Simply Fresh–Special Post and Offer

Hello Farm Family,

I am the longtime author of Simply Fresh, the Holcomb Farm CSA food blog I write for the summer season.  But I find that I am missing you all this long winter.  I thought I would offer you a post I wrote during a short stint as a blogger for the Holcomb winter CSA a few years ago.  My hope is that it will offer you a refreshing high note to the low winter blues (see below).

I also wanted to tell you about a my exciting new venture as a food and lifestyle blogger.  A newly certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, I have started a year round blog called The Wholesome Gourmande dedicated to informing and inspiring those who wish to be healthy, but literally cannot stomach yet another depriving, ultimately unsuccessful diet.  This weekly blog will offer the following:

  • healthy, fun, interesting, satisfying recipes
  • Food for Thought and Thoughts about Food
  • Reliable nutrition and wellness information devoid of fad hype
  • Motivation and inspiration for pursuing both health and happiness
  • Information regarding local cooking classes and wellness workshops

Check out my website and blog posts at The Wholesome Gourmande

For those interested in subscribing to my weekly blog I am offering a special thank you–my Year of Seasonal Recipes Cookbook (pdf) that includes Holcomb and otherwise inspired recipes. Subscribing is easy. Simply click on the link below. The cookbook will be included as a clickable link in the final step of the subscription process.

Click Here to Subscribe

 

As promised, here is your bonus Simply Fresh article.  Hope to “see” you before the summer over at The Wholesome Gourmande

The Lighter Side of Winter Vegetables

Its funny, but even with all this snow and cold, I find myself craving light, cleansing, fresh foods to counteract all the heavy winter braises and stews we’ve been eating. This month I discovered a few gem salads that satisfied these cravings but still allowed me to use up a lot of items in the winter distribution.

One salad I fell in love with is a delicious combination of shaved parsnips, carrots, and turnips over fresh greens tossed with a star anise and allspice-spiked maple vinaigrette. The sweetness and light spice in the dressing nicely compliments the sweet earthy notes in the root vegetables. Even if you don’t want to bother making this vinaigrette, try using the shaved root vegetables in your favorite salad. Check out the original recipe on FineCooking.com (click here)

The other salad combination I am loving this winter is a vegetarian version of taco salad. I came up with this idea after finding an interesting recipe for walnut burritos in the cookbook Nourishing Meals—Healthy Gluten Fee Recipes for the Whole Family by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre. I am including my adapted recipe below. It is highly flexible and can include any vegetable combinations you have on hand. The recipe makes a lot of filling so if there are just two of you, consider halving the filling ingredients. In addition to a salad, the delicious walnut filling is also terrific served in cabbage leaves for a low carb raw “taco”(this winter’s Holcomb cabbages are the perfect size for this). To make these tacos really special, add a few thin slices of watermelon radish, a bit of avocado, and maybe even some taco sauce. YUM!

Wishing you all good health and happy hearts throughout the rest of the winter season. Looking forward to writing for you again come June!

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Raw Walnut Taco Salad Serves              Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

– 3 cups raw walnuts

– 1 cup fresh cilantro

– 4 green onions, coarsely chopped

– 2 cloves garlic, crushed

– 2 teaspoons ground cumin

– 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

– 1 teaspoon Herbamere salt and herb blend (or just sea salt)

– 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

– lettuce mix

– mild vinaigrette (e.g. white wine vinaigrette)

– 2 carrots, shredded

– 2 watermelon radishes, cut into matchsticks

– 1 cup green cabbage, shredded

Optional:

– avocado

– salsa

– shredded cheddar or Jake cheese

METHOD:

Soak walnuts in water for 6 hours. Drain. Place walnuts, cilantro, green onions, garlic, cumin, paprika, Herbamare and lime juice in the bowl of food processor. Process using on/off bursts until mixture resembles ground meat. If not using immediately, transfer to a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Toss greens, carrot, cabbage, and radishes lightly with vinaigrette (you don’t want it too heavy, just enough to barely coat the greens). Place on plates and top with walnut taco mixture and any desired optional items.

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