What do you think about at 5 o%u2019clock in the morning? Wait, are you awake at 5? Well I am and yes, I know that most people are not and think I am crazy for waking up so early, but it is and I do and whatever. Anyway, it%u2019s 5 o’clock and I am at the gym (yes, I wake up at 5 AND go to the gym) and me and my gym friend start talking about food (as usual) and what we were going to do with our Brussels sprouts that we got from the farm (I got her to join my CSA!). That is what I am usual thinking at 5. Food, and how to prepare it. And as the sprout conversation commerced, this is what materialized in my head. Crisp, crunchy fresh Brussels spouts, shredded up and tossed in a warm tangy cranberry sauce. My mouth was salivating and as usual, I left the gym hungry.
So I came home, drank all my coffee and then proceeded to make the sprout dish for lunch and let me tell you, this sprout slaw is amazing. Tangy and crunchy and all Brussels sprouty. It has a hardy salad feel without being heavy. It is a slaw that really get me, you know. (I actually don%u2019t know.)
Anyway, you should really get on the eating this Brussels sprouts slaw (or any Brussels sprouts dish) train now, before they go out of season and you end up buying kind of not great sprouts from the market that don%u2019t taste as good. Bad Brussels sprouts suck.
To the cranberry Brussels sprout slaw.
The stuff. Fresh Brussels sprouts, cranberries (fresh or frozen), some onion, balsamic vinegar, a little maple, dried cranberries and toasted walnuts, and salt and pepper.
Start with onion. Grab it and dice it nice and small.
Dump the onion into a skillet with a little pinch of salt and a splash of water and cook for a few minutes, just unit they are not raw anymore. Then add in the cranberries and 1/2 cup water. Cook on a low heat until the cranberries all pop and the sauce starts to thicken.
While cranberries are cooking, shred up the sprouts. Thin as you can get them.
Cranberries are now a thick and chunky sauce and oh so delicious. Add in the vinegar and maple here and give it a good stir and a taste test too. If it is too tart for your liking, add more maple. Think you might need a bit more vinegar, well splash it on it.
Now toss those shredded spouts it.
Stir it around. Season with salt and pepper and there it is.
Scoop into a bowl. Top with dried cranberries and walnuts and grab a fork.
This is good.
-C
serves 3-4 as a side or one person who wants to eat it all to themselves
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 a pound Brussels sprouts ( around 3 1/2- 4 cups shredded)
1 small or 1/2 a large onion
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or more to taste)
salt and pepper
1/2 -3/4 cup water
small handful dried cranberries (optional)
smal handfuls toasted walnuts (optional)
Start with dicing the onion up into small pieces. Place in a skillet with a small pinch of salt and a good splash of water and place on medium heat. Cook for a few minutes or until the water has evaporated and the onions are not raw. Add in the cranberries and 1/2 cup water. Keep on low heat and cook until the cranberries pop and start to thicken. If the cranberries are not cooked all the way and the water has evaporated out, just add another 1/2 cup.
While cranberries are cooking, shredded the Brussels sprouts, as thin as you can. A mandolin is great for this but a knife works too.
Once the cranberries have cooked down to a saucey consistency add in the vinegar and maple and stir around. Remove from heat and carefully taste the sauce. If you think it needs more maple or vinegar, add in another tablespoon until it tastes good to you. Dump in the shredded sprouts and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
And then it%u2019s done. You can dump it all into a bowl and sprinkle the dried cranberries and walnuts on top, or leave it in the skillet and do the same. Me,I scooped half into a bowl for pictures sake and ate the rest right out of the skillet. I then licked the skillet clean with my finger. Then ate the bowl full. SO good.
It%u2019s a smoothie. And no, we have never really been smoothie people in this house, but what can I say, sometimes smoothies happen, especially when you have about 20 ripe bananas in the fruit bowl with no room in the freezer and no need for 7 loafs of banana bread.
So I smoothied. And I like it (a lot).
This is a smoothie of simplicity. Nothing fancy. Simplest of simple. Straight to the point. And all sorts of good.
You might think, does this simple smoothie you speak of taste very good? Yes, yes indeed it does. It is all sorts of fantastic. Basically if you like creamy, nutty, oaty, bananery things, you will like this. And it%u2019s a perfect breakfast, snack, dessert, or just wanting a little treat like thing that is not garbage food. A smoothie of all smoothies with the most basic ingredients. And takes about 15 seconds to whip up. Can%u2019t complain about that.
To the smoothie goodness!
The stuff. A ripe banana, some old fashion rolled oats, a pinch of salt, water, and a smidge of maple syrup if you want it.
Everything goes into blender.
And blended until smooth. Hence the word smoothie.
Pour it into a cup (or if you are feeling primal, drink it straight from the blender%u2026 it%u2019s totally cool)
And done.
A banana oat smoothie.
Let the good time roll!
-C
makes 1 smoothie
1 very ripe banana
1/3 cup raw old fashion oats
1 1/2 cups water
pinch of salt
a tablespoon or two of any sweetener you like (optional)
a pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Place everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a cup, sprinkle with cinnamon if you wish, and drink right away.
Do you ever wake up first thing in the morning with a craving, a maybe somewhat strange food craving? Lately I have been waking up and within an hour of being up, I start to think about olives. My mouth starts to water and it%u2019s like I can almost taste the salty, briny, fattiness in my mouth, which in itself is kind of weird, but for me is really really weird because up until very recently I completely hated olives. Now, well now I just want to eat them all. And first thing in the morning.
I don%u2019t pretend to understand such things. My brain is going to do what it%u2019s going do. Tell me I like olives, well all right then.
Another thing I am desperately craving is freshy fresh greens which makes complete since because I always crave greens. I am still pretty deep in root veggies and cooked things because winter and Vermont and all, but all I really really really want to eat are buckets of greens. Any kind will do, but the sweet tender baby ones%u2026. So good.
And so I combined my two cravings, greens and olives and hit those craving like POW! BAM! POOF? A salad so simple yet so amazing and mouth watering. I outdid myself here.
