Polenta Pizzas with Kale, Chard, and Parsley Pesto

For the polenta pizza crust:
3 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cups polenta
For the kale and maitake mushroom topping:
1 large leek, sliced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons mirin
2 maitake mushrooms
1 bunch kale, finely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
1/4 cup pasta sauce
For the chard and parsley pesto topping:
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
1/4 cup Parsley Walnut Pesto (recipe follows)
For the parsley walnut pesto:
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup toasted walnuts
11/2 cups packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Sea salt
 
For the crust, over high heat, bring stock to boil. Reduce heat to medium and add salt, basil, oregano, parsley, pepper and olive oil. Whisking continuously, pour in polenta and continue whisking for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and thick. Pour into two 11-inch tart pans and spread evenly over bottom of each pan. Cool slightly and then refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Preheat oven to 350°F and place pizza stone or baking sheet on middle rack. Remove polenta from refrigerator, sprinkle pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal, transfer polenta to stone or baking sheet and bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. For kale pizza, place large skillet over medium heat and sauté leek in 11/2 tablespoons olive oil for 3 minutes. Add mirin and sauté 2 minutes longer. Crumble maitake mushrooms, add to pan and sauté 5 minutes or until soft. Fold in kale and sauté 3 minutes longer. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, season to taste with salt and black pepper and remove from heat. For chard pizza, sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft, following the directions for the kale topping. Add chard, sauté 1 minute, remove from heat, and season to taste with salt and pepper. For the parsley walnut pesto, with food processor running, drop in garlic and process until minced. Turn off processor, scrape down sides and add walnuts, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Process to mince all ingredients and combine. Season to taste with salt and thin with extra olive oil to achieve desired consistency. Refrigerate or freeze in airtight container until ready to use. Spread pasta sauce or parsley pesto evenly over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch edge. Top with kale or chard mixture and return to oven to bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cut with pizza wheel and serve.
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Turnip and Baby Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

2 bunches baby turnips with greens (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed, greens reserved, turnips cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
4 cups baby spinach, washed well
1 ounce bacon (about 2 slices), thinly sliced crosswise
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss turnips with oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, tossing after 15 minutes, until golden brown and tender, about 35 minutes. Whisk together vinegar, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Wash turnip greens well, and tear into 3-inch pieces. Toss greens with spinach. About 5 minutes before turnips are finished roasting, heat a small high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bacon, stirring, until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallot, and cook until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vinegar mixture. Fold warm bacon vinaigrette into greens, and divide evenly among 4 plates. Top with roasted turnips and pecans.
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Fresh Fennel and Lemon Slaw

serves 6, at least

1 large bulb fennel
1/2 head green cabbage
1 head red radicchio
2 lemons (preferably Meyer lemon)
3 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Finely chop the fronds of the fennel bulb. Thinly slice the stalks and bulb with a mandoline (or finely chop with a chef's knife). Do the same with the cabbage and radicchio, and toss all the vegetables together. Zest the Meyer lemons and toss with the vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together, taste, and adjust. Toss with salad and refrigerate for an hour before serving.
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Turnip and Potato Patties

Makes six patties.
1/2 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1 1/3 cups)
6 oz potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
2 1/2 Tbsp thinly sliced scallion greens
1 egg, beaten lightly
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Grapeseed oil, peanut oil, or canola oil (high smoke point vegetable oils)
Salt and pepper
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the turnip and potato cubes for 15 to 17 minutes, until they are tender, and drain them. In a bowl, mash them with a fork and stir in the scallions, the egg, flour, and salt and pepper to taste. Coat the bottom of a large, heavy bottomed skillet with about 1/4-inch of the oil. Heat the pan on medium high heat until the surface of the oil begins to shimmer, but not smoke. Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of the turnip potato batter into the pan, flattening them into 1/2-inch thick patties with the back of a spatula. Fry the patties until they are golden, turning them once, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the patties to paper towels to drain off excess oil.
 
