Zucchini Chips and Beet Salad

For several weeks we have been receiving beets & zucchini in our CSA boxes.  God has surely blessed us with abundance even in this dry weather.

Many of you may not be sure what to do with all of the extra's you cannot consume.

Here are a few idea's from my side of the kitchen. 

*make the recipes below

*shred and freeze your zucchini for later use

*slice and dehydrate to add to soups this winter (zuch. is great in minestrone)

*add 1/4-1/2 of a beet to 2 quarts of smoothie

*add a 1/2 of a medium or 1 small zucchini to your morning smoothie (they are very bland so you do not really taste them.  Don't peel them..just cut off the stem stub

*cut zucchini in chunks and freeze to add to smoothies later.

*add zucchini when juicing...thanks go to my friend Teri Hawkins-Fox of Natural Rejuvenation for this idea that she shared with me a few years ago.


*make zucchini noodles with a spiralizer or potato peeler...add fresh pesto or marinara


*add beets when juicing...just be cautious as they are very detoxifying. Start with a small amount, ex. 1/4  beet per quart.  


*add to stir fry or lightly steam 


*share your extra's with a neighbor, friend or co-worker & give them a recipe card so they know what to do with them

 
                                                BEET SALAD

2 bunches of red beets~shredded

5-10 garlic cloves

( used 10 because they were not very big)

1/4 to 1/3c. of extra virgin olive oil

1/4-1/3 c. of 100% pure lemon juice

(no preservatives-look in the health section at Kroger)

Himalayn Salt or sea salt/real salt to taste

clove powder~taste often as this is very strong (optional)

Mix together and let marinate for a little while..if you can wait, if not~ it is still delcious.

Save the beet tops ~wash and drain~ and shred them~layered on a plate and top with the beet salad

sometimes I add dulse flakes and/or raw sunflower seeds

Click here for the health benefits of beets

I have found that consuming RAW beets daily in addition with adequate amounts of high water content fruits and veggies ,and sufficient filtered drinking water keep my digestion in optimal condition.

What works for me is to have at least 2-4 Tablespoons with each meal.  Sometimes I eat more, because they are sooo good.

  

 ZUCCHINI CHIPS

2 Zuchinni's , sliced thin with peeler or mandolin
Olive oil or coconut oil spray  ( I found a  refillable pump spray bottle at one of the discount stores) 
1 teaspoon Crushed garlic
1 teaspoon Sea Salt (optional.  I do not use this if I am using Mrs. Dash)
½ teaspoon paprika or any of Mrs. Dash's seasonings.  I especially like the Southwest Chipotle from Mrs. Dash

Slice zucchini into strips or rounds and place in a bowl and lightly spray with olive or coconut oil and add crushed garlic and mix & marinate for about 10 minutes.  Spread the mixture out on a dehydrator tray and sprinkle with seasonings of choice. Remember that the flavor will intensify since you are dehydrating. Dehydrate on around 105 for about 8 hours or so.

You could also dry these on very low temperature in the oven.

To your health~
Kathy

Beet and Kale Salad Recipes & What to do with Mint

I've been getting spearmint and peppermint from one of my CSA shares.  

What to do with it??

You can make  Spearmint or Peppermint Infused Water

Infused Water~

Thank you Penni Shelton of Raw Food Rehab

This batch of water includes

fresh spearmint

1 organic navel orange

goji berries

liquid stevia

I placed this in the fridge overnight and it was ready in the morning.

I waited to add the stevia to each glass.

Mint tea's help the body to stay cool in the heat.  I try to keep some in the fridge all summer long.

Or make some Tabbouleh~

Tabbouleh

1 bunch of parsley~chopped fine

1 bunch of cilantro~chopped fine

4 tomatoes~diced

4-6 stalks of celery~diced

4 green onions~chopped

2 c. cooked quinoa or for all raw use hemp seeds

1/3 c. lemon juice

1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t. cumin

2-3 T. fresh MINT

black pepper to taste

Tonight we enjoyed this Tabbouleh with lemon Tahini dressing (tahini, lemon juice, Bragg's Liquid Aminos and water to thin)..I like to drizzle this dressing over my salad. On the table was garlic hummus and warm pita bread. 

We also recieved Beets in our share.

Here is one of my favorite raw recipes:

Beet Salad

1 bunch of beets peeled and shredded

5-6 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 c. ev olive oil

1/4 c. lemon juice

dash of salt

dash of ground cloves

mix and let marinate for a bit.

Did you know that  CLOVES neutralize garlic breath?

Remember clove gum?

I used to love it!

This is not garlic clove. 