To the bestest, most amazingly perfect salad yet!
The stuff. A big ol%u2019 bowl of greens. Black pitted olives, half an avocado, a lemon, toasted almonds, a chunk of red onion, a couple cloves garlic, and pepper.
Almond crumbs. Exactly what it sounds like. Place almonds into a clean food prosessor and pulse until they are crumbs.
Dump the almonds into a bowl. Don%u2019t bother cleaning it out, you are about to use it again. Olives, avocado, garlic, and all the juice of the lemon now get a go in the food processor. Pulsed together into a creamy, kinda of chunky but mostly smooth, mixture of amazing. Add a few tablespoons of cold water if the mixture seems really thick, but other then that, you be done.
Very thinly slice up red onion and slice up a few extra olives.
All here, all ready to go. Just got to toss it together now.
Greens, some slices olives and onion tossed all together in a good amount of the olive avocado goodness then topped with a hardy helping of almond crumbs. Fresh pepper to finish it off.
I was barely able to stop myself from eating it all before snapping a few pictures.
All of my cravings come true%u2026
It%u2019s salad time!
-C
Makes enough dressing and crumbs to feed 2-4 people
1/2 of a ripe avocado
1 cup pitted black olives
1 lemon
2-3 tablespoons cold water
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup toasted almonds
2-4 large handfuls of fresh greens (I used a mixture of baby spinach, baby chard, and baby kale. Spring mix or even chopped leaf lettuce would be grand as well)
about 1/2 a small red onion
pepper to taste
Place almonds in food processor and pulse until they are crumbly. Not to fine, a few big chunks are good.. Remove and set aside
Roughly chop the garlic and place in the food processor (no need to clean it out after the almonds). Add in the avocado and most of the olives (leave few behind to slice up). Add in the juice of the lemon. Pulse until mixture is combined but with little specks of olive left.or completely smooth if you wanted too. Scoop out into a container. You want it to be slightly loos so it will mix well with the greens. If the mixture seems really thick, add in a a few tablespoons of cold water to thin out.
Grab the onion and remaining olives and thinly slice.
Now to assemble salad. Place a handful of clean greens into a bowl. Toss a some onions and extra sliced olives into greens. Add as little or as much olive avocado dressing as desired then sprinkle as much or as little of the almond crumbs all over that. Top with freshly find pepper
Then eat it.
It’s melon season!%u00a0The past few farm shares have included at least 2,, if not 4, watermelons and cantaloupes… Can you imagine. eating 4 watermelons a week? That’s a tall order, even for someone like me who could probably eat a whole watermelon in one sitting, it’s just doing it 4 times a week might be a problem. %u00a0It’s a whole lot of melon and not enough stomach, you know what I mean?%u00a0
So what do I do with so much melon? Well first off, whenever anyone comes over I try to get them to %u00a0eat as much of it as they can, which helps a great deal. Secondly, I cut it up and freeze some. But here is the thing, I love eating chunks of frozen cantaloupe, but frozen watermelon,%u00a0never been my favorite so I usually just pass on sticking in the freezer, until now.
There is something magical that happens when you stick the frozen watermelon and cantaloupe together into a blender and making it into a slushy. It’s like eating a ray of sunshine or maybe even a rainbow, just really satisfying and juicy, and sweet but not overly sweet, and just really freaking good. Especially with all the stupid hot and humid weather we have had lately, these slushies have really been hitting the spot. %u00a0Even the mr who says he dislikes watermelon was all into these melon slushies. (he likes things that he says he doesn’t like all the time. I am pretty sure he is taste confused) Like %u00a0he was really into them. Usually I have to prompt him to tell me how something tastes, but not the slushy, he told me right away how good it was. I was like, I know dude, I just drank 2 of them myself. And I could have drank 2 more but I was trying to not get tot far ahead of myself. Moderation is key, plus I didn’t;t have any more of the melons frozen. Time to restock the freezer.%u00a0
Go make yourself a slushy, it’s juicy deliciousness will make you happy.%u00a0
The stuff. Watermelon and cantaloupe. There should be a lime in there too but it must have rolled away….%u00a0
Chop some of each of the melon up, remove the rinds, and place on a big baking sheet and stick into the freezer until frozen. You can do as little as 2 cups %u00a0of each or as much as a whole melon, it’s up to you. (I suggest freezing extra)
Frozen melon. And now you can slushy.
Equal parts watermelon and cantaloupe go into blender, along with the juice of half (or more to taste)%u00a0a lime and you are probably going to need to add about 1/2 a cup of water, to help the blender blend it all together. %u00a0And that’s it. You blend until it’s all slushy.
