrived on a Thursday morning at the butt-crack of dawn (my flight took off at 5:40 a.m.), so I was able to spend a full two days exploring the city and checking out the major monuments and museums while she was at work. 

Molly lives in the Dupont Circle area and is footsteps away from awesome parks, restaurants, and shopping. What I really really loved about the city was its dedication to environmental sustainability. Many of the restaurants served their food with compostable plates and silverware, with compost and recycle bins just as plentiful as garbage bins.

As always, we had a great time sharing our love of food and getting a taste of the D.C. nightlife. 

On Sunday (Molly's actual birthday) we had the most incredible brunch of our lives at 21 M Lounge. The amount of food served to us was absolutely absurd. It included an appetizer, entree, dessert, and bottomless mimosas. They also started us off with a basket of baked goods (muffins, bread, pastries). I ordered a vegetarian quiche to start, lox benedict for an entree (like eggs benedict, but with smoked salmon), and chocolate mousse for dessert. The food was phenomenal, and our tummies were content for the rest of the day.

Before heading to the airport I joined Molly's two roommates for a free yoga class in the park directly across the street from their apartment. How cool is that? And apparently they do this every Sunday evening in the summers. I need to find a city like this to live in! It was a totally refreshing way to end my long weekend away. D.C. has my approval and I'm crossing my fingers that Molly will stick around there so I will have more excuses to go back ;)

summer snapshots

To me, summer is all about exploring the outdoors, eating great, fresh, seasonal food, and taking time to rejuvenate and recharge. I had a fun, relaxing weekend with my friends and family. My mom and I went to a paint-your-own-pottery place on Sunday and spent a couple hours letting our creative juices flow. My mom's creative juices are, truthfully, more at the pace of molasses than... let's say... apple juice, but hey we had a great time and I can't wait to see how they turn out.

Today my dad, brother, and I drove up to a place called Chimney Bluffs on Lake Ontario for a lakeside hike. We had lunch at a waterfront restaurant and then made a pit-stop at a u-pick farm on the way home. As i always say, food tastes much better when you had to work for it. Which is why I love coming up with dishes that use local, fresh ingredients- and if you're the one that did the picking then that's even better!

On last weekend's menu:

Eggplant rollatini

Quinoa-stuffed poblano peppers

Peach frozen yogurt using my new Cuisinart ice cream maker :)

Happy 4th to all my fellow Americans out there!

chai rice pudding

I am a total tea girl. Green tea, white tea, black tea, chai tea. In addition to drinking the stuff, I am drawn to pretty much any food that is flavored like some type of tea. Chai tea is usually something that gets me through the cold, winter months. I love drinking a huge mug of it with a splash of soy milk before crawling into bed at night, or while snuggled up on the couch watching movies.

Well I finally figured out a way to incorporated the spicy zest of chai into my summer cuisine. This rice pudding is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy, and a delicious way to cool off on a hot summer night. This recipe makes a big batch that can be stored in the fridge so you have a sweet little something at-hand for the next few days.

Ingredients:
2 chai tea bags (I used Tazo Tea brand)
3 cups non-dairy milk (I used a mix of almond milk and soy milk)
1 cup water
1 cup jasmine rice, dried
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Steps:

1. Bring 3 cups of non-dairy milk and 1 cup of water to a boil. Steep the chai tea bags for 4-5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook the jasmine rice according to the directions on the box.

3. After rice is cooked, add the chai tea, coconut milk, and honey, and bring to a boil. Add the spices, then simmer on medium-low heat until the rice thickens to your liking (this should take about 30-40 minutes).

TEA-licious. And easy as pie. Hope you enjoy!

CCG Potluck Lunch

In celebration of the end of Carolina Community Garden's first (and uber-successful) season, we held a potluck lunch and encouraged our fellow gardeners to bring in dishes that utilized produce from their gardens. All twenty of the plots produced to no end all season long, so we obviously needed to help them eat all their food.

roasted beets// tabbouleh salad// swiss chard frittata// carrots// broccoli salad// pesto filled crescent rolls

After the gardeners harvested the rest of their plots, we sat down to lunch and enjoyed the fruits of everyone's labor (or vegetables). I'm a bit distraught that I will be leaving after just the first season of the CCG, but I have big plans to build one of my own back home in upstate New York. 

Great season, CCG gardeners!

{hippy eats} baked oatmeal

recipe courtesy of Heidi Swanson

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup natural cane sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 bananas, cut into 1/2” slices
• 1 1/2 cups berries
• Maple syrup for drizzling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

2. Combine the oats, half the nuts, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl whisk the milk, egg, half the butter, and vanilla. Combine wet and dry mixtures together.

3. Arrange bananas in a single layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Add 1 cup of the berries, then top with the oat mixture.

4. Add remaining berries and nuts on top, then bake for 40 minutes.

5. Let cool slightly, then drizzle remaining butter and maple syrup on top.

I did a couple things differently, and it stilled turned out amazing.

• I used vanilla soy milk instead of milk.
• I left out half the butter and the maple syrup for drizzling.
• I used stevia zero-calorie sweetener instead of cane sugar.

I used strawberries for the bottom of the baked oatmeal and blueberries on top.

 

The gooey bananas and strawberries on the bottom took this oatmeal to a whole new level.

Fruit & Nut Salad

One of my more spectacular salad creations consisting of:

spinach//cherry tomatoes//chopped peaches// walnuts// goat cheese// olive oil// balsamic vinegar

healthful hippy heaven.

{hippy eats} spelt berry salad

Pretty soon everyone's vegetable gardens will be overflowing with sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes (aka nature's candy), aromatic basil, and crunchy kale. Here's a recipe that's great for making use of these seasonal veggies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup spelt berries (or grain of preference)
• 1/3 cup pesto
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup kale
• olive oil

1. To cook spelt berries, bring to a boil with 3 cups of water, then lower heat and simmer until all of the water has been absorbed (about 1 1/2 hours).

2. Toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil then roast at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft.

3. Once the spelt berries are cooked, lightly sauté the kale in olive oil until tender.

4. Toss the spelt berries, pesto, tomatoes, and kale together in a large bowl.