It's been a while since we've had a Freebie Friday, but today provided some inspiration to get back at it. Here's the story:
I tend a couple of big gardens and deliver fresh fruit and vegetables every day to a local early childhood education center for the kids' lunch. So far, they've had all kinds of lettuce, radishes, spring onions, snap peas and just the other day, the season's first green beans. I was bringing the next day's supply, which this time included a couple of quarts of red raspberries, and this little pixie poked her head around the corner and said: "Thanks for the bean, Peter. I never had one before." She allowed as how she didn't really care for the peas....
And today, while making a delivery of the season's first baby carrots, the kids swarmed around my knees and proudly handed me a gift:
So, in recognition of little kids who really like green beans, who might not care for peas, but who love beets because nobody's told them they taste like dirt yet, and who make Bumbleberry Jam, here's today's Freebie Friday collection:
To enter this week's Freebie Friday, simply leave a comment below. The comment must include your favorite vegetable recipe so we all can share in the seasonal bounty. And I'll pass them along to the kids.
12 comments:
Glad you are giving the kids a good dose of local vegetabes. And the jam looks great!
This recipe for beet salad is a favorite:
Ingredients:
* 1 pound beets (3 to 4 medium), scrubbed
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* Pinch of sugar
* 1 small bunch arugula , tough stems removed, well washed and spun dry
* 1 bunch watercress , tough stems removed, well washed and spun dry
* 1 small head Boston lettuce , well washed, spun dry and torn into bite-sized pieces
* Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large piece of aluminum foil with parchment paper. Place beets in center of parchment. Drizzle with one tablespoon oil, and season with salt and pepper. Fold aluminum foil up to enclose beets. Place on a small baking sheet and roast until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 1 hour.
Remove from oven and let sit until no longer hot to the touch. Rub off skins and discard. Cut beets into wedges.
In a medium bowl whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the roasted beets, arugula, watercress, and Boston lettuce and toss to combine.h
Yay for Freebie Friday!!
My favorite vegetable recipe is as simple as they come:
Sauteed Asparagus w/Garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch fresh asparagus
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and asparagus spears; cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until asparagus is tender. If you like your asparagus well done, reduce heat and cook an additional 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Awesome! I picked some baby beets and small onions this afternoon, and I was just going to look for a recipe for roasting beets. I raise a glass in gratitude!
this is simply the best hummus recipe! great for those times when you have extra zucchini...
Raw Zucchini Hummus
1 large or 2 small zucchini (peeled and coarsely chopped)
1/2 cup raw almond butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1 large clove of garlic
pinch of cayenne
sprinkle of paprika
Directions:
Place all ingredients in food processor with "S" blade and blend till creamy. Add some water to thin if needed for use as a spread or dip. Keep refrigerated and enjoy it at leisure!
Easiest Asparagus recipe ever.
Wash Asparagus
Massage with a mixture of canola or olive oil and Tamari (organic soy sauce). Roast in oven at 350 for 15 minutes. Delicious. Basically this recipe plus Tamari for some extra flavor.
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/101/Roasted-Asparagus-Spears
As if I needed another reason to love Crane, here you are paying it forward and getting kids to eat healthy and enjoy life. Kudos!!
My family's favorite vegi meal lately is to take whatever is in season (lots of fresh squash, onions, mushrooms, carrots, etc) and sautee them in olive oil until just cooked (but still a tiny bit crunchy. Sprinkle with fresh sea salt and pepper to taste, and serve over your favorite pasta. Yum!!
Kids who eat vegetables are happy kids! Here's a recipe I usually have a batch of in the fridge in the summer:
Combine in processor: 1/4 c pitted Kalamata olives, 1 chopped shallot, 1 T fresh lemon juice, 1-1/2 t Dijon mustard, 1 t grated lemon peel, 1/2 t fresh thyme, 1/4 t crushed red pepper. With machine running, add 1/3 c olive oil and season to taste with salt & pepper.
Trim and cut 1-1/2 lbs green beans into 2-in pieces cook until crisp-tender in boiling salted water (about 4 min), drain, rinse under cold water & pat dry.