Pour into cups, garnish with a lime and/or little chunks of melon and you are good as golden.%u00a0
From now on, or until summer is over and I run out of melon, I will be keeping the freezer stocked, especially because I know that the next few weeks are suppose to be stupid hot again.%u00a0
Waterloupe slushies. Summertime goodness.%u00a0
-C
about 2 cups %u00a0of a watermelon
about 2 cups of a cantaloupe%u00a0
1 lime
1/2- 1 cup water%u00a0
Note. The amounts above are for two%u00a0 2 cup slushies. You can, and should,%u00a0freeze a crap load more melon for future slushies. %u00a0Also, no one would fault you for maybe adding a little nip of some clear alcohol to this slushy situation to make it more of an adult drink……
Cut up a watermelon and a cantalopjue. Eat some and reserve at least 2 cups of each. Remove the rinds from the melons and cut into cubes. Place melon on a baking sheet and stick into the freezer until frozen.%u00a0
Once frozen,%u00a0place equal parts frozen watermelon and cantaloupe into the blender with the juice of a lime. Turn blender on. Slowly add in water until the blender can handle blending the frozen fruit. Blend until smooth. Pour into cups, garnish if you want with more melon and lime, then get to drinking.%u00a0
Cucumber melon is a classic food pairing. It also reminds me of when I was a young tween, stealing my older sisters cucumber melon face mask that you smeared all over your face, let dry, then peeled off like a layer of skin. I remember thinking that that stuff was the shit and if my sisters where using it, then I really should start using it too before I got an old lady face. Plus it was cool to peel off and made me feel grown up because I was taking care of my skin. So steal it I would until I eventually started buying it myself. Then one day I realized, I could get the same results with a bottle of Elmers glue and also I didn’t really want to spend my money on face mask when I could be buying other unmentionable things.%u00a0%u00a0And that was the end of that.%u00a0
I wonder if they still sell that shit…. I wouldn’t buy it though cause you know it is probably really is just sweet smelling glue. Plus it’s to late for me. I am already old. Ha.%u00a0
Anyway. Back to the cucumber, cantaloupe, avocado, mint salad. What can I say that the name doesn’t? That is is f-ing fantastic and refreshing and easy to through together and required ZERO heat to make. Also that on the hottest of hot and nasty days, this here combination , what with the refreshing mint and crisp clean flavors of the cucumber and melon, really can make a shitty day feel a little less shitty, maybe even %u00a0a little brighter. I don’t know about you, but this past super hot heat wave week was hard for food, like I didn’t really want to eat anything. This salad was fresh and clean enough to eat all day, everyday. It was so good, even the mr liked it and he says he hates fruit in any salad situation. (I have called bullshit in this so many times. He actually does like it, he just wants to give me a hard time.)%u00a0
Fresh crisp, all sorts of refreshing. A true blue summer salad. Get on it.%u00a0
The stuff. Some cantaloupe, a cucumber or two, an avocado, a lemon, mint, cracked pepper, and even though it’s not in the picture, sea salt.
Remove seeds and rind from cantaloupe then chop into small mouth sized pieces ans toss it into a bowl.
Cut the cucumber up into simutlar sized pieces as cantaloupe and toss into bowl.
. I ended up only using %u00a0one and a half of the cucumbers so the cucumber/ cantaloupe ratio was the same. Plus I wanted to eat the half of cucumber tight then and there.. so I did.%u00a0
Scoop the avocado meat onto the cutting board. Sprinkle it with sea salt and a little squueze of lemon juice and roughly chop. You don’t want it mashed, but a little mashy avocado is good. Perfect cubes are ok too. You do you.
Mince some mint leaves. You know where they go.
It’s all there. Cantaloupe, cucumbers, avocado, mint. Salt and pepper and all the lemon juice. Now just stir it up and you are good to go.%u00a0
A simple summer dish. No heat, not sweat, just fresh and clean goodness.
Stay cool friends.
-C
Serve 2-3%u00a0
1/4- 1/2 of a fresh cantaloupe%u00a0
1-2 thinned skinned %u00a0cucumbers (like 2 Persian or 1 English)%u00a0
1ripe avocado
1 lemon
15 -ish mint leaves
sea salt and cracked pepper%u00a0
Note. This salad is so simple and easy and really, you can adjust the quantities of any of the ingredients to your liking. You could also try subing basil or dill %u00a0for mint leaves and you could use any other type of melon for the cantaloupe.%u00a0
Remove seeds and rind from melon and cut into small mouth sized pieces and place into a big bowl. Cut cucumber(s) into small mouth sized pieces (same size as cantaloupe) and toss into bowl. Scope the meat of the avocado onto cutting board, add a sprinkle of sea salt and %u00a0a little squeeze of lemon juice and with your knife, roughlycut/ slighty mash it into a chunky pile. Scope the avocado into the bowl. %u00a0Mince the mint leaves and add those to the salad. Lastly, squeeze the juice of the lemon all into that bowl too.%u00a0Grab a spoon and mix it all together. Sprinkle with pepper, a pinch more sea salt (to taste) and thats that.
Eat. Left over s last a day or two in fridge but you should just probably just eat it all right away.%u00a0
I made this salad about a week ago right before the mr and I left town for the weekend. I had just gotten 2 very large canary watermelons from the farm, and had a million cucumbers and a trillion tomatoes from the garden. If a trillion tomatoes seems like a lot it is. But that is how many I had, and still do (this years garden just won’t quit) And with counters of all the fruit and veggies that I could possible want at one given time, we needed to eat some up before we left. But I really wanted watermelon and felt guilty about cutting into one when I would be fine left for a while and there were a million ripe and ready tomatoes to eat that would not last the weekend fresh. But guess what, went for it anyway and cut up a watermelon because damn it, I really wanted watermelon.
So a bazillion tomatoes (notice how the number keeps getting bigger, that’s because it’s truth) a million cucumbers, and now a watermelon that needs to be eaten. Salad it will be. (I had the littles over to eat the rest of the watermelon, they will always help a lady out)
A big ass fruity, citrus-y, crispy, tangy salad. A party of all these fresh fantastic flavors all up in your mouth. The first time I made this, I thought there was a chance the mr might not like it, but as it turns out he like it very very much, enough to eat the whole entire big ass bowl of it. (I got a few measly little bits) I have since made this salad two other times and know well enough to save myself a bowl of my own. The mr forgets to share.
The stuff. Watermelon (I used a canary but a red watermelon works too) onion, cucumber and tomatoes. A jalapeno for a little heat, fresh basil and mint, a lemon and salt and pepper.
First the watermelon. You probably don’t want to eat the rind so remove that and chop up the fruit into mouth sized pieces. IF you have a really seedy melon, just remove what you can see and save them for roasting later (yes roast the seeds.. they are fantastic)
Now the cucumber, onion and jalapeno get their turn to be chopped up. Cucumber into smallish pieces. Onion thin and small pieces and jalapeno into very tiny little pieces. After those go into bowl, it’s tomato time. Just cut up into into mouth sided pieces and into the bowl too.
Red, yellow, and green tomatoes. The colors are so PRETTY!
Mint and bail minces up nice .
Topped with all the fresh herbs, salt and pepper, and lemon juice.
A thing of beauty and tastes better then it looks. A salad worth making over and over and lots of it too.
