how to keep greens fresh

Here is a link to one of my favorite food blogs and an excellent article about how to keep greens fresh. It seems a bit lengthy but is actually quite simple and really worth it. I am going to add the paper towel to my greens - I love that tip!

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2008/03/on_greens_and_how_to_keep_them_fresh.php

wax beans with mint

Every weekend during the summer, if we are lucky, there will be a good supply of wax beans at the farmers market. These golden yellow (and sometimes purple) versions of green beans are harvested young, and are sweet and tender. Here is a simple way to prepare them, with the subtle flavor of a mint infusion.

1/2 pound wax beans
Several mint leaves
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt

1 A little bit ahead of time, crush a few mint leaves (reserve some for garnish) with a mortar and pestle. Put the crushed mint leaves into a small jar and add a couple tablespoons of high quality olive oil to cover. Let sit for at least an hour if you can. The longer the mint is in the olive oil, the better the infusion.

2 Prepare the beans by cutting off and discarding the tips and ends. Snap the beans in half, if necessary, to have pieces about 2 inches in length.

3 15 minutes before serving bring an inch of water in a saucepan to a boil. Place the beans in a steamer basket in the saucepan. Cover and cook, until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Check for doneness after about 8 minutes or so. If a fork easily goes through them, they're done.

4 Remove beans from pan and place them into a serving bowl. Use a strainer to drizzle the mint-infused olive oil over the beans. Sprinkle salt over the beans to taste. (Fleur de sel would work really well with this dish.) Chop up a few more mint leaves to add as garnish.

Serves 3-4.

from www.elise.com

Cuban Mojito

from www.tasteofcuba.com

the original authentic recipe from Havana Cuba

1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lime (2 ounces)
4 mint leaves

1 sprig of mint
white Rum (2 ounces)
2 ounces club soda

There are countless recipes for the Mojito (pronounced moh-HEE-toh), but this version is for the one Hemingway himself enjoyed at the Mojito's place of birth: La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, Cuba. If you are throwing a Cuban theme party (Havana night themed party), definitely plan on serving mojitos.

Place the mint leaves into a long mojito glass (often called a "collins" glass) and squeeze the juice from a cut lime over it. You'll want about two ounces of lime juice, so it may not require all of the juice from a single lime. Add the powdered sugar, then gently smash the mint into the lime juice and sugar with a muddler (a long wooden device pictured below, though you can also use the back of a fork or spoon if one isn't available). Add ice (preferably crushed) then add the rum and stir, and top off with the club soda (you can also stir the club soda in as per your taste). Garnish with a mint sprig.

from www.tasteofcuba.com

How about sitting on your porch sipping this refreshing drink while the breeze kicks in and you are listening to Buena Vista Social Club? I hope to be doing that sometime this weekend!

Back Porch Pizza

This is one of the ways we use up our veggies! We pre-grill/roast a ton of stuff up and store in the fridge all week and add to pizza, sandwiches, omelettes/frittatas, and salads. The pre-grilling not only takes the extra moisture out of the vegetables - but makes their flavor stronger, richer, and sweeter. So, everything you use them for will be that much better.

I posted our dough recipe with a bunch of tips a few months ago. We have recently converted from cooking in our gas oven at super high temps to the outdoor gas grill. It is AMAZING! You have to fool around with your grill to get it all perfect. We put our stone directly on the grill and heat up all four gas jets as high as they will go for 5-10 minutes, then turn the middle two (that are directly under the stone) down to low and keep the outside ones on high. Pizza cooks in about 7 minutes and your house is not heated up. This will be my lunch all summer!

grated carrots

This is a staple in French delis for a healthy snack/salad/lunch. It keeps for a few days and is a great way to get loads of carrots into your diet. Here is our version - but it really lends itself to customization.

3 thickly grated carrots (we use the mandolin for this so they are crunchier)
oj (juice from one orange)
sprinkle of cumin
s/p

a bit of smashed and chopped garlic and a glug of olive or walnut oil are great additions.

Tabouli

from Moosewood Cookbook

1 cup dry bulgar wheat
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 t salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 c olve oil
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
black pepper
4 scallions chopped (white and green) - or use some sweet onion
1 packed cup finely chopped parsely
10-15 fresh mint leaves (if you have it)
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped (or a few handfuls of grape tomatoes)

think about throwing in some seeded chopped cucumber, red or green bell pepper, or chickpeas

combine the bulgar and boiling water, cover, let set 30 minutes until tender

mix in the salt, lemon, olive oil, garlic, pepper - cover and refrigerate until cool - then add the rest of the ingredients. Eat cold for lunch. Enjoy!

gazpacho

This is my adapted gazpacho recipe. It is inspired by Mollie Katzen’s version in Moosewood Cookbook (which is probably my favorite cookbook ever). I have experimented with all sorts of combinations of blending and chopping and found this to be the best. It is very versatile- taste along the way and add or subtract anything. I don’t add any salt because it breaks the veggies down too fast. I sprinkle sel de mer right before I eat it. This is the perfect summer/fall food and most kids seem to like it too.

Store it in jars in the fridge and grab one when you are running errands - better than the flu shot!

Amy’s Gazpacho

6 tomatoes

1-2 cucumbers (peeled and seeded)

1/3 vidalia onion

1-2 clove of garlic

green bell pepper

red bell pepper

honey

cumin

cayenne

olive oil

fresh herbs (I like to use tarragon, basil and parsley)

blend all but one or two of the tomatoes in blender or food processor until smooth (also, if you have extra red bell pepper puree one of those to add to the “stock”). Pour into a huge bowl. Finely hand chop the remaining tomato, cucumber, onion, garlic, bell peppers and throw them in the bowl. Add a couple of glugs of olive oil, a splash of something acidic (lemon juice or a mild vinegar), some chopped up basil, tarragon and parsley, a wee bit of honey, a shake of cumin and cayenne. Let chill if you can bear it and eat it up! This is pure nectar from the gods and will make you healthy and happy!