KALE SALAD

1 bunch of kale

radished~diced

mini sweet pepperrs~chopped

chives~finely chopped

Chinese Five Spice to taste

 lemon juice

extra virgin olive oil

Himalayan salt

handful of raw pumpkin seeds

Cheezy Kale Salad

not pictured

1 large bunch of kale cleaned, de-stemmed and shredded

in blender:

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1/4 c. Bragg's liquid Amino's

1/2 c. filtered water

1/3 c. tahini

1/4 to 1/3 c. of  raw sesame seeds

2 garlic cloves

Himalayna  salt to taste

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

blend until smooth and pour over kale massage and let sit in fridge or eat right away if you cannot wait!

Mediterrianean Kale Salad~pictured above

kale

yellow bell peppers

olives

olive oil

lime juice

Himalyan salt

Remember to smile today

and be kind to those you meet

you never know what someone is going through

CSA share Week 20 of 25 and Recipes for Your CSA Share

 

Top left corner and clockwise!

Beets with tops (slightly hidden~you can see the tops)

bag of basil, arugula, dill and hot peppers

5 lbs of tomatoes (I ordered these as an extra item)

radishes

variety of sweet peppers

2 heirloom tomatoes

bag of sweet potatoes

kale

bag of mixed salad greens

                                                                                                                                             

Basil~a gift from a friend!

I am dehydrating it for the winter

Pictured are dehydrated sweet peppers.  The aroma in the house is amazing while these are drying!

SUN-BURNED BELL PEPPERS & WHAT TO DO WITH THEM

The picture below is how they looked before I sliced them in the food processor and the images above are what they looked like before removing the sunburned spots.  Most folks would not want these peppers, but they are perfectly fine.  Sometimes they will get sun-burnt in the field, just like we burn when we are out in the sun too long.  I admit they do not look appetizing, but they taste perfectly delicious after removing the spots.

Recipes of the week for your CSA share!

Look below for ideas for using your CSA share...be creative according to your family's taste.

Kale and Garbonzo's and Sweet Potatoes~not pictured

Cheezy Kale Salad~pictured below

KALE SALAD

1 bunch of kale

radished~diced

mini sweet pepperrs~chopped

chives~finely chopped

Chinese Five Spice to taste

 lemon juice

extra virgin olive oil

Himalayan salt

handful of raw pumpkin seeds

BEET SALAD

1 bunch of  beets

garlic~to taste..I use lots

lemon juice

extra virgin olive oil

Himalayan Salt

dash of ground cloves

Oriental Kale Salad~

not pictured

2 bunches of kale cleaned and shredded

1 red bell pepper diced

handful of raw pumpkin seeds

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c. lime juice

garlic to taste

Chinese Five Spice~lightly sprinkled over the top

Mediterrianean Kale Salad~pictured above

follow the link for a video

kale

yellow bell peppers

olives

olive oil

lime juice

Himalyan salt

CHEEZY KALE CHIPS

not picturedIngredients:

2 heads of Kale, Washed and Torn~SIT ASIDE

3/4 cup Tahini
1/4 cup Tamari
1/4 cup Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup Water
1/4 cup dried onions
1 clove garlic
1 lemon (juice of)
dash of Sea Salt
1/3 cup of nutritional yeast

Blend everything but the kale until it is creamy and pour over kale and massage into it and let it sit for 10 mins.
spread on Teflex sheets and dehydrate at 115 until crispy.
I had some leftover sauce so I cleaned and de stemmed some rainbow chard and used the rest of it on it. I'll let you know how it turns out.

The weather is just right for a nice warm soup!

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup

10-12 c. water

1/2 red onion chopped

4 garlic cloves minced

14 oz of lentils rinsed and drained

1/4 to 1/2 c.  wild rice or another grain of choice (optional)

4 stalks of celery chopped

2 carrots diced

2 sweet potatoes peeled and diced

2 t. rosemary

1 t. oregano

2 t. sea salt or real salt or Himalyan salt

1 t. Italian seasonings

1/4 c. Seitenbacher vegetable broth

1/4-1/2 c. nutritional yeast

strip of wakame or sea veggie of choice (optional)

put all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, then simmer until done

I try to make my soups early in the day and then place them in the crock pot on warm then they are always there waiting to be eaten

or my favorite way to make soup is to place all the ingredients in the crock pot overnight on a low setting and it will be done in the morning, then stir the ingreds and set to keep warm setting

This is what I am doing with my bag of mixed greens this week!