Make sure to save yourself a bowl if sharing, you might not get any otherwise.
Have a great weekend
-C
serves between 2-4 people
1/4 of a canary watermelon (around 3 cups cubed)
1 cucumber
2-3 tomatoes of any variety
1/2 of an onion (red or sweet white)
handful of fresh basil and mint
1 small jalapeno
1 lemon
salt and pepper
Take watermelon and remove rind then cut the melon into mouth sized chunks. If you melon has seeds, remove what you can (save for later to roast) and place into a large bowl. Grab cucumbers and cut into mouth sized chunks. Thinly slice onion into long thin ribbons then into smaller pieces and then cut up jalapeno.%u00a0 To cut the jalapeno, remove stem, cut in half length wise, then scrap the seeds and ribs from the inside out. Dice the pepper into very small pieces and toss everything you just cut up into the bowl with the melon.%u00a0 Tomatoes now get cut into chunks and those go into the bowl too. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and the juice of the lemon. Cut or chop fresh basil and mint up and add on in. Mix it all up and that’s that.
All at once is how it goes. The garden is all star fantastic and just won’t quit.%u00a0 I find myself picking 4-6 cucumbers and the same in squash every morning. The tomatoes plant are a freaking jungle and there are so so so many tomatoes, all just about to ripen. The kale is doing it’s thing, growing big and green and I pick a few handfuls a day. And then there are all the beets and carrots and cabbage,chard, and kidney beans. It’s big, and prolific and amazing. I am much proud of myself for growing a shit load of awesomeness.
And then there is the farm share. I get all my garden stuff times 10. Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, kale. Not to mention the corn, onion, carrots, and herbs and all the flowers. The food keeps on coming.%u00a0 I live in a house, with a big kitchen, with lots of counter and a full sized fridge, yet I still don’t have a place for it all. The squash overflow has now made it’s way to the dinning room. But I am not complaining.
The new rule that I have instated in the house. Every meal must contain at least two tomatoes, a cucumber, and some kale. Want a snack, grab a zucchini. You thirsty? well eat a cucumber. No joke. I get a little stressed out about how much food is around that needs to be eaten or canned, but that is good stress. I am on the lookout for a chest freezer to help with the stress. I promised myself that I would have one by now so I need to get on that asap.
Summer harvest. This is the time of year that I gain a few pounds. It’s a zucchini tomato belly for sure.
And this salad. I am a huge fan of the B.A.S (big ass salad). A big ass bowl of all the goodness from farm and garden plus some lentil protein and a little good avocado fat. Fresh and clean and delicious. Makes you feel all good when you eat it.%u00a0 So go for it. Eat yourself a B.A.S. you wont regret it.
The stuff. Cucumbers (that is a white cucumber and it’s really tasty) tomatoes, some kale, parsley, and cilantro. Also need some onion, cooked lentils, and at least half an avocado. Salt. pepper, and red wine vinegar for the finish.
Kale. parsley, and cilantro get a good rough chop and then tossed into a big ass bowl.
Cucumber, onion, and tomatoes get their turn next and chopped into mouth sized pieces. Into the bowl as well.
Top it all with cooked lentil, some avocado, and a glug glug of vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Now all you need is a fork.
All the summertime in a bowl. Here’s to summer bellies!
-C
2 cucumbers
2 small or 1 large tomato
1/2 of an onion
1 cup cooked lentil
1/2 an avocado
3-4 large kale leaves
handful fresh cilantro
handful fresh parsley
red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
First off, grab a really big bowl. Take herbs and kale and chop into small pieces. Place in bowl. Next dice up you onion, tomato, and cucumbers into mouth sized pieces and toss those into bowl. Dump the cooked lentils on top of that and dice the avocado (I used half but you can use whole one) into little pieces and through that on too. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and a glug (about a table spoon or two) of vinegar.
Now mix until all combines. Taste and if needed, add more salt, pepper, and/or vinegar.
Now its done. Grab a fork and eat to your face.
There seems to be a misconception about rhubarb., that it is only good to eat if it’s in a pie. I have offered many a people a few stalks over the past few weeks but everyone says that they don’t want to make a pie (but I could make one for them) My response is always “make your own damn pie!” and “do you really think that pie is the only way to eat rhubarb?” They answer with yes. Oh my oh my people, your missing out.
So here I am telling you that rhubarb does not need to be made into a pie (but is great made into a pie) Rhubarb is so much more then that and can be used in all sort of sweet things, but also all sorts of savory things too. Like this slaw. Mixing some fresh rhubarb into an ordinary bowl of veggies brings a nice bright tart freshness that taste like spring and all things good.
And if you, like me, have a shit ton of rhubarb growing in the yard, you find all sorts of great ways to eat it up.
Rhubarb coleslaw. Keeping things fresh.
The stuff. Rhubarb, cabbage, a couple carrots ans an onion. Apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, a lemon and some honey to round it all out.
Start by heating up the vinegar. This can be done on stove or in the microwave… I used the microwave (one less dish) Once the vinegar is good and hot, mix in the honey until it dissolves
Thinly slice the rhubarb stalks then cut into short pieces.
Rhubarb goes into bowl to get the fist soak of the warm vinegar.
Julienne or finely chop the cabbage, onion, and carrots into pieces that you think will fit into your mouth nicely.
All those veggies join the rhubarb in the bowl. In goes the zest and juice of lemon and some salt and pepper.
Toss it all around.%u00a0 And let sit. 20 minutes, 3 hours, or overnight. This is one of those salads that tastes better with a time.
But you can eat it whenever because it will taste good whenever.
Enjoy the weekend, eat some rhubarb.
-C
2-3 stalks rhubarb
1 small or half or a large head of cabbage
1 small red onion
2 carrots
1 lemon
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey or agave
salt and pepper
Place vinegar in a microwave safe dish and heat for about 2 minutes. Or you can also heat it in a pot on the stove. Place hot vinegar in a large bowl and mix in the honey until it’s fully dissolved.
