Green Bean, Tomato and Olive Salad

The Fannie Farmer Cookbook has been around since 1896, originally published under the name The Boston Cooking School Cook Book.  It has had more than a dozen printings, but my copy is from 1979.  It was the first cookbook I owned, purchased for me by my mother one Christmas.  So when talking to her yesterday about this great big bag of green beans I received this week from CRO, she suggested that I go to the tried and true Fannie Farmer for ideas.  I did and do you know this is one of the best green bean salads I think I've eaten. With just a few changes, most of this recipe came from my 1979 edition originally titled "Raw Green Beans, Tomatoes, Olives, Scallions, and Celery Salad".  I changed it only to reflect what I had on hand and what we like.  Sometimes the old cookbooks have simple things that are timelessly tasty!  This is one of them. 

Green Bean, Tomato and Olive Salad

1 bag CRO green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup CRO grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup Greek olives
1/2 cup CRO red onion, chopped (about 2 slices)
1 red or green pepper sliced very thin (like matchsticks)
2 Tbs chopped parsley
2 Tbs chopped cilantro

Dressing:
1/4 cup grape seed or olive oil
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Fill a large bowl with ice water.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the beans 2 minutes.  Immediately drain and rinse the beans in cold water and transfer to the ice water for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare your other ingredients.  Drain the beans, pat dry and transfer to a large bowl.  Add tomatoes, olives, onion, peppers, parsley, and cilantro.  Toss to combine.  Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until emulsified.  Pour over the salad and toss again to combine.  Serves 4-6 generously.  

Calling All Kale Haters!

Kale Salad with Creamy Avocado and Ginger-Almond Dressing

This is directed at those of you out there who feel as some CRO survey respondents did that kale is a "least enjoyed" CSA item and you have "changed your mind for the worse" about kale.    I would love to change your mind for the better.

I must admit that when I first started to receive kale as a member of another CSA years ago, I was not a fan.  In fact, and I hate to admit this, I can recall throwing out entire bunches of kale.  If this is you, then read on.

Kale is one of the most nutritious vegetables out there.  It scores a perfect 1000 on the ANDI scale (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index).  It is an excellent source of vitamin K (a somewhat elusive vitamin).  The recommended intake of vitamin K is about 100 mcg a day.  A half cup of kale has more than 500 mcg!  And my recipe below has far more than a half cup of kale.  Kale boosts the immune system.  It is also a good source of beta-carotene and other carotenoids, vitamins A and C, lutein, and calcium.  It is part of the cabbage family and as such is a cruciferous vegetable which means it has cancer-fighting properties.  

Sadly, the average American consumes only 1 cup of kale a year!  They must feel like some of the CRO subscribers, that kale is well...yucky!  Now I know some of you cannot conceive of eating a salad of the size I have photographed and provided a recipe for here, but trust me, if you are serious about eating for health, and you make this your entree, you can eat it!

Recently, I had a wonderful kale salad at Blossom Cafe in New York City.  I have created my own version of that salad here.  The thick creamy dressing coats and softens the leaves and adds a real boost of flavor to what I guess some of you consider to be a boring or bland green!  If we get another round of kale in our shares I will give you a soup recipe that may also change your mind about kale.  Stay tuned Kale Haters!

Kale Salad with Creamy Avocado and Ginger-Almond Dressing

For the salad:
1/2 bunch Clarion River Organics kale, tough stem and rib removed, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 Clarion River Organics tomato, sliced and julienned
1/2 Clarion River Organics green pepper, diced
1 Clarion River Organics carrot, julienned or shredded
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

For the dressing:
1/2 cup raw almonds
2 ripe avocados, skin and pit removed
juice of a lemon or lime
1/4 cup tahini
1 medium garlic clove, smashed or roughly chopped
1 1/2 piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 to 1 cup water*

First make the dressing: Place almonds in a blender or food processor and blend until almonds resemble a fine powder.  Add all other dressing ingredients except water and process until creamy.  With motor of food processor or blender running add only as much water as necessary for dressing to have the consistency of mayonnaise.  

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Add 3/4 cup of the dressing and toss to combine thoroughly coating every piece of kale.  Allow salad to sit for at least 30 minutes.  The longer it sits the more tender the kale becomes.  Serves 2 as an entree.

*For a more tangy dressing use half rice vinegar and half water.

Week 13 - Spaghetti Squash, Tomatoes, Green Pepper

Warm Squash and Tomato Salad

Whew!  What a week it's been.  Taking our daughter back to college and a family wedding all in six days.  No time to cook!   I am getting a little backed up on produce so I've taken to just eating some of it raw (green pepper strips, tomato slices with a little salt on them, handfuls of blueberries), but I did manage to put together a nice little dish last night that used three of this week's veggies.  I served this as our main course at dinner with a baked potato.  It is a very simple and versatile preparation and will serve four generously.  

