Baked Garlic Kale Chips

These kale chips are simple to make and everyone will love them! You may even find yourself eating half a bunch of kale in one sitting!

 Ingredients: 

-1 bunch of kale - any variety works

-1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil

-1 tsp garlic powder
-a pinch of sea salt

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

-Thoroughly wash your bunch of kale and rip into hand sized pieces and put into a large bowl. Be sure to remove the thickest part of the stem from the pieces you are ripping, as it is too tough and takes away from the chip experience.

-Add to the bowl of torn kale your sea salt and massage it into the greens for one to two minutes. You'll notice the kale wilts, this makes it less tough and more chip like. Then toss the oil and garlic with the kale and be sure to mix thoroughly so that all pieces are coated.


-Spread the kale out over two baking sheets so that each piece is not laying on top of one another. Bake for 10-20 minutes, until crispy. Let cool then enjoy!


Variations:

-add fresh or dried dill (1-3tsp) and 1 tsp of onion powder for ranch style kale chips.
-add nutritional yeast and a tablespoon of lemon juice for "cheesey" kale chips.

Sweet Potato & Quinoa Collard Rolls

 Today's delicious recipe comes from CSA member Sherrie, who writes a gluten free food blog called Living Simply Gluten Free. Sherrie is sharing her CSA experience and recipes on her blog, so be sure to check it out! If we're lucky, she may contribute a few of her creations to our blog as well, so keep your eyes peeled!

 

Ingredients:

-collard greens, 8-10 leaves

-1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

-2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

-1 large shallot, chopped

-1/4 tsp. garlic granules

-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes [optional]

-2 TBS. butter or Earth Balance organic coconut spread

-sea salt to taste

Directions:

- Wash each leaf one by one, by hand and pat dry. Now cut off the stems so just the leaves are left behind. Fill up a large sauce pan with water and heat over high. Once the water has started to boil, reduce the heat to low. Place the leaves in the water and gently boil for about 3-5 minutes or until they've become pliable and bright green. 

- Fill up a medium sized pan with water and a pinch of salt; bring this to a rapid boil. Toss in the sweet potatoes and cook until the potatoes are soft and can be easily pierced with a fork. Drain the sweet potatoes and toss them back into the pot. Mash lightly by hand with a hand masher. Now add in the cooked quinoa, garlic granules and red pepper flakes; mix together. Taste the mixture and if desired, season with a little sea salt.

-To make the rolls simply take each leaf with the 'stem' end facing you and the rounded end pointing towards the top of your counter space. About an inch from the bottom of the leaf spoon on 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of the sweet potato mixture. Fold over the bottom section, tuck the sides in and roll up like you would a burrito. Don't worry this can take some practice! Repeat until each leaf if filled and rolled. 

- In a large frying pan heat together the chopped shallots and butter [or coconut spread] over low heat. Once the butter is melted down and the shallots are heated through pour the mixture into a small bowl and set aside. Fill the pan with the rolls and pour the shallot mixture over the top; cover with a lid and simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes. The leaves will get darker on the bottom, but should not get browned. So, if this starts to happen either turn down the heat or remove them from the heat altogether. 

Serves: 4 

Total time: 40 minutes

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Bundles with Spicy Dipping Sauce

 Another asparagus recipe from Martha Stewart!

 

Ingredients

-30 medium asparagus stalks, trimmed
-10 slices peppered bacon
-1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
-1/2 cup mayonnaise
-2 teaspoons Sriracha (Asian chili sauce)
-2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
-1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Separate asparagus into bundles of 3 stalks each. Carefully wrap a piece of bacon around each bundle, starting about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the tip; secure with a toothpick. Transfer bundles to a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Roast, flipping halfway through, until asparagus begin to wilt and bacon is brown, 20 to 22 minutes.
-Meanwhile, whisk together mayonnaise, chili sauce, lime juice, cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; season with pepper. Sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week.
-Transfer bundles to a platter; remove toothpicks. Serve with dipping sauce.

Cook's Note

To keep the bacon from unraveling during cooking, wrap a slice snugly around the middle of the asparagus bunch. Insert a wooden toothpick through the bacon and stalks to secure.

Shaved Raw Asparagus with Parmesan Dressing

Recipe provided by Food & Wine

Asparagus often makes wine taste vegetal. To counter that, chef Mark Ladner of Manhattan's Del Posto mixes shaved spears with a supremely wine-friendly ingredient: parmesan.

Ingredients

2 pound(s) large asparagus
1 cup(s) coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 3 ounces
3 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon(s) warm water
1/4 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus into long, thin strips and transfer to a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, mix the Parmigiano-Reggiano with the lemon juice, water and olive oil. Add to the asparagus and toss to coat. Season the salad with salt and pepper and serve at once.

Green Lemonade and Green Smoothie Goodness

These are three recipes I make on a regular basis and really love! I have the vegetable juice every morning however the smoothies are a great alternative. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Green Lemonade

-1/2 head of celery
-1/2 cucumber
-1 handful to 3 cups of spinach (any greens will work)
-1 lemon, rind removed
-1 green apple (optional)

Although there are many different types of juicers, this order will work well for all of them to get the most juice out of your vegetables.

