Hummus Dip

What's so great about hummus dip?  Besides being a delicious dip for fresh sweet pepper sticks, cucumbers, raw squash sticks, and cherry tomatoes?  It is protein rich, with 2.5 g protein per tablespoon of tahini (pureed sesame seed butter), and about 7 g protein per 1/4 cup serving of chickpeas.   The rich and creamy taste of pureed chickpeas can be flavored in many ways.  This is a traditional recipe, but it is also delicious with a variety of spices or roasted tomatoes, peppers and onions pureed in the mix. Hummus dip with raw vegetables makes a great after-school snack, or can be a nutritious addition to school lunches.

Ingredients:

1 Cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans), or two cans of cooked chickpeas.

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1/3 Cup of sesame tahini

1/4 Cup of extra virgin olive oil

3 Cloves of garlic, peeled

1 tsp kosher or sea salt (if cooking your own beans, less salt if using canned)

Paprika, to taste

Toasted Garlic Drizzling Oil for garnish (optional)

Method:

If you are using dried beans: Rinse and soak chickpeas overnight. Drain the soaking water, then cover with more water and heat to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until tender.  When they are soft enough, drain off the cooking liquid, reserving a little for thinning the Hummus as needed. If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them. Do not reserve any of the liquid from the cans.

Place the chickpeas and the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Add water or reserved cooking liquid to thin the dip if necessary. Adjust seasonings to taste.  Serve immediately with freshly sliced vegetables, or portion into snack cups and refrigerate for up to one week.

Easy Tomato Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 lbs chicken (portions from a whole hen or boneless thighs)

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, sliced into wedges

2-3 medium heirloom tomatoes, diced or quartered

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Chopped fresh basil (optional)

Sea salt and pepper to taste

2-3 Tbs olive oil

Serve with cooked quinoa, pasta or brown rice

Method:

Place all ingredients in a baking dish and combine well. I like to use my hands to massage the tomato mixture into the chicken.  The acids from the tomatoes help to tenderize the meat, so if you want to cover and refrigerate the mixture for up to 24 hours, you can prepare this part ahead of time.  When you are ready to bake, place the chicken and tomato mixture in a preheated oven set at 375 degrees.  Bake uncovered for one hour, (or longer if you want the juices to reduce).  Serve with cooked quinoa, pasta or brown rice.

Kale Smoothie Popsicles

Yes, popsicles are for kids in the summertime...but you might want to make a few extra of these for yourself.  They make a fantastic cool treat for snacks, dessert, or even a light lunch.  It's a tasty way to enjoy those luscious greens that are filling the CSA boxes this time of year!

Ingredients:

About 6-10 dinosaur kale leaves (as a bonus, the kids love them even more because they are called "dinosaur")

1 cup of frozen blueberries

1 very ripe banana, frozen

1/2 cup raw almonds (or almond butter)

2-3 cups milk, or milk alternative like soy, almond or coconut

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

A pinch of kosher salt

Local raw honey, to taste

Method:

Place all ingredients in a blender (I prefer to use a Vitamix for smoothies), and puree on high until very smooth. Adjust ingredients to taste.  Pour the smoothie into popsicle molds (available online and in many local shops). Freeze for 12-24 hours.

Preparation Tips

Fruits: You can adjust the fruit in this recipe to suit your taste, but blueberries are my first choice because they don't have coarse seeds and the smoothie won't turn brown when mixed with greens. Of course brown is not necessarily bad...you can always add some cocoa powder and give it a chocolaty taste.  Also, bananas are fairly essential for sweetness and texture, but hey it's a smoothie, make it the way you like it. You can also make layered popsicles with different flavor combinations.  Recently we tried a red-white-and blue popsicle made with the following layers: strawberry coconut, peanut butter banana, and blueberry kale. The kids keep begging for more.

Flavor & Texture: Nuts are also optional, but they add protein, as well as richness to the flavor and texture.  If you don't use nuts, add a little oil, coconut milk (unsweetened cold-pressed in a can), or cream to the mixture to balance the bitterness in the greens.  The salt, lemon juice and oils or nuts are all important ingredients to get the right balance of flavor, and counteract any bitterness from the greens.

Fresh v/s Frozen: You can use fresh fruit that has not been frozen, but the texture is more like ice cream when you start with frozen berries and bananas.  If you want a real time-saver, blanch your greens and freeze them as well.  Alternatively, you could puree them in a blender, then freeze portions in an ice-cube tray.  You can pop out portions as you need them for smoothies.

The Blender: A high powered blender like Vitamix is my first choice for making smoothies.  There are many blender gadgets available, even specifically designed for smoothies.  To get a truly smooth texture from high-fiber foods like greens and nuts, it's best to have a blender that can keep up with the demand.  You can still make smoothies in standard kitchen blenders, but it may take longer, or the texture may be less uniform and smooth.

