Mushroom Arugula Salad with Herbs Â
VG, GF
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Recipe and photo: Tracie Barrett, Chef, ! find her at the Moodie Foodie on Facebook!
Mushroom Arugula Salad with Herbs!
! Yield: 6 servings! ! ! !
A spring or summer keeper. Cold, crisp and refreshing.!
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Ingredients:! Salad Dressing and Marinated Mushrooms ! 4 cloves garlic, peeled! 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper! 1 teaspoon kosher salt! 2 lemons, juiced! 2 teaspoon pure maple syrup! 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil! 16 ounces organic button mushrooms, washed, stems trimmed and thinly sliced!
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Salad! 4 ounces baby arugula, washed and dried! 1/3 cup Parmesan-Reggiano, grated! approx. 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped! approx. 1/2 cup basil, coarsely chopped! 1/4 cup Parmesan-Reggiano, shavings using a vegetable peeler! 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted or raw!
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Directions:! For the salad dressing and marinated mushrooms! 1. Combine first 6 ingredients in blender & blend until smooth. Set dressing aside.! 2. Pour 1/2 of the dressing over mushrooms, toss and allow to marinate for 30 minutes prior to assembling the salad.!
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For the salad and assembly! 1. In large bowl layer half the arugula, half the marinated mushrooms, half Parmesan-Reggiano, parsley and basil.! 2. Layer the remaining arugula, marinated mushrooms and Parmesan -Reggiano.! 3. Top salad with remaining dressing. NOTE: No need to use all of it, add less if you prefer a drier dressed salad.! 4. Toss lightly making sure everything is well coated. Garnish with Parmesan-Reggiano shavings and toasted sliced almonds.!
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Notes: I noted organic mushrooms since this is a raw salad and button mushrooms since it's the safest variety to eat raw. Most mushrooms require some cooking to rid of naturally occurring toxins.! Serve with crusty bread such as Ciabatta or French Baguette
Lessons from the Garden
VG!
Recipe and text by Rebecca Talbot, on behalf of Weaver’s Orchard ! Photo: Vanessa Pike-Russell!
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A friend of mine says if you visit Vermont in July, you have to lock your car, not because people will steal things but because they will fill your car with zucchini. She promises she isn't joking.! When I started gardening this year, I was worried because only one of the zucchini seedlings I planted actually survived. A relative told me, "That's probably all you'll need." She was right. ! In July, I returned home from a four-day vacation to find a zucchini practically the size of a tuba. It was time to figure out how to serve zucchini for days on end without making people so tired of it they started to gag. This is just one of the lessons I learned in my first summer of gardening. !
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I also learned what grubs look like (and still hold my stomach and shiver when I picture one). I learned to compost. Life felt peaceful and complete whenever I could pick a cucumber from my garden, peel it, eat it fresh returning the scraps to the compost pile. It made me look for other ways life comes full circle like this. !
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I realized birds love unripe cantaloupe much more than I do. Although my fence effectively kept deer, rabbits and skunks at bay, I hadn't planned on winged consumers. I learned just because it's from a garden delicious taste isn’t guaranteed. I gained new appreciation for farmers and pro gardeners who have spent time learning the best varieties to plant. (I chose tomato plants without realizing how small the fruit would be.) !
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Most of all I learned how to hide zucchini. For the first few weeks, I sautéed and savored. After that, though, I made and froze at least seven loaves of zucchini bread. Then it was time to pull out the secret, tried and true recipes. Here are two, in case you ever find yourself needing to disguise this delicious but productive squash.!
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Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake
VG
This recipe is unique because of the tasty crumb topping.!
!Ingredients:!
Crumb topping! 1/4 cup softened butter! 1/2 cup brown sugar! 1/3 cup all-purpose flour! 2 tablespoons cocoa powder!
!Cake!
1/2 cup butter! 1/2 cup oil! 1 3/4 cups sugar! 2 eggs! 1 teaspoon vanilla! 1/2 cup sour milk (add a little lemon juice to sour it)! 3/4 teaspoon salt! 1/2 teaspoon baking powder! 1 teaspoon baking soda! 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon! 4 tablespoons cocoa powder! 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour! 2 generous cups grated zucchini! 3/4 cup chocolate chips (mix some into the batter and then sprinkle some on top)!
!Directions:!
1. Mix the crumb topping. Set aside.! 2. Mix the wet and dry cake ingredients separately, then blend them. ! 3. Bake in a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan for 40-45 minutes in a 325 degree preheated oven. After the cake has baked for about 20 minutes, sprinkle the crumb topping over the cake and continue baking.