Farm to Work Treats: Pictures of "Recipes" to Come...

Giving you a sneak peek at the recipes that are coming in the next few weeks...for now, I have to get back to my dissertation.  

  

Sauteed Beet Greens and Gardein's Beefless Tips 

Oven Roasted Root Vegetables (Rainbow carrots, baby turnips, baby beets, and potatoes)

Farm to Work Treats: Spring Parsley Salad

I have been in the fresh produce heaven for the past two days!  I have not been this adventurous with fresh produce for a very long time.  Moving from Davis, CA to Houston, TX, my biggest complaint used to be that I cannot find flavorful fresh produce in the supermarket that easily.  However, that is no longer true thanks to the Farm to Work program our school began to pilot this past Thursday.  Check out the wonderful fresh produce!

In my opinion, this type of program is much easier to participate in than the traditional Co-Op.  Unlike the Co-Op plans, you are not required to purchase a box of fresh produce every week.  You can decide to order or not based on the content.  The following is one of the many recipes I will be sharing within the next few weeks.  These were all inspired by the various produce we received in our box of goodies.

First up, we have a parsley dish.  I have never thought of using parsley as the main salad ingredient, but we got so much parsley and I don't want to waste it.  Boy, after tasting this salad, I have to say that I was wrong about not using parsley as the main green vegetable in a salad.  I now have a brand new appreciation for parsley.  Give it a try and let us know your thoughts.  

Spring Parsley Salad 

(Inspired by Alton Brown)

Prep time:  15 minutes

Serves:  approximately 8 people at 1 cup each

Calories:  To Be Determined

Ingredients:

2 bunches Fresh Parsley

1-1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1-1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder (optional)

1/4 tsp Agave

8 oz Mandarin Oranges (Packed in its own juice)

16 oz Low sodium Cannellini Beans (AKA white kidney beans)
2 Tbspo Almonds, sliced

Directions:  

1. Wash the parsleys well.

2. Cut most of the stems off until you reach the leafy part.

3. Roughly chopped up the remaining parsley into small pieces.

4. Whisk the olive oil, sesame oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and agave together in a measuring cup/bowl.

5. Drain the can of cannellini beans

6. Place the parsley, mandarin oranges, and cannellini beans in a salad bowl

7. Lastly add the whisked content and toss the salad

8. Add the sliced almonds on top of the tossed salad

9. Voila, now you get to enjoy a big plate of bright and refreshing salad. 

  

Cruciferous Vegetable Feast: Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, and Broccoli

During the hot summer months I rarely like to stand in front of the stove cooking, so I tend to gravitate towards cooking my vegetables either in a steamer or in the oven.  In anticipation of the warmer weathers ahead, I thought I would share the oven roasted Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli recipe with you.  This is one of our favorite recipes I adapted based on a recipe from my aunt. 

Besides saving me from standing in front of the stove cooking, the following is also a recipe that my husband loves and requests frequently.  Of course, as a wife who is constantly on his case for not eating enough vegetables, I happily obliged!  

On a side note, this is also one of the recipes where you can have some "messy" fun with kids and enjoy the wonderful aroma together while patiently wait for the final product.

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, and Broccoli

Prep time:  5 minutes

Cook time:  30 minutes

Serves:  approximately 8 people at 1 cup each

Calories:  To Be Determined

Ingredients:

3 lb mixture of Brussels sprouts, cauliflowers, and broccoli

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp dried parsley

Canola oil spray

Optional:  Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Line 2 oven pans with foil and lightly spray the foil with canola oil.

2. Wash all vegetables thoroughly.

2. Cut the Brussels sprouts in half and cut the broccoli and cauliflowers into smaller pieces if needed.  

3. In a large mixing bowl grind up the spices--dried basil, Italian seasoning, and dried parsley.

4. Add the the garlic powder and onion powder next.

5. Add the Brussels sprouts, cauliflowers, and broccoli into the bowl.

6. Add the 2 tbsp of olive oil on top.

7. Mix thoroughly (note:  this is where the kids can have some messy fun!)

8. Place the mixture onto the lined oven pans.

9. Bake for 30-35 minutes.  

10.  Enjoy!

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