Tofu Dressing
1/2 carton of silkened tofu, the firm type works too.
1 Tbsp Dashi powder
1 tsp Organic sugar
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 Tbsp Sesame oil
1 tsp grated ginger
2 Tbsp Soy sauce

Mix the ingredients for the tofu dressing together and add to the chopped vegetables and nuts.

* I borrowed this picture off the web. Add ham or bacon bits if you like .

A few weeks after sowing the seeds, we can begin harvesting the baby greens for delectable salads. By thinning the greens in this way, it makes space for select plants to grow bigger and reach full maturity. We are regularly thinning the polycultures so there is a constant supply of food, but we are careful to make sure that the soil is always covered by the lush vegetables.

Another advantage of polycultures is that they confuse the pests because the varieties are all mixed in with each other. A bug might find one plant he likes to munch on, but the plant next door is probably something totally different, so he’ll have a hard time finding all of the plants of that variety that he craves.

Spring and fall are the best times to start a polyculture, so now is a good time to start planning a spring polyculture in your garden. It doesn’t take much space to grow great polyculture!

1 bunch Swiss Chard, greens and stems separated and chopped (can be substituted with any greens Takana works great too)
1/2 an onion or one leek, chopped
* Saute the onions in oil for 5 minutes and then the chopped stems for another few minutes and then saute the greens until they are wilted and set aside.

4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese, I use provolone, havarti, cheddar or monterey
1 cup cubed bread (you can save odd ends and ears and freeze them for this occasion) (I used left over Thanksgiving cornbread dressing)
1/4 cup parm cheese (optional)
1-2 tsp of your favorite herbs, I used a sprinkle of rosemary

1. Mix up the beaten eggs, milk and bread together so the bread has soaked the mixture well. If you like herbs, this is a good time to add to the mixture. Spread evenly on the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan.
2. Next spread the sauted greens on top of the bread mixture.
3. Top evenly with the cheese. Add parmasan cheese if you like.

Bake at 375 F degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden on top and a knife goes through clean. Serve with your favorite salad or soup! It’s great with hot sauce!

1 Tbsp non-gmo veggie oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup organic veggie broth
2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed (I like to keep the skins on)
2-3 cups tomato sauce
1 cup peppers, chopped
1 Tbsp liquid smoke
2 cans black beans or 2 cups cooked beans
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Saute onions until soft and translucent 7-10 minutes.
2. Add chili powder and cumin and saute a minute more.
3. Add veggie broth and sweet potatoes. Reduce the heat and simmer covered about 10 minutes until sweet potatoes are soft.
4. Add tomato sauce, peppers, liquid smoke, beans, salt and oregano. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Ever since my friend and neighbor Camille Armantrout fed me this dish, I can’t wait for cooler weather to set in. It is so flavorful and warming. You can tell it can ward off any cold virus! I have modified it from the original recipe to adapt to seasonal produce in October in NC. Please visit Trouts Farm for the original recipe and more vegan recipes!

INGREDIENTS:

Garlic – 1 head, roasted
Fresh Leek – 1 medium, minced use even all of the green part!
Olive Oil– 2 Tbs
Coconut Milk – 1 fourteen-ounce can unsweetened
Chipotle (smoked jalapeño pepper) – 2 small, whole
Broth, vegetable– 2 cups
Ginger, fresh baby ginger,(2-3 Tbsps)
Sweet Potatoes – 1 medium, cubed
Gobo-a quarter lb-peeled and diced
1 non-GMO organic canned corn
1 handful of shitake mushrooms-sliced
1 dash of turmeric powder for color

To roast garlic, heat oven to 375. Peel the outer skin of the garlic only; leave garlic bulb whole. Slice 1/4-inch of the pointed end of the garlic bulbs and place in a Pyrex pan. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the head and let it sink in between the cloves. Cover the pan with tin foil, stab holes in the foil and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until cloves are browned and soft (check with a fork after 30 minutes.)

Sautee leek and shitakes in Oil. Add Coconut milk and Chipotle and simmer 10 minutes. Add Broth, Ginger, Sweet Potatoes, Gobo and simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove Chipotles, de-seed one, dice a small portion and add back to soup. Mash Garlic and add to soup. Add a dash of turmeric powder for color.

Correct the seasoning, add the Corn and turn off the heat. Serve with warm French bread and a green salad to make a meal.

Notes:This soup uses no animal products and is therefore Vegan. We call it “Medicine Chowder” because it will ward off or cure a cold. It also freezes well.

Everything on this plate came within 2 miles! Pickled okra, pickled garlic, sauted shishitos and homemade hot sauce!

What is Gobo? Gobo is burdock root, a root vegetable with a robust earthy flavor. We grow the cultivated variety(Arctium lappa, var. edule) common in Japan and China that is favored for its texture and flavor. A nutritious and delicious root vegetable high in fiber, it is a plant that is known to provide herbal healing properties to assist with indigestion, arthritis, rheumatism,some skin or nervous disorders and other ailments.In Japan, it is common to eat Gobo in a dish called Kinpira. Other popular ways of eating it is tempura and stews. I would have never thought to make veggie burgers out of them! As it is growing popular at market, we decided to try out a new way of eating it, as a burger! It was the bomb! Super easy and super tasty! Please try it out!