Toss in large bowl with 1 pint grape tomatoes (or 1 pint of halved cherry tomatoes).
8 servings.
What a lovely post. While I do not have a recipe to add, I do have a recommendation for wonderful recipes and interesting writings about food and cooking. Eric Gower is "The Breakaway Cook" and has two cookbooks and a blog as well. www.breakawaycook.com Happy summer.
Good to hear that you're sharing the veggie experience with kids; they sure need more of it!
Here's a summer favorite that can be paired up with some fresh trout-- super healthy and yummy. Not a family recipe, but I love cooking this during our annual family cabin vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains of western NC.
Squash with Leek Vinaigrette
For 4
Ingredients:
Squash
1 yellow squash- about 1/4 pound
1 green zucchini- about 1/4 pound
total weight- roughly .5 to .7 lbs
Vinaigrette
1/2 of whole leek, use green tops
2 tps vegetable stock or broth
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tps fresh lemon juice
2 tps rice vinegar
1/8 tps black pepper
a generous pinch of sea salt
Directions:
1) For the vinaigrette--
a)Finely chop up the leek's green top.
b)Saute the leeks in the olive oil until they turn soft for about 5-7 minutes in a pan.
c)Remove the pan from heat and stir in the the rest of the ingredients. Set aside and keep it warm.
2) For the squash and zucchini--
a)cut off stems and cut them in half lengthwise, then cross cut those halves into half-inch slices.
b)Steam the veggies for about 7 minutes in a steam basket or a steamer. Make sure they're not too mushy. [If you have a hard time steaming them, maybe try grilling them!]
c)Remove the squash/zucchini and place them on a bowl; pour the vinaigrette in the bowl and mix it with the squash. Plate them and serve warm, preferably with a side of fish [plainly grilled rainbow trout], but also tastes great alone.
Good to hear that you're sharing the veggie experience with kids; they sure need more of it!
Here's a summer favorite that can be paired up with some fresh trout-- super healthy and yummy. Not a family recipe, but I love cooking this during our annual family cabin vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains of western NC.
Squash with Leek Vinaigrette
For 4
Ingredients:
Squash
1 yellow squash- about 1/4 pound
1 green zucchini- about 1/4 pound
total weight- roughly .5 to .7 lbs
Vinaigrette
1/2 of whole leek, use green tops
2 tps vegetable stock or broth
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tps fresh lemon juice
2 tps rice vinegar
1/8 tps black pepper
a generous pinch of sea salt
Directions:
1) For the vinaigrette--
a)Finely chop up the leek's green top.
b)Saute the leeks in the olive oil until they turn soft for about 5-7 minutes in a pan.
c)Remove the pan from heat and stir in the the rest of the ingredients. Set aside and keep it warm.
2) For the squash and zucchini--
a)Cut off stems and cut them in half lengthwise, then cross cut those halves into half-inch slices.
b)Steam the veggies for about 7 minutes in a steam basket or a steamer. Make sure they're not too mushy. [If you have a hard time steaming them, maybe try grilling them!]
c)Remove the squash/zucchini and place them on a bowl; pour the vinaigrette in the bowl and mix it with the squash. Plate them and serve warm, preferably with a side of fish [plainly grilled rainbow trout], but also tastes great alone.
I love that pineapple!
For kid vegetables I would always saute spinach. First cook a pinch of red pepper flakes in olive oil, then saute the spinach at low heat. When the spinach has wilted, add a splash of balsamic vinegar. My kids liked it - just enough sweet and heat.
Am I too late? Here's my easy broccoli salad:
1-2 heads of fresh broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1 small tub of crumbled bleu cheese/gorgonzola
2-3 oz raisins
Your favorite balsamic vinaigrette (I like Trader Joe's the best for this)
Combine all the ingredients and toss together (kid chefs will love shaking the lidded container up!). Serve at room temperature.
Just made it today! I love it because it combines sweet and savory flavors with super healthy broccoli. And it's easy!
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