Recipes

17 Jul

Posted at 08:15h in Recipes by
11 Likes

Tabbouleh Salad ingredientsTabbouleh (also tabouli) is a classic Middle Eastern salad made from whole grains and highlighted by the fresh herbs, cucumbers, and tomatoes that are in season right now. The whole grains in tabbouleh come from bulgur, which is made from whole hard wheat (wheat berries) that’s been parboiled, dried, and then cracked.

This whole wheat is very different than the wheat-based products we often buy at the grocery store:  When wheat is refined and processed — primarily into wheat flour — nearly all of its nutritional value is stripped away.  In fact, “more than half of wheat’s B vitamins, 90 percent of the vitamin E, and virtually all of the fiber” are lost.  When wheat is refined, its nutritious bran and germ are removed and we’re left only with a starch that’s digested as a simple sugar, causing our blood sugar levels to spike as if we’d eaten candy!

Healthy whole wheat like bulgur, on the other hand, is a complex carbohydrate that offers a unique combination of minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, all of which work in concert together to protect our cardiovascular health, prevent Type 2 Diabetes, promote digestive health, and help fight off cancer.  Once cooked, bulgur has a mild, nutty flavor that adds a fantastic chewy, meaty texture to foods. Mix it into a salad, stirfry, chili, spaghetti sauce, taco filling, or use it as a base for a grain salad (such as this Asian Bulgur and Edamame Salad), stuffed peppers, breakfast porridge, or savory side dish.

In addition to whole wheat, tabbouleh takes advantage of the cucumber bounty we’ve been enjoying with our share.  Cucumbers aren’t commonly thought of for their nutrition, but they actually are a good source of vitamin A, magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese, and a very good source of potassium and vitamins C and K.  Thanks to the phytonutrients in cucumbers, they also bring our bodies anti-inflammatory, antioxident, and anti-cancer benefits, too.

The important key to accessing all this great stuff, however, is consuming the skin. (Some might remember that this is true for many of the vegetables we eat — we’ve talked about potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, and eggplant here before 🙂 )  If you’re just getting used to eating the skin on cucumbers, try peeling only half of the skin off at first, then move up to keeping it all intact.

Tabbouleh a naturally versatile and adaptable dish, so feel free to play around with the grain-herb-veggie ratio.  You might prefer an herb-based salad, or you might choose to go heavy on the cucumbers, since they’re so abundant right now (as I did in the salad pictured). You could even make this recipe gluten-free by substituting bulgur for another healthy whole grain, such as quinoa. Tabbouleh pairs great with hummus, baba ganoush, and pita.

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh

Ingredients
2 cups boiling water
1-1/4 cup bulgur wheat (use quinoa for a gluten-free version)
1 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup mint, chopped
1/4 cup minced onion
1+ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered or chopped
1+ cup cucumbers, diced

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
juice from 1/2 lemon, more to taste
1 tsp salt, more to taste
pinch of pepper
pinch allspice

Method
Place bulgur in a bowl and pour boiling water over top. Let stand for 20-30 minutes, until softened, but still chewy.  Drain off any excess liquid, and fluff. If using quinoa, prepare per package instructions. Add herbs and veggies to bulgur and gently stir. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Add dressing to bulgur, gently stirring until dressing coats salad well. Adjust seasonings to taste.  Serve chilled.

Post Sources
Harvard School of Public Health
Nutrition Data (Bulgur)
Nutrition Data (Cucumber)
WH Foods (Cucumber)

Post and photos by Mikaela D. Martin: Blooming Glen CSA member since 2005, board-certified health counselor, and co-founder of Guidance for Growing, an integrative wellness practice in Souderton. Read more about healthy eating and living on her site, http://guidanceforgrowing.com!

16 Jul

Posted at 13:47h in Recipes, Weekly Share by
10 Likes

On the scene this week is the first of the eggplant, an oblong deep purple Asian style. This type of eggplant has a long, skinny shape, with a thin skin, delicate flavor, and not as many of the seeds that tend to make eggplant bitter. I made a wonderful dinner the other night that was a hit with the whole family. It used four ingredients from the share (eggplant, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and onions), fresh oregano and thyme from the discovery garden, and mozzarella from the farmer’s market. You can check out the recipe for Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini and Chickpea wraps at marthastewart.com. Delicious!