Indian Summer Stew With White Beans, Chicken & Kale

For most chicken soups, I prefer to make them the day after I have made a whole roast chicken.  I use the bones to make homemade broth, and the leftover meat goes in the soup.  If I have any leftover gravy it goes in the soup as well.  No-waste cooking is great for the budget, and in this case, is the secret to getting the most flavor into  your bowl.  If you want to make a vegetarian version, or have not roasted a chicken lately, just remember to start with a good quality stock and make sure to roast the vegetables long enough to bring out the rich caramelized sugars.  When using homemade stock or gravy in this soup, remember to skim the fats from the broth or drippings as much as possible in order to keep the soup from being too heavy.

Ingredients: 4 small kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 2 medium sweet peppers, seeded and chopped into 1-inch pieces 2 carrots, trimmed and coarsely chopped Canola oil

3 stalks of celery, chopped 1 yellow onion, diced 4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and diced

1- inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated 1 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp ground cumin 1/8 tsp white pepper

8-10 cups of chicken broth or stock 2 bay leaves

5 curly kale, kohlrabi, or collard leaves, (stems removed) washed and chopped About 2 cups of cooked chicken, chopped 1 lb white navy beans (dry), soaked, cooked until tender and drained Sea salt and black pepper Juice from 1 lemon Diced fresh tomato and hot sauce for garnish (optional)

Method: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place the chopped kohlrabi, sweet peppers and carrots in a baking dish.  Toss with a little oil and season with sea salt.  Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to brown on the tips.  While the vegetables are baking, saute the chopped celery, onion and garlic with a little oil in a large stock pot.  When they are tender, add the paprika, cumin, white pepper, 6 cups of broth, roasted kohlrabi, sweet peppers and carrots.  Stir to combine, then remove from heat.  Puree with an immersion blender.  Add the bay leaves and lemon juice.  Season with salt and black pepper to taste.  Simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add the chopped greens, beans and chicken.  Simmer until the greens are tender.  Serve with ripe diced tomatoes and your favorite hot sauce.

Fall Veggie Burgers With Black Bean & Sweet Potato

The Spring Veggie Burger recipe is a fantastic staple for quick meals, and this seasonal reprise is a delicious variation.  It has a sweeter flavor combination with apples and sweet potatoes, and a great balance of proteins with black beans and pecans.  Serve on a freshly baked bun with fresh arugula, Basil Garlic Aioli, and Roasted Tomatoes & Peppers seasoned with chipotle chile pepper or smoked serrano pepper.

Ingredients: (Recipe for about 3 dozen burgers) About 4 cups cooked black beans, or three 15-oz cans (drained and rinsed) 1 cup dry wild rice or quinoa, cooked with Rapunzel vegetable bouillon until tender 3 bunches of greens (kale, collards, kohlrabi greens, etc.), stems trimmed, blanched and chopped finely 2 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and diced small 1 bunch of radishes, trimmed and diced small A 3-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated 1 large, or two medium sweet potatoes, finely chopped About 2 cups of shiitake mushrooms, stems removed & finely chopped 1 apple, finely chopped 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped 12 medium cloves of garlic, peeled and minced or crushed 2 cups ground pecans 1 Tbs dried or fresh thyme 1 tsp ground allspice 1/2 tsp ground cloves Black or red pepper to taste 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 1 cup whole wheat flour Juice from one lemon 2 farm fresh eggs 1/2 cup olive oil 1 Tbs sea salt

Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with oiled parchment paper. Add all ingredients to a large bowl in the order listed. (You can prepare some ahead of time if desired.) Combine well, then form into patties (or make balls, then press gently on the baking sheet until it forms a patty.)  Bake on oiled and lined baking sheets for about 30 minutes.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving, or until cool before storing.  (The burgers will be quite crumbly when they first come out of the oven, but are firm enough to move once they have cooled.) Gently remove the burgers from the baking sheet with a spatula and place in freezer bags or containers, with parchment paper between each layer. Warm in a skillet, toaster oven, or microwave oven before serving.

Preparation suggestions: All of the vegetables can be chopped in a food processor, but I like to hand-dice the radishes and kohlrabi a little larger so the burgers have a little crunch and texture. For the sweet potatoes, mushrooms, apple, onion and garlic, however, it's easier to chop them finely in a food processor.  You can leave the skins on the sweet potatoes and apples, so no need to do any peeling beforehand.  If you tried the Spring Veggie Burger recipe earlier this year, you will notice that this one has a slightly different texture.  There is a lot of moisture in the fall veggies, so you have to make sure you don't salt the mixture too soon.  The salt will cause the vegetables to release their juices, so you may want to add it just before you begin to form the patties. Also, the parchment or waxed paper is essential. Since the sugars in the sweet potatoes and apples will caramelize while baking, and therefore stick to the pan if the parchment is not used.