Slice the rhubarb stalks thin and short. Place rhubarb into warm vinegar, mix around and set aside. Shred the cabbage, thinly slice the onion, and julienne or thinly slice the carrots and cut into short pieces. Place all this good stuff into the bowl with the rhubarb. Add in the zest and juice of the lemon and sprinkle with about a teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Toss it all around and let it sit for at least a 20 minutes so all the flavors meld together. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Tastes even better made a day ahead and places in the fridge.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
December 30, 2019 by maximios • Blog
What do you think about at 5 o%u2019clock in the morning? Wait, are you awake at 5? Well I am and yes, I know that most people are not and think I am crazy for waking up so early, but it is and I do and whatever. Anyway, it%u2019s 5 o’clock and I am at the gym (yes, I wake up at 5 AND go to the gym) and me and my gym friend start talking about food (as usual) and what we were going to do with our Brussels sprouts that we got from the farm (I got her to join my CSA!). That is what I am usual thinking at 5. Food, and how to prepare it. And as the sprout conversation commerced, this is what materialized in my head. Crisp, crunchy fresh Brussels spouts, shredded up and tossed in a warm tangy cranberry sauce. My mouth was salivating and as usual, I left the gym hungry.
So I came home, drank all my coffee and then proceeded to make the sprout dish for lunch and let me tell you, this sprout slaw is amazing. Tangy and crunchy and all Brussels sprouty. It has a hardy salad feel without being heavy. It is a slaw that really get me, you know. (I actually don%u2019t know.)
Anyway, you should really get on the eating this Brussels sprouts slaw (or any Brussels sprouts dish) train now, before they go out of season and you end up buying kind of not great sprouts from the market that don%u2019t taste as good. Bad Brussels sprouts suck.
To the cranberry Brussels sprout slaw.
The stuff. Fresh Brussels sprouts, cranberries (fresh or frozen), some onion, balsamic vinegar, a little maple, dried cranberries and toasted walnuts, and salt and pepper.
Start with onion. Grab it and dice it nice and small.
Dump the onion into a skillet with a little pinch of salt and a splash of water and cook for a few minutes, just unit they are not raw anymore. Then add in the cranberries and 1/2 cup water. Cook on a low heat until the cranberries all pop and the sauce starts to thicken.
While cranberries are cooking, shred up the sprouts. Thin as you can get them.
Cranberries are now a thick and chunky sauce and oh so delicious. Add in the vinegar and maple here and give it a good stir and a taste test too. If it is too tart for your liking, add more maple. Think you might need a bit more vinegar, well splash it on it.
Now toss those shredded spouts it.
Stir it around. Season with salt and pepper and there it is.
Scoop into a bowl. Top with dried cranberries and walnuts and grab a fork.
This is good.
-C
serves 3-4 as a side or one person who wants to eat it all to themselves
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 a pound Brussels sprouts ( around 3 1/2- 4 cups shredded)
1 small or 1/2 a large onion
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or more to taste)
salt and pepper
1/2 -3/4 cup water
small handful dried cranberries (optional)
smal handfuls toasted walnuts (optional)
Start with dicing the onion up into small pieces. Place in a skillet with a small pinch of salt and a good splash of water and place on medium heat. Cook for a few minutes or until the water has evaporated and the onions are not raw. Add in the cranberries and 1/2 cup water. Keep on low heat and cook until the cranberries pop and start to thicken. If the cranberries are not cooked all the way and the water has evaporated out, just add another 1/2 cup.
While cranberries are cooking, shredded the Brussels sprouts, as thin as you can. A mandolin is great for this but a knife works too.
Once the cranberries have cooked down to a saucey consistency add in the vinegar and maple and stir around. Remove from heat and carefully taste the sauce. If you think it needs more maple or vinegar, add in another tablespoon until it tastes good to you. Dump in the shredded sprouts and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
And then it%u2019s done. You can dump it all into a bowl and sprinkle the dried cranberries and walnuts on top, or leave it in the skillet and do the same. Me,I scooped half into a bowl for pictures sake and ate the rest right out of the skillet. I then licked the skillet clean with my finger. Then ate the bowl full. SO good.
It%u2019s a smoothie. And no, we have never really been smoothie people in this house, but what can I say, sometimes smoothies happen, especially when you have about 20 ripe bananas in the fruit bowl with no room in the freezer and no need for 7 loafs of banana bread.
So I smoothied. And I like it (a lot).
This is a smoothie of simplicity. Nothing fancy. Simplest of simple. Straight to the point. And all sorts of good.
You might think, does this simple smoothie you speak of taste very good? Yes, yes indeed it does. It is all sorts of fantastic. Basically if you like creamy, nutty, oaty, bananery things, you will like this. And it%u2019s a perfect breakfast, snack, dessert, or just wanting a little treat like thing that is not garbage food. A smoothie of all smoothies with the most basic ingredients. And takes about 15 seconds to whip up. Can%u2019t complain about that.
To the smoothie goodness!
The stuff. A ripe banana, some old fashion rolled oats, a pinch of salt, water, and a smidge of maple syrup if you want it.
Everything goes into blender.
And blended until smooth. Hence the word smoothie.
Pour it into a cup (or if you are feeling primal, drink it straight from the blender%u2026 it%u2019s totally cool)
And done.
A banana oat smoothie.
Let the good time roll!
-C
makes 1 smoothie
1 very ripe banana
1/3 cup raw old fashion oats
1 1/2 cups water
pinch of salt
a tablespoon or two of any sweetener you like (optional)
a pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Place everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a cup, sprinkle with cinnamon if you wish, and drink right away.
Do you ever wake up first thing in the morning with a craving, a maybe somewhat strange food craving? Lately I have been waking up and within an hour of being up, I start to think about olives. My mouth starts to water and it%u2019s like I can almost taste the salty, briny, fattiness in my mouth, which in itself is kind of weird, but for me is really really weird because up until very recently I completely hated olives. Now, well now I just want to eat them all. And first thing in the morning.
