Red Beet Eggs

Red Beet Eggs - a Pennsylvania favorite! Sweet, tangy and sour - a unique take on your average hard boiled egg.

Ingredients

half dozen hard boiled eggs

1 can small sliced beets (15 oz)

⅓ cup white vinegar

⅓ cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Cook, cool and peel eggs.

2. Strain liquid from can of beets into small saucepan. Set beets aside.

3. Combine both vinegars, sugar and salt with beet liquid in saucepan.

4. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Put eggs in an appropriate sized jar. Put beets on top.

6. Pour vinegar mixture over eggs and beets in jar.

 7. Cover and refrigerate. Try to forget about them for a few days - at least two days. Three days and they're

awesome...a few days more and they're perfect.

8. This recipe easily doubles or triples.

Enjoy!

Recipe by Crafty Cooking Mama at http://www.craftycookingmama.com/red-beet-eggs/

Zucchini Butter

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil 

• 1 tablespoon butter 

• 5 garlic cloves, gently smashed 

• 2 large zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 pounds) 

• 5-6 springs of thyme (rosemary is also good here) 

• 1/2 teaspoon finely milled sea salt 

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Place the olive oil and butter and allow them to melt together. Roughly chop the smashed garlic and add it to the pan. Add the zucchini cubes. 

2. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the zucchini has begun to soften. Strip the thyme leaves off their stems and add them to the pan. 

3. Reduce the heat and continue to cook, stirring often. The goal is to cook the liquid out of the zucchini and melt it into a flavorful, spreadable paste. If at any point, the zucchini starts to brown and stick, add a splash of liquid (water is fine, though if you have an open bottle, a little white wine is also delicious) and reduce the heat a bit more. 

4. Total cooking time should be right around an hour. 

5. Once cooked, divide the spread between two half pint jars. It will keep up to 2 weeks in the fridge or a year in the freezer.

Turnip Quick Pickle

Gather the ingredients:

• 1 bunch Hakurei Turnips 

• 1 teaspoon salt 

• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 

• 1 teaspoon sugar 

• 1/2 tea black peppercorns, crushed 

• 3 thin slices of ginger

Action time:

Slice turnips thinly. Place slices in a small bowl and toss with salt. Let rest until there is a pool of liquid on the bottom of the bowl, about 30 mins. Drain turnips of the salty water and pack into a pint-sized mason jar or other container with watertight lid. Add vinegar, sugar, pepper and ginger slices. Apply lid and shake to combine. Place pickled turnips in the fridge and chill before eating. Pickles can be eaten within an hour of being made and will keep for at least a week.

Quick Pickled Cucumbers

Quick and easy pickled cucumbers with onion made in the refrigerator; our favorite way to use summer cucumbers!

Ingredients

• 1 cup water

• 1/3 cup vinegar (apple cider, white, and rice wine are all good)

• 1/3 cup sugar (optional)

• 1 to 2 teaspoons salt

• sliced garden cucumbers (about 2 cups)

• sliced onion or green onion (about 1/2 cup)

• additional vegetables as you like (bell pepper, whole cherry tomatoes, etc.)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl add the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the cucumber and onion. Taste and adjust the ingredients to your liking.

2. All the cucumbers should be covered in the brine, if you have lots of cucumber or are making a big batch, make more brine.

3. Let the mixture rest in the fridge until you are ready to eat. The flavors develop over time, so an overnight soak is great but mine are normally gone by dinner.

Notes

I love adding the sugar and my mom does too, but my grandma doesn’t add that much (she only adds a few tablespoons). I say try it and see what you like. White vinegar is the traditional vinegar for this recipe and a great place to start. If you know that you like apple cider or rice wine vinegar they are also good. You really can’t mess this up. Just adjust to taste and enjoy!

Find it online: https://www.blessthismessplease.com/quick-pickled-cucumbers/

Cabbage salad with parsley, fennel and almonds

1 small cabbage

1/4 cup lemon juice (one large, ripe lemon) 

2 tablespoons wine vinegar 

2 teaspoons salt 

1/4 cup olive oil or your favorite salad oil 

1/2 cup chopped parsley 

1/2 cup chopped tarragon ort fennel

1/2 cup sliced almonds 

Thinly slice the cabbage into slivers Toss the cabbage, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and oil into a container with a lid. Cover and shake well to combine. Let sit for another 15 minutes and shake again; repeat after another 15 minutes. In fact, you can leave it for a day or two in the fridge at this stage, that’s also fine. The cabbage will lose volume as it marinates. Finely chop the parsley and tarragon. Put a dry frying pan on a medium to high flame, toss in the almonds, and stir until they look lightly toasted. Mix the parsley, tarragon and almonds into the softened cabbage.

Kohlrabi, Chinese Cabbage Slaw

Peel 1 medium kohlrabi or turnip and cut into matchsticks. Whisk the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/4 cup chopped dill, 1/2 clove minced garlic, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, and salt and pepper in a bowl; whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Toss with the kohlrabi, 1/4 head shredded Savoy cabbage, and salt and pepper to taste. 

