Chard with Beet Vinegar

2 large beets, peeled and cooked
1 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbs. sugar
½ tsp. lemon juice
dash white pepper
1 large bunch fresh chard or beet greens, chopped
butter to taste
Garnish: sour cream or fresh plain yogurt

In a blender, puree the beets together with the rice vinegar, sugar, lemon juice and white pepper.  Pour into a non-aluminum saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 5 minutes.  Cool.  Steam the chard until tender, drain.  Toss chard with butter and pepper to taste.  Arrange the cooked chard on a serving platter.  Spoon over some of the beet vinegar to taste and garnish with a generous dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

(From Recipes from a Kitchen Garden by Shepherd and Raboff)

Thai Basil Pesto

2 c. Thai Basil - or any flavor of specialty of regular basil
2 T. dry roasted peanuts
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 T. dark sesame oil
1 T. fish sauce (optional. although the recipe's authors encourage its inclusion)
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1 T. crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves

Process all in a food processor.  Use for soba noodles, stir-fry veggies, or anywhere your fancy takes you!

Celery and Potato Soup

A simple and accessible recipe for this nourishing and nurturing soup.

Ingredients

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 small Onion, chopped
4 stalks Celery, chopped
2 medium potato, peeled and diced
4 garlic, minced
bay leaf, thyme and parsley
7 cups Water (or chicken broth)

Directions

Heat oil over medium heat, add onion and celery, and cook gently, stirring often, for about 10 mins, until very tender. Add 1/2 tsp salt after 5 mins. make sure the vegetables do not colour.
Add potatoes, garlic and herbs. Stir together and add water. Bring to simmer, add salt to taste. Cover and simmer 30 -40 mins, until the vegetables are very tender. Remove from heat.
Use a food processor to puree the soup. After that, return puree to the soup, stir and heat through. season with salt and pepper. Garnish with celery sticks in individual bowl.

Number of Servings: 10




from the SparkRecipes food blog

Kale Chips

Recipes abound on the internet for this increasingly popular way to ingest your dose of healthy greens. This post offers an easy preparation method and some delicious variations! Post by Merritt Watts:

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that greens are good for you. You also probably know that kale tops the charts when it comes to nutrients-per-bite. But, for all that nutrition knowledge, the real eat-your-greens revolution is taking place in home ovens across the country... Yep, I'm talking about kale chips! The crispy, salty, totally addictive snack has moved out of the "hippie food" category and gone mainstream. If you haven't yet tried making your own kale chips, you are missing out! And if you have made your own kale chips, why not punch 'em up a bit? Read on for our favorite formula for perfect chips, plus some speedy seasoning ideas.

BASIC BAKED KALE CHIPS

Tear the leaves of one bunch of curly- of flat-leaf kale into 2-inch pieces and toss with a tablespoon (or two, depending on how healthy you're trying to be) of extra-virgin olive oil and a teaspoon of coarse salt. Spread the kale out on a large rimmed baking sheet (use two baking sheets, if necessary -- the kale should have enough room to bake in a single layer).
For dry, crisp chips: Bake at 300 degrees for 3o - 35 minutes, stirring halfway through.
For toasted chips with browned edges: Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring two or three times.

FAST IDEAS FOR FRESH FLAVOR

• Kale Chips with Kick: Add a teaspoon or two of Sriracha sauce to the oil before tossing with kale and baking.
• Lemon Zest Kale Chips: Finely grate lemon zest over the kale chips as soon as they come out of the oven.
• Soy Sauce-Kale Chips: Replace half the oil with soy sauce, and cut back on salt, for some savory, umami flavor.
• Double-Healthy Kale Chips: Sprinkle with nutrient-rich nutritional yeast. (Okay, this one might be veering back into the "hippie food" category, but trust us, it's delicious! The chips taste nice and cheesy)
• Chile-Lime Kale Chips: Mix a bit of chile powder in with the salt, squeeze lime juice over kale chips when they're hot out of the oven.
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from http://everydayfoodblog.marthastewart.com and posted by Merritt Watts

Green Bean Stir Fry

1 T. olive oil
3 c. fresh green beans, ends trimmed
2 c. sweet bell peppers, sliced
2 c. zucchini, sliced thin
1 c. carrot, sliced thin
2 T. honey
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 T. black and white sesame seeds (or all white)

Preheat large saute pan or wok over high heat. Add olive oil to preheated pan. Carefully add all vegetables to preheated pan. Cook vegetables for 4-7 minutes or until desired doneness. Add honey and soy sauce to pan and stir to combine. Serve stir-fry with rice and garnish with sesame seeds.