Week of March 25th

Dill Green Beans

• 1 pound green beans, trimmed
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Bring an inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add green beans, cover and cook until tender-crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, whisk dill, shallot, oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the green beans and toss to coat. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving to blend flavors.

Baked Broccoli and Spinach

• 2 large heads broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 lb fresh, chopped spinach
• 2 (10 3/4-oz.) cans cream of mushroom soup
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 
• 1 large sweet onion, diced 
• 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 36 round buttery crackers, crushed
• 1. Stir together first 10 ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with crushed crackers.
• 2. Bake at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes or until set.

Ratatouille

1. • 1/3 cup olive oil
   • 2 medium onions, chopped
   • 4 cloves garlic, minced
   • 2 large eggplants, (2 pounds), peeled in strips and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
   • 4 to 5 medium zucchini, (2 pounds), cut into 1-inch cubes
   • Coarse salt and ground pepper
   • 3 yellow or red bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
   • 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
   • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
   • 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
   1. In a Dutch oven (or other heavy 5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in eggplant and zucchini; season generously with salt and pepper.
   2. Add 3/4 cup water; cover, and simmer until vegetables are beginning to soften, stirring once, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell peppers; simmer, covered, until softened, 5 minutes.
   3. Stir in tomatoes and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover; simmer, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat. If serving immediately, stir in basil. (If freezing, leave out basil.)
   
   

Happy New Year!

I have been keeping a personal blog for many years, but never one on recipes and nutrition alone...I hope that I can provide fun, nutritious meals that everyone will love and let this blog also be a way for all of us to share insights into eating a more healthy diet in the new year and using more fresh, local produce!

This week's menu is Mediterranean inspired...Tony has had this menu "in his back pocket" for at least 2 weeks now and is so excited to share it with us this week.

When I bring home our family's bag each week I always go ahead and prep all my produce at once and get that out of the way. I get alot of use out of my salad spinner (and this week it will get used on the radicchio, romaine, snow peas, and spinach). I fill my sink up with fresh cold water and add the produce one item at a time and do a wash and then spin and place in containers or bags that fit into my fridge, then when it is time for dinner all I have to do is pull the ingredient out and viola it is ready to GO!

On our menu this week is a homemade Caesar salad...using the romaine, red onions, and spinach. We will grill up some chicken breasts on the grill and add organic croutons and Caesar dressing (we offer both under either salad fix ins or organic dry goods on our website). Our oldest son, Gabriel (9) would eat salad every night if we let him!)

If you're looking for a new grain to try, pick up some farro. Also known as emmer, it's a variety of wheat that originated in the Middle East, (back to our theme for the week) but is primarily grown in northern Italy. It's similar to barley and wheat berries, and can be used in place of rice, quinoa, couscous, or other grains in your favorite dishes. It has a satisfyingly chewy texture similar to brown rice, and if you buy semi pearled farro, it decreases the cooking time to 45 minutes from an hour. Here is a recipe I want to try this week (adapted from one I found by Bobby Flay on the food network)...


Farro Salad with Grilled Eggplant
1 1/2 cups farro
1 eggplant, halved (I may also grill any extra veggies I may have in my fridge...like peppers or mushrooms to this dish)

1 small red onion, peeled, halved, and thickly sliced
Olive oil, for brushing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, washed and sliced in 1/2 (I may use canned since we don't have fresh this week)
Basil (chop to sprinkle on top)

Sherry Vinaigrette:

1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
Whisk together the shallot, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and dill in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified. (because I may not have all these ingredients on hand, I may use a vinaigrette I already have in my refrigerator)

Cook farro in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and place in a large bowl.

Heat grill to high. While the farro is cooking, brush the eggplant and onion slices, and other veggies with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until just cooked through. (I own a grill basket so I will most likely use it) Remove from the grill and cut into 1-inch dice. Add the eggplant and onions to the farro along with the tomatoes and basil. Pour Sherry Vinegar over the farro mixture and stir to combine. Best served at room temperature.

Crunchy Snow Peas with Toasted Almonds

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash® Onion and Herb Seasoning Blend (I don't have this so I will adapt my seasonings with what I have in my cupboard)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. snow peas, trimmed
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
4 tsp. minced shallots (I will use my red onion again for this)
2 Tbsp. slivered unsalted, oven-toasted almonds (sold on our website)

Low-Sodium Recipe

1. Warm the olive oil in a small sauté pan.

2. Increase heat to medium and add snow peas. Add a few drops of water while tossing quickly.

3. Cook about 3-4 minutes, leaving the snow peas crisp.

4. Add the lemon juice and toss again.

5. Spoon onto a plate, sprinkle with shallots (red onions) Mrs. Dash® Onion and Herb Blend Seasoning Blend. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. of the cooking juices over the snow peas.

These are just a few ideas I am planning on trying this week, and I am notorious for NOT following recipes that I find online, even though my family lives right next door to a grocery store, I find that I do better with being creative with items I already have on hand, versus spending money on an item that I may only use once and may not like...sometimes it works out for the better, other times not so much!) But it certainly keeps mealtime interesting around here!

Happy eating!