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

July 28, 2020 Mother Earth Farm .

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!

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.

@m.k.nutrition Dutch Oven Chicken with Mashed Turnips

July 21, 2020 Mother Earth Farm .

Focusing on what is offered in each week’s share and coming up with a meal that uses most of the ingredients is always a challenging task. Don’t worry, I got your back! When creating meals I also like to utilize local meat or wild game to provide a meal full of nutrition.

Dutch Oven Chicken

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (Mother Earth Farm Raised)

3 tbsp butter

2 garlic cloves - peeled

1 Garlic clove - minced

1 cup carrots - chopped

1 cup celery - chopped

1/2 cup scallions - diced

2 tbsp rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

About 2 cups of water (or broth)

Instructions :

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt2 tbsp of butter in a dutch oven (or cast iron skillet) on the stove top over medium high heat. While the butter is heating up rub the other tbsp of butter along with the minced garlic, rosemary, scallions, salt and pepper on the chicken.

Once the butter starts to crackle, brown the chicken, about 4 min each side.

Add the carrots, celery, and peeled garlic cloves to the pot.

Pour enough water (or broth) to cover the bottom of the pan, you might need to check this half way through and add a little more. Adding water will help to keep the vegetables from burning and will help create more drippings.

Cover the pot with a lid (or cast iron skillet with a foil tent) and transfer to the oven.

Bake for 20 min per lb or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

Save the drippings for a gravy if you’d like!

Mashed Turnips:

Ingredients

4 cups of peeled and chopped turnips

Enough water to cover turnips

2 tbsp butter

milk

2 garlic cloves - minced

1 cup kale - chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Bring chopped turnips and water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender. About 10-15 min.

Toss in the kale for the last 7-5 min.

Drain water then transfer the turnips and kale to a mixing bowl.

Add in butter, garlic, salt, pepper, and milk. Mix until the turnips look like mashed potatoes. Add the milk as you’re mixing to create the perfect consistency. I like mine chunky!

@m.k.nutrition Beet Salad

July 14, 2020 Mother Earth Farm .

Beets are the jewel of the garden, so colorful and packed full of essential nutrients. The red pigment is so strong that it can be used as a food coloring and also leaves a nice purple stain on your fingertips if your not careful! I hope you enjoy the salad recipe that includes many colors of the rainbow.

Beet Salad with a Green Goddess Dressing

2 Roasted Beets

2 Handfuls of Kale/Swiss chard and Beet Greens - chopped

2 cups Green Beans - chopped

1 cup Carrots - Shredded

Dressing

1 Handful of Basil

1/2 tbsp Chives

1 Garlic Clove

3 Scallions

1/4 tsp Lemon zest

1 Handful of Parsley

1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 cup Olive Oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cut the stems off the beets and save for the salad, leaving enough for you to grab onto. Scrub each one clean and wrap in foil. Roast beets in a oven preheated to 400 degrees for about 50 min. When finished, peel off skin and slice into cubes.

Plate all ingredients for the salad.

In a blender add all ingredients for the dressing except for the oil. Pulse until blended. Slowly add oil as the blender is on low.

Drizzle over salad and enjoy!

@m.k.nutrition Green Bean Nutrition and a Delicious Dinner Recipe

July 7, 2020 Mother Earth Farm .

The shares this week are exciting and allow my mind to wander with all the delicious meals I could be making. I want to focus on making a meal with what is in the box. All while providing interesting and helpful information. Therefore, a recipe will be listed at the end after an infrograph that is focused on one particular item. With that being said, let’s learn something about green beans!

Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables. Easy to make, everyone likes them, and easy to preserve. You can use green beans as a side for any meal to add in an extra source of antioxidants. Research has shown that green beans can help lower cholesterol, lower blood glucose levels, slow the spread of HIV throughout the body, and prevent certain cancers. They might be little but are high in fiber and resistant starch. Resistant starch works as a prebiotic creating food for the good bacteria in your gut. Fiber helps to keep you feeling full and adds bulk to your stool. A healthy stool is one of the many ways your body removes toxins.

Garlic Pesto Zoodles with Roasted Chicken Ingredients:1 whole roasted chicken (Mother Earth Farm Raised)Spiralized Zucchini 1 cup Steamed and Chopped Green BeansFOR THE PESTO:1 cup of each, chopped - Basil, Parsley, Garlic 1/4 cup olive oil (may ne… — **Garlic Pesto Zoodles with Roasted Chicken**
**Ingredients**:
1 whole roasted chicken (Mother Earth Farm Raised)
Spiralized Zucchini
1 cup Steamed and Chopped Green Beans
FOR THE PESTO:
1 cup of each, chopped - Basil, Parsley, Garlic
1/4 cup olive oil (may need a little more)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese or feta
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lemon juiced
**Directions**:
Chicken- Roast a whole chicken seasoned with salt, pepper, and brushed with butter. 375 degrees for 1-2 hrs depending on the weight. I like to use a roasting bag to ensure the meat stays moist.
Zoodles - use a spiralizer to create the perfect noodle shaped zucchini spirals. Salt and pepper the zoodles well, cook for about 5 min in a warmed skillet with olive oil
Green Beans - Snap off the stem end, wash, chop, and steam until tender.
Pesto - Add all ingredients except the oil into a blender, pulse until well mixed. Turn mixer on low and slowly add the oil. If the mixture looks dry add a little more oil.
When the chicken is done cooking allow it to cool and then shred the meat off. (Don’t forget to keep the remaining carcass and juice for bone broth!)
Add the pesto, green beans, and shredded chicken to the zoodles and allow everything to warm through. Cooking covered on low for about 10 min. You can top the dish with extra cheese when serving. Enjoy!

@m.k.nutrition Zucchini

June 30, 2020 Mother Earth Farm .

Zucchini is a vegetable that we love to see making its way to the Farmer’s Markets or in our local Farm Shares. Once the Zucchini shows up we know that more vegetable are on their way! Thankfully there are many ways to use this summer squash. I have many favorite ways that I like to use Zucchini, but I will be sharing my go to recipe below. Zucchini noodles with venison meatballs. Spiralizing zucchini allows you to be creative and save on calories when using them in place of pasta!

TIP: adding salt to zucchini will help to release some moisture