Warm Squash and Tomato Salad

1 Clarion River Organics Spaghetti Squash
1 onion, sliced or diced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 Clarion River Organics Tomatoes, chopped
1 Clarion River Organics Green Pepper, seeded and diced
Any or all of the following herbs: dried oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme,  red pepper flakes and/or rosemary; fresh parsley, cilantro,
Juice of a lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350.  Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds (save seeds to roast.  Instructions can be found here:  To Roast Squash Seeds.)  Place squash halves flesh side down on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until a knife can be inserted into them easily.  

Meanwhile, make your herb mixture.  Combine any or all of the herbs listed to make 5 teaspoons total.  Set aside.  In a large skillet saute onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes in 2 tablespoons water.  Add tomatoes, green pepper, herb mixture, and lemon juice and cook 7-8 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat, and set aside.

When squash is done, remove them from oven and allow to cool until they can be handled without burning yourself!  Using a spoon, scoop out the stringy flesh from each squash half into a large bowl.  Discard the squash skin.  Add tomato mixture to the squash in the bowl and toss all together.  Serves 4 as an entree.

Serving suggestion: Serve over smashed baked potatoes.  
Variation:  Add 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives with the tomatoes.

Week 9 - Swiss Chard, Armenian Cucumber, Tomatoes, Green Pepper, Basil

Not sure you want to tackle the Roasted Cauliflower Hummus Pizza of my other week 9 post?  Then here is a very simple, very quick salad you can make that tastes refreshingly great and uses five of this week's items.   I actually had used up ALL of my CRO swiss chard on the Roasted Cauliflower Hummus Pizza  so I had to grab a red swiss chard leaf and a red kale leaf from my own little front porch garden which is why the salad "greens" in the photo look a little "red".  You can add 1/2 cup of black beans per person (or any cooked beans for that matter) to make this a one-dish meal.


Garden Fresh Chopped Salad

 2 Clarion River Organics Swiss Chard leaves, stripped from their stems and chopped
1-2 Clarion River Organics Basil leaves, snipped
1 Clarion River Organics Tomato, chopped
4 slices Clarion River Organics Green Pepper, chopped 
4-inch piece Clarion River Organics Armenian Cucumber, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1 tbs balsamic vinegar (raspberry balsamic is very nice in this!)
1/2 tsp grape seed oil
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dried thyme, crumbled

Place all veggies in a bowl.  Add the balsamic vinegar, grape seed oil, mustard and thyme and toss well.  This will serve one person generously.  Just increase all the quantities accordingly for more people.

Week 9 - Cauliflower, Swiss Chard, Green Pepper, Tomato, Basil

Okay.  I'll admit it.  Only a whole foods plant based eater (i.e. vegan) would look at cauliflower, swiss chard, and tomatoes and say "PIZZA"!!  But that's exactly what happened this week when I looked through my green bag.  The "cheese" on this pizza is played by roasted cauliflower hummus and the other ingredients are the toppings.  Roasting the cauliflower will give the hummus a more "cheesy" flavor and a "ricotta" look.  To make this simpler and save a little time, I use store-bought tortillas as the crust, but really anything you want to use as crust will work just as well.  If you have the time, make your own.  A cornmeal crust is excellent.  Anything goes with this pizza as far as toppings, but greens and tomatoes are two of my favorites.  Enjoy this updated, healthy take on the traditional pie! 

Roasted Cauliflower Hummus Pizza 

1 head Clarion River Organics Cauliflower, cut into florets with stems included

1 bunch Clarion River Organics Swiss Chard, stems removed and leaves chopped (save stems for another use or discard)

2 Clarion River Organics Tomatoes, sliced and the slices cut into quarters

The Clarion River Organics Ingredients

1 Clarion River Organics Green Pepper, diced

2 Scallions, sliced

1/4 - 1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, sliced

6-8 Clarion River Organics Basil leaves, snipped or chopped

Cooking spray

1/2 tbsp Tahini

1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

Juice of half a Lemon

1 Garlic Clove

2 1/2 tbsp water

2 10-inch Tortillas or 4 6-inch Tortillas

Make the cauliflower hummus: Place the cauliflower on a cookie sheet, spray with cooking spray, and roast at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.  Place roasted cauliflower in a blender or food processor with the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and water.  Blend/process until smooth.

Roasted Cauliflower Hummus

The Prepped Toppings

While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the other vegetables and set aside.  

When the cauliflower is done, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Place the tortillas on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes until light brown and beginning to crisp.  Remove from oven.  

Spread the hummus on each tortilla and top with the vegetables: tomato slices first, followed by chard, green pepper, scallions, and olives.  Bake pizzas for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven to plates and sprinkle the snipped basil on top of each pizza.  Serve immediately.  Serves 2-4.