Garden Rolls with Ginger Plum Dipping Sauce

I have made these for a few of my friends this summer! They loved them! It makes a nice light lunch.

They are essentially California Rolls using a leaf of swiss chard rather than Nori. I wanted to make sushi and had all the ingredients except the Nori. So I used what I had in my garden that day...Rainbow Swiss Chard leaves. AND the swiss chard leaves are much easier to work with than Nori, I think!

Ingredients

Nori or Swiss Chard

1 carrot, julienned

1 avocado, sliced thinly

1 six inch piece of cucumber, julienned

1-2 radishes, julienned

1 green onion, julienned

1 cup cooked white rice (I like Jasmine rice)

Directions

If you are using swiss chard leaves (or kale leaves would work, too) blanch them for 30 seconds in boiling water then transfer to an ice bath. After the leaves cool, spread on paper towels to dry.

If using Nori, make sure to wet the edges a little before rolling it up.

Place a scoop of rice on the swiss chard leaf and spread out into a row horizontally across the leaf. Add any veggies you like. Roll it up and place on a plate with the seam side down so it adheres together.

Ginger Plum Dipping Sauce

3 TBS Soy Sauce

2 tsp Sesame Oil

1 tsp Siracha Chili Paste

3 TBS Hoisin Sauce

1 clove crushed Garlic

1 TBS Grated Fresh Ginger

Mix together and add more of any of the ingredients to suit your palate! This is the same dipping sauce from my pot sticker recipe. I love it!

You can slice the rolls into bite sized pieces or serve whole! Enjoy!

Man Food

Cheddar Bacon Guacamole Burgers

I know, I know...heart-attack on a bun! My husband has been working long hours lately and comes home hungry for a good, hearty meal. We've been eating a lot of vegetables and light summer meals lately so I thought I'd make him something filling...really filling! Bacon Guacamole Burgers are one of his favorite meals!

I start out by flavoring my meat.
I used half Elk burger and half Beef burger.
I add:
 1 clove grated garlic
1/4 cup grated yellow onion
1 tsp Siracha Chili Paste
Salt & Pepper

I use a micro-plane grater to grate the onion & garlic.

I form the patties and grill them then add cheddar cheese when they're done.

Guacamole

1 avocado

1 clove garlic, grated

2 tsp lime juice

Salt & Pepper

Mix together & serve on top of burgers.

Bacon

I use 2 strips of bacon per burger.

We also had corn & potatoes from the garden...so it was kind of healthy!

Pot Stickers with Ginger Plum Dipping Sauce

Ingredients for Filling
1-1 1/2 lbs Ground Turkey, Chicken, or Pork
1 cup shredded Cabbage
2 Carrots, diced
1/2 cup Onion, minced
1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Kale, shredded (optional, I just like to sneak leafy greens in everything!)
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1 package pre-made Wonton Wrappers


Ingredients for Ginger Plum Dipping Sauce
3 TBS Soy Sauce
2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Siracha Chili Paste
3 TBS Hoisin Sauce
1 clove crushed Garlic
1 TBS Grated Fresh Ginger

Mix together and add more of any of the ingredients to suit your palate!

 Mix the filling ingredients in a large bowl.

Place about 1-2tsp of filling in center of wonton wrappers. (Using your hands works best!)

Wet the edges of the wonton and pinch it together like a little pouches.

Raw Pot Stickers waiting to go in the steamer.

There are TWO WAYS to cook these little guys!

Steaming

or

Frying

(I prefer steamed because they are so delicate but my husband likes them fried...of course! So I make both!)

I steam them in a double-decker steamer pot but I spray the inside with cooking spray before I place the pot stickers in. Then I put the lid on and let them steam for 6-8 minutes.

We fry them in our large electric skillet for about 10 minutes. I put at about 1-2 TBS of cooking oil in the pan before I place the pot stickers in there. After they crisp up a bit, I place the lid on the pan to steam the inside a little.

Then serve with the Ginger Plum Dipping Sauce and enjoy!

