Why Homemade Dressing + ACV Dressing

Making homemade salad dressing is a simple act that can benefit you in multiple ways!

1. It saves you money. If you eat a few - or a lot - of salads this can really add up to big savings! Many ingredients you likely have on hand already, so it may not take much more investment. Items like olive oil, vinegars, yogurt, salt, pepper, hot sauce, honey, etc.

2. It keeps garbage out of the landfill. You can only keep and reuse so many salad dressing bottles. Reducing packaging use is a real act of environmentalism! Many glass bottles are tempered and can't even be recycled - just "wish cycled."

3. Making your own (of anything) is empowering. Even as simple as salad dressing. "If I can do this, what else can I accomplish?!"

4. It's a great way to involve the kiddos! We measure into a canning jar and shake! 

5. You know all the ingredients! This is of such importance. Even Organic dressings in the store add organic soy oils I don't want to consume, not to mention all the unreadable ingredients in most dressings.

6. Control your supply chain. Just another aspect of taking further control of your own supply chain. I keep commonly used dressing ingredients stocked in my pantry.

Of course I still need to pick up some Annie's Goddess Dressing or some thick blue cheese every once and a while, just cause, but once we committed to making the bulk of our own salad dressing and it became part of the routine we've never looked back!

Raw Apple Cider Vinaigrette

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

¼ cup raw apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1-2 tablespoons raw honey, to preference

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Combine in a pint jar and shake it up! Shake before each use. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

Tip: We freeze garlic blended with olive oil in tablespoon portions. I grab one of these for making dressings, making it even easier!

From the Detoxinista

Favorite Ways to Use Microgreens

Microgreens. Tiny little baby plants, which are full of flavor and nutrition. They're cute too. Typically used raw they are very, very versatile. 

With Eggs

If you have been following me for any given amount of time you've probably seen my post 800,000 pictures of eggs and microgreens. This is undoubtedly my favorite way to use them. My morning plate most often has a bed of Zesty Mix! microgreens, topped with 3 over-easy eggs and hot sauce. It's an easy way to start the day with veg. Top a frittata, toss in with scrambled eggs, tuck into a breakfast burrito - they are a perfect companion to eggs.

Sandwiches and Wraps

Tuck the tiny tasty micros into a taco, wrap or sandwich. Or top an open-faced sandwich, as I have pictured. We love micros with all variety of taco and burrito! You could make a wrap entirely of micros and it would be grand. Try layer in a BLT.

I'll just tuck this in with tacos...top all fashion of "bowls" that are so popular. We love atop our Korean Beef.

Meats and Seafood

A customer sent us this dinner pic (I don't know why they didn't have us over?!) and it is on point. A juicy steak or chop and a bed of micros pairs well. Some scallops or walleye can make a great companion too.

With Salad

Microgreens are fantastic on top of a salad, easy peasy. They could certainly serve a a small side salad too, as pictured above. Don't forget taco salad. Or sprinkled on a pasta salad.

All in all microgreens are SO very versatile, just try them with your particular favorite dishes and you are sure to find a good pairing. I've only added them to about one item where I thought they didn't really pair well, but it wasn't bad. We'll sprinkle on just about everything! 

Aim for 1 cup of raw greens, or a 1/2 cup cooked each and every day - studies show it keeps our brains younger! Microgreens are an easy way to keep greens in the diet, add flavor and nutrition...and feel a little fancy when you sprinkle them around. 

P.S. Pro tip...you could take this same advice for pea shoots!! 

Seasonal Cook :: Tomatoes

Courtesy of The Land Connection

Tomato Quartet

"A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins," according to the writer Laurie Colwin. Of course she was talking about backyard garden and farmers' market tomatoes--all those luscious local tomatoes that provide a bright symphony of flavors. And now is the time to seek out every theme and variation on tomatoes: hybrids, heirlooms, cherry, pear, plum, even the diminutive currant tomatoes. The rainbow names of the heirlooms are enough to set your mouth watering: Sun Gold, Green Zebra, Pink Accordion, Prudens' Purple, Striped Roman, Purple Calabash, Orange Oxheart, Black Trifele, Great White, and the ever-popular Brandywines (pink, red, and yellow),to name just a few.

An Orchestra of Flavors

Tangy, bright, and explosively ripe, an in-season tomato is any cook's dream. You can do almost anything, or almost nothing, and either way, the result will be mind-blowingly delicious. To celebrate the season, we propose a tomato trio, starting with a garden-fresh bloody mary, moving on to a big herbed heirloom tomato salad, and ending with a pizza (or bread) topped with oven-roasted tomatoes.

The Melody of Summer Year Round

And after you slice 'em, dice 'em, sauce 'em, salad 'em, and slurp 'em down shamelessly, be sure and put some up for winter. Tomatoes are one of the few vegetables that you can simply wash, cut into chunks, and slip into a zip-lock freezer bag. Nothing could be easier, or more rewarding come winter.

Garden-Fresh Bloody Mary Mix

6 large, ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 teaspoons hot sauce, optional
2 teaspoons minced fresh horseradish
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Herbs for garnish (we love lovage), nasturtium and other
Blend the tomatoes, lemon and lime juices, Worcestershire, garlic, hot sauce, horseradish, salt, celery seed and pepper until smooth. Cover and chill until needed. This recipe makes 6 to 7 cups, depending on the size of the tomatoes; the mix will keep for 1 week.

Herbed Heirloom Tomato Salad

Tomatoes this good deserve your best extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, and even some highfalutin salt because each of this salad's few ingredients defines the final flavor. Of course, the most important element is ripe, beauteous tomatoes, so hunt some down at your local farmers market.

1. Gather up 2 pounds of the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes you can find, choosing a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Cut them into wedges or thick slices. If you have cherry tomatoes, leave them whole. Arrange them on a chilled plate and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and your favorite vinegar. Top with a sprinkling of fresh, torn herbs like tarragon, basil, chives, and/or Italian parsley. Serve immediately.

Fresh-Roasted Tomato Pizza

Pre-roasting the tomatoes for an hour or more in a slow oven (about 275 evaporates the water and concentrates the flavor, making powerful little flavor packets.
makes 1 pizza or 3-4 pizza-breads
For roasted tomatoes
6 to 10 tomatoes (any size or color)
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh oregano, thyme, or parsley
For pizza
1 pizza dough (or 3-4 toasted slices of bread)
2 Tbs melted butter or olive oil
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan or other hard cheese
2 Tbs chopped fresh oregano, basil, or other herbs to garnish the pizza after it comes out of the oven

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Cut small tomatoes in half, and larger ones into wedges. Mix tomatoes in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and herbs. Place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and slow roast in the oven for an hour or more.
Stretch the pizza dough and put on a pizza stone or cookie sheet. Bake in a hot oven (400 degrees) 3-5 minutes until dough has started to crisp slightly. Remove crust and use a fork to pierce any air bubbles.

Use a brush to spread the melted butter or olive oil on the crust. Scatter the roasted tomato pieces on top, and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until crust is crisp. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Enjoy!

When tomato season is in full swing, fill your oven with baking sheets full of tomatoes, and use them on any pasta or toasted bread of your choice. You can freeze any extra for winter

The Land Connection Foundation

The best way to enjoy healthy, seasonal produce is to buy it from your local community farmer. To locate the farmers' market or CSA nearest you, visit www.localharvest.org.

Farm Fresh Now! is a project of The Land Connection, an educational nonprofit that preserves farmland, trains new farmers, and connects people with great locally-grown foods. This series is made possible with generous support from the Illinois Department of Agriculture.