Un-paint the town red...

So last week I overheard a woman at the market telling a farmer that she LOVES pomegranates, but hates seeding them because of the mess. Hence the title of this post! I love them as well, but I kinda feel the same way the customer does, so I went on the world wide web and did some research on how to seed a pomegranate in the less messiest way as possible. Below is what I found along with a wonderful and easy pomegranate recipe...Enjoy!

Keep it Clean

It's actually very easy to seed a pomegranate without making a mess.

• Use a mixing bowl that's wide enough to fit your hands in but is fairly deep so you won't splash too much. Fill it half-full with water.
• Cut your pomegranate in half (this is the messiest part of the whole job).
• Submerge pomegranate halves in water, and use your hands to separate the seeds from the inner membrane.
• The membrane is brittle and will float to the surface; discard membrane and outer rind as you remove the seeds.
• Skim the surface to remove any bits of membrane and broken arils.
• Drain into a colander, and the seeds are ready to use.

Pomegranate Spinach Salad

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 red onion, sliced very thin
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts (optional)
• 1 pomegranate, peeled and seeds separated
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette

Directions

1. Place spinach in a salad bowl. Top with red onion, walnuts, feta, and sprouts. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the top, and drizzle with vinaigrette.

{Images & Info via Allrecipes.com & Google Images}

Two for One, a Recipe Day treat!

Today, you luckily healthy minded people get two recipes in one day. First, a guilty pleasure of mine and the second, a delicious and exciting staple salad!


Remember most if not all of these ingredients you can find at our markets, even the honey! Hope you enjoy!


Baked Cinnamon Sugar Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients 
5 sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch long pieces
oil
cinnamon sugar
salt & pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Line baking sheet with parchment
Toss sliced sweet potatoes in bowl with just enough oil to coat.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and salt and pepper
Spread sweet potatoes on baking sheet in a single layer
Bake until tender and golden brown, tossing occasionally, about 20 minutes.
Let cool before eating and enjoy!

Corn Raddish Salad
Ingredients
4 ears raw sweet corn, husked and silk removed
10 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 to 1 jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
3 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped

Directions
Cut the corn kernels from the ear of the corn like this!
Place corn in a large bowl. Add radishes, onion, and cilantro, set aside.
For the dressing:
puree chili pepper, lime juice, honey, and olive oil in a blender.
add mixture to bowl of corn, salt and pepper to taste.
Top with fresh basil, and enjoy!

Easy and Fast Way to Roast ANY Vegetable

In this season there are so many beautiful and delicious vegetables out there that people seem completely perplexed as to what to do with them. While there's a multitude of more complicated recipes out there that integrate these veggies (that hopefully we will get to in this weekly blog post!) there's also an easy thing to do with any and all of them; roast 'em! Roasted vegetables are delicious paired with meats, in salads, in a sandwich with some pesto and fresh cheeses, or simply alone. Below is simple and quick way to roast any vegetable. Hope you enjoy!

Delicious Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients
Any combination of the following vegetables:
1 small butternut squash, cubed
1 small summer squash, cubed
2 bell peppers, seeded and sliced into wide strips
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 yukon gold potatoes, cubed 
1 red onion, quartered
1 bunch asparagus, ends cut off, cut into small pieces
3 carrots, halved
5 to 7 garlic cloves, peeled, cut in half
1 bunch cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
1 bunch broccoli, chopped into small pieces
1 eggplant, cubed
2 zucchini, sliced into strips
1 bunch yellow or red radishes, ends cut off, sliced into rounds
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat over to 475 degrees.
In a large bowl combine all chopped vegetables
In a small bowl stir together balsamic vinegar, oil, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper
Toss with vegetables until evenly coated
Place on roasting pan, roast in oven for 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes or until vegetables are tender and brown

Exotic Bean Salad

Everyone loves beans; in burritos, mixed with interesting rice, in salsas, etc. We are blogging from southern california after all and I wont pretend to deny our mexican influences. We should note though, when people think beans, they generally think of black beans or pinto beans or perhaps even lentils. But as some of you may not know, there are a multitude, more than you are imagining right now, of different varieties of beans out there. And they're not hard to find either. This week's recipe utilizes some of these not as well known beans as well as some fresh produce and nuts that you can easily find at our market.

It's time to get adventurous and broaden your horizons in the vast world of beans. It does take a bit of time to cook all these strange beans, but if you make a large quantity you can eat it all week!

Exotic Bean Salad 
Ingredients
1 cup azuki beans
1 cup mung beans
1 cup cooked black garbanzo beans
1 bunch green cauliflower, chopped in small pieces (personal preference for salads)
3 to 5 dates, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup chia seeds
3 Tablespoons canola oil
1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons honey (to taste)
3 tablespoons nigella seeds
salt, to taste

Directions
First you must cook your beans. It is best to do this separately as they all have their individual cooking times and water needs. AND this way you can cook more than you need and use the leftovers in another dish like this amazing sounding kale salad, because we all know how much we love kale!
Pace azuki beans in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30-45 minutes, until tender.
Boil 3 cups water. Add mung beans, reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour until all water is absorbed and beans are tender.
Heat oil in pan, add garlic after 1 minute. Saute cauliflower for 5 minutes with garlic and salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool.
Now mix all ingredients together in large bowl, stir it all up, and enjoy your exotic dish!

If this message has gotten you at all curious about beans, here is an aesthetically nice 'how to' provided by rancho gordo. Enjoy!

Ricotta Stuffed Mushrooms

Today's recipe is an easy yet classy dish to make. It doesn't take more than 30 minutes but looks and tastes fantastic. Spinach is going out of season so we must use it while we can! I love this dish and I hope you do too.

Ricotta Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
7 or 8 large white mushrooms, stems removed
mushroom stems, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup spinach
1/4 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Directions
Heat oil in a skillet at medium heat, add garlic, let saute for 1 minute. Add minced mushroom stems, continue to saute until soft. Turn the heat to low. Add ricotta, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Stir until incorporated. Add spinach, stir mixture until spinach is reduced. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Spoon small spoonfuls of mixture into mushrooms. Place on greased baking sheet, bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Check after 5. Enjoy!

Initiation of Recipe Day!

Hello all you locally fresh and organically inclined people. Sorry for the short hiatus but we're back with a brand new weekly contribution to your cooking lives! Every Monday we will provide you with a refreshingly new recipe featuring ingredients you can find at our markets. It may be some weird looking squash you've been too afraid to try or possibly some obscure spice or seed you never knew you could use in smoothies, or simply some weekly staples that you want to use in a new, more exciting way. We all have to eat and the cook is always the most respected in the room, so why not steal one of these recipes and impress your friends and families?

Kale is a strange and mysterious green but there's this secret about cooking it without really cooking it; massage it with salt! Some molecular thing happens that makes it super tender and tasty. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Massaged Kale Salad
Ingredients
1 large bunch of kale, stalks removed and discarded, leaves thinly sliced into strips
(if you've never cut kale before check this out!)
1 lemon juiced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup sunflower seeds raw or toasted
1/4 cup diced shallot
1/3 cup currants
1/2 apple, cut into matchstick like strips
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese (optional!)

Directions
In a large bowl, add the kale, half of lemon juice and salt. Massage the kale for about 2 minutes (this will feel like a long time), the kale should reduce in volume by about 1/3. Add salt if it doesn't seem to be shrinking enough.
Gently stir in sunflower seeds, shallots, currants, and apple
Dress with oil and vinegar and toss
Alter salt and vinegar and remaining lemon juice to taste
Add cheese if desired.

Alternative Dressing
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon honey
1 lemon juiced
salt and pepper to taste