Mustardy Kale Salad With Roasted Sweet Potato & Apple

2 sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs), cut into 3/4-inch pieces
6 Tbs olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs Dijon mustard
2 bunches of kale, thick stems removed & torn into bite-sized pieces
1 Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apple, diced
1/4 cup chopped roasted almonds
4 oz shaved Pecorino

1) Heat oven to 400F. Toss the sweet potatoes with 2 Tbs of the oil and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper, on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, rotating the sheets and tossing the potatoes halfway through, until lightly browned and tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool lightly.
2) Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, the remaining 4 Tbs of oil and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the kale and rub together with clean hands to tenderize and coat the leaves.
3) Add the apple, almonds and sweet potatoes, and toss to combine. Serve topped with Pecorino.

Review: Oh, the bounties of my harvest. You can probably see the holes in my kale. Unbeknownst to me, I had an infestation of cabbage worms. Cleaning the kale was really difficult because there were so many and some of the kale I simply had to throw away. Mike was kind enough to spray the garden with more pesticides (organic). But, my kale is growing quite well and I had plenty to harvest. This recipe made great use of it. I was expecting more of a mustard flavor, but it was just a salad dressing flavor. The combination was incredibly yummy and I will definitely be making it again!

Adapted from:
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/kale-salad-sweet-potato-apple

Roasted Zucchini With Pistachios & Mint

6 medium zucchini, trimmed and halved lengthwise
2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 cup roasted pistachios
2 Tbs mint leaves, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1) Preheat oven to 475F. Toss zucchini with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place zucchini cut side down on 2 baking sheets, making sure they aren't crowded. Bake 13 to 15 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned on bottom. Flip zucchini over onto serving platter.
2) Place pistachios, mint, garlic and lemon zest in a small bowl, and stir to combine. Drizzle lemon juice over zucchini and sprinkle pistachio mixture over the top.

Review: First of all, I never use zest. My lemon juice comes from a plastic lemon in the fridge. Zest seems like a waste and I've never gotten into using it. But, I also forgot to use the lemon juice! I was hungry and served this up before I realized I'd missed a step. But, this was still incredibly tasty. I have a bumper crop of zucchini this year (it doesn't take much!) and have had to get creative to stay interested in eating it nearly every day. This was savory from the roasting and the pistachios, but the mint gave it a coolness that really finished the dish. So yummy!!

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/roasted-zucchini-with-pistachios-and-mint/

Garden 2013

I've been harvesting zucchini for the past month. But, now almost everything is harvestable. Keep in mind, these are all heirloom varieties, grown organically. Here are the updates from this morning:

right side of the garden

left side of the garden

Premium Late Dutch Flat Cabbage

Chantenay Red Core Carrot or Saint Valery Carrot

(planted both in the same areas)

Black Cherry Tomato

Flamingo Pink Swiss Chard

Fordhook Giant Chard

Green Curled Scotch Kale

Genovese Basil and Rosie Purple Basil

Black Beauty Zucchini

(check out the size of the leaves! and the plant is tall enough to reach my waist!)

Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts 

 I planted more Fall crops in my deck planters. My broccoli & spinach didn't do well in the garden, but grow great in these pots. Here are seedlings of: Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts, Flamingo Pink Swiss Chard, Fordhook Giant Chard, Giant Musselburgh Leeks, Large Viroflay Spinach, Romanesco Italia Broccoli and a stray marigold!)

Check out how tall the Fordhook Giant Chard grew in the planter by my front door! And, I've already harvested from it once. It has super skinny stems for a chard.

Overall, the garden is the most successful to date. The only big issues is that my Sugar Ann Snap Peas died fairly early on. The Large Viroflay Spinach and Romanesco Italia Broccoli didn't want to grow in the garden at all. And, my zucchini got a case of powdery mildew, though it didn't prevent it from producing monster-sized zucchini overnight (seriously, they grow so fast!!).

Brownie Cheesecake (Low Carb & Gluten Free)

Brownie Base:
1/2 cup butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
pinch salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Cheesecake Filling:
1 lb cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated erythritol
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1) For the brownie base, preheat oven to 325F and butter a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap bottom of pan in foil.
2) In a microwave safe bowl or glass measuring cup, melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave in 30 second increments. Whisk until smooth. Alternatively, you can melt them together over low heat in a small saucepan.
3) In a small bowl, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder and salt.
4) In a large bowl, beat eggs, granulated erythritol and vanilla extract until smooth. Beat in almond flour mixture, then butter/chocolate mixture, until smooth. Stir in nuts.
5) Spread evenly over bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes.
6) For the filling, reduce oven temperature to 300F.
7) In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in eggs, granulated erythritol, cream and vanilla extract until well combined.
8) Pour filling over crust and place cheesecake on a large cookie sheet. Bake until edges are set and center just barely jiggles, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
9) Run a knife around edges to loosen and then remove sides of pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
10) Serve with sugar-free chocolate sauce or ganache.

