Recipes Inspired by The Garden Bounty, and Around the Garden

Dear Folks,

I had been having so much fun with my greens/herbs bed this winter, I missed it when they faded with the heat.  So...I picked up some organic baby kale and arugula and added some of what I can still harvest from the garden to make a batch of mixed greens.

[Pictured: Alpine white and red strawberries, I'itoi Onions, parsley and red celery.]

I love this option for salads, soups, stews, pizza etc.

First some fun things from the garden.

One of my fabulous Amaryllis blooms - just so awesome I look for it every year.  One the other end are the Barbados (Malpighia emarginata) Cherry Blossoms.

But the center image is the one I hope you can see, in fact - I will share it near the end of the blog post by itself.  I was doing one of my morning meandering through the garden to an area which still has a bunch of carrots and some are going to flower.  I looked over and there in a partially opened carrot flower (about 1 1/2 inches wide) was a ladybug!!!

Another fun happening in the garden was my squash seedlings.  I sowed 2 areas with some Summer Yellow Crookneck and one area with Spaghetti Squash.  The Spaghetti Squash is in the center.  Here is the fun thing.  They came up in 7 days!!!  I had soaked them for 2 days and that always hastens germination, but this might be a record.

Recipes

Using the greens:

To my I'itoi onions, red celery and parsley I added the baby kale and arugula.  In the bowl I have fresh spearmint from the garden.

I chopped everything but the mint (center picture), then divided the mixed greens up - right picture:  left pile is mint and some of the mixed greens - for Tabouli ; the jar in the center contains a portion of the mixed greens (no Mint) I am freezing for use in soups and stews later on, and the right pile is for a Tortilla Pizza.

Tabouli  - one of my versions

A refreshing salad of grain - usually couscous or cracked wheat, and a lot of parsley and spearmint (not peppermint), lemon juice, olive oil, chopped tomatoes and S&P to taste. In my version I cooked up some Barley. Ingredients are flexible as to how much but you want a really nice mix of the greens to the grain.

I can eat bowls of Tabouli it is so refreshing and tasty.

Ingredients:
Barley, cooked and cooled
Mixed Greens
Chopped Spearmint
Tomatoes
Lime Juice (my limequat tree)
Avocado Oil or Olive Oil
S&P
Tomatoes, chopped.

Make a tangy version of vinaigrette - instead of 1 juice to 3 oil - make it about 1 juice to 1.5 - 2 oil so you have the citrus forward.  Add S&P.  Shake well.

I used the pot I cooked the barley to mix everything (after draining any excess water off the Barley), then added some of the dressing, gently toss (don't mash the grain), add more dressing if needed (it should not be soupy).  Taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve and enjoy.

Tortilla Pizza

I started played around with tortilla pizzas in the toaster oven some years ago.

The thing I love about toaster oven pizza is that it is satisfying. Using pre-cooked foods makes it fast, and it is perfect for a lunch for two or snacks. Preparing the ingredients takes longer than cooking!

I finally realized I needed to use two with shredded cheese sprinkled between them to make a crust that did not fall apart.

Ingredients:
For this version 2 whole wheat 8" tortillas.
I used a bunch of the chopped greens
My Tomato Sauce (my version of Marcella Hazan's "Crazy Sauce" (see below)
some pepperoni slices
chopped cooked bacon,
Both White Cheddar (I did not have any Mozzerella on hand and Parmesan (for topping) cheeses, shredded

Directions:

I use a Pyrex pie plate, sometimes the cheese melts past the edges of the tortillas - saves a mess.

Set your toaster oven on "toast" and the highest temperature setting.

Put about 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese between the tortillas, place in the pie plate,
Ladle tomato sauce on, add shredded greens, scatter pepperoni and bacon on top.
Add shredded cheddar and Parmesan.

Turn on to toast and set timer for about 7 minutes, check and go 1-2 minutes more if needed, but you can usually smell it when it is done.  I can usually get it done to my satisfaction at about 7 minutes.

Remove, cut, serve and enjoy.

My Tomato Sauce Version of Marcella Hazan's Crazy Sauce.

This is the most luscious, velvety and tasty sauce you will ever have - truly not low calorie but who can resist such an amazing sauce once in a while.

Original recipe:  Uses Canned Tomatoes, Butter, onion, salt.  That is it!!

I did make the recipe my first time as called for in the original except I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned and I could not bring myself to toss the onion at the end, so I minced to add to the sauce. It was wonderful.

As I usually have herbs like Greek Oregano, Bay and Basil growing in the garden, I could not pass up using them, and I always use fresh tomatoes so the cooking time is usually about 2 to 2.5 hours.

My Ingredients:

I had a happy opportunity to buy a bag of about 4-5 pounds of fresh tomatoes for $1 - yes one dollar.  It was on the discount produce rack and they were in great condition. I chopped up. I do not peel or seed tomatoes for my sauce but I do cut out a hard core if necessary.

Sprigs of Greek Oregano
4-5 of my bay leaves
1 stick of salted butter
half of a red onion, minced
about 2 tablespoons of EVOO
NO Salt
Glug of white wine

Everything into the pot bring to a high simmer, lower to low simmer, cover and cook for 2 to 2.5 hours.  Stir occasionally.

About half way through I used a potato masher to mash about half of them - I still leave a lot for texture.  Taste at the end to see if it needs anything - never does except what to put it with :)

I got 7 cups out of this, some I shared, some I used and the rest I froze for later.

I hope some of these recipes encourage you to try them AND to consider growing some of the ingredients.

I will leave you with the hope you stay safe, enjoy and expand your garden, be patient and share what you can.

My Ladybug in A Carrot Flower.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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