Is your fridge full of greens now? Are you having trouble keeping up with them? Don't worry, we've got some helpful tips for you today to help you use some of that stuff up faster.
Now hopefully Jaime, Ina, Giada, and Bobby never read these, because I am not a chef by any means. I am going to apologize ahead of time for that. I am more of a stay-at-home-dump-things-in-a-pot kind of cook. Plus I have three kids and am homeschooling, so cooking school is no where in my future. But these recipes are tasty and even my kids eat them, which for me is the ultimate praise. So here goes.....
Organic Mint Sun Tea
Glass Pitcher
Sunny Day
Cup of Sugar (you can adjust this to your personal taste or leave it out)
Mint Leaves
5-6 Tea Bags
Fill pitcher with water, place tea bags and mint on top, cover with plastic wrap ( I don't enjoy bugs in my tea), set in a sunny spot outside for a few hours. Bring it inside when it is the darkness that you prefer.
Remove plastic wrap, tea bags, and mint. Dump in sugar and stir. Dump in ice cubes if you are going to serve right away to cool it down. Take a big sip and remember that summer is almost here.
Baked Chicken and Vegetables
2-4 chicken breasts
chopped fennel
carrots
onion
herbs
olive oil
salt/pepper
garlic and another seasonings you can't live without
The awesome thing about this recipe? You dump it all in as much as you want and you're done. Yep that's it. Well, you need to bake it. So, 350 degree for about an hour. Cover with foil so chicken doesn't dry out. This is my go to summer recipe. I dump in whatever comes in the basket and it is so fresh and tasty.
Ground Turkey Soup (from allrecipes.com)
1 lb ground turkey (Bradfords now have 5 lb bags available)
8 c water
8 cubes beef bullion (side note: I always use beef broth/stock instead, it's up to you)
4 potatoes, peeled/cubed
2 carrots sliced
1 small head cabbage
1 c pearl barley (if you don't have this ....skip it)
Brown the turkey and then in a large pot combine all the ingredients except the barley. Simmer for hour. Add in barley for last 15 min.
I think this sounds delicious with a dollop of daisy on top and some chives.
Pesto (the ultimate way to use up those greens)
This is when the food processor we talked about previously will come in handy. I play around a lot with pesto. I use whatever greens I may have that are on the edge of going bad. Like I said, I am not a chef, but this has always turned out well for me. Just think: greens, EVOO, nuts, parmesan and you should pretty much get something delicious. We use it on everything from breads, pasta, fish, chicken.
Arugula Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups baby arugula leaves
- 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 2/3 cup pine nuts
- 8 cloves garlic
Watercress Pesto
Ingredients
- 1/2 clove garlic
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 3 ounces watercress, rinsed and dried
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Directions
- Place the garlic, walnuts, watercress, Parmesan cheese, and mayonnaise into a food processor or blender. Pulse until a finely chopped paste has formed.
- 1 (6 ounce) can black
- olives, drained
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Place the arugula, basil, pine nuts, garlic, and olives in a food processor, and chop to a coarse paste. Mix in olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Process until well blended and smooth.
Well, I hope this helps today. Leave a comment about the recipes if you have questions. I apologize that mine don't have exact measurements. I tell people that's why I was an English major not a Math major. I try to avoid math as much as possible!
my favourite blooms right now- peonies and potatoes!!