I don%u2019t pretend to understand such things. My brain is going to do what it%u2019s going do. Tell me I like olives, well all right then.
Another thing I am desperately craving is freshy fresh greens which makes complete since because I always crave greens. I am still pretty deep in root veggies and cooked things because winter and Vermont and all, but all I really really really want to eat are buckets of greens. Any kind will do, but the sweet tender baby ones%u2026. So good.
And so I combined my two cravings, greens and olives and hit those craving like POW! BAM! POOF? A salad so simple yet so amazing and mouth watering. I outdid myself here.
To the bestest, most amazingly perfect salad yet!
The stuff. A big ol%u2019 bowl of greens. Black pitted olives, half an avocado, a lemon, toasted almonds, a chunk of red onion, a couple cloves garlic, and pepper.
Almond crumbs. Exactly what it sounds like. Place almonds into a clean food prosessor and pulse until they are crumbs.
Dump the almonds into a bowl. Don%u2019t bother cleaning it out, you are about to use it again. Olives, avocado, garlic, and all the juice of the lemon now get a go in the food processor. Pulsed together into a creamy, kinda of chunky but mostly smooth, mixture of amazing. Add a few tablespoons of cold water if the mixture seems really thick, but other then that, you be done.
Very thinly slice up red onion and slice up a few extra olives.
All here, all ready to go. Just got to toss it together now.
Greens, some slices olives and onion tossed all together in a good amount of the olive avocado goodness then topped with a hardy helping of almond crumbs. Fresh pepper to finish it off.
I was barely able to stop myself from eating it all before snapping a few pictures.
All of my cravings come true%u2026
It%u2019s salad time!
-C
Makes enough dressing and crumbs to feed 2-4 people
1/2 of a ripe avocado
1 cup pitted black olives
1 lemon
2-3 tablespoons cold water
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup toasted almonds
2-4 large handfuls of fresh greens (I used a mixture of baby spinach, baby chard, and baby kale. Spring mix or even chopped leaf lettuce would be grand as well)
about 1/2 a small red onion
pepper to taste
Place almonds in food processor and pulse until they are crumbly. Not to fine, a few big chunks are good.. Remove and set aside
Roughly chop the garlic and place in the food processor (no need to clean it out after the almonds). Add in the avocado and most of the olives (leave few behind to slice up). Add in the juice of the lemon. Pulse until mixture is combined but with little specks of olive left.or completely smooth if you wanted too. Scoop out into a container. You want it to be slightly loos so it will mix well with the greens. If the mixture seems really thick, add in a a few tablespoons of cold water to thin out.
Grab the onion and remaining olives and thinly slice.
Now to assemble salad. Place a handful of clean greens into a bowl. Toss a some onions and extra sliced olives into greens. Add as little or as much olive avocado dressing as desired then sprinkle as much or as little of the almond crumbs all over that. Top with freshly find pepper
Then eat it.
It’s melon season!%u00a0The past few farm shares have included at least 2,, if not 4, watermelons and cantaloupes… Can you imagine. eating 4 watermelons a week? That’s a tall order, even for someone like me who could probably eat a whole watermelon in one sitting, it’s just doing it 4 times a week might be a problem. %u00a0It’s a whole lot of melon and not enough stomach, you know what I mean?%u00a0
So what do I do with so much melon? Well first off, whenever anyone comes over I try to get them to %u00a0eat as much of it as they can, which helps a great deal. Secondly, I cut it up and freeze some. But here is the thing, I love eating chunks of frozen cantaloupe, but frozen watermelon,%u00a0never been my favorite so I usually just pass on sticking in the freezer, until now.
There is something magical that happens when you stick the frozen watermelon and cantaloupe together into a blender and making it into a slushy. It’s like eating a ray of sunshine or maybe even a rainbow, just really satisfying and juicy, and sweet but not overly sweet, and just really freaking good. Especially with all the stupid hot and humid weather we have had lately, these slushies have really been hitting the spot. %u00a0Even the mr who says he dislikes watermelon was all into these melon slushies. (he likes things that he says he doesn’t like all the time. I am pretty sure he is taste confused) Like %u00a0he was really into them. Usually I have to prompt him to tell me how something tastes, but not the slushy, he told me right away how good it was. I was like, I know dude, I just drank 2 of them myself. And I could have drank 2 more but I was trying to not get tot far ahead of myself. Moderation is key, plus I didn’t;t have any more of the melons frozen. Time to restock the freezer.%u00a0
Go make yourself a slushy, it’s juicy deliciousness will make you happy.%u00a0
The stuff. Watermelon and cantaloupe. There should be a lime in there too but it must have rolled away….%u00a0
Chop some of each of the melon up, remove the rinds, and place on a big baking sheet and stick into the freezer until frozen. You can do as little as 2 cups %u00a0of each or as much as a whole melon, it’s up to you. (I suggest freezing extra)
Frozen melon. And now you can slushy.
Equal parts watermelon and cantaloupe go into blender, along with the juice of half (or more to taste)%u00a0a lime and you are probably going to need to add about 1/2 a cup of water, to help the blender blend it all together. %u00a0And that’s it. You blend until it’s all slushy.
