How Our Garden Grows

"Mom, come here! You have to see these cucumbers! They are HUGE!!!!!"

"Mom, can we please pick the kale so we can make kale chips? I love kale chips!"

Come on, what mom doesn't like to hear the excitement in their kids' voices when they are talking about vegetables?! What could be better?

Every year we plant a garden. Usually it includes a wide variety of tomatoes and cucumbers. This year we decided to go big! We planted a Square Foot Garden and we love it! It was a bit of work in the beginning but that's what husbands are for. :o) Hee hee. Seriously though, it wasn't that hard and you can purchase kits with all the boards pre-cut and ready to go if you like.

The idea of the square foot garden is that it is a raised bed which means you can put it anywhere. You don't have to till the earth, you simply build the box and fill it with dirt. Easy Peasy! This design means you can even put it on your driveway or rooftop.

Another cool thing about it is that the vine plants grow vertically. My hubby made a trellis and we have watermelon, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers growing upwards so we can fit more into the space.

The box can be made in many sizes but the standard size is 4x4. We made 2 boxes that are 4x8 so we got lots of goodies. The box is divided up into 1x1 foot squares and you can plant each item in its own square. The book helps you plan it out and tells you how many of each vegetable will fit into the square. Tomatoes fit just 1 per square but cucumbers fit 4 and carrots fit 16. Pretty cool.

We have onions, garlic, butternut squash, collards, kale, watermelon, carrots, 6 kinds of tomatoes, 2 kinds of cucumbers, tomatillos, peppers, and a great variety of herbs. Now that the season is winding down I may see about putting in some cool crops for the fall. It's so fun.

If you have always wanted to try a garden and you just didn't know where to start this is a great way to get started. Even if you have experience with gardening like we did, you might want to give this a try. It looks so neat and tidy, requires a lot less work, and gives you a big bounty for little space.

How to Eat a Whole Head of Cauliflower...BY YOURSELF!

I was a raw foodist for a while. During that time I remember making something called cauliflower popcorn which was dehydrated. It tasted pretty good but then again everything I ate tasted pretty good because I barely ate anything.

During my raw food days I noticed a great deal of improvement in my digestion. I have struggled with digestion issues for about 12 years and I felt really good during that time. I now realize that it was less about the raw food diet and more about being grain free.

I am now eating cooked and raw foods but I have been staying away from grains and my stomach is thrilled. I recently tried adding in some popcorn and while it tasted delicious, it didn't agree with my body. But it tasted so darn good!

So last night I decided to look up that popcorn cauliflower recipe and give it a try. I didn't find the original raw recipe. I found something better! It was so simple, so easy, and oh my gosh, so good. I would love to tell you that my family liked it but I never gave them a chance to try it because I ate the whole thing myself. Yum!

I added a bit of garlic powder to the recipe but I couldn't really taste it. I might try to double the amount next time or just leave it out. The recipe says to leave the pieces the size of golf balls. I made mine a bit smaller and in the end, I found that the smaller the pieces, the better they tasted so next time I am going to make all mine teeny tiny. It will cook faster too.

It really doesn't make that much so if you are going to make it for other people, I would suggest you double the recipe. I think this one is a winner! Let me know how you like it.

Cauliflower Popcorn

1 head cauliflower

4 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces. Throw away all of the core and the thick stem.
3. Combine olive oil, salt and garlic powder in a bowl. Add the cauliflower and toss to coat.
4. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet (you can skip that it if you don't have any but it makes it easier to clean up).
5. Roast for 1 hour, turning 3 or 4 times until most of each piece is golden brown. The browner they are, the better they taste.
6. Serve immediately

Oh Hail the Mighty Kale

Let me tell you, there are some magical qualities to dark leafy greens and kale is the king of the greens and is on the list of the top 10 healthiest foods. One cup contains more than 5 grams of fiber and only 43 calories as well as your daily requirement for vitamins A and C, and 134 milligrams of calcium.

There are several different varieties of kale so experiment and try them all. Look for kale that in unbolted and uniformly colored. Store your kale unwashed in a plastic bag in your refrigerator. It will usually last 3-4 days.

Kale can be cooked in many different ways like steaming, blanching, sauteing, and baking. It can be added to soups or made into a side dish. One of my favorite ways to enjoy kale is in a simple kale chip. These are so good that I find them addictive. Seriously, I can sit down and eat a whole bunch of these babies. The kids even like them!!!

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Strip the leaves off of the stems and cut into small pieces. You don't want them to be too big because otherwise they will not get crispy.
3. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.
4. Add the kale and massage with your hands to coat each leaf.
5. Place onto a cookie sheet and bake until crispy, about 12 minutes. I like to remove the crispy pieces of kale along the edges of the sheet and then put the rest back in to crisp up otherwise you end up with some crispy and some soggy chips.

