Farm to Table 2020 recipes

Gazpacho 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes, halved and cored*
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and seeded*
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cored and seeded
• 1/2 small red onion, peeled
• 2 small garlic cloves (or 1 large clove), peeled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, or more per your preference
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or more per your preference
• 1 thick slice of sourdough bread, crusts removed

Preparation

1. Blend all ingredients together to desired texture, using either a food processor, an upright blender, or an immersion blender
2. Spice to preferred taste
3. Optional garnishes: homemade croutons, chopped fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, or any leftover chopped gazpacho ingredients

* or not…I like leaving the seeds and skins to create texture

 Chocolate Bark

Ingredients

• 2 C dark chocolate chips
• 1/3 C coconut oil
• ¾ C toasted pumpkin seeds
• ¾ C tart dried dark cherries, chopped
• Coarse sea salt

Preparation

1. Melt the chocolate chips
2. Melt in the coconut oil
3. Add toasted pumpkin seeds and dried cherries; mix well
4. Pour onto a piece of parchment paper, placed in a casserole or baking dish
5. Sprinkle with salt
6. Place into the freezer for 20 minutes; when it’s frozen through, break the bark into pieces…and savor the flavor!

Honey-Mint Salad dressing

Ingredients

• ¼ cup champagne vinegar
• 3 T fresh mint (I use more)
• 1 T honey
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Finely chop mint leaves.
2. Put all ingredients (except oil) in blender. Blend for a few seconds.
3. Add oil slowly while blender is on to emulsify.
4. This recipe makes a lot of dressing, and a little bit goes a long way, as it is so flavorful. I put the extra in a jar and store it in the fridge. Because of the olive oil ingredient, the dressing will turn semi-solid in the fridge, so I take mine out to come to room temp as I am starting dinner…

Creating a 6-Color Salad Masterpiece

• Begin with a gorgeous array of mixed greens; add

• Sliced red peppers
• Grated purple cabbage
• Red kidney beans
• Flowerettes of broccoli & cauliflower
• Grated raw beets
• Curly strips of carrots
• Red and yellow tomatoes

Then, Turn a Salad Into a Masterpiece Meal!

• Top the salad with

• Grilled chicken or tempeh
• Sliced hard-boiled egg
• Chunks ‘o cheese
• Quinoa salad
• Grilled eggplant, zucchini, and red peppers
• 3-bean salad (garbanzo, cannellini, pinto…)
• Dried fruit
• Zippy homemade salad dressing
• Nuts
• Canned tuna or salmon
• Barley salad

Roasted sweet peppers

Ingredients

• Sweet peppers
• Garlic infused olive oil

Preparation

1. Rub peppers with oil
2. Place either under the broiler, on a grill, or in a preheated 350 oven
3. Cook until the upside blisters, then turn over, repeat (each side, 4 – 6 minutes under the broiler or on a grill, 20 minutes in the oven)
4. For large peppers there may be multiple sides, keep turning until the blistering is uniform

Enjoy hot off the grill, at room temperature, from the fridge; on salads, sandwiches, layered into casseroles, or alone. Be sure to save every drop of the succulent olive oil after cooking – the pepper flavor it captures is divine!

 Roasted Peaches with Honey-Mascarpone 

Serves 5 – 10 depending on appetite!

Ingredients

• 5 peaches, halved and pitted
• 3 tablespoons sliced walnuts, toasted (or almonds, pecans, pistachios)
• 1 cup mascarpone, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• One small lemon, zested and juiced
• 3 tablespoon coconut oil, softened to room temp
• Pinch of black pepper
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

1. Wisk the mascarpone, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°.
3. Scoop out a wee bit of peach flesh to create a space into which the cheese will rest. Make a puddle of the coconut oil, honey, and black pepper on your baking pan. With your fingers, gently rub both sides of each peach half with that mixture. Arrange the peaches in the dish, skin-side down.
4. Cook until tender, 10 – 20, depending on size and ripeness of the peach. Remove the peaches from the oven and let them cool just slightly.
5. While the peaches are cooking, toast the nuts on the stovetop, stirring occasionally, until light brown, about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the nuts to make sure they don’t burn.
6. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mascarpone cheese into the center of each peach half. Drizzle each peach with honey and then sprinkle the toasted nuts over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Noodle-less Lasagna with roasted veggies and greens

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2large zucchinis
• 2 eggplant
• Salt & pepper
• 1tablespoon olive oil
• 30ounces ricotta
• 2eggs, beaten
• 2 cups of hearty greens such as chard, spinach or kale, or a combination
• ¼ cupgrated Parmesan
• 2tablespoons fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried, or basil, or oregano, or a combination of herbs
• 2cups shredded mozzarella cheese (we’re using a softer version of mozzarella from our fave, Pangea!)
• 25ozof pasta sauce
• Olive oil

Preparation

1. Slice the zucchini and eggplant with a mandolin into moderately thick slices. Put them in a strainer and lightly sprinkle with salt. Allow to sit 20 minutes and blot with paper towels as you see moisture. Rub off any unwanted salt.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and rub a 9×13 casserole dish with olive oil.
3. Dry zucchini and eggplant strips well and lay out on cookie sheets. Rub with olive oil, (garlic infused oo adds a nice flavor), then salt and pepper lightly. Roast for 10 minutes, flipping once.
4. While the veggies are roasting, sauté the greens with chopped garlic, in olive oil; remove from pan, then mix with the ricotta, eggs, parmesan, and herbs in a bowl. Set aside.
5. Once the veggies are roasted, you can start layering the lasagna! Start with a thin layer of pasta sauce. Add 1/3 of the roasted veggie noodles.
6. Top with ½ of the ricotta mixture and 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese.
7. Repeat, finishing with a last layer of the veggie noodles and the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
8. Cover with foil and bake for 45 – 60 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove foil after 20 minutes. Rest 10 minutes before serving.