This is a wonderful seasonal salad. Give it a try if you have an abundance in your garden!
Wash your produce and if the cucumber has tough skin peel about 1/3 of it off. Then slice the cucumber and tomato into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Arrange the slices neatly on a plate. I had a few ‘Sun Cherry’ tomatoes as well that I threw in the middle. (You could skip this step if you aren’t worried about pretty.)
In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Drizzle over the tomatoes and cucumbers. Add a little salt and pepper to your taste and your done!
Jalapeno peppers are delicious and nutritious, as they are high in Vitamin A, C, and folate. They are very easy to grow, but not everyone can just eat them fresh out of hand. Adding the cream cheese nicely balances out the heat of the peppers and adds the needed fat to absorb the fat soluble vitamins! Quick and easy to prepare. Great for a buffet or summer picnic.
Cut off the stem ends of the Jalepenos and, under running cold water, scoop out the seeds and membranes from the inside.
Fill each half pepper with cream cheese.
Serve cold.
My husband’s favorite! These beets are pickled using raw vinegar, rapadura, and fresh spices. A delicious treat for anyone who likes beets.
In a med sauce pan, place beets and water cook until beets are tender. This should take anywhere from 15 -20 min. Drain and reserve liquid. In a small pan add 2 C of reserved beet liquid, rapadura, vinegar, and spices. Bring to a boil until sugar dissolves. Place beets back into med. pan and add hot pickling liquid, bring to simmer for another 10 minutes. Place beets in cleaned and prepaired canning jars, and can accordingly. Do not open for 5-7 days.
This recipe makes a fun side dish that has wide appeal. I avoid using the store bought cooking sprays in the cans as they use cheap oils and added junk that I don’t want. Nor Pro makes a “Mr. Mister” that I use for my oil spraying needs. The oil aids in browning in this recipe, which gives a better appearance, texture and flavor. I make my own bread crumbs from bread failures (bricks) and keep them in the freezer so they are ready to use.
Combine sprouted flour (see my recipe for home sprouted flour), cheese, bread crumbs and seasonings. Coat each zucchini round in beaten egg, then in flour mixture, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with oil. Once laid out, spray the tops of each round with oil and bake for 18 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve with ranch dressing.
These gluten-free, paleo, GAPS-friendly parsnip morsels are called Savory Cakes at our house. They can be served as breakfast, lunch, a hearty snack, or a light dinner.
**If your parsnips are raw, bake in 400º oven for 20 minutes, allow to cool slightly, then proceed with recipe.**
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until it’s doughy. You might need to turn it off and push the spinach leaves down towards the blades, then turn it back on to get it all to incorporate. Use your hands to form balls and flatten into cakes, about 1/3 inch thick.
Melt fat of choice in a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Cook cakes about 3 minutes on each side, or until browned and crispy. Serve warm with butter, a dollop of creme fråiche, or simply salt & pepper as garnishes.
Parsnips are beautiful in all their simplicity and also delicious all by themselves made into fries. Serve them with a bowl of pesto and you’ve got yourself one stunning side dish (or snack), pleasing to both the eye and palate. I didn’t realize pesto could be made with herbs other than basil until my friend Karen introduced me to this delightful, in-season variety made with lambs quarter and Swiss (or rainbow) chard. GAPS, paleo, gluten-free, and the general foodie alike can all commune over this springtimey snack.
Preheat oven to 400º F. Melt coconut oil on low and stir in the garlic, rosemary, and pepper. (Take a moment to close your eyes and breathe it in. Heaven. Nevermind the strange stares when you open your eyes back up.) While the oil melts, prepare the parsnips.
Toss parsnips with oil mixture in a bowl. Place seasoned parsnips on a baking sheet (stoneware makes these fries deliciously crisp) in a single layer, not overlapping.
Bake on high for 30 minutes or until browned on the edges.
While the fries bake, prepare pesto by placing all ingredients in a food processor. Process until it’s of the desired consistency. Serve with warm parsnip fries.
Lupini beans may have originated in Italy, but they’re every Egyptian’s favorite snack food. Their preparation may be lengthy, but it’s oh-so-worth-it! Dominique’s method is simple enough - try it out instead of pumpkin seeds if you’re looking for a healthy snack!
