Chef's Corner

Coming Someday: Seasonal Recipes, Dish of the Month, and featured Chef!
Want to contribute your favorite recipe? Email brook@locallyknownfoods.com with the recipe, your name, and hopefully a picture!

Spinach Smoothie

Here's a super healthy snack from my kitchen. It tastes like banana, but is as healthy as a salad.

In a blender, add:

  • one banana
  • some other yellowish fruit (such as half an orange)

    • cover these with fresh water.

  • baby spinach- fill the blender to the top

    • blend- press down the spinach with a spoon to get it all blended. Blend for a minute. ENJOY!

    Arugula Salad

    This is so basic, but I could (and do) eat it almost every day.

    In a food processor, add:

  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • bunch cilantro
  • tablespoon of almonds, sunflower seeds, or whatever you have handy.

    • process the above until they are dicey. Place in bowl and sprinkle with:

  • Nama Shoy (or soy sauce)
  • a little pepper

    • In a bigger bowl, add a box-full of wild arugula. Dress with:

  • one tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • one tablespoon extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil

    • Add carrot mixture on top of arugula, and wash your hands. Mix the salad with your hands, massaging it like you would bread dough. This breaks down the leaves slightly and makes the dressing cover every bit.

    optionally: replace carrots with daikon or radishes. add chives or basil.

    Dandelion Soup

    This one is tangy, like the dandelion leaves. You can collect the dandelions anytime in the spring, try to choose a foraging location that is away from road fumes or other traffic.

    In a blender, add:

  • one apple (you can still find local ones in the spring, but they're never super appetizing, and this is a great way to use them)

    • cover the apple with fresh water.

  • 4-5 big dandelion leaves
  • baby spinach
  • dash of sea salt
  • two teaspoons raw organic honey

    • Blend well. Serve in a bowl. Mine is sprinkled with goji berries (sadly, as unlocal as you can get, so they are a treat only) and black sesame seeds. You can add currents, raisens, sunflower seeds, pepitas...

    Radish Salad

    In order to balance the tartness of fresh radishes, add a lemony-sweet dressing and raisens.

  • two cups radishes, diced in a food processor
  • 2 tablespoons raisens or currents
  • lemon juice, fresh from one lemon
  • 1 tablespoon raw honey
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

    • to make the dressing, put the honey, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar in a small jar with a lid and shake it up. (Raw honey is sometimes solid, and this is a quick way to mix it.) Add the raisens or currents and the dressing to the radishes and toss.

    Everyday Salad Dressing

    This is my favorite, easy-to-make salad dressing. Use equal parts of the ingredients, or adjust to taste.

  • cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • raw tahini
  • Nama Shoyu or soy sauce
  • lemon juice

    • put all ingredients in a small container with a lid, and shake up.

    Gazpacho Dressing

    Fresh and crisp, gazpacho makes a nice, lighter and lower-fat salad dressing.

  • tomato- one big one, or a few small ones
  • fresh basil leaves- around 8 or 10
  • fresh cilantro- a handful
  • salt
  • pepper
  • cold pressed extra virgin olive oil- to taste, or a couple tablespoons

    • place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to a chunky liquid. It's great straight or on top of a bed of greens.