Layered Salad

in a 9 X 13 dish layer

Mixed baby greens or greens of choice

1 c. chopped celery

1 bunch of green onion chopped

1 bag of frozen peas

1/2-1 c. of raw walnuts broken up

I ladded 1 red/yellow or orange bell pepper chopped  

diced radishes are optional

Cheezy Mustard Dressing

1 small jar of Vegenaise

1/4-1/2 c. nutritional yeast

1/4-1/2 t. dried mustard

1-2 T. lemon or lime juice

water to thin

blend  and store in fridge..this will make more than you need for this salad

Here is an idea for using your fresh Basil

Basil Pesto

In Vita-Mix, food processor or Magic Bullet place:

small handful of basil

small handful of pine nuts

1 large clove of garlic

dash of Himalyan Salt

splash of lemon juice

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

You can use this as a dip, mix into zucchini noodles or as a spread on raw crackers

Cheezy Kale Chips, Beet Salad & Tabbouleh

Pictured above is kale with the tahini dressing prior to massaging this mixture..

CHEEZY KALE CHIPS

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

2 bunches of Kale washed and large stems removed~place in a bowl and sit aside

In a blender or Vita-Mix  add:

1/4 c. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 C. Bragg's Liquid Amino's
1/2 c. filtered water
*you may need a little more water~you need to be able to pour this out of the blender,
but you don't want it runny.
3/4 c. Tahini
1 garlic clove
2 T. dried onions
1/4 t. sea salt

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

Blend until smooth, pour over kale and massage dressing into kale.

Place on Teflex sheets in dehydrator and dehydrate for 6 hr @ 115 degrees.

 

Today's green juice was an endeavor to clean out the fridge.

pictured:

swiss chard

cucumber

zucchini

kale stems

beet tops

celery

ginger

I added lemon juice and liquid stevia

This juice was extremely GREEN!!

This made one gallon of juice

Beet Salad

1 bunch of raw beets shreddeed

2 large garlic cloves

dash of ground cloves

salt

1/4 c. lemon juice

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

Mix in a large bowl and allow flavors to marinate before eating.

Did you know that  CLOVES neutralize garlic breath?

Remember clove gum?

I used to love it!

This is not garlic clove. 

Cloves are sometimes used by the dentist to pack a dry socket when in pain.

Tabbouleh

1 bunch of parsley chopped fine

1 bunch of celery cuttings chopped fine

2 small sweet onions diced

2 bell peppers dicd

4 cucumbers seeds removed and diced

2 c. soaked bulgar

4 t. spearmint

black pepper

Himalyan salt

6 T. lemon juice

6T extra virgin olive oil

Blessings to you today!

Fun in the Kitchen Today!!

Today is my day in the kitchen.  I had a lot of produce piling up from my CSA.

Above are the ingredients for my green juice today and a jar of sunflower seeds soaking to make some not tuna pate.

Green Juice 

celery

cucumber

zuchinni

swiss chard

kale stems

ginger

lemon juice

liquid stevia 

Don't forget your Greens!!!

I also made a batch of raw almond milk.  We use it in our smoothies everyday!

Here is my fixings from this morning.

Top left and clockwise.

Beet Salad

Cheezy Kale Salad

Spicy Cheese

chopped tomatoes

kohlrabi sprinkled with dulse

center~not tuna pate

stuffed mini peppers with the not tuna pate

cabbage salad

shredded cabbage to use later on roll ups or in salads

LUNCH!!

it was sooo good!!

Cheezy Kale Salad

1 large bunch of kale cleaned, de-stemmed and shredded

in blender:

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1/4 c. Bragg's liquid Amino's

1/2 c. filtered water

1/3 c. tahini

1/4 to 1/3 c. of  raw sesame seeds

2 garlic cloves

Himalayna  salt to taste

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

blend until smooth and pour over kale massage and let sit in fridge or eat right away if you cannot wait!

Spicy Cheese

2 c. soaked and drained sunflower seeds

1 red bell pepper

1 dried chili pepper

1/4- 1/3 c. lemon juice

2 garlic cloves

cayene pepper to taste

salt to taste

water to blend

place in Vita-Mix and blend until smooth

Cabbage Salad

1/2 head of shredded cabbage

sit aside

Citrus Dressing

 juice of one orange

 1/4 c. lemon juice

2 T. apple cider vinegar

2-3 T. raw agave

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

heaping T. of ground dried chives

  2 garlic cloves

salt to taste

blend until smooth and pour over cabbage

let marinate in fridge

I used some of the dressing to marinate my kohlrabi, and also poured it on top of my shredded beets.

Not Tuna Pate

(Inspired by Penni Shelton and Dara Dubinet recipe~Save the Tuna Heirloom Stuffed Tomatoes and modified)

2 c. soaked and drained raw sunflower seeds

3 c. diced celery

4 diced mini sweet peppers~chopped

1 T. dried powdered chives

handful of dulse chopped up in Magic Bullet

1/4 c. coconut oil

1 t. garlic powder

1/4 c. dried parsley

salt to taste

I placed my ingredients in the Vita-Mix and set it on 4 and plunged it until desired consistency. Place in bowl and add more chopped celery.

Stuff mini sweet peppers