Monster Sauce: AKA seriously tasty dairy and nut-free pesto sauce

This is actually a recipe for pesto, minus the nuts* and cheese that make up the traditional sauce. But sometimes the name is everything for kids with developing palates. This is also a simple recipe that children could make with parent supervision! The bright green color and smooth texture perfectly complement crunchy raw vegetables, salads, meats, and pasta…especially those eaten by growing dinosaurs, super-heroes, robots, and monsters that also have fantastic imaginations.

Ingredients:

2-3 Cups fresh basil leaves

½ Cup olive oil

¼ Cup water (add more to thin if necessary)

Juice from ½ lemon

1 Tsp honey (optional)

2-3 Cloves of fresh garlic

Kosher salt, to taste

*For added protein, add a handful of raw green pumpkin seeds or nuts

Method:

Put all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Adjust ingredients to taste.  Serve from a narrow tipped squeeze-bottle to let kids draw designs on their plates or decorate food with dots or stripes of sauce.

Summer Slaw with Smoky Peach Dressing

The Smoky Peach Dressing is really the highlight of this dish.  Yes, eat your veggies and all that. But the dressing...wow. It's versatile enough to keep around as a dipping sauce, sandwich dressing, marinade, etc. The Chattanooga Market is celebrating the season with it's annual peach festival this week, so we thought we'd join in the fun with this dish. Also, who could pass up using a dash of smoky Alchemy Spice Proud To Be American blend in honor of independence day?

Smoky Peach Dressing:

2-3 Medium peaches, quartered and pits discarded

5 Garlic cloves

1/4 Cup olive oil

Juice from 1/2 lime

1-2 tsp Proud To Be American spice blend by Alchemy Spice

1 tsp Lime Fresco Salt by Alchemy Spice

Slaw:

Cabbage

Kohlrabi

Daikon radish

Fennel bulb

Summer squash (any variety)

Green onions

Kale

Juice from one lime

Kosher salt to taste

Method:

For the dressing, add all of the ingredients to a blender, blend until smooth and they emulsify into a creamy dressing.  Refrigerate until ready to use. If you have extra, place in a squeeze bottle and use as a dressing for sandwiches, grilled vegetables, hot dogs, and basically anything that tastes good with the addition of some spicy-sweetness.

Slaw is basically a quick salad of vegetables that are shredded or julienned, mixed together, and dressed.  It's not complicated. It's the stuff that picnics are made of...less time in the kitchen, and more time outside having fun.  The list of vegetables above are the ones in this week's CSA box, but you could substitute anything you like eating raw.  Grate, chop, slice and julienne the vegetables and mix together in a large bowl.  Toss the grated vegetables with lime juice and some kosher salt. Let rest a few minutes, then pour off any excess liquid. The vegetables will absorb a lot of the flavor of the peach dressing, so you may want to dress each portion of the slaw individually as it's served.

Grilled Pac Choi with Red Thai Curry Sauce

Most of the ingredients in this recipe can be found at your local grocery store in the Asian food section.  Kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil can be found at specialty food stores, or an Asian market.

Ingredients:

1 Can (13.66 fl oz/403 mL) organic unsweetened coconut milk

2-3 Tbs Thai red curry paste

2 Cloves fresh garlic, pressed or minced

1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger root, grated

3 Kaffir lime leaves

1 Tbs honey or sugar

1 Tbs fish sauce (available in most grocery stores)

Juice from 1/2 lime

3-4 Spring onions, chopped

Fresh Thai basil leaves, (optional)

Dried Thai chili peppers (optional)

Pac Choi, Napa cabbage, Fennel, and other spring vegetables of your choice

Method:

Place coconut milk, garlic, red curry paste, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, and honey or sugar, and dried chili peppers (if using) in a saucepan. Stir until combined and cover with a lid. Let simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the fish sauce and lime juice a few minutes before serving. Season with Kosher salt to taste.

Brush Pac Choi stalks with olive oil and season with a little salt.  Place on a hot grill (along with any other vegetables you wish to use.)  Grill until the stalks begin to blister but still have a little crunch.  A grill pan can be useful for smaller vegetables.

If adding a protein, use some of the red curry sauce as a marinade for chicken, scallops, tofu, etc. before grilling.

Serve the sauce over the grilled vegetables and steamed jasmine rice.

Osaka Mustard Greens With Sweet Sesame Dressing

Mustard greens have a soft texture that is suitable for a wilted or fresh salad. The flavor is strong with a spicy hint of horseradish, so they pair well with beef or fish, add zing as a stuffing for sushi, complement a rice bowl, or taste delicious on their own.

Ingredients:

1-3 bunches of Osaka Purple Mustard Greens

1 tbs Toasted Sesame Oil

1 tbs Olive or Canola Oil

1 tbs Rice Vinegar

2 - 3 tsp Mirin Sweetened Sake

2 Tbs Sesame Seeds, white or black

Kosher Salt, to taste

Method:

Wash greens and dry with a salad spinner or absorbent towel. If desired, remove leaves from stems, discard stems and chop the leaves. If you like the added texture, keep the stems intact and chop all together.  For a milder flavor, place the greens in a large mixing bowl. Add the sesame and olive oils and a pinch of kosher salt. Rub the oils into the leaves until they soften and turn dark green.  Then add the vinegar and mirin and toss until evenly coated. For a crunchier salad with a bolder flavor, do not massage the leaves with oil; add the oils, vinegar and mirin at the same time, then stir until coated.

Place the sesame seeds in a dry skillet and warm over medium heat, keeping them in motion so they do not burn. Remove from heat when the sesame aroma blooms (about 2 minutes or so). Add the toasted seeds to the salad and toss.  Season with Kosher salt to taste.

Raw Kale Salad with Spicy Apple Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Curly Kale

Olive Oil

Juice from 1/2 Lemon

Kosher Salt

1 bulb of Fennel, shaved or sliced thinly

2 Purple Sweet Peppers, sliced

1/2 Apple, shaved or sliced thinly

toasted Walnuts

Apple Vinaigrette:

1/2 Apple, core removed

1 clove of Garlic

1/2 fresh Yellow Cayenne Chili Pepper, seeds and stem removed (use whole if you like a lot of heat)

1/4 cup Canola Oil

2 Tbs natural Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tsp of juice from a fresh Lemon

1-2 tsp local Honey

pinch of kosher Salt

dash of Cinnamon (optional)

Method:

Wash kale and remove stems and ribs.  Tear the leaves into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the lemon juice, a couple of pinches of salt, and a few tablespoons of olive oil onto the kale.  Massage the kale until the leaves turn bright green and wilt to your desired tenderness.  The longer you massage, the softer it will become.

For the vinaigrette: Put all vinaigrette ingredients in a high-power blender and puree until smooth.  For lower-power blenders you may need to chop the apple, garlic and chili pepper before blending.

Combine the salad ingredients and toss with salad dressing. Alternately, arrange ingredients on individual plates and drizzle dressing over the top.