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Healthy Detox Soup

2 medium leeks, cut in half, cleaned well, and cut into small pieces
4 cloves of garlic, crushed into a paste
1 serrano pepper, half of seeds removed, thinly sliced
4 carrots, scrubbed clean, skins on, cut into rough chunks
4 celery stalks, cut into rough chunks
3 small rutabagas, peeled and cut into medium dice
3 small zucchini, diced
8 cups water
3 roma tomatoes, with seeds and skin, diced
2 cups pinto beans, I used dried ones that I cooked before hand, used cooking liquids in soup
2 bunches of kale, thinly sliced
1 juice of 1/2 lemon
maldon salt, to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, garlic, and serranos. Sweat over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add carrots, celery and the rutabagas. Cook for about 3 minutes.
Add the water, tomatoes and pinto beans, simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes. The longer, the better the flavor is. 15 minutes before serving stir in the kale and zucchini. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. Eat.

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White Bean Dip with Dill

Six to eight appetizer-sized servings

Soaking the beans the night before drastically reduces the cooking time. And I’ll often cook extra beans, to maximize my energy-efficiency, and use them for soup. If using canned white beans, or making a big pot, you’ll need 2 cups (380g) of beans, drained for the dip.
Reserve some of the liquid, as indicated in the recipe for making the dip. You can use whatever herbs you like. Fresh basil works quite well, as does sage, and tarragon would add a nice sharpness.
Serve the dip with toasted slices of bread, or whole-grain crackers.

3/4 cup (6 ounces, 225g) dried white beans
One bay leaf
1/4 cup (60ml) bean cooking liquid
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
generous pinch of red pepper powder

Additional olive oil and fresh herbs, for garnish

Rinse the dried beans and sort them, checking for stones or debris. Soak the beans overnight in cold water. The next day, bring the beans to a gentle boil with a bay leaf, making sure there is plenty of water covering them. Cook until completely tender, 1 to 2 hours, depending on the beans. (If you live in an area with hard water, a pinch of baking soda can be added to the water to help the beans cook and soften.) Drain the beans, reserving some of the liquid. Puck out the bay leaf and let the beans cool until tepid. Put the beans along with 1/4 cup (60ml) of their cooking liquid in a blender or food processor, and blend with the garlic, dill, mint, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and red pepper powder. You’ll need to stop the machine a few times and scrape down the sides, but do puree it long enough for it to be completely smooth, which will take several minutes.Taste, and adjust for seasoning, adding more salt or olive oil if desired. If it’s too thick, add a tablespoon or so of the reserved bean liquid or olive oil. Garnish with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a scattering of fresh chopped herbs.

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Detox Sweet Potatoes with Quilites and Spinach

2 medium sweet potatoes
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 bunch quilites, washed, stemmed and chopped
1 bunch spinach, washed, stemmed and chopped (about 3 cups)
salt
sliced avocado, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Slice onion and greens while heating a large pan over medium heat. Add olive oil. Once hot, add onion and cook until slightly caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. Add collard greens and spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve potatoes split and topped with a mountain of greens and sliced avocado, if using. More salt, pepper, cayenne or a squeeze of lemon optional.

Adapted from: Source

julia child's soufflé au fromage: local dairy & spring asparagus salad

Spring Asparagus Salad

with Creamy Raw Milk & Goat Cheese Dressing

serves 2

For the Salad:

2 cups green, leafy lettuce (washed, dried, and chopped)

8-10 stalks asparagus, lightly steamed (about 5 minutes)

3 radishes, sliced thin

2 spring onions, sliced thin

For the Goat Cheese Chive Dressing:

1 egg yolk

1/8 cup goat cheese

splash of raw milk (or regular)

1 tsp chopped chives

salt and pepper to taste

Mix egg yolk and goat cheese with a fork in a small bowl until creamy but pieces of cheese remain visible. Add a splash of raw milk and stir to reach desired consistency. Mix in chives and salt & pepper to taste.

