Spring is finally here, and local spring crop favorites are back — right on cue. Get in on the first of the new growing season with a mix of tender lettuces and vegetables! Try one of these recipes focused on the crunchiest and most colorful of garden delights, and it’ll put a hop in your step!
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup drained soft silken tofu*
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning or herbs de province
- ½ teaspoon onion salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika or cayenne pepper (select paprika for less heat and cayenne for more)
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Fresh vegetables such as celery sticks, carrots, broccoli florets, button mushrooms and cauliflower florets
- In a food processor, combine the beans, tofu, garlic, seasoning, salt, pepper and paprika or cayenne. Add the lemon juice and oil through the chute, and process until smooth. Transfer to a serving dish and cover. Allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve with the fresh vegetables. Remove from the refrigerator 35 minutes before serving.
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1¼ cups quinoa
- 6 large red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers (or a mixture)
- 3 ripe tomatoes, cored and peeled
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
- Specialty assorted lettuce
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, coriander, cumin and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and the spices smell toasted, about 6 minutes. Add the ground meat and ½ teaspoon of the salt and cook, breaking it up into clusters with a spoon, until done. Reduce the heat to low and add the quinoa and 1½ cups water. Cover and simmer until the quinoa plumps and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the tops off the peppers and use a teaspoon to remove the seeds and ribs. Take a very thin slice off the bottom of each pepper to stabilize them, and arrange them in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Purée the tomatoes, garlic, ginger and the remaining salt in a blender until smooth. Stir into the ground meat mixture and pack into the peppers.
- Cover the baking dish securely with aluminum foil and cook until the peppers are fork-tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving over lettuce leaves.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 (10-ounce) bag fresh spinach leaves
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add the spinach and cook 3 minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and use tongs or a slotted spoon to serve immediately.
- 24 small button mushroom caps
- ½ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Assorted salad greens
- Place the mushrooms in a deep skillet. Add enough water to barely cover the mushrooms. Add the oil, vinegar, wine, garlic, bay leaf, tarragon or oregano, salt and pepper. Do not stir.
- Place the skillet over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and poach 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Cool in the liquid and transfer to a covered dish. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, strain from the poaching liquid and serve over assorted salad greens.
- 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (375 degrees). Drizzle the asparagus with the oil. Grill, covered, for 2 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender.
- While the asparagus is grilling, combine the juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl. When the asparagus is done, drizzle with the juice mixture. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
- 1 head cauliflower or broccoli
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a jellyroll pan and set aside.
- Cut the cauliflower or broccoli vertically into ¼-inch slices. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared pan. Drizzle evenly with the oil, then sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
- Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Flip if desired half way through the cooking time. Serve warm.
- 1½ cups cider vinegar
- 1½ cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into wedges
- 1 tablespoon dill seeds
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the vinegar, water and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar completely dis solves. Add the carrots, dill seeds and garlic and return to a boil.
- Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 8 minutes. Cool completely, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours before serving. To serve, pour through a fine mesh strainer and discard the liquid and garlic cloves.
Email your cooking questions to Tammy Algood: [email protected].
Kay would like to know if she can substitute maraschino cherries for regular cherries in a recipe.
Kay,
It isn’t advisable mainly because of the texture and sweetness. Maraschino cherries are soaked in an almond-flavored sugar syrup, which is why they are so sweet. The correct culinary term is macerated. This not only extends the shelf life but, obviously, changes the cherry completely. Most maraschino cherries are made from Royal Ann cherries, which are naturally sweet in the fresh state. Maraschinos are even more so.
Geri mailed me a sauce recipe, and the instructions call for the sauce to “thicken with the slurry before serving.” She needs help deciphering the instructions.
Geri,
Your recipe has all the correct instructions but didn’t elaborate on what the slurry was. A slurry is a thin combination of water and flour, which are called for in your recipe. It is stirred together to combine, then added to hot mixtures. It needs to be constantly stirred after adding to the sauce so that the cooking process incorporates the mixture and causes it to lose that raw flour flavor.
Mary Ellen asks about the differences between smoked and Scotch smoked salmon. “My recipe calls for Scotch smoked, but I can only find pack ages that are labeled smoked and wondered if that was the same thing,” she writes.
Mary Ellen,
Basically, it is the same. The labeling only designates the geographical area from where it comes. You may see labels that say Danish smoked, Irish smoked or Atlantic smoked, but all are cold smoked.
*Substitute ½ cup (half of an 8-ounce package) of cream cheese for the tofu if desired.
