@m.k.nutrition - Salad Fixings

As the weather cools and the rain has decided to bless us with its presence, lettuce is happily sprouting up again. Never thought I would be so excited to see lettuce in my share again. There is just something so special about those leaves that we often times take for granite. With that being said, I am focusing on all things salad this week.

Let’s do what we do best and throw everything together, add a protein, and just enjoy the flavor explosion of those fresh veggies! *Need a protein option? MEF has chicken!*

Below I will add a vegan based Ranch Dressing recipe that is easy and delicious.

my-visual_48582771.png



@m.k.nutrition - Dressing up your Salad

This week at Mother Earth Farm you can “taste the rainbow” with all the colorful salad ingredients that will be showing up in shares. Make yourself an easy dinner with the lettuce, fresh veggies, and dressing making tips I added below!

Vinaigrettes are the best summer time salad dressings. They are light and full of flavor. With summer coming to a close end we want to savor all the summer flavors. Use the poster below to mix up a tasty salad topping. See what is included in your share and match it up with the measurements listed below for a delicious combination.

TIP: Mix all the ingredients EXCEPT oil into a blender and blend until evenly mixed. Put the mixer speed on low and slowly add the oil. This keeps the dressing from separating.

my-visual_48429648.png

@m.k.nutrition - Swiss Chard

You might be seeing a lot of this leafy veg in your shares, but don’t get discouraged. Like a lot of the other vegetables swiss chard can be versatile. It can be enjoyed raw and many nutrients are available when eaten this way. However, the amount of each nutrient increases when swiss chard is cooked! Of course you can chop it up, sauté, and add it to any stir fry or omelet recipe. I am going to try a twist on family dinner staple, Pigs in a Blanket, but in my case it will be Venison in a blanket.

The recipe below is going explain how to prep the swiss chard for any cabbage or noodle roll up. For example; lasagna rolls, you could make a Mexican based meat, omelet, or just sautéed veggies. Then fill the chard leaf, roll, and bake!

Remember to save the stems for a soup broth base!

Venison in a BlanketPreparing the Chard:Ingredients1 large bunch of Swiss Chard, rinsed and the stems removed. 1 pot of water, bring to a boil and reduce to simmerDirections:Blanch each leaf in the simmering water, then remove. You might have to do …

Venison in a Blanket

Preparing the Chard:

Ingredients

1 large bunch of Swiss Chard, rinsed and the stems removed.

1 pot of water, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer

Directions:

Blanch each leaf in the simmering water, then remove. You might have to do one at a time.

Fill each leaf with a spoonful of your filling. Adding it to the middle of the leaf.

Starting at the stem end, roll the leaf up. Stick a toothpick in the middle to keep the roll from coming apart.

Top with a sauce, if you have extra. If not, season with salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30-40 min.

I will be using ground venison, quinoa, adding a Mexican seasoning blend, and topping with a taco style sauce.

@m.k.nutrition - Something is LEEKING out of our Shares this Week!

She’s a super LEEK, super LEEK, she’s super LEEKY….. Excuse me, I’m just over here laughing out loud at all my vegetable puns. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Anyway, this week at Mother Earth Farm, the ladies are pulling up something that won’t make your eyes water when chopping.

Leeks are a great substitute for onions in any recipe. We all know that our vegetables from MEF come straight from Mother Earth herself and might need a little extra cleaning before cooking.

Cleaning Prep

1.Cut off the roots and leaves, toss in a freezer safe bag and save for a soup/broth base later.

2. Slice in half and soak in water.

3. After the dirt has sunken to the bottom, remove, chop, and add to your recipe.

Scroll down to check out how I will be using my Leeks this week.

I’ll be serving this over a goose breast that was slow cooked in the crockpot with water and spices (you can substitute with a beef roast).Leek Gravy2 cups of chopped leeks2 garlic cloves, minced1 cup broth - saved from the goose breast2 tbsp butter…

I’ll be serving this over a goose breast that was slow cooked in the crockpot with water and spices (you can substitute with a beef roast).