Pour into cups, garnish with a lime and/or little chunks of melon and you are good as golden.%u00a0
From now on, or until summer is over and I run out of melon, I will be keeping the freezer stocked, especially because I know that the next few weeks are suppose to be stupid hot again.%u00a0
Waterloupe slushies. Summertime goodness.%u00a0
-C
Note. The amounts above are for two%u00a0 2 cup slushies. You can, and should,%u00a0freeze a crap load more melon for future slushies. %u00a0Also, no one would fault you for maybe adding a little nip of some clear alcohol to this slushy situation to make it more of an adult drink……
Cut up a watermelon and a cantalopjue. Eat some and reserve at least 2 cups of each. Remove the rinds from the melons and cut into cubes. Place melon on a baking sheet and stick into the freezer until frozen.%u00a0
Once frozen,%u00a0place equal parts frozen watermelon and cantaloupe into the blender with the juice of a lime. Turn blender on. Slowly add in water until the blender can handle blending the frozen fruit. Blend until smooth. Pour into cups, garnish if you want with more melon and lime, then get to drinking.%u00a0
Cucumber melon is a classic food pairing. It also reminds me of when I was a young tween, stealing my older sisters cucumber melon face mask that you smeared all over your face, let dry, then peeled off like a layer of skin. I remember thinking that that stuff was the shit and if my sisters where using it, then I really should start using it too before I got an old lady face. Plus it was cool to peel off and made me feel grown up because I was taking care of my skin. So steal it I would until I eventually started buying it myself. Then one day I realized, I could get the same results with a bottle of Elmers glue and also I didn’t really want to spend my money on face mask when I could be buying other unmentionable things.%u00a0%u00a0And that was the end of that.%u00a0
I wonder if they still sell that shit…. I wouldn’t buy it though cause you know it is probably really is just sweet smelling glue. Plus it’s to late for me. I am already old. Ha.%u00a0
Anyway. Back to the cucumber, cantaloupe, avocado, mint salad. What can I say that the name doesn’t? That is is f-ing fantastic and refreshing and easy to through together and required ZERO heat to make. Also that on the hottest of hot and nasty days, this here combination , what with the refreshing mint and crisp clean flavors of the cucumber and melon, really can make a shitty day feel a little less shitty, maybe even %u00a0a little brighter. I don’t know about you, but this past super hot heat wave week was hard for food, like I didn’t really want to eat anything. This salad was fresh and clean enough to eat all day, everyday. It was so good, even the mr liked it and he says he hates fruit in any salad situation. (I have called bullshit in this so many times. He actually does like it, he just wants to give me a hard time.)%u00a0
Fresh crisp, all sorts of refreshing. A true blue summer salad. Get on it.%u00a0
The stuff. Some cantaloupe, a cucumber or two, an avocado, a lemon, mint, cracked pepper, and even though it’s not in the picture, sea salt.
Remove seeds and rind from cantaloupe then chop into small mouth sized pieces ans toss it into a bowl.
Cut the cucumber up into simutlar sized pieces as cantaloupe and toss into bowl.
. I ended up only using %u00a0one and a half of the cucumbers so the cucumber/ cantaloupe ratio was the same. Plus I wanted to eat the half of cucumber tight then and there.. so I did.%u00a0
Scoop the avocado meat onto the cutting board. Sprinkle it with sea salt and a little squueze of lemon juice and roughly chop. You don’t want it mashed, but a little mashy avocado is good. Perfect cubes are ok too. You do you.
Mince some mint leaves. You know where they go.
It’s all there. Cantaloupe, cucumbers, avocado, mint. Salt and pepper and all the lemon juice. Now just stir it up and you are good to go.%u00a0
A simple summer dish. No heat, not sweat, just fresh and clean goodness.
Stay cool friends.
-C
Serve 2-3%u00a0
Note. This salad is so simple and easy and really, you can adjust the quantities of any of the ingredients to your liking. You could also try subing basil or dill %u00a0for mint leaves and you could use any other type of melon for the cantaloupe.%u00a0
Remove seeds and rind from melon and cut into small mouth sized pieces and place into a big bowl. Cut cucumber(s) into small mouth sized pieces (same size as cantaloupe) and toss into bowl. Scope the meat of the avocado onto cutting board, add a sprinkle of sea salt and %u00a0a little squeeze of lemon juice and with your knife, roughlycut/ slighty mash it into a chunky pile. Scope the avocado into the bowl. %u00a0Mince the mint leaves and add those to the salad. Lastly, squeeze the juice of the lemon all into that bowl too.%u00a0Grab a spoon and mix it all together. Sprinkle with pepper, a pinch more sea salt (to taste) and thats that.
Eat. Left over s last a day or two in fridge but you should just probably just eat it all right away.%u00a0
I made this salad about a week ago right before the mr and I left town for the weekend. I had just gotten 2 very large canary watermelons from the farm, and had a million cucumbers and a trillion tomatoes from the garden. If a trillion tomatoes seems like a lot it is. But that is how many I had, and still do (this years garden just won’t quit) And with counters of all the fruit and veggies that I could possible want at one given time, we needed to eat some up before we left. But I really wanted watermelon and felt guilty about cutting into one when I would be fine left for a while and there were a million ripe and ready tomatoes to eat that would not last the weekend fresh. But guess what, went for it anyway and cut up a watermelon because damn it, I really wanted watermelon.
So a bazillion tomatoes (notice how the number keeps getting bigger, that’s because it’s truth) a million cucumbers, and now a watermelon that needs to be eaten. Salad it will be. (I had the littles over to eat the rest of the watermelon, they will always help a lady out)
A big ass fruity, citrus-y, crispy, tangy salad. A party of all these fresh fantastic flavors all up in your mouth. The first time I made this, I thought there was a chance the mr might not like it, but as it turns out he like it very very much, enough to eat the whole entire big ass bowl of it. (I got a few measly little bits) I have since made this salad two other times and know well enough to save myself a bowl of my own. The mr forgets to share.
The stuff. Watermelon (I used a canary but a red watermelon works too) onion, cucumber and tomatoes. A jalapeno for a little heat, fresh basil and mint, a lemon and salt and pepper.
First the watermelon. You probably don’t want to eat the rind so remove that and chop up the fruit into mouth sized pieces. IF you have a really seedy melon, just remove what you can see and save them for roasting later (yes roast the seeds.. they are fantastic)
Now the cucumber, onion and jalapeno get their turn to be chopped up. Cucumber into smallish pieces. Onion thin and small pieces and jalapeno into very tiny little pieces. After those go into bowl, it’s tomato time. Just cut up into into mouth sided pieces and into the bowl too.
Red, yellow, and green tomatoes. The colors are so PRETTY!
Mint and bail minces up nice .