http://localmilk.blogspot.com/2012/04/julia-childs-souffle-au-fromage-local.html

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Fennel

2 sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered and cut into 1/2″ cubes

2 Fennel Bulbs, quartered

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons sea salt

Pre-heat oven to 400ºf along with cookie tray

Toss all ingredients in a bowl to coat

Carefully remove hot cookie tray from oven and place vegetables on tray

Place on the lower middle rack of oven and roast for 45 min-1hr stirring once

Garnish with fennel tops

http://newsouthfoodcompany.com/roasted-fennel-and-sweet-potatoes/

Heart Beet Salad

Heart Beet Salad

2 large beets
6 oz fresh goat cheese
1 blood orange, segmented
1 teaspoon cara cara orange zest
1 cara cara orange, segmented
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 handfuls arugula
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F. Rinse the beets and trim off the greens (you can save them to sauté later if you want). Wrap in foil and roast until tender, about 1 hour. When they’re done you should be able to easily pierce the beets through with a knife. Remove from the oven, unwrap from foil, and let cool. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off. Slice the beets into 1/4-inch slices. You should have at least 4 slices of beets per person. Cut out a heart shape from the beet slices using the cookie cutter. Pat the slices dry. Make the napoleon stacks by layering the beet heart slices and goat cheese until you have two beautiful stacks. Try to spread the goat cheese evenly. Clean up edges with a paper towel. (Do not assemble this too far ahead of time because if your beets are juicy, they will color the goat cheese pink as they sit.) Zest the cara cara oranges and set aside a teaspoon for the dressing. Segment both oranges. After segments are cut, squeeze the juice out of the leftover pulp. Reserve for dressing. Make dressing by whisking together orange juice, zest, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Dress the arugula and orange segments. Arrange around the beet heart napoleon. Scatter hazelnuts around.
Special Equipment: heart-shaped cookie cutter; be sure that your cookie cutter fits within the circumference of your beets

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Pan-seared Radishes with Miso Butter

Pan-seared Radishes with Miso Butter

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red miso paste, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon togarashi powder
3 bunches medium radishes with their tops
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar

Place the butter, miso, and togarashi in a small bowl and mash with the back of a spoon until evenly combined; set aside.
Cut the leafy tops from the radishes. Coarsely chop, wash, and dry the tops; set them aside. Wash the radishes, trim the stem ends, and halve them (quarter them if they’re large) and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the radishes and arrange them cut-side down in a single layer. Season with salt and sear until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown and the radishes are crisp-tender, about 3 to 5 minutes more.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the radish tops, 1 tablespoon of the water, and salt to taste. Cook, tossing occasionally with tongs, until the tops are completely wilted, about 2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter-miso mixture and the remaining tablespoon of water and stir until the butter-miso mixture melts and coats the radishes and radish tops. Add the vinegar and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt as needed.

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Stir-fried Bok Choy with Mizuna and Tofu

Stir-fried Bok Choy with Mizuna and Tofu

3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
4 teaspoons Asian sesame oil, divided
3 1/2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar, divided
1 14- to 16-ounce container extra-firm tofu, drained
2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 baby bok choy, leaves separated
A head of loosely packed mizuna (about 8 ounces)

Whisk 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and 1/2 teaspoon vinegar in bowl. Stack 2 paper towels on work surface. Cut tofu crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices; cut each slice crosswise in half. Arrange tofu on paper towels and let stand 10 minutes. Pat top of tofu dry. Heat peanut oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook, without moving, until golden brown on bottom, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer tofu to paper towel to drain, then place tofu on sheet of foil and brush both sides with soy sauce mixture. Wipe out any peanut oil from skillet. Add 2 teaspoons sesame oil and place skillet over medium heat. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining 11/2 tablespoons soy sauce and 3 teaspoons vinegar, then bok choy. Toss until bok choy wilts, 1 to 2 minutes. Add mizuna in 2 batches, tossing to wilt before adding more, 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Season greens with salt and pepper. Add tofu to skillet. Toss gently to blend. Transfer to platter.

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