Monthly Archives: July 2013

Beans & Greens

26 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in appetizer, beans, gluten-free, salad, seasonal

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Food:

Beans & Greens– serves 6-8

2 c. dry beans (I used Adzuki beans I get at the farmers market, Borski Farms)

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeds remove and diced (farmers market)

1/2 c. parsley, chopped (my garden)

1/4- 1/2 c. cilantro, chopped (farmers market)

1 purple onion, chopped (farmers market)

3 lemons, zest and juice

a couple of garlic cloves, chopped (farmers market, Borski Farms)

lots of greens, kale and swiss chard, chopped (farmers market, Borski Farms)

olive oil

Celtic salt and pepper

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Directions:

For the beans:

1. Place the dry beans in a large bowl and cover with water, soak overnight. Drain, rinse and place beans in a larger pot. Cover with water again, maybe one inch above the beans. Turn stove to high, when the beans come to a boil let them boil for five minutes skimming off the foam. Add a piece of kombu (Kombu is a sea vegetable that adds minerals and helps tenderize the beans and reduces their gas effect!), place the lid on the pot and turn the temperature to medium-low and simmer until done. Check at 45 minutes, and then every 10 minutes till they are tender but not mushy.

2. When done, drain and set aside until ready to use.

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For the greens:

1. In a large bowl, add the lemon juice and lemon zest and six turns of olive oil. Next add the cucumber, onion, and herbs. Toss. Add greens, toss again. Then add the beans, toss one more time and adjust seasoning. EAT!

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A few ways to EAT:

1. Spoon some into your favorite wrap with some good quality cheese, tomatoes and avocado.

2. Pair with your favorite rice, preferably wild or brown rice and season with tamari (soy sauce), sesame oil and a squeeze of lime.

3. Top with a poached egg, drizzle with olive oil and your favorite seasoning.

Love:

There is a saying in Italian that goes “Quanta Basta!”, “a little of this, a little of that!”. Beans & Greens is just that, you can make this dish to suit your taste buds, it is just a blue print, a road map to other meals. I packaged mine all up in lunch containers, topped it with tomatoes, avocado and extra drizzle of olive oil and a slice of lemon. It would also be great left in a big bowl in the fridge and then eaten each night for dinner the ways I have listed above. It is hearty but light and is perfect in this hot weather, whip up a batch and add “Quanta Basta”. Happy Summer y’all.

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Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (Gluten-Free)

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in dessert, gluten-free, seasonal

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Food:

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler– makes a lot!

Crust-

4 c. oat flour

8 oz.  organic ghee, chilled (if vegan use coconut oil)

2 T. baking powder

2 t. real salt

1/2 c. sucant (or sugar of choice)

2 c. organic buttermilk (if vegan use non dairy milk of course)

cinnamon

Filling- (can be cut in half, but don’t cut the crust ingredients in half)

10 c. organic strawberries, hulled and cut in half

5 c. rhubarb, outer skin peeled and chopped

2 lemons, juice and zest

2 T. cornstarch

1 c. local honey

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Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large baking dish (mine is 10x12x3) place the prepared fruit in the baking dish, add the juice and zest of two lemons, cornstarch and the honey. Mix well to combine.

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2. In a large mixing bowl combine the oat flour, salt, baking powder, sucant and whisk to combine. Next add the cold ghee to the dry ingredients and mix well with your hands (can be done in the food processor as well, make sure not to over mix) until it resembles coarse meal. Next add the buttermilk and fold together.

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3. Spoon the crust mixture over the prepared fruit in big spoonfuls. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon. Place the baking dish on a parchment lined baking sheet before placing it in the oven. Bake for 45-60 minutes, you want the top to be golden brown and the fruit bubbling.

