Delicious new flavor combinations don’t have to be difficult or elaborate.  This take on a conventional salsa highlights the natural sweetness of roasted salsa veggies with a touch of natural sugar from pears and parsley instead of cilantro.  The toasted cumin and black pepper add a satisfying complexity and make this homemade salsa salsa worthy of any you’ll find in a grocery store or restaurant.  Since it’s made in a slow cooker, prep time is a fraction of a raw veggie salsa.

Easy Pear Salsa

Many moons ago, I was a new CSA member. I remember picking up my share; looking at all of the beautiful greens; and, wondering “how am I going to eat all of that?”

Now, many years later, as the farmer I have no problem going through several lbs of greens in a week. But, it took a while to learn some recipes and to change how I approach cooking.

Here are some helpful hints:

1. Eat your greens with every meal. In those early CSA days, my roommate and I competed to see who could get greens into more meals. This led to:
   1. Breakfast salad (delicate salad greens with a lemony vinaigrette are the prefect accompaniment to your scrambled eggs)
   2. Lunch Salad: add things like roasted sweet potatoes and quinoa to help fill you up. Join the mason jar salad craze (suggestions here)
   3. Dinner Salad: Put your dinner on top of a bed of greens. Works great with things from the grill or, as in the picture to the right, on top of my favorite go-to meal: peanut noodles with chick peas. This salad also has quick pickled watermelon radish slaw on top. Could be a good use for any left over purple daikon!
2. “I bet I can put some spinach in that” Cooked spinach is a great addition to almost anything. I put spinach in my sweet potato and black bean enchiladas the other night. Nutritious and barely there.
   1. Other greens cook down well too (spicy mix, tatsoi, turnip greens, mustard greens, etc). These are great additions to curries, soups, quiches.
3. Make your own salad dressing.
   1. Store bought salad dressings often contain a lot of unnecessary sugar and homemade is easier than you think.
      1. Here’s a list of 8 easy recipes to get you started. Click (here)

Two weeks ago at the market, we sampled a kale and blueberry salad and taste tested some different homemade salad dressings.

One cup of cooked kale contains 1328% of your daily vitamin K and 354% of your daily vitamin A. Kale has anti-cancer and detoxifying properties. Kale contains over 45 different flavonoids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Blueberries are similarly rich in antioxidants.

Additionally, many delicious salad dressings can be made from ingredients we already have in our cupboard and we hope these recipes inspire some salad dressing creativity!

Salad Dressings – Olive Oil Vinaigrette and Mustard Vinaigrette

Kale Salad and Honey Garlic Vinaigrette

Eggplant is known for its low-carbohydrates and high anti-oxidant content. Try this easy and crunchy salad recipe from Leanne Brown’s Good and Cheap cookbook at home. Stop by the Farmer’s Market at St. Joe’s on Wednesday, August 1, between 11 am and 1 pm to try a sample!

Broiled Eggplant Salad

This week’s farmers market was a success!  Dietetic intern, Jen LaBarre, sliced up some hakurei turnips served over a bed of arugula and mizuna greens.  The key to this recipe is the mint and orange dressing, which gives the spicy arugula a sweet finish.

Don’t forget to sign up for our CSA which will run from June 21st through November 1st.

Photo from Leanne Brown’s Good and Cheap Recipe Book

Stop by for some fresh vegetables and peanut dipping sauce at the Farmers’ Market this week! This yummy recipe, from Leanne Brown’s Good and Cheap, is easy to make and adds excitement to any type of produce. Great for individual snacking or as a party dip, this peanut sauce is sure to be a winner!

Who knew Swiss Chard could be so festive? And more importantly, it is packed with so many different nutrients! After using the Taco Salad recipe, out of Leanne Brown’s Good and Cheap cookbook, at this week’s Farmer’s Market, it proved how fun and tasty it can truly be!