Organic Almond Sauce

Looking for uses for leftover almond meal from making almond milk, I did a little research into recreating a certain farmers market sauce with organic ingredients:

2/3 cup spring water
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2  cup leftover almond meal (real raw almonds from Terra Bella Farm)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from my tree
3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic, from Schaner Farm
2 teaspoons bragg liquid aminos
1/2 dried new mexican chile
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Place all ingredients in a quality blender. Slowly blend for one minute, then blend on high for another minute for a smooth and creamy consistency. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes about 2 cups

Great for dippin' raw veggies and tortilla chips, or use 3/4 cup water for a thiner salad dressing.

thai peanut sauce

About time I posted this favorite. Use it in a whole wheat wrap, with Asian noodles, for stir-fried veggies, a dipping sauce or thin for a salad dressing. Goes great with greens, carrots, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, avocado, sunflower sprouts, green onions, fresh cilantro and mint leaves. Garnish with roasted or sprouted peanuts.



Thai Peanut Sauce
2 tablespoons namu soyu (soy sauce)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon local honey or agave
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger (dry measure)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup peanut butter (measured by displacement of the liquid)
2 tablespoons warm water (more or less to desired consistency)

Blend with immersion blender until smooth. Makes about a cup.

Recipes from Cultivating Food Justice 2012

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped out to make so much beautiful food! We got lots of great feedback and requests for recipes.

I didn't use recipes and but i'll work on recreating them. Here's what I got so far...

Khoresian Wheat & Roasted Beet Salad
khoresian wheat (aka Kamut), available at OB People's Organic Food Co-op
sea salt
red beets, scrubbed well, 1/2" dice, gleaning from Suzie's Farm
olive oil from OB People's bulk section
red onion, thinly sliced
fresh minced garlic (and/or roasted garlic)
fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped, gleaned from Suzie's
fresh squeezed lemon juice from local backyard lemons
freshly ground black pepper

Soak khoresian wheat over night in water (1 part grain:3 parts water); bring to a boil, covered; reduce heat and simmer for 40-60 minutes (I prefer a chewy texture but you might like it softer).  Drain any remaining water.  Toss beets in olive oil and a bit of salt and roast until soft and caramelized.   Toss ingredients together to taste.

Quinoa & Roasted Squash Salad
quinoa
sea salt
summer squash gleaned from Suzie's
olive oil
yellow onion, chopped
garlic, minced
fresh oregano, minced (homegrown by our friend, Ian)

Lemon Vinaigrette with Garlic & Fresh Herbs
fresh lemon juice
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
fresh garlic cloves
fresh herbs: thyme, oregano, chives & parsley

I usually make dressings about 1 part acid to 3 parts oil or so.  Blend with an immersion blender.

Arugula Salad with Seasonal Fruit & Balsamic Vinaigrette

This salad has very similar ingredients to very popular farmers market Roots wraps...

Arrange on a plate:
a handful of arugula from Suzie's Farm (or spinach or spring mix or mizuna...)
a few pieces of thinly sliced red onion from Schaner Farm
in spring or summer: a couple of strawberries from Suzie's or JR Organics Farm, sliced
in fall or winter: several slices of apple from Smit Orchards
a tablespoon of walnut from Terra Bella Farm, halves or pieces, toasted
a tablespoon of Point Reyes blue cheese (or feta), crumbled
drizzle with...

Balsamic Vinaigrette
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (try Ensenada olive oil for something very special!)
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon or whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Wisk or blend ingredients together with an immersion blender.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups

Peter Schaner's Autumn Salad

I wasn't planning on a salad but that's one for the wonderful things about seasonal, local cooking.  My spouse's mom is bringing arugula from her garden and one of my very favorite farmers, Peter Schaner, said "Here, use these in your thanksgiving salad" as he handed me a couple of persimmons, a pomegranate, and a lime.  And I'm quite happy to oblige!
 
homegrown arugula or your favorite greens
persimmon, cut in half and sliced thin
pomegranate seeds
vinaigrette of lime juice, olive oil, sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

When I make a vinaigrette, I usually make it one part vinegar or citrus juice and 2-3 parts oil.