Soak the beans: Start by placing the beans in a pot of filtered water and soak for 24 hours. Make sure the pot is large enough because the beans tend to get bigger the longer they stay in the water.
Drain and boil the beans: After 24 hours or so, drain the beans. Refill the pot with water and bring it to a boil. Simmer for an hour – 2 hours.
Soak, rinse, repeat: Drain and rinse the beans. Place them in a container and fill it with water. Now here’s where the process can get tiring; the water in the container will have to be changed at least a couple of times a day for at least 5 days and for up to 2 weeks. The length of time for soaking will depend on the kind of lupini beans you ended up with — some types are more bitter than others, so I would suggest tasting a couple every day after the 5th day to see when the beans have completely lost their bitterness.
Store the beans in water: Once all the bitterness is gone, rinse the lupini beans well, and store them in lightly salted water in a closed glass container in the fridge; the beans won’t go bad for weeks.
Add seasonings and snack: When you’re ready for a delicious snack, take some out of the container; add some olive oil, some cumin and fresh lemon juice et voila! Enjoy! Please note that if you’re not a fan of cumin, you’re welcome to add parsley, rosemary, sage or any other herb or spice that you love instead.
Eat: Take a bean, bite into the skin surrounding the bean, squeeze the bottom of the skin and pop the bean right into your mouth. Be careful not to pop the bean onto the floor or let it fly across the table (bound to happen when you’re first practicing with the beans). After a couple of bite-squeeze-pops, you’ll be a master, and will be enjoying a handful as a salty snack whenever you’re in the mood.
Roasted red peppers are so versitle. You can use them on salads or sandwiches, in dressings or dips, with scrambled eggs, or even paired with some sliced cheese for a quick snack.
On a hot grill, gas burner, or oven, roast your red peppers until the skin is lightly charred. Remove the peppers from the heat. Place them in a bowl with a lid and let them sweat as they cool.
While the peppers are cooling, mix the rest of the ingredients in a quart mason jar and set aside. When the peppers can be handled, the skins should slip off easily. Once you remove the skin, you can put them in the brine whole, sliced or chopped.
Store in the fridge for up to a month.
This is adapted from the Moosewood cookbook, and a variation on Latkes for Hanukah that we enjoy as a family.
30 minutes to prepare
4-6 servings
Salt the grated sweet potato and white potato in a colander and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse and squeeze out the water (this is important, as watery latkes don’t work)
Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
Fry in a heavy skillet in butter, until brown and crisp.
Serve immediately, topped with yoghurt or sour cream and fresh chives. Or techina with parsley.
I had an abundance of currant tomatoes in my garden, which are a very sweet heirloom variety and thought they would make a yummy pie. Boy, did they! Mixed them with some fresh basil and put them in a flakey pie shell topped with gooey cheese. Even better reheated the next day!
Make crust and prebake according to recipe. Allow to cool somewhat before adding filling.
De-stem tomatoes and rinse. Toss with arrowroot powder, salt, and basil.
Pour into cooled shell and top with cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 until cheese is brown and bubbly.
Serve warm or room temperature.
I eat this for breakfast on busy days because avocados are filled with healthy fats, which keep a belly full for hours.
Toast the bread. Butter the top side of each piece. Distribute diced avocado evenly over the two pieces. Gently smash with a fork. Drizzle oil over the avocado on both pieces. Sprinkle with sea salt & fresh cracked pepper.
A family-friendly recipe for pickled beets & eggs with two sweetener options: stevia & honey granules.
Instructions:
Chop beet into 2″ pieces.
In a medium saucepan, combine beets with 5 cups filtered water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, until tender, approximately 20 minutes. Beets are ready when they are fork tender without being mushy. Strain and reserve the juice.
In a glass quart-sized mason jar, combine eggs and boiled beets. Place the eggs in the jar first, or they tend to float.
In a pint-sized glass jar with a lid, combine sweetener of choice with 3/4 cup of the warm beet juice.
Shake well until fully combined. Add vinegar and shake again.
Pour beet juice mixture over-top of boiled beets & eggs.
Lid the mason jar and gently shake to mix well.
Uncover and rinse the lid. Allow the jar to sit on the counter to cool and marinate for 12 – 24 hours.
Refrigerate overnight and serve cold.