Things to Make - Arcadia Farm's Scissor Salsa and Basil Walnut Bean Spread

Last week the girls attended farm camp through Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, where they: picked soybeans, weeded the garden, fed chickens, ran around fields, made playgrounds out of old wood planks, spent the whole day outside (seriously, the WHOLE DAY), and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, learned how to cook. Yes, every week of farm camp has a different theme and, luckily, my kids showed up for the Small Chefs session. Each weekday afternoon they brought home fabulous recipes utilizing garden fresh ingredients. One of their absolute favorite recipes is for scissor salsa, which strikes me as incredible because before last week the girls would never even touch salsa and now they make and eat it THEMSELVES. Farm camp = magic.

ARCADIA FARM'S SCISSOR SALSA

Ingredients:
* Handful of cherry/grape tomatoes
* 2-3 small sweet peppers
* 8 sprigs of cilantro
* 1 ear of corn
* 1/2 onion [optional]
* 1 clove garlic
* juice of one lime
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
* Remove the stem and seeds from the peppers, cut them into long slices.
* Use scissors to cut the tomatoes, cilantro, and onion.
* Remove the corn from the cob with a knife.
* Add the garlic by crushing it in a garlic press or with a mortar and pestle.
* Add the olive oil, salt, and lime juice.
* Mix by crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
* Eat with tortilla chips.

(Adopted from a recipe by the D.C. non-profit, City Blossoms Inc.)



The girls also came home with this recipe for basil walnut bean spread, which wasn't their favorite food (P - "it's just okay"), but Dan and I find the spread addictive. And super easy to make.

ARCADIA FARM'S BASIL WALNUT BEAN SPREAD

Ingredients:
* 1 can garbanzo beans
* 1 cup walnuts (chopped)
* 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 4 teaspoons lemon juice
* 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

* Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add more olive oil and lemon juice if needed. Garnish with basil or radishes. Eat with crackers or bread.

(Adopted from a recipe by the D.C. non-profit, City Blossoms Inc.)
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And if you're interested in Arcadia, they also host workshops and field trips throughout the year. Click here for more info.

Things to Make - Winter Salads

One of my goals for the new year is to cook more, including making good salads (not the lazy kind with old bottled dressing you find in the back of the fridge). The BUTTERNUT SQUASH SALAD pictured above is from Carla Hall's cookbook, Cooking with Love: Comfort Food that Hugs You (I sort of fell in love with her on Top Chef, plus she's a DC girl) and it's perfect for winter, even Dan likes it (despite the lack of meat).

APPLE CIDER VINAIGRETTE

* 1 cup fresh apple cider
* 1/4 cup cider vinegar
* 3 tablespoons minced shallot (from about 2 medium) (we skipped this step)
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1/2 cup canola or other neutral oil
* salt and pepper to taste

SALAD
* 4 cups diced butternut squash (cut into 1/2 inch cubes) (we bought it already cut from Trader Joes)
* Extra virgin olive oil
* 8 cups mixed greens
* 2 green apples, diced
* 2 ounces aged cheddar cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
* 1/2 cup Sweet and Spicy walnuts (the recipe is in the cookbook, we used regular walnuts because I was feeling lazy)

To make the vinaigrette:

1. In a small saucepan, bring the apple sider to boil and cook until reduced to 1/4 cut. Let cool.

2. In a medium bowl combine the vinegar, shallots, mustard, and reduced apple cider. Whisk. Continue whisking while adding the oil in a slow, steady stream. Season with salt and pepper. Can be stored in a closed jar (refrigerated) for about a week.

To make the salad:

1. Toss the squash with enough oil to lightly coat. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add the squash in a single layer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook, tossing occasionally, until browned, about 2 minutes longer. Let cool.

2. Combine everything in a large bowl and eat.
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We've also been enjoying this MASSAGED KALE SALAD (from DC Farm to School Network), if only because it's so fun to pamper your greens.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 handful of nuts (almonds/walnuts/pecans) or pumpkin/sunflower seeds
* 1 large bunch fresh kale
* 1 spoonfull of salt
* 1/2 onion or 1 shallot, thinly sliced
* 1 apple, sliced
* 1 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
* 1 handfull of dried fruit - cranberries or raisins
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/4 cup of mild goat cheese

To make the salad:

1. Wash and remove the tough stalks from the kale leaves, the tear into bite sized pieces and put in a large bowl. Add salt (between 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon) depending on how tough the kale is.