Options

• Acid is key to the deliciousness of the chip. You can substitute lime juice or a bit of vinegar. I like lime. Have a fun experiment and let me know how it goes for you.
• Salt- I find these to be a bit salty but that's probably because I have been on a salt free diet since December. I either reduce the salt or cut it out all together. If I do that later, I add some other spices to add a bit of zip like Mrs. Dash or chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika.

Cooking Made Easy

Photo by Emily Kovache

I was working with one of my clients last week and we were talking about getting dinner on the table. She is a single, working mom who is stretched thin trying to get everything done and often it is dinner that gets pushed aside.

She is tired of ordering take out or popping a pre-packaged meal in the oven and she really wants to give her son healthy meals but she can't seem to find the time to dig into her cookbooks, find recipes, shop for the long lists of ingredients, and put it all together. I can totally relate!

I gave her some tips on how to make dinner time a little easier and she said she felt like a weight was lifted off of her when we finished up the call. She felt like the pressure to make difficult meals was released and she was excited to start simplifying dinner time.

So what did I tell her? Here are some of the tips I shared with her:

1. Explore the Spice Aisle- There are some great spice mixtures available today that really make cooking so easy. Try out some new flavors, sprinkle them on your meats, veggies, and grains and viola, dinner is done. I just got my Penzey Spice catalog and they have some new summertime mixes that look really good. One of my favorites is Herbs de Provence. I sprinkle that on a piece of white fish with some lemon slices, throw it in the oven to bake and it is delicious!

2. Dust off your Crock-Pot- If you haven't tried slow cooking, you've got to give it a try. It is so easy and can be so good. I love making my pasta sauce in my crock pot and these days I've been just throwing in whatever I have and it's actually good. My current favorite is chicken breast with chopped up veggies like onion, peppers, and mushrooms. I throw in a couple of can of Muir salt free, fire roasted tomatoes and a can of tomatoe sauce and it is so good. I serve it with a veggie and some brown rice.

3. Cook Once, Eat Twice (or Three times)- When I make a pot of rice for a side dish, I make a BIG pot and I use the leftovers for another meal later in the week. You can make a rice salad for lunch, fried rice with loads of veggies, or even a nice breakfast rice porridge with fruit, cinnamon, and milk. I also make extra chicken breast or fish fillets so I can heat them up for lunch or chop them up in a salad. In fact, every meal I make has leftovers!

4. Remember K.I.S.S- Who says dinner has to be some elaborate meal? It is so easy to grill up a chicken breast and make a salad. It's delicious and healthy. You can throw some fish in a baking pan and while it cooks prepare a salad or a side of veggies.

5. Package Your Dinner- I like to make fish packets. I throw some veggies in parchment paper, put a nice piece of fish on top, sprinkle with spices and lemon, fold it up and bake it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I let the kids pick what they want on theirs and they get to fold it up. They love opening it up and eating their own package. The best part is it's a one dish meal and there is no clean up. Just throw the paper away!

Don't Like Broccoli? Try this!

I made this for dinner tonight and my husband, who literally gags on broccoli, ate it and said, "wow, that's not bad." I can't ask for anything more than that!

I got the recipe from Cat Cora's book Cooking from the Hip. I made the vegetarian version with the olive oil dressing option. I used agave instead of sugar. I was a little worried about the curry thinking it might be overwhelming but honestly it didn't even have a curry flavor so you might want to taste it and add a bit more if you like that sort of thing. Here is the recipe:

Curried Broccoli Salad

2 Tbl kosher salt (I used Celtic)

2 lbs broccoli florets (from about 3 bunches broccoli)

1 cup chopped, toasted pecans

1 cup raisins (you're supposed to use currants but I didn't have any)

1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

Fill a large pot of water and put it over high heat to boil. Fill a large bowl or your sink with ice and cold water.

When the water boils, add the salt and the broccoli. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the broccoli is bright green and still somewhat firm, barely tender enough to pierce with a knife. Use a long-handled strainer or tongs to transfer the broccoli to the ice-water bath. After 2 to 3 minutes, remove the broccoli from the ice water and place in a colander to drain. Line a bowl with paper towels, transfer the broccoli to the bowl, and set aside to drain.

Chop the broccoli coarsely. Place in a large serving bowl with the pecans, raisins, sunflower seeds, and red onion.

Dressing
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbl rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbl sugar (I used 1 Tbl agave)
2 tsp Madras curry powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, mix the vinegar and the agave together until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the curry powder, the salt, and pepper to taste. Continue whisking and very slowly drizzle the olive oil into the vinegar mixture until all the oil is incorporated. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired, ten set the dressing aside and prepare the broccoli.