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Love:

Do you ever get a craving for something  and you just have to have it? Well lately this has been happening to me a lot, I know what you are thinking and NO I am not eating for two! But seriously my cravings have been off the charts, insert Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler. I called the two best bakers I know for help on this one, Gwen Crist the President of Slow Food Utah and my friend and fellow slow foodie Amber Billingsley head pastry chef at Vinto. Originally I was going to make pie but who can bother with crust so Gwen talked me into a cobbler and Amber recently brought a cobbler to our Slow Food Utah book club that almost brought me to tears it was so good! Of course I had to put my own spin on it making it gluten-free, using ghee in place of butter and subbing in my opinion “healthier” sugar. The result was stupendous, the crust was perfect and the honey added a natural sweetness that didn’t over power the fruit. I served it room temp with a dollop of Tahitian vanilla ice cream. This was so fun to make and even more fun to eat, I think my friends at our July 4th get together would concur. Even my picky spoiled husband who doesn’t eat cooked fruit was pleased. If you get a craving for strawberries and rhubarb like me, make this, you won’t be sorry! ENJOY.

Local Trout and Chickpea Salad

01 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by in appetizer, beans, Fish, gluten-free, seasonal, Side dish

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DSCN3085Food:

Local Trout and Chickpea Salad serves 6

1- 1 1/2 lb local Koosharem Trout (Farmers Market)

1 c. dry chickpeas (soaked overnight, drain, cook and drain again= 3 c. cooked, you can use canned if you don’t want to start with dry beans) (Click here and scroll down for a basic bean cooking recipe)

1 c. Yee Haw No Frill Dill Pickles, chopped (local,Farmers Market, Whole Foods)

2 c. celery, chopped (Farmers Market)

1/4-1/2 of a whole purple onion, chopped (Farmers Market)

1/2 c. parsley, chopped (I got to use some from my garden!)

1 T. fresh dill, chopped plus a few sprig for the fish (Farmers Market)

2 lemons, plus 1 more for garnish

1 T. dry lavender (Farmers Market)

2 T. pickle juice

2 T. Dijon mustard (they have a new mustard booth at the Farmers Market but they are only there every other week, I haven’t been able to try them yet.)

1/4 c. olive oil, more for garnish

salt and pepper

Sunbridge Sunflower Sprouts (local, Whole Foods or Good Earth)

Directions:

For the fish-

1. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Place a cooling rack over the lined baking sheet, place the fish on top of the cooling rack and season with salt and pepper, sprinkle on the lavender (this trick came right from the Koosharem fisherman themselves!) and lay the sprigs of dill over the fish. Last, slice one of the lemons into rounds and lay this over the seasoned fish. Place the fish in the oven, before you close the door, pour some water into the bottom of the baking sheet. This will keep the fish moist while cooking. Cook for 20 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 125.

DSCN3069DSCN3071When the fish is cooked pull out of the oven and let is cool while you get the other ingredients ready.

For the salad-

1. In a large mixing bowl whisk the pickle juice, olive oil and Dijon mustard together. Add the juice and zest of the other lemon and whisk again. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Next add the celery, pickles, purple onion, parsley, dill and the chickpeas. Fold all the ingredients together with the dressing until well mixed. Next break up the cooked trout gently and add it to the other ingredients, fold together gently.

DSCN3079DSCN3080DSCN30833. Place the salad in the fridge to let the flavors develop, check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. When ready to serve, scoop some of the salad into your favorite bowls or plates, drizzle with olive oil and top with a handful of sunflowers sprouts, garnish with a wedge of lemon. EAT! (Or do what I did and serve this in individual lunch containers and have it for lunch all week!)

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This recipe is for my sweetie (wait, aren’t they all?!), he loves tuna salad but I don’t like buying canned tuna. It would take too long to explain and then you would think I’m crazier than I appear, just trust me fresh is where it is at. So imagine my excitement the first week of the downtown farmer’s market when I saw the Koosharem Steelhead booth! I was first attracted to the booth because I spotted two red heads, I kind of have a thing for red heads, red headed cat, red-headed friends, I digress. Any who, I went over and checked out what they had to offer, they were so friendly and their fish looked beautiful and no trace of fishy smells, this equals fresh. We chatted for a while about their practices, read more about that here, and I bought some with this recipe in mind. I couldn’t be happier with this recipe turned out and it made my sweetie very happy (as usual!), I can’t wait to make it again for our next Red Butte Concert with our friends. The Koosharem boys are located at the north-east corner of the farmers market, and they are only there every other week. Look for them this weekend July 6, but you’ll have to push me out of line to get some! Enjoy!