This summer, we’ve hosted a series of great cooking & gardening classes on the first Wednesday of every month starting this June. If you’ve missed them so far, don’t worry. There is one more session on September 7th, and I’m really excited for this event!
Locally famous chef John Zuwila of West Reading’s Haute Chocolate Cafe will be teaching us how to make delicious fruit pies and crisps. John is committed to sourcing local ingredients whenever possible and has worked at many great restaurants in our community, including Green Hills Inn and Bistro on the Green. Now he’s expanding to start a new restaurant in Lancaster called Joe’s Famous American Kitchen, which just opened this month. From what I hear, the food at Joe’s is pretty amazing, and the desserts are supplied by Haute Chocolate Cafe. According to my Lancaster friends, they have the best burgers in Lancaster – and probably even the state!
We asked Dr. Marisa Bosler to come back for a session on how to make dough for bread, pizza or calzones after enjoying her delicious demo in June about cooking with fresh herbs and veggies. Dr. Bosler has a nutrition practice in Honeybrook, PA specializing in Nutrition Response Testing. She grew up working in her family’s Italian restaurant and learned the art of making great bread and pizza dough. Today, she’s combined this knowledge with her love of healthy cooking. At home, she has her own brick oven and brought us samples of a delicious herbed sprouted grain bread she baked herself. “It’s a very hands-on process – it’s all about the texture of the dough,” Dr. Bosler explained. Many people expressed an interest in learning more about this process, so we asked her back for a class in September on making breads and pizza dough and incorporating fresh veggies.
If you’ve missed any of the sessions so far, we thought we’d share some of the recipes:
Grilled Vegetable Stacks
- Category: Side Dish
Ingredients
- TO GRILL:
- 1 large Portobello mushroom
- 1 red onion
- 1 zucchini
- 1 eggplant
- TO TOSS:
- 1 tomato, sliced lengthwise and in half
- A handful of basil leaves
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- Raw milk cheddar cheese, sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Slice grilling veggies so that the zucchini, onion, eggplant, etc. are large, flat circles.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Grill directly on grill surface, turning once (each time you flip something on the grill it loses moisture).
- Once everything is done, stack the veggies, with a fresh tomato slice, basil leaf and cheese at the top.
- Place a toothpick in the center to stabilize. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- TIP: If you don’t want to make these as stacks, you can also add all ingredients to a large bowl follow the same order with tomatoes, basil and cheese on top, then drizzled with olive oil & balsamic vinegar.
Herbed Butter
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- Juice of 1 tomato
- Your favorite herbs
Instructions
- Squeeze the juice of one tomato into a mixing bowl or Kitchen Aid mixer along with a handful of your favorite herbs. Add a stick of butter and whip it to your liking.
Garden Harvest Slaw
Also delicious in wraps! Spread cream cheese on the tortilla if desired.
- Category: Slaw
- Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup beets
- 3/4 cup carrots
- 3/4 cup turnips
- 3/4 cup kohlrabi
- 3/4 cup kale
- 3/4 cup parsley
- 1 small onion
- Italian dressing. Recommended: Simply Organic Italian dressing packet with olive oil & balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Grate all ingredients with a cheese grater or in the food processor and mix with Italian dressing.
Salsas
Fresh Tomato & Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
- 8 medium tomatoes (about 4 pounds)
- 2 chopped orange bell peppers
- 1 medium chopped red onion
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- Chopped cilantro to taste
- 2 seeded and finely chopped jalapeño peppers
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Chopped pineapple to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and add cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips.
Fresh Peach Salsa
Ingredients
- 10 peaches, skins removed and chopped
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 finely chopped jalapeño pepper, seeds removed
- Juice of 2 limes
- Cilantro, finely chopped, to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and add cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips.
Watermelon Salsa
- Yield: 14 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced seedless watermelon
- 1 tomato, chopped
- ¾ cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix together, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Drain if necessary before serving.
Tomato Salsa (For Canning)
Ingredients
- 5 cup skinned tomatoes, chopped
- 2/3 cup onion, diced
- 1/3 cup green peppers
- ½ cup Jalapeno peppers (or 1/3 cup Hot Hoagie Spread)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ cup vinegar
Instructions
- Peel tomatoes, chop, and drain juice.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Bring salsa to a boil and then simmer forty-five minutes.
- Fill jars and water bathe twenty minutes.
Smoothies
Berry Madness Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup blackberries
- 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 6 ice cubes
Instructions
- Wash all fruit and blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Cucumber Celery Lettuce Green Drink
Ingredients
- 1 apple, seeded and cut in fourths
- 1 cucumber or zucchini, cut in fourths
- 3 celery sticks, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 1 cup sunflower sprouts
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1/2 bunch spinach
- Water to dilute
Instructions
- Wash all fruits and vegetables. In juicer, add apple, cucumber and celery and blend. Add a small amount of water and the flax seeds, sprouts and lettuce, and blend. Add spinach and blend. Add more water as needed to reach desired thickness.