Ingredients(Makes 4 patties)
2 cups grated gobo
1 cup flour
1 local egg
A handful of Moroheiya, minced(can be substituted with other greens)
A handful of parsley, minced (optional)
1/2 onion, minced
Salt and pepper to taste.
2 Tbsp oil for cooking

*I can imagine it would be great to add other veggies like black beans, okra, corn…mmmmm

Directions
1. Add all ingredients together except for the egg and mix well.
2. Beat the egg and add to the mixture and mix evenly.
3. Use your hand( I know it’s sticky but it’s the best way to get the consistency going. You want to add lots of air!)
4. Shape into 4 patties.
5. Heat skillet and add about 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook the patties until brown on medium high heat.
6. Flip the patties and lower the heat to medium. Cover with a lid and steam for 5 minutes.
7. Check to see if this side is brown and it’s ready to eat!

Eat with or without buns and with your favorite condiments! I hope you enjoy this healthy dish as much as we did!

There is a rumor that these peppers are in such abundance this week that they will be a free sampling of them at Midtown Farmers’ Market this Saturday.

If you haven’t tried them yet, you must! A no fuss pepper that you don’t have to chop or deseed! Pan-fry them. Deep fry them. Grill them. Eat them;)

See u on Saturday!

Directions
1. Cut cucumbers at a diagonal, turning it evertime so you get a triangular chunk.
2. Mix all other ingredients together adjusting by subtracting or adding for your preferred taste of sweet or salty.
3. Add the mixture to the cucumbers and toss well. Serve immediately.(If you let it sit too long, like an hour, the salty will draw all the water out and make it watery and you will have to adjust the flavor again so serve right away!)

Makes a great easy side dish!

Recipe I made with your chard this AM:

3 garlic cloves
1 large onion chopped
2 tsp olive oil (I used butter)
10 oz mushrooms, sliced (I used some mushrooms and some veggie sausage, would be good with regular, too)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
10 oz. greens stemmed and chopped (Swiss chard and some kale, too)
2 whole eggs and 6 egg whites (I used 6 whole eggs instead)
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese

Saute onions and chard stems on low heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, mushrooms, sausage and thyme, cook 5 min and remove from heat. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, cover and cook greens on low heat with the water that clings from rinsing, until just wilted. Let cool in a colander, press to remove some liquid, and chop.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, egg whites, cilantro, salt and pepper until evenly colored. Stir greens, onion and mushroom mixtures into the eggs. Coat bottom of skillet with oil and return to medium heat. When skillet is hot, add egg mixture. Cover and cook for about 5-8 min, or until edges are firm and bottom is golden. Place a large, flat plate or pizza pan over the skillet and flip over so that the frittata falls onto the plate. Slide the frittata back into the skillet and cook for 5 min more, until eggs are fully cooked. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

(Slightly modified from Moosewood Cookbook recipe)

Yum!

Ingredients (4 servings)
1/4 lb tempeh *locally made from Blackspot*, cut in small cubes (the thinner the better)…of course they use cheese in real Saag curry but I imagine you can substitute with eggs or tofu as well.
1 pound of greens, stems chopped finely and leaves chopped coarsely (I only had brussel sprout greens but you can use just about any greens!)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 thumb size fresh turmeric, grated (can be substituted with 1 tsp turmeric powder but the fresh stuff is a totally different experience!)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 inch size ginger, grated
2 Tbsp tomato sauce
1/8~1/4 cup water (add only if necessary, eg. spinach is very watery so you don’t need to add water but I needed to add water to brussel sprout leaves)
salt ( you will need to add more if you add more water)
a dash of white wine or cooking sake

Directions
Frying tempeh
Usually when I fry tempeh I marinate it in a tamari sauce overnight or put a batter on it. Since I was using the tempeh as a topping I figured I could get away with frying it as is, as long as I could fry it to a crisp. Be sure to get the oil nice and hot before you start frying and get even brown sides.

Making the Saag Curry
1. Saute onions and stems(works like celery!) on medium to low heat until the onions become translucent or for about 10 minutes.
2. Add the leaves and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and wine or sake (this is not for flavoring but to help the greens ‘sweat’ and ‘wilt’.) Cover and let it steam for 2-3 minutes.
3. Take off the lid and saute for 6-7 minutes. (Depending on your greens it can go a lot quicker.
4. Add all the spices and saute for another 5 minutes. This is where I add water if the consistency seems dry.
5. Cool it off and puree the whole thing using a blender or food processor. You may need to add more salt, water or tomato sauce at this time. The tomato sauce acts like a secret enhancer so be careful not to add too much.
6. Place in a bowl and sprinkle the tempeh toppings. Serve while warm with rice or nan!