2. Massage the kale for about 5 minutes, until it is about 1/2 to 1/3 its original size and the color darkens.

3. Stir in other ingredients and eat.

Things to Make - Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm not usually a huge fan of chocolate chip cookies, but the kids love them. You would think that I'd use this discrepancy as an opportunity to make my kids happy while eating less myself, but instead I've searched and searched for a wonderful chocolate chip cookie recipe so I can partake in yet another guilty pleasure. Turns out the answer is sea salt, which takes the ordinary cookie to a whole new level.

We found this recipe through Pinterest and it really is the best chocolate chip recipe ever. Amazing. Alice Currah deserves some sort of reward.

T and I like to make a batch every few weeks to "surprise" the girls when they come home from school. But, beware, they are quite addictive.

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 360 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until nice and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla, and mix for 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. When the cookie dough has absorbed the dry ingredients, stir in the chocolate chips and mix until they are well distributed.

Drop 2 tablespoons of dough (or use a medium cookie scoop) onto the cookie sheet for each cookie, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are nice and golden brown. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes [note from No Monsters - I also sprinkle the cookies with a little extra sea salt]. Then slide the parchment paper, with the cookies still on top, onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

(Recipe courtesy of The Daily Meal)

Things to Make - Gazpacho with Goat Cheese

This is my go-to summer recipe. It's super easy and sort of addictive in hot weather.

INGREDIENTS:

1 red or yellow bell pepper
1 medium onion
1 large cucumber or 2 small ones
5-7 medium tomatoes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt
Goat Cheese

Liquify the veggies in a blender or food processor. Mix in the lemon juice and salt to taste. Refrigerate until cold. Spoon into bowls. Top with goat cheese crumbles.
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What do you like to eat during summer heat waves?

Things to Make - Spinach/Cilanto/Avocado/Chickpea Quinoa Salad

Lately I can't stop eating this salad - not too light, not too heavy -perfect for spring. (and I'm a little obsessed with quinoa lately). It's adapted from this recipe and this recipe.

SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 cup dry quinoa
1 15-oz can chickpeas (2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed
2 cups spinach
1 cup cherry tomatos, cut in half
1 chopped avocado
1/4 cup chopped onion

1. Cook the quinoa according to package directions

2. Cut up the spinach into small pieces (you can also use a food processor, but I find it easy to use scissors)

3. Mix the spinach, quinoa, chickpeas, tomatos, avocado, and onion together

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
Juice from 1.5 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt + ground pepper

4. In a blender combine the lime juice, cilantro, mustard, sugar, garlic, cumin, and oil. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

5. Pour the dressing on top of the spinach chickpea mixture and stir well.
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Any other good quinoa recipes anyone can recommend? For the last year, I've made this regularly, but I'm beginning to tire of it. So I'm currently on a quest for new quinoa recipes.

Things to Make - From the Garden - Cucumber and Tomato Quinoa Salad & Grandma's Zucchini Bread

My mom maintains a pretty extensive garden. As a kid, I didn't exactly love it (more food from the garden = less macaroni and cheese) but as an adult it's WONDERFUL. We didn't even need to grocery shop.

My mom waited until our arrival to pick a lot of the veggies, assuming that the kids would enjoy helping out. But the girls were so busy with the Cabbage Patch Kids they chose not to participate. Luckily T loved helping grandma.



Regarding summer recipes, during the summer I basically live on Cucumber & Tomato Quinoa Salad, which I make similar to tabule but without the parsley. Here's the recipe:

*2 big tomatos
*1 large cucumber
*1 medium onion
*2 cups cooked quinoa (you can also use bulgar wheat or cous cous)
*1 tablespoon garlic salt
*1/3 cup lemon juice
*2 tablespoons olive oil

-Mix everything together and serve. Easy.



And Grandma's Zucchini Bread continues to be the best summer snack ever. Here's the recipe:

*3 eggs
*2 cups sugar
*1 cup vegetable oil
*3 cups flour
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1/4 teaspoon baking powder
*1 teaspoon vanilla
*1 cup chopped walnuts
*2 1/2 cups grated zucchini unpeeled
*1 teaspoon cinnamon
*1/2 teaspoon allspice

Beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar, then oil. Add flour gradually. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients up to zucchini, mix well. Combine zucchini and spices and fold into batter. Spoon into two greased bread pans. Bake at 350 for one hour to one and a quarter hours til done.


For another seasonal recipe (healthy eggplant parm), click here for my past post.
What about everyone else? Any good seasonal recipes to share?