Garlicky White Beans & Greens Soup

I wrote this recipe last summer when I had an abundance of kale in my garden. I combined a few different recipes to include all of the elements we liked. The big chunks of sausage, the soft white beans, the nutritious shredded greens, and the overall garlic flavor!

Garlicky White Beans & Greens Soup

Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 lbs of bulk sausage, browned

1 large yellow onion, diced

1-2 cans of white kidney/navy beans
5-7 cups chicken stock

2-4 diced red potatoes with skin on (if desired)

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

2-3 stalks of celery, diced

1-2 tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 bunch of kale or spinach or dark leafy greens, chopped finely (4-5 cups)

1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flake

1-2 TBS chopped parsley

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown sausage in a skillet

Sautee (or caramelize) onions with olive oil in a dutch oven or large stock pot.

Add 1/2 of diced garlic and celery to onions and sautee slightly.

Add crushed red pepper flake if desired.

Add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.

Add potatoes and bring to a boil for 7-10 minutes. I like the potatoes to remain firm so I don't let the soup boil too long.

Add rinsed white beans and cooked sausage.

Allow soup to simmer. Then add the kale and dark leafy greens. I like to add the greens at the very end so they remain firm and the color stays vibrant.

Add in the rest of the raw, chopped garlic. Add salt & pepper to taste. Sprinkle with fresh parsley to serve.

Enjoy!

I made this soup recently to freeze. I save jam jars and other various jars that are just the right serving size for the two of us. So when I have a busy day at work or we need a quick meal and don't want to cook I can pull it out of the freezer and easily reheat it on the stove top and serve it with crusty bread.

As Easy As Salt and Pepper

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August Harvest

This is what we are harvesting out of the garden this August!

We dug up our first hill of potatoes the other day! They are so crisp and delicious. We have just been eating them diced up and roasted in the oven.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

4-5 large Red Potatoes, cubed

2-3 TBS Olive Oil

1-2 tsp Sea Salt

Sprinkle of Pepper

Fresh Herbs: Rosemary, Parsley, Thyme

2-3 Cloves Diced or Pressed Garlic

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Turn on Broiler for 2 minutes (watch it constantly) to create a crispy layer of potatoes on top!

Enjoy!

Garlic

It's time to harvest garlic. We pulled all of ours and are letting it dry in the cool house for 6-7 days. After that we will brush the dirt and top layer of paper off of each head and then store it for the winter. If you are interested in planting garlic next year in your garden, you have to get started on it soon. You actually plant the cloves in the fall...like tulip bulbs. I will have a post on How to Plant Garlic soon.

The top part of the garlic is called "scape." It is like a small head of garlic with little purple cloves in it. You can cook with these and use them just like garlic. I think they have a little more of a potent garlic taste.

I made Garlic Scape Pesto last night.

Garlic Scape Pesto

1 head of peeled garlic scapes

Basil

Parsley

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan Cheese

Pine Nuts (optional, but add a great texture)

Blend in the food processor and add more olive oil as necessary to create the consistency you like.

I served this on grilled chicken breasts!

We have also just started to harvest our little crop of corn. It did not do well this year at all. We have tiny little ears but they still taste good!

We both enjoyed spending the evening harvesting all of these veggies. It's so relaxing at the end of the day to spend time together in the garden.

(google images)

Huckleberry Ice Cream

Alisa's Huckleberry Ice Cream

Ingredients
2 cups Half & Half
1 cup Whipping Cream
3/4 cup Sugar
1 TBS Vanilla
*Secret Ingredient: 2 TBS Peach Jam*
1/2 cup Huckleberries

Directions
Combine all ingredient in a saucepan on stove. Cook over Med-High heat. Continuously whisk mixture. Do not allow to boil. Bring mixture to barely simmering. Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hrs. If mixture is not cold, it will not firm up in ice cream maker.

After mixture is cold, add to ice cream machine and let it run for about 20 minutes. Place firm mixture in a container and immediately place in freezer for at leas 30 minutes to firm up even more.

Enjoy!!!

(adapted from Alton Brown's Serious Vanilla Ice Cream)