First juice the spinach, followed by a few stalks of celery. Then add in the lemon, and cucumber, using celery in between to help things continue to move through the juicer. Finally add in the apple and drink up!

Green Smoothie (Fruity)

-1 to 3 cups greens (spinach is the most mild and makes the smoothie silky)
-1 banana
-1 fresh mango - diced
-1/2 cup water - more or less for desired thickness

Place the greens in the blender first along with the water and then add the banana and mango on top. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Green Superfood Smoothie

This recipe is adapted from Raw Model and is so addictively delicious!

-2 cups milk of choice (raw dairy, almond, hemp, coconut etc) I prefer almond or hemp here
-2-3 cups of greens - spinach, kale, watercress, mizuna
-1-3 tbsp bee pollen - local if you can find it!
-1 - 2 tbsp raw honey - to taste depending on how bitter the greens are

Blend greens, milk and honey until smooth then add in Bee pollen and blend lightly.  Enjoy!

Green Eggs and Ham

 Today's recipe comes from The Food Lover's Primal Palate and features kale! This pesto is a great stand in for the original when you've got lots of kale but no basil!

Kale Pesto

Ingredients:
-2 cups kale, de-veined
-1/3 cup pine nuts (walnuts or almonds would be great, less expensive replacements)
-1 Tbsp lemon zest
-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 lemon juice

Directions:

-In a food processor, pulse kale leaves and pine nuts.

-Add in garlic and continue to pulse.

-While the mixture is processing, slowly add in olive oil.

-Add in salt and pepper to taste.

-Continue to blend until all ingredients are evenly blended

Eggs and Ham

 Ingredients:

-2 pastured eggs

-3 slices of Irish bacon (ham style bacon)

-1 tablespoons of Kerrygold Pure Irish grass fed butter

-Black pepper to taste

Process:

-Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. 

-Crack eggs in to skillet, sprinkle with black pepper, and cook on low until whites are cooked through.

-In another skillet, fry bacon on medium heat until crispy.

-Plate eggs over bacon, drizzle with kale pesto, and garnish with avocado slices.

Here Come the Greens! Banana Breakfast Sushi

This is the first week of our spring/summer CSA season and that means one thing...greens! For inspiration in the kitchen , we'll be posting several recipes this week using a variety of greens. First up is Banana Breakfast Sushi. This recipe is slightly adapted from the blog Choosing Raw and utilizes collards to make a delicious and easy breakfast wrap.

Banana Breakfast Sushi

by Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients (1 serving)

• 1 banana
• 1 large collard, kale, or romaine lettuce leaf
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tsp maple syrup

Instructions

• Cut the thickest part of the stem of your leaf wrapper out with a “V” shaped cut.
• Spread the tablespoon of almond butter into the crease of the leaf.
• Drizzle it with about a teaspoon of maple syrup
• Cut your banana in half, and layer it so that it’s straight in the center of the leaf.
• Fold up all of the edges bottom edges, and then and wrap it up neatly from right to left.
• Slice into 3-5 pieces (depending on the length) and enjoy!

Roast Fresh Ham With a Honey-Whole-Grain-Mustard Glaze

This recipe is a perfect way to utilize the new Hog Share we are offering and comes highly recommended from one of our CSA members!

Recipe Source:From food writer Tony Rosenfeld. 

MAKE AHEAD: Rub the ham with the rosemary, fresh garlic and olive oil mixture at least 2 hours before roasting -- and preferably 1 or 2 days before -- so the flavors infuse the meat.

Ingredients:
For the ham

• Half of a fresh ham (10 to 12 pounds), preferably the butt half (see headnote)
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

For the glaze

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup whole-grain mustard, plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:
-For the ham: Use a sharp chef's knife or serrated knife to cut through the fat but not quite to the flesh, scoring parallel slashes about 1 inch apart and 1/4 inch deep. Then cut slashes perpendicular to the first ones, also 1 inch apart, so you get an even cross-hatch pattern. Season the ham all over with the salt and pepper.
-Combine the oil, rosemary, and garlic in a small bowl. Cover the ham with the mixture, using your hands to press it into the surface. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
-Remove the ham from the refrigerator 45 minutes before roasting and transfer to a large roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
-Roast until the ham starts to brown evenly, about 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees, rotate the pan from back to front and roast until the ham cooks through and registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
-When the ham goes into the oven, make the glaze: Combine the honey, mustard, vinegar and rosemary in a medium bowl. Brush all over the ham every 30 minutes or so during the final 2 hours of roasting.
-Transfer the ham to a large cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes. Carve into 1/4-inch slices. Serve with whole-grain mustard at the table.

Don't forget to sign-up for the 2012 Spring/Summer CSA Program!

Talking about the early spring, Casey (LFFC General Manager and Organic Farmer) says "We're pretty much a month ahead." You can read the full article in today's edition of Lancaster Online. We're excited for the start of all of our spring crops, and just wanted to send out a reminder to reserve your spot for our 2012 Spring/Summer CSA Program! Our membership application can be found on our website. We're accepting sign-ups until April 20th, but pick-up locations can fill up quick! Please feel free to contact us at csa@lancasterfarmfresh.com with questions - we've got a whole bunch of convenient pick-up spots in PA, DE, DC/MD, NY, and VA.