Pour the dressing evenly over the salad, tossing lightly to mix thoroughly. Chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

5 Minute Lunch

I was looking for a fast and easy salad I could make for lunch and I came up with this recipe. It was really delicious and I enjoyed every mouthful!

Spinach Raspberry Salad
Spinach Leaves
Canned Wild Salmon
Pecans, Chopped
Red Onions, sliced
Feta Cheese Crumbles
Raspberries

Dressing- I combined a pomegranate vinegar with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh minced garlic. You could use a raspberry vinegar too.

Spring Entertaining

I was recently invited to a wonderful evening with a group of fellow IIN students. We all got together at my friend Holly's house. She lives on the 58th floor overlooking Lake Michigan. Wow! It was breathtaking.

I wanted to bring a dish to share with everyone and I wanted to keep it healthy. So often the recipes for entertaining can be heavy on the fat, sodium, calories and processed foods. I am not opposed to that kind of thing occasionally but it seems like I am hosting or attending some kind of function every week so I have made it a priority to find things that will taste good without all the junk.

I found this recipe while watching Everyday Italian on the Food Network. I was a bit nervous about it because to be perfectly honest, I don't even like peas and that is the base of the recipe. I decided it was worth a shot so I made it. I am so glad to did. It was really good! It's quick, easy and healthy.

Sun-dried Tomato and Peas on Endive Spears

Prep Time: 10 min Level: Easy Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 pound frozen peas, thawed
8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, drained (about 3/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 heads endive, ends trimmed and leaves separated

Directions
Combine the peas, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse the machine until the peas and tomatoes are finely chopped. Add the olive oil and pulse until the olive oil is incorporated and the mixture is minced but not yet pureed. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the salt and pepper. Serve as a dip with the endive spears alongside

Michelle's Note:

I scooped the dip into the endive spears and assembled them onto a platter to serve them. It looked really nice.

Spring Has Sprung!

In my area of the country it is beginning to feel like spring. The weather has warmed up, the sun is out, the birds are chirping and people have begun to emerge from there hibernation in their modern day caves.

The amazing thing about spring is how almost instantly our desires for food change. After a long winter of heavy foods, more meat, and less activity we begin to want to clean out our system and lighten up with salads, fruits and vegetables.

While we have access to a plethora of produce from all over the world, people have begun to get back to their roots and buy local. That means we eat what is in season. The best way to do that is to hit your local farmers market. If you are looking for one in your area check out the Local Harvest website.

It may be a bit early in the season just yet but let's take a look at some of the fruits and vegetables that we are lucky enough to enjoy in the spring season.

Apricots
Artichokes
Asparagus
Arugula
Baby Lettuce Mixes
Blueberries
Boysenberries
Broccoli
Broccoli Raab
Carrots
Celeriac Root
Chard
Cherries
Chives
Collards
Dandelion Greens
Fava Beans
Fennel
Fiddlehead Ferns
Garden Peas
Garlic
Green Onions
Lemons
Loganberries
Mangoes
Morels
Mustard Greens
New Potatoes
Pineapple
Plums
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Snow Peas
Sorrel
Spinach
Turnips
Watercress
Strawberries
Sugar Snap Peas

Roasting up Some Sweetness in Kitchen

This is a nice way to prepare veggies in the colder months. The slow roasting gives a rich, deep flavor and brings out the natural sweetness in the vegetables. It's a feel good food. It's so easy to do and while there is a long cooking time, you just pop it in the oven, set the timer and walk away. Now that is my kind of cooking.

I made a variation of this the other night for a side dish and it was really good. The kids liked it enough to actually eat it and my husband who HATES sweet potatoes actually ate them! I even chopped up a rutabaga and threw it in and no one was the wiser.

Veggie Bake

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4-8 servings

Ingredients:
any leftover veggies that need to be used
1 large can chopped tomatoes
1 can chickpeas
3 or 4 large yams, thinly sliced
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Chop veggies (except yams) and stir-fry in a bit of oil until soft.
2. Add can of tomatoes and drained can of chickpeas.
3. In a casserole or lasagna dish, layer yams then veggie mix (same as if you were making lasagna but use
potatoes as lasagna sheets and veggie mix instead of meat).
4. Finish with a layer of yams, lightly drizzle olive oil on top.
5. Bake for 1/2 hour at 300 degrees. Then take off cover, turn up temperature to 400 degrees for 10
minutes to crisp up the top layer.

Variations:
Add your favorite herbs or spices, like basil, oregano, fennel, cumin, chili pepper, sea salt, etc., when adding tomatoes and peas for an extra kick. For a bit of added texture, add roasted sunflower seeds when adding tomatoes. Veggie Bake keeps great in the refrigerator for a few days.