Veggie Feast July 25, 2018

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Notes from the Farm

Leon is still haying, the abundance of rain in the early summer caused the grass to grow and grow and grow.  Now he is having difficulty baling the grass hay, partly due to weather conditions and older equipment.  So we are a bit behind on other projects.  Harvest, as you can see, is abundant.  Next week: garlic harvest.  We hope you are enjoying the produce and our beautiful summer!

 

This Week’s Veggie Feast

Hello again fennel, sweet onion, zucchini and salad mix (with nasturtiums).  Sorry about the rather large zucchini, well not really.  There are two recipes below to give you ideas on how to eat it up, one even involves chocolate.

 

 

New This Week

Cucumber

The perfect summertime food.

Red cabbage

More cabbage.  Kraut, kimchi, slaw, or cabbage hats.

Purple potatoes

Purple potatoes are becoming the rage, or have become the rage for foodies.  The deep bluish/purple color shows they are higher in antioxidants then the typical gold or white tater.  Plus they are pretty.  They retain their color when cooked.

Baby carrots

They are not very big, but tasty and the perfect size for eating raw.

Italian basil

Basil is a sweet, tender herb.  It comes in many varieties and flavors, but Italian is the variety that has the classic basil taste.  We do not wash basil as it turns the leaves brown.  Therefore please wash before using.  Best used fresh.  For a variety of recipes and storage tips see our basil page.

 

Recipes

Zucchini Fennel Ribbon Salad with Mint

Ingredients

  • 1 medium fennel , or 2 baby fennels
  • 2 zucchinis
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
  • Handful of fresh mint , roughly torn
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Shave the fennel using a mandolin, or slice finely.
  2. Use a potato peeler to shave zucchini “ribbons”. Lie it down flat on the surface to do this. If the zucchini is thicker than the potato peeler, cut it in half vertically, then shave.
  3. Combine the mint, fennel and zucchini in a bowl, toss through the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
  4. Add the parmesan and gently toss with your fingers.
  5. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes

Serve immediately after dressing as the dressing draws out a lot of liquid from the fennel and zucchini quite quickly.

Source:  Recipe Tin Eats

Best Chocolate Zucchini Bread (gluten free)

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups almond flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking soda
  • ¼ cup raw cacao powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 1 cup zucchini, finely grated
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • ¼ cup greek plain yogurt
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoon raw honey
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup pecans, chopped
  • ½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. in a bowl, mix the almond flour with baking soda, cacao powder, ground cinnamon and salt
  2. in a separate bowl, beat the egg then mix in yogurt, coconut oil, vanilla, raw honey and apple cider vinegar. Make sure all is well combined.
  3. stir in grated zucchini, chopped pecans and chocolate chips
  4. using a rubber spatula, gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Do not over mix batter.
  5. spoon the batter into an 8½ x 4½-inch medium loaf pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, approximately 35 minutes
  6. cool completely on a wire rack before cutting
  7. store in an airtight container in the refrigerator

Source:  Living Healthy with Chocolate