Topped with all the fresh herbs, salt and pepper, and lemon juice.
A thing of beauty and tastes better then it looks. A salad worth making over and over and lots of it too.
Make sure to save yourself a bowl if sharing, you might not get any otherwise.
Have a great weekend
-C
serves between 2-4 people
Take watermelon and remove rind then cut the melon into mouth sized chunks. If you melon has seeds, remove what you can (save for later to roast) and place into a large bowl. Grab cucumbers and cut into mouth sized chunks. Thinly slice onion into long thin ribbons then into smaller pieces and then cut up jalapeno.%u00a0 To cut the jalapeno, remove stem, cut in half length wise, then scrap the seeds and ribs from the inside out. Dice the pepper into very small pieces and toss everything you just cut up into the bowl with the melon.%u00a0 Tomatoes now get cut into chunks and those go into the bowl too. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and the juice of the lemon. Cut or chop fresh basil and mint up and add on in. Mix it all up and that’s that.
All at once is how it goes. The garden is all star fantastic and just won’t quit.%u00a0 I find myself picking 4-6 cucumbers and the same in squash every morning. The tomatoes plant are a freaking jungle and there are so so so many tomatoes, all just about to ripen. The kale is doing it’s thing, growing big and green and I pick a few handfuls a day. And then there are all the beets and carrots and cabbage,chard, and kidney beans. It’s big, and prolific and amazing. I am much proud of myself for growing a shit load of awesomeness.
And then there is the farm share. I get all my garden stuff times 10. Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, kale. Not to mention the corn, onion, carrots, and herbs and all the flowers. The food keeps on coming.%u00a0 I live in a house, with a big kitchen, with lots of counter and a full sized fridge, yet I still don’t have a place for it all. The squash overflow has now made it’s way to the dinning room. But I am not complaining.
The new rule that I have instated in the house. Every meal must contain at least two tomatoes, a cucumber, and some kale. Want a snack, grab a zucchini. You thirsty? well eat a cucumber. No joke. I get a little stressed out about how much food is around that needs to be eaten or canned, but that is good stress. I am on the lookout for a chest freezer to help with the stress. I promised myself that I would have one by now so I need to get on that asap.
Summer harvest. This is the time of year that I gain a few pounds. It’s a zucchini tomato belly for sure.
And this salad. I am a huge fan of the B.A.S (big ass salad). A big ass bowl of all the goodness from farm and garden plus some lentil protein and a little good avocado fat. Fresh and clean and delicious. Makes you feel all good when you eat it.%u00a0 So go for it. Eat yourself a B.A.S. you wont regret it.
The stuff. Cucumbers (that is a white cucumber and it’s really tasty) tomatoes, some kale, parsley, and cilantro. Also need some onion, cooked lentils, and at least half an avocado. Salt. pepper, and red wine vinegar for the finish.
Kale. parsley, and cilantro get a good rough chop and then tossed into a big ass bowl.
Cucumber, onion, and tomatoes get their turn next and chopped into mouth sized pieces. Into the bowl as well.
Top it all with cooked lentil, some avocado, and a glug glug of vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Now all you need is a fork.
All the summertime in a bowl. Here’s to summer bellies!
-C
First off, grab a really big bowl. Take herbs and kale and chop into small pieces. Place in bowl. Next dice up you onion, tomato, and cucumbers into mouth sized pieces and toss those into bowl. Dump the cooked lentils on top of that and dice the avocado (I used half but you can use whole one) into little pieces and through that on too. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and a glug (about a table spoon or two) of vinegar.
Now mix until all combines. Taste and if needed, add more salt, pepper, and/or vinegar.
Now its done. Grab a fork and eat to your face.
There seems to be a misconception about rhubarb., that it is only good to eat if it’s in a pie. I have offered many a people a few stalks over the past few weeks but everyone says that they don’t want to make a pie (but I could make one for them) My response is always “make your own damn pie!” and “do you really think that pie is the only way to eat rhubarb?” They answer with yes. Oh my oh my people, your missing out.
So here I am telling you that rhubarb does not need to be made into a pie (but is great made into a pie) Rhubarb is so much more then that and can be used in all sort of sweet things, but also all sorts of savory things too. Like this slaw. Mixing some fresh rhubarb into an ordinary bowl of veggies brings a nice bright tart freshness that taste like spring and all things good.
And if you, like me, have a shit ton of rhubarb growing in the yard, you find all sorts of great ways to eat it up.
Rhubarb coleslaw. Keeping things fresh.
The stuff. Rhubarb, cabbage, a couple carrots ans an onion. Apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, a lemon and some honey to round it all out.
Start by heating up the vinegar. This can be done on stove or in the microwave… I used the microwave (one less dish) Once the vinegar is good and hot, mix in the honey until it dissolves
Thinly slice the rhubarb stalks then cut into short pieces.
Rhubarb goes into bowl to get the fist soak of the warm vinegar.
Julienne or finely chop the cabbage, onion, and carrots into pieces that you think will fit into your mouth nicely.
All those veggies join the rhubarb in the bowl. In goes the zest and juice of lemon and some salt and pepper.
Toss it all around.%u00a0 And let sit. 20 minutes, 3 hours, or overnight. This is one of those salads that tastes better with a time.
But you can eat it whenever because it will taste good whenever.
Enjoy the weekend, eat some rhubarb.
-C
Place vinegar in a microwave safe dish and heat for about 2 minutes. Or you can also heat it in a pot on the stove. Place hot vinegar in a large bowl and mix in the honey until it’s fully dissolved.
Slice the rhubarb stalks thin and short. Place rhubarb into warm vinegar, mix around and set aside. Shred the cabbage, thinly slice the onion, and julienne or thinly slice the carrots and cut into short pieces. Place all this good stuff into the bowl with the rhubarb. Add in the zest and juice of the lemon and sprinkle with about a teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Toss it all around and let it sit for at least a 20 minutes so all the flavors meld together. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Tastes even better made a day ahead and places in the fridge.