Kitchen Tip
One trick to getting the seeds out of the pomegranate is to score the outside with a knife and peel it apart underwater and loosen the seeds in a bowl of water.  The seeds sink and the skin and pith float.

I love salad but I find at any event, most folks don't eat salad, so make way less than you think you'll need.

Creamy Salad Dressings

I usually prefer vinaigrettes but sometimes a creamy dressing is the perfect compliment.

A dollop of creme fraiche with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt is simple and beautiful on butter lettuce garnished with fresh chives. Here's a couple more favorites...

Ranch Dressing
Nothing like the bottled stuff (which I find inedible), freshly made ranch dressing is wonderful, and for me, a comfort food full of nostalgia. We love it on green salads with lots of vegetables (we got the perfect haul today from Suzie's & JR's Farms: lettuce, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes, armenian cuc, broccoli and purple carrots), on potatoes, or as a dip for crudites, sweet potato fries, and even pizza crust. This recipe is also a good example of how recipes can easily be adapted to what you have on hand. I vastly prefer to use fresh ingredients, but dried spices can work in a pinch.

2 - 4 cloves garlic (you could sub granulated or powdered garlic)
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup sour cream, crema, or crème fraiche (you could even use plain yogurt or mayo)
¼ cup (or more) milk (or buttermilk, half & half, nonfat…)
¼ cup minced fresh herbs (flat-leaf parsley, chives maybe some thyme and dill or sub in dried herbs)
1 green onion, minced (or shallot, red onion or even onion powder or dried onion…)
1 teaspoon lemon juice (or vinegar - apple cider, white wine, sherry…)
Freshly ground black pepper

Mash the garlic and salt to a paste with the side of a chef's knife. In a bowl, whisk it together the rest of the ingredients (start with ¼ milk). If it’s too thick, thin with milk to desired consistency. If you use dried herbs/garlic/onion, let it sit for a hour or 2 before using).

Creamy Cilantro Dressing
This one's perfect for any kind of Mexican or "taco" salad. Try it on romaine with diced heirloom tomatoes or salsa fresca, black/pinto/kidney beans and broken tortilla chips.

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice
1 tablespoon pepitas, toasted
1/4 bunch (or a handful) fresh cilantro
2 oz homemade goat milk ricotta (ideally cotija, but I can't find it local or organic)
sea salt to taste

Blend with immersion blender until smooth.

Garlicky Cesar Salad Pasta

My spouse made this for me on our first date and it's been one of my very favorite meals ever since.  This recipe is based on a traditional Cesar Salad (from TJ) but I skip the anchovies.

Croutons (yes, of course, make your own)

1/3 loaf of stale ciabatta, baguette, multigrain or whatever is handy (Sadie Rose and Bread & Cie are my favorites, until I learn to make awesome bread), cut into 1/2" cubes

olive oil

sea salt or garlic salt

Heat a large pan on medium-low.  Add the bread cubes and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Add a few pinches of salt.  Toss to coat well and toss every now and again to allow the croutons to brown evenly.  Toast until golden. 

Dressing

6 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (from Calivirgin or Good Faith)
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
juice from ½ small lemon (off my tree)
2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed (from Sage Mountain Farm)
1&1/2 teaspoon dijon or stone ground mustard (try SoNo until you learn to make it yourself)
a goodly pinch of sea salt
2 goodly pinches of fresh cracked black pepper

Mix well or blend dressing ingredients together (I just make this in a jar, screw the lid on and shake).

1 big head romaine lettuce, cut or torn into bite sized pieces (JR Organics has amazing lettuce!)
½ cup parmesano reggiano cheese, microplaned 
1/4 pound angel hair pasta (I get mine in bulk at OB Peoples Co-op)

sea salt

Heat a couple quarts of water to a boil, add a couple teaspoons of salt, return water to a boil and add pasta, stirring occasionally.  Angel hair cooks real fast and I hate over cooked pasta so taste it after 3 minutes and see if it's al dente.  As soon as it's done, drain it (do not rinse!) and give it a light coating of the dressing so it doesn't stick together.

In a separate large bowl, toss the romaine and dressing, then add the parm and toss to combine. 

Plate a handful of angelhair, top with a big helping of salad and garnish with croutons.

Serves 2-4