We have had such wonderful, mild weather, it is hard to believe summer is peeking around the corner. The produce is still saying late spring.
Huerta del Valle
Kale
Swiss Chard
Gaytan Family Farm
Beets
Celery
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Romaine Lettuce
Red Leaf Lettuce
Green Leaf Lettuce
Onion Bags
Not a member yet? Why not? Click here to join the co-op at $100 for full membership. Be a member and a co-owner, bringing the power of economic independence to Riverside. Members can subscribe to our crop box too! $27/month with delivery available for $7.50/month. You benefit, your community benefits, and our partner farms and growers benefit.
We have the first green beans of the season. So many ways to cook them. I will share a few.
Green Beans with Crispy Shallots
By Mark Bittman. Serves 4.
Ingredients
Salt
1 ½ pounds green beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced (or a medium red onion
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup sliced almonds, optional
Directions
1. Bring a stockpot of water to a boil and salt it. Fill a large bowl with cold water and lots of ice cubes and keep a colander handy. To trim the beans, snap or cut off the stem end and any brown spots. Cut them into 2 inch pieces or leave them whole.
2. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook until they just start to get tender but remain quite crunchy, 3 to 5 minutes depending on the size of the beans. Drain the beans and immediately plunge them into the ice water. Let them sit for a minute to cool thoroughly, then drain them. (You can prepare the beans up to a day before finishing the dish; cover well and refrigerate.)
3. Put the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the butter melts, add the shallots and cook, stirring once or twice, until they're golden brown and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the shallots to a plate lined with paper towels. Leave the fat in the pan.
4. Add the green beans to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are crisp tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve hot or warm with the shallots on top and almonds sprinkled over if you're using them.
This is one of my favorite ways to eat green beans. The garlicky, ginger, soy seasoning make these very special. Sometimes they even make it to the table instead of being eaten out of the pan.
Asian Garlic Green Beans
Mtlabor. Serves 2-3.
Ingredients
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 & ½ teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ginger powder
Directions
1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add generous amount of salt and add green beans. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat for about 2 minutes. You want it to get pretty hot by itself. Add oil and coat the pan. Add the green beans and saute for about 2-4 minutes, or until they start to brown.
3. Make a well in the center of the skillet and add garlic, ginger powder, and red pepper flakes. Slowly start to incorporate the green beans, until everything is well mixed.
4. Stir in soy sauce and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve fresh and hot as a great side or snack!
Micro-Steamed Green Beans with Olives and Almonds
From The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Serves 2 or 3.
Ingredients
8 ounces green beans, ends trimmed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup Kalamata or other olives
2 tablespoons slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions
1. Place the green beans in an even layer ion a large microwave-safe plate and season with salt and pepper. Lay a triple layer of damp paper towels on top of the beans, completely covering them, or cover with a damp kitchen towel. Microwave on high power until the beans are bright green and tender but still crish, 1 ½ to 6 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Toss the beans with the olives, almonds, olive oil, parsley, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
May is the beginning of our avocado season. You have probably eaten avocado toast, so easy, and tasty. Good bread, good avocado, and maybe some sliced radishes. Vegan, healthy, and delicious! Changing the toast into a salad is a winner too. Someone recently told me that the recipes here were sometimes too complicated. Here is a simple, but very tasty one.
Avocado Toast Salad
From Food 52. Serves 4.
Ingredients
Dressing
6 tablespoons Greek yogurt, preferably whole-milk
5 tablespoons just-squeezed lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemons)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pinch kosher salt
Salad
½ loaf crusty, seedy, whole-wheaty bread, very thickly sliced, then torn into pieces (about 5 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
¼ cup raw sesame seeds
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 pinches kosher salt
2 pinches freshly ground black pepper
2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
5 radishes, thinly sliced
½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
¼ cup barely chopped basil, divided
¼ cup barely chopped dill, divided
¼ cup parsley leaves, divided
2 large avocados, cubed
Directions
1. Make the dressing. Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt in a measuring cup or small bowl. Whisk with a fork until creamy and emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
2. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment, nonstick foil, or a silicone baking mat. Add the bread pieces and both seeds. Drizzle with the oil, 1 pinch of salt, and the pepper. Toss with your hands until everything is coated and seasoned. Bake for about 16 minutes, until the bread is toasty and the seeds are colorful. Let cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, combine the cucumbers, radishes, onion, and remaining pinch of salt in a large bowl. Toss with your hands. Top with half the herbs.
4. When the bread and seeds are totally cool, add all the bread to the bowl, plus some of the seeds and 1 avocado. Add the dressing and toss until everything is coated. Season with salt to taste. Let hang out for a few minutes while you go find a big serving platter.
5. Dump the avocado panzanella onto the platter and spread out. Drizzle with olive oil. Top evenly with the remaining avocado, herbs, and seeds.
I love avocado in salads. This salad is extra tasty with the burrata cheese, asparagus, peas, and a creamy dressing.
Pea, Asparagus, and Avocado Salad with Burrata
From Food 52. Serves 4.
Ingredients
For the dressing:
tablespoons olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons whole-milk yogurt
1 California Avocado
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
4 mint leaves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ jalapeño
For the salad:
½ cup peas, fresh or frozen and thawed
8 spears of asparagus, trimmed and shaved with a vegetable peeler
1 head of purple and/or green butter lettuce, trimmed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 California Avocado, pitted and sliced
1 ball of fresh burrata
Directions
1. To make the dressing: In a blender, add the olive oil, lemon juice, yogurt, avocado, poppy seeds, mint leaves, and salt (add the jalapeño, if you like a little kick). Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender, and then re-blending one last time. Give it a taste and adjust the salt to your liking. Thin the dressing with 1/4 cup of water; add more water 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.
2. To make the salad: To a large mixing bowl, add the peas, shaved asparagus, and butter lettuce leaves (purple and/or green to add color and depth). Pour the dressing atop the lettuce and toss, using your hands, until the dressing is evenly distributed.
3. To plate this salad, add a handful of salad mixture to a serving bowl. Top with a beautiful abundance of avocado slices. Repeat this layering process until you’ve worked through all of the salad mixture. Place the fresh burrata in the center of the salad and garnish with a pinch of poppy seeds.
And, the ordinary lowly carrot gets an interesting treatment in this dish.
Glazed Carrots with Almonds
From The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Serves 4 to 6.
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds large carrots, peeled and cut into 1” disks
½ teaspoon cornstarch
1 ½ cups chicken stock, homemade or low sodium canned
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley or chives
¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Toss the carrots with the cornstarch in a 12” heavy bottomed stainless steel skillet until not clumps of starch remain. Add the stock, butter, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are almost tender (they should show a little resistance when poked with the tip of a knife), about 10 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to high and boil, tossing occasionally, until the sauce is reduced to a shiny glaze. Remove from the heat, add the herbs, almonds, lemon zest and lemon juice, and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.