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.

Kohlrabi and Radish Slaw

Ingredients:

2 Small kohlrabi bulbs, julienned, and thinly sliced leaves

3-5 Radishes, julienned

1 Large spring onion, chopped

1 Clove of garlic, peeled and minced

1 Sprig of fresh dill, minced

1 Tsp brown mustard seeds

2 Tsp good quality all-natural apple cider vinegar

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 Tsp white truffle oil

Sea salt & black pepper to taste

Method:

This recipe is quick and easy if you have a good mandoline slicer or food processor with a julienne blade.  You can also use a cheese grater, but the texture will be less crunchy.

To slice the kohlrabi leaves thinly, start by removing the stem and rib from the leaves.  Lay the leaves flat in a stack, then roll lengthwise into a log shape.  Slice across the roll of leaves, making spaghetti-thin swirls.  You can chop again to shorten the strands of leaves if you like.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Season to taste.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate for a few hours if you want a softer, wilted texture.  This slaw is delicious served with grilled fish.

A Taste of What's to Come

In a recent edition of Chatter Magazine, food writer Beth Kirby shared stories and recipes from a few local ladies who are shaping the character of local farming. Signal Mountain Farm's McLean Miller and Chyela Rowe were part of that story.  As we get ready for the first spring harvest, we wanted to share this recipe to get your mouth watering for what's to come in the 2013 CSA season.  CSA members and those who have signed up for our newsletter will be receiving emails with delicious recipes tailored specifically to each week's harvest. We will post those recipes here.  So come visit our website often, browse through the archives for other ideas, and feel free to share your ideas and kitchen successes on our facebook page.

Warm Roasted Spring Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:

1 bunch baby beets (or 2 medium sized beets), plus greens

2 small or one large kohlrabi, plus greens

1 large or 2 medium fennel bulbs

Canola or olive oil

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Garnish & Dressing:

1 lb Link Forty One Sorghum Baconage (thawed)

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 heaping teaspoon Sequatchie Cove Farm sorghum syrup

3 Tbs white balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

Drippings from cooked baconage

Sequatchie Cove Creamery blue cheese (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Trim leaves from the beets, kohlrabi, and some fennel leaf if desired. Place the leaves in a salad spinner, clean sink or large bowl.  Cover with cold water, give them a swish with your hand to loosen any soil, then let rest in the cold water for a few minutes to let the soil settle.

Meanwhile, wash and trim the kohlrabi, beets and fennel. Slice thinly with a sharp knife or mandolin slicer. Arrange the vegetables in an ovenproof casserole dish. You can arrange them neatly, alternating beets, kohlrabi, and fennel in a repeating pattern if you want an attractive presentation.  Otherwise, just toss them all together with some oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and beginning to caramelize on the tips.

While the vegetables are baking, prepare the baconage and dressing.  Remove the sausage casing from the baconage with a knife or kitchen shears.  Slice or crumble the baconage into a heated cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed skillet. Cook until browned, then remove from the pan and set aside, (but leave the drippings or fat rendered from the cooked baconage in the skillet.) Add the garlic, sorghum syrup and vinegar to the skillet. Stir until combined and cook until it begins to bubble.  Remove from the heat and let rest.

When the vegetables are out of the oven, remove the beet and kohlrabi greens from the cold water and spin dry or pat with a clean, absorbent cloth.  Put a little oil and the greens in a large skillet and sauté until they darken in color and just begin to wilt.  Add the warm vinaigrette and sauté for one minute.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Place a portion of greens on each plate, topping with baconage and crumbled blue cheese.  Serve warm as a salad, or use as a topping for garlic-herbed pasta or rice.

First Pickup Dates for our 2013 CSA!

The time we have all been waiting for is almost here!  Our 2013 CSA will begin the last week of May. We still have a few slots available for anyone who would like to join. Click on the Sign-Up for CSA link to register now. Here's a list of the first pickup dates and times:

Chattanooga Market: Sunday, May 26th, 12-4pm

Main Street Farmer's Market: Wednesday, May 29th, 4-6pm

Crossfit Brigade: Wednesday, May 29th, 4-6pm

Signal Mountain Farmer's Market: Thursday, May 30th, 4-6

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Turnip Gratin Dauphinois

Rich and creamy dishes are not typical on this blog, but as the end of the growing season is here and the holidays approach it seems fitting to celebrate in style. Turnips may or may not top your list of celebratory vegetables. It seems they are on the either love or hate list for most people. So if you are one of the haters, maybe this recipe will persuade you to the other side. Admittedly, I am firmly in the love camp as I have memories of enjoying raw turnips straight out of the garden as a child. You can make this dish with only turnips, or you can mix new potatoes, kohlrabi and turnips. Starchy white potatoes will make the dish more firm, acting as a sort of glue to hold the layers together. So there is plenty of room for creativity and texture preference if you want to adapt to your own taste.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb turnips (or a mixture of new potatoes, kohlrabi and turnips) 1 medium yellow onion, cut into very thin half-circles 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 Tbs butter 1 Tbs all purpose flour 1/2 Rapunzel vegetable bouillon cube (with sea salt & herbs) dissolved into 1 cup boiling water 6 oz goat cheese 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 tsp whole grain french mustard 1 cup shredded aged cheese (like white cheddar or gruyere)

Method:

Slice turnips (and potatoes and kohlrabi if using) very thinly with a sharp knife or mandolin slicer. Layer them with the onions in a 2qt casserole dish. You can place them in evenly and neatly if you like, but it's not necessary. I just tossed them all together, making sure they were fairly flat and well inside the dish. Whisk together the other ingredients (except the cheese) and pour over the top of the vegetables. Cover with foil and place in the oven at 325 degrees. Bake for about 45 minutes to one hour. Remove the foil and sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top. Return to the oven and bake (uncovered) for about 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.