Leek Gravy

2 cups of chopped leeks

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup broth - saved from the goose breast

2 tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp steak seasoning

1-2 tbsp flour - I used almond flour, but you can

bit of honey to sweeten - optional

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

Melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add in leeks and garlic, cook until browned. You might need more butter, keep the pan and onions “wet” looking.

Pour in broth and balsamic vinegar, bring to a simmer then add salt, pepper, and steak seasoning. Simmer for about 3 min. Add in flour to thicken, stirring well to avoid clumping.

Do a taste test, then add honey if you’d like and more salt/pepper.

Serve as a topping to your protein. I will plate my goose breast cut into cubes, on top of mashed potatoes, and topped with the leek gravy.

@m.k.nutrition - "I'd make a Veggie Joke, but no one would CARROT at all"

What comes to mind when you think of a carrot? Orange, bunnies, baby carrots?

At Mother Earth Farm the carrots grown by these soil sisters are a variety of color, shape, size, and full of dirt loving nutrition!

The color of vegetables and fruits come from antioxidant compounds and all have a special part in promoting good health. Check out my infograph below to see what carrots are good for and why we should be adding them to our diets.

Like many root vegetables, carrots can be enjoyed in many different ways. From salad toppings to a hummus sidekick, to the grill, and all the way down to being used as a sweetener in a sauce. Sometimes we just have to look outside the box. Scroll down to see a summer friendly recipe for carrots.

Carrot Apple ColeslawIngredients:1 head of cabbage4 carrots, peeled and shredded2 sweet apples, finely chopped2 cups swiss chard, finely chopped1/2 cup parsley1 tbsp honeysalt and pepper to taste1/2 cup apple cider vinegar2 tbsp olive oilDirections:…

Carrot Apple Coleslaw

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage

4 carrots, peeled and shredded

2 sweet apples, finely chopped

2 cups swiss chard, finely chopped

1/2 cup parsley

1 tbsp honey

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Add all liquid ingredients and seasonings to a bowl and mix well.

Toss all veggies/fruit into a large bowl and mix around.

Pour dressing over the veggies/fruit and stir well.

Refrigerate for about 20 min and enjoy!

@m.k.nutrition - It's a fruit! It's a vegetable! It's a TOMATO!

Tomatoes are the newest addition to Mother Earth Farm Shares and we are very excited about it. One of the best things about tomatoes is that the recipes ideas are endless! This week I will focus on a simple bruschetta recipe that can spread onto a number of bases. This can be used as an appetizer and topped onto homemade bread, spread over chicken or fish and baked in the oven, or mixed into your morning egg scramble. GET CREATIVE!

Tomatoes are a garden staple, but are they a fruit or a vegetable? This is a question that leaves many people stumped.

  • A botanical classification of a fruit is something formed from a flower that have seeds and assist with the plants reproductive process. Vegetables are botanically known as the roots, stems, leaves or other structural part of a plant. Therefore, according to science, tomatoes are a fruit. However, in the culinary world, tomatoes are categorized as vegetables. So, to answer the question, it depends on who you are talking to! Farmers, gardeners, and scientists all consider this versatile produce a fruit. While chefs will use it as a vegetable.

Another awesome fact about tomatoes is that they come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and even flavors. A great way to understand the tomato society is to break them down into categories. Such as; Sauce/Paste, Red slicing, Cherry/Grape, Color slicing, and Heirloom. This will help, when preparing your recipes, to know what that particular tomato is best used for. For example, is it best for sandwiches or salsa? Of course you could throw any tomato into a salsa and it would taste amazing! However, some have a texture that is better for chip dipability (did I just make up a word?).

Skip to the bottom to see this week’s recipe!

my-visual_47998199.png

Bruschetta

Ingredients:

2 cups diced tomatoes

1/2 a red onion, chopped (medium sized)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp oregano

10 basil leaves, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Feta cheese for topping (optional)

Instructions:

Toss all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Refrigerate for 15 min or up to 2 hours. The longer that it refrigerates, the more flavor.

Serving Options:

Scoop over a toasted baguette with a sprinkle of feta.

Scoop onto chicken or fish and bake in the oven. Then sprinkle feta cheese on after baking.

Add to a heated skillet then pour in your scrambled eggs or just serve cold on top of eggs. Top with feta.