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise 

• 3 tablespoons canola oil 

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard 

• 3/4 teaspoon sugar 

• 3/4 teaspoon celery seeds 

• Kosher salt 

• Freshly ground black pepper 

• 2 pounds purple and/or green kohlrabi, peeled and coarsely shredded on a box grater 

• 1 cup shredded green cabbage 

• 1 medium celery rib, thinly sliced crosswise 

How to make this recipe

1. In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the canola oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, celery seeds, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 teaspoon of pepper. Add the kohlrabi, cabbage and celery and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Season the slaw with salt and pepper and serve.

Make Ahead

The kohlrabi slaw can be refrigerated overnight.

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallion, parsley, cilantro, or dill
juice from half a lemon
salt + pepper to taste

Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes are the flower stalks that spring out of the garlic bulb. Scapes have a milder flavor than garlic without the hot bite. They are high in fiber and contain good amounts of vitamin C and A, which help protect your skin and lungs.

More delicate than the root (garlic), they can be enjoyed raw in salads, dips, and cooked in stir-frys. They also great in pesto!  

Hakurei Turnip

Don’t throw away the leafy green tops – they are actually more nutritious than the roots, and are teeming with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

This Japanese turnip is crisp, delicious when eaten raw (just whole, or chopped/grated in salads), or make a quick pickle, or cook with their greens to enhance their natural sweetness. They cn also be made into a mash or pan roasted. Turnips should not be overcooked, or they will become dark in color and strong in flavor. The summer turnip, when sliced, can be cooked in thirty minutes,

Various Greens

Pac Choy: This delicious Asian green can be quickly cooked in many ways!

BBQ: Lightly drizzle olive oil (or other oil) on individual leaves and then put them on the BBQ for a quick minute DELICIOUS!

Stirfy: These are great chopped and added to a stirfry at the last minute. Cook the other vegetables (and maybe meat). Turn the heat off put the pac choy on top of the stirfy and cover letting the pac choy cook in the residual heat of the pan for a couple mins.

These green will cook quickly, you can even just put a freshly cooked egg (still hot) egg on top of the pac choy.

Dandilion greens: These are a bitter greens (and a diuretic) with lots of beneficial nutrients such as vitamins C and B6, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, folate, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper.  They are very good for digestion

Pea shoots are the baby plants of peas! Great for stir fry or a salad. Crunchy, juicy texture and the same yummy taste as fresh peas. Perfect for sandwiches and on pasta, rice, and vegetable dishes! Try your pea shoots at different times while they’re growing – their flavor and texture is best when they’re about 3” tall.

Mustard greens: Super high in vitaman K reducing inflammation and good for the bones. The tender and slightly spicy green is great raw in salads and sandwiches! Mustard greens have a peppery, or mustard-like, flavor and the smaller leaves can be quite tender. These greens are super nutrient rich and particularly high in vitamin K which is key for bone health! These greens are great raw mixed in with a lettuce to add a gentle kick to your salad or sandwich. Likewise, they are delicious in soups, or lightly sautéed. They will cook down a lot!

Scallion & Ramp Dressing

1 part Olive Oil (or other oil base)

¾ part Balsamic Vinegar

~2 Tbs* Chopped Fresh Scallions 

~2 Tbs* Finely Chopped Raw Ramp Bulb

Salt and Pepper to taste

*per cup dressing, add less or more ramps & scallions as you like.

Shake well and store in fridge. This dressing will get more potent over time.

**Dress salad lightly so the dressing complements the flavor of the greens rather than masks them**

Sesame Dressing

1 part Toasted Sesame Oil

¾ part Ume Plum Vinegar

Tahini, to texture preference 

More tahini = thicker dressing

Shake well and store in fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Parsnip-Cardamom Cupcakes

Cupcakes

1 cup (142g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (149g) light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, divided
2 cups (200g) grated parsnip (1-2 large peeled parsnip)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, and preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners – or grease with butter. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, eggs, oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and parsnip. Stir in flour mixture. Divide batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 14 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

From- http://www.thevanillabeanblog.com/2016/11/parsnip-cardamom-cupcakes-with-maple-cream-cheese-frosting.html

Ramp Butter

-1 BIG bunch Ramps (4- 6 oz)       - 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, cubed (8 oz) - 1 tsp Kosher Salt

Add lemon juice and zest if you like 

Directions

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Fill a medium bowl halfway with ice water. Toss the ramps into the boiling water and cook 30 seconds to blanch. Working quickly, dunk the ramps in the ice water to halt the cooking. Drain the ramps and then pat them dry. In a food processor, pulse the ramps, butter, and salt (and lemon if using) until well combined. Divide the butter in half and place each blob on a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper. Wrap the butter in the wrap, rolling and shaping the butter into a log. Place in a resealable plastic bag and freeze. Slice off rounds of butter as needed. Freezes well in glass jars too!