Green Juice

Green juice

1 medium bunch of dark green vegetables – Kale, Chard, Collards, Leaf Lettuce or combination

6-8 ribs of Celery

2 large Cucumbers

½ bulb of Fennel

1-2 Green Apples, depending on preference of sweetness

½ bunch Italian Parsley

1 inch piece of Ginger, skin on scrubbed

1 small lemon, skin peeled with as much pith left on as possible

1 lime, skin peeled with as much pith left on as possible

1.      Fill sink, rinse vegetables thoroughly and soak until ready to juice.

2.      Roll parsley into dark green vegetables and juice first, followed by celery and fennel. If you do not have any more room in juicer at this point, pour into container and remove pulp from juicer. Set pulp aside.

3.      Juice cucumbers, apples, lemon, lime and ginger. Pour into container to combine.

Alternate:

Use tops of vegetables such as carrots, beats, and radishes. Note that these greens may make the juice very bitter, however, this can often be balanced out with more apple or lemon juice.

Add ½ bunch of mint when juicing the parsley. Remove tough stems.

Substitute or combine apples with pineapple or peeled kiwis for a tangier version.

NOTE:

Makes approximately 6-8 cups of green juice. The vitamins and chlorophyll in green juice begins to degrade only 15 minutes after it is juiced, unless you have a cold-press juicer. I find it hard to juice every day, however, so I have found that freezing it in mason jars immediately is a good way to store green juice for a few days. However, even in the freezer, green juice will not last for more than about a week before degrading in quality.

\

cucumber melon salad

Ingredients

1 small to medium Cantaloupe, diced

1 small to medium Honeydew, diced

1-2 medium size Jicama, diced

1-2 medium Cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise and sliced or diced, remove seeds or use English Cucumbers if desired

2 Jalapeños, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced

Orange Juice, about 2 tablespoons

Lime Juice, about 2 tablespoons

Olive Oil, 3 tablespoons or more

¼ cup of Mint, chopped

Method

1.      In a large mixing bowl, combine melon, jicama, cucumbers and jalapeños.

2.      Muddle mint in olive oil slightly. Drizzle olive oil mixture into citrus juice while whisking vigorously.

Add dressing to fruits and vegetables. Mix gently to combine. Serve immediately

Alternate:

Chop fruits and vegetables in a smaller dice for the feel of a chopped salad.

Serve over arugula or other baby greens.

Substitute apples if jicama is not available. Use other types of melons. Add berries to fruit mixture.

Add crumbled feta or goat cheese for a salty addition.

Summer squash with Tahini

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet and add the summer squash. Cook, stirring, until the squash is very soft and all of the liquid has evaporated from the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Place the garlic in a mortar and pestle with a generous pinch of salt and mash to a purée. Add the cooked squash and mash to a rough purée. In a medium bowl, stir together the tahini, lemon juice, and a tablespoon of cold water until smooth. Add the yogurt and mix together. Stir in the squash and garlic and combine well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and allow to sit for 1 hour or more before serving. Serve at room temperature, garnished with a sprinkling of ground cumin.

Caramelized Corn and Mint

INGREDIENTS

4 to 5 cups fresh corn kernels, white or yellow (from about 12 cobs), or two 16-ounce bags frozen white corn
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
½ cup chopped fresh mint
Salt

1. If using frozen corn, drain between layers of paper towels until thawed, about 30 minutes.

1. In a wide skillet, melt half the butter over high heat. Add half the corn and cook, stirring often, until golden and browned (kernels may begin to pop), about 10 minutes. Stir in half the mint and sprinkle with salt. Transfer to a serving bowl. Repeat with remaining corn, butter, mint and salt.

Apple Pear Sauce

If you're looking for something to do with all your apples and pears, here is the world's simplest recipe for homemade apple/pear sauce:

- Peel and dice apples and pears (however many you like)
- Place fruit in medium saucepan with cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon. If you like your apple sauce sweet, add a teaspoon of brown sugar.
- Add about an inch of water to the pot.
- Bring to a boil on a low setting (medium/low). Once boiling, put heat on low.
- Simmer for 30-40 minutes (length of time cooking depends on how chunky or smooth you like your apple sauce). Stir from time to time with wooden spoon.  Use spoon to mash diced fruit while it cooks. If apple sauce starts to get too thick or stick to the bottom, add more water as needed.

End of Summer Ratatouille

INGREDIENTS
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 eggplant thinly sliced
1 zucchini thinly sliced
2 green peppers, sliced or chopped
8 small tomatoes roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first eight ingredients in an ovenproof dish. (Keep herb sprigs intact.) Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30-45 minutes until deep golden brown. Remove herb sprigs. DO AHEAD: Will keep for 3-4 days refrigerated; this is super delicious cold and improves with a little time.

Kohlrabi and Hearts of Palm Salad

Kohlrabi and Hearts of Palm Salad

2 Kohlrabis peeled

1 can hearts of palm pieces or whole hearts of palm chopped

1 green onion, chopped

½ tsp. salt

freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp. canola oil

one squeeze of a lemon

Cut peeled kohlrabi into matchstick or smaller pieces. Mix with remaining ingredients. Enjoy!