Review: Mike has been super serious about maintaining a low carb diet. So, what happens when it's time for birthday celebrations? He finds a special recipe to try. I had several dirty bowls and the kitchen was pretty wrecked, but I wanted to make sure the birthday was special. A few notes about making the cake: definitely line the springform pan with non-stick foil (I didn't, as I didn't want to mess up my spill-proof feature) as this sticks and I had to bake for just a little over 45 minutes. The cake was a little difficult to slice and the pieces were dense. The adults liked it, but the kids didn't. It does have a heavy, eggy, Stevia flavor. It's great if you're used to the low-carb/keto diet, and a wonderful treat!

Adapted from:
http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2013/02/brownie-cheesecake-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html

Tropical Hibiscus Cooler

3 hibiscus tea bags
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups pineapple juice
6oz white rum, optional
1/2 cup, plus 1 Tbs light coconut milk
6 fresh pineapple slices, for garnish
fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

1) Steep tea bags in 1 1/2 cups boiling water for 15 minutes. Strain and discard tea bags; transfer liquid to saucepan. Stir in sugar, and return liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil for 15 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half. Transfer to a bowl, and place in freezer for 10 minutes, or until mixture is syrupy.
2) Fill glassess with ice. Pour 2/3 cup pineapple juice and 1oz rum (if using) into each glass. Add 1 1/2 Tbs coconut milk, and drizzle 2 Tbs hibiscus syrup over coconut milk. Garnish with pineapple slice and mint sprig.

Review: I was lucky to find hibiscus tea on sale at Whole Foods tonight. The recipe suggested Red Zinger, but I've recently heard news about the brand and pesticide use. So, I decided to leave out the rum, as I'm making it for a mixed-age party. That way, everyone can enjoy it. I also dumped it all into a pitcher, since I'm serving it as a punch and not a pretty mixed drink. Somehow, the red tea, white milk and yellow juice combined to make a purple punch. Weird.

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/tropical-hibiscus-cooler/

Chunky Artichoke & Chickpea Salad

1 12oz bag of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, or 1 16oz can artichoke hearts, drained
1 12oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped cornichons (French baby pickles)
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp capers
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay (or Penzey's Fox Point Seasoning)
1 tsp Dijon mustard

1) Pulse all ingredients in food processor until chunky.
2) Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3) Chill at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

Review: As a vegetarian, I've lacked an alternative to chicken or tuna salad sandwiches. I've had this particular recipe for a few years, but have frequently chickened out of making it. I finally got brave and made it tonight, spreading it on sandwich thins. I had left my frozen artichoke hearts in the fridge all day to defrost, but they were still pretty frosty. This allowed my salad to be cold right out of the food processor, so I didn't have to wait for dinner! I had two sandwiches and admonished myself for not having made it sooner. It was very filling and had a consistency similar to what I remember from the meat-based salads (though it's been well over 20 years since I've had those!!). The capers, cornichons and Dijon mustard gave the salad a 'kick' - which left me very glad to leave the 1/2 onion out that was recommended. I have plenty of salad left in the fridge and will be feasting for the next few days. I will be making this every summer!!

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/chunky-artichoke-and-chickpea-salad/

Basil & Corn Farro Salad

1 (8.5oz) package precooked farro
1 1/2 Tbs sherry vinegar
2 Tbs olive oil, divided
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup chopped basil

1) Heat farro according to package directions.
2) Combine vinegar, 1 Tbs olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and garlic in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk.
3) Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn to the pan; saute 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
4) In a large bowl, add cooked farro, corn and basil. Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Review: This recipe originated in the Cooking Light magazine. I don't subscribe to that, so I think this was one of the recipes that get forwarded to me by my in-laws (thanks!). It was my first introduction to farro. The recipe states precooked farro is made by Archer Farms, which is the Target store brand. Always nice to snag a bargain, but I didn't find this at my local Target. Instead I got a great deal on some farro at Trader Joe's, but I had to cook it. It's really fairly easy to cook and takes about 10-12 minutes. It reminds me a lot of puffed wheat cereal. It was a great grain to use in a salad. This particular salad was on the spicy side. I subbed red wine vinegar for the sherry vinegar (I didn't have that variety), which added to the tang. Primarily, the 'heat' came from the mustard, basil and garlic. It had a great flavor and made a lot of food. It's also tasty served cold, making it a nice summer salad for cookouts!

Adapted from:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/basil-corn-farro-salad