Also new this week is fresh garlic. Chances are you’ve only seen garlic in its dried form, its ivory cloves encased in their papery husks. You’re probably used to struggling to peel dried garlic, only to reveal itty-bitty sized cloves. Not this garlic!

The flavor is exquisite and subtle, the skin moist and incredibly easy to peel. The cloves are at their largest, not having shrunk in size at all in the drying process, for this garlic is straight from the ground. The drying process strengthens the skin and prepares it for long term storage, so handle your fresh garlic with care- it can bruise easily. Store in the refrigerator if you don’t plan to use it right away.

You can use both the cloves and the aromatic wrappers. The following recipe for Fresh Garlic Spread makes use of the fresh garlic wrappers.

Peel 2 heads of garlic, and separate the fresh wrappers from the cloves, as in the photo below.

Put the garlic cloves in a glass jar in the fridge and reserve for another use. Fill a medium saucepan half full of water, bring to a simmer. Simmer wrappers for 5 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Blend the garlic wrappers in a food processor, slowly adding approximately 1/4 cup olive oil, until it is bright golden in color with the texture of mayonnaise. Add sea salt to taste. Use to spread on crusty baguette, or as a base for salad dressing.

Like the scapes, the season is fleeting, so enjoy! As soon as the field dries out a bit we will be pulling the entire garlic crop, bundling it and hanging it for a month or so to dry.

Post and photos by Tricia Borneman, Blooming Glen farmer and co-owner.

10 Jul

Posted at 21:00h in Recipes by
4 Likes

It’s that time of year- the cucumbers are prolific! The following four recipes- potato salad with beans and kirbies, cucumber water with citrus basil, and cucumber avocado soup garnished with cucumber salsa all highlight this summer staple.

Cucumbers have a long list of health benefits, but the thing that really makes them the perfect summer fruit is their cooling effect on the body. We grow two types of cucumbers here at Blooming Glen Farm.

Slicing cucumbers are what you probably are most familiar with: they are around 8-10 inches long, juicy, with watery seeds. The skin can be thick, so you may be tempted to peel them- but the skin does contain a high level of vitamin A, so avoid peeling it if you can. “Slicing” is a catchall term for lots of varieties, including the ones overflowing in the basket in the image above of our farm market booth in Wrightstown. Great in smoothies or cucumber salads, sliced onto a sandwhich or eaten raw with your dip of choice.

Kirby cucumbers are small, usually 4 inches long or less, with thin bumpy skins and firm flesh. They are the most common variety of pickling cucumbers but we also love them as a fresh snack or diced into cucumber salsa. Super crunchy and full of great cucumber flavor.

Potato Salad with Beans and Kirby Cucumbers

Ingredients
4 cups red new potatoes
2 cups beans
1 cup kirby cucumbers
1/4 cup onion

Herb Vinaigrette
1 tbs shallot
2 tbs fresh oregano
1 tbs fresh marjoram
1 tbs fresh parsley
1 tbs fresh chives
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 tsp black pepper
salt to taste

Halve new potatoes and cover with cold water in a large stock pot. Add 3 tbs of salt to the water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and roll out onto a sheet tray, give them a few shakes of oil and vinegar while they are hot. Hot potatoes love to soak up flavor. Put in fridge to cool.

Clean and snap beans in half, blanch in salted boiling water and submerge drained beans in ice water to crisp and lock in that bright green color. Make pretty stripes on the kirbies with your vegetable peeler. Cube. Dice onion. In a large bowl whisk your dressing ingredients. Add your potatoes, cukes and beans to dressing and toss, toss, toss…toss more. Enjoy!

Cucumber Water with Citrus Basil

Cucumbers make a super refreshing drink- its a farmer’s natural gatorade! This was a crowd favorite during Chef Kristin’s CSA tasting this week.

Peel and cut in half lengthwise 2 medium slicing cucumbers. If the cucumbers have large seeds scrape them out with a spoon. Coarsely chop the cucumber and stir in: A pinch of salt. Cut in half and squeeze: 3 lemons (or limes). You should have about 1/4 cup juice. Measure into the jar of a blender: 1 cup water. Add the cucumbers and purée well, about 1 minute. Pour through a strainer, pushing the pulp with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Add the lemon, or lime, juice. Add some muddled citrus basil. Leave overnight for flavor to infuse. Strain out herb. Serve over ice.

Cold Cucumber Avocado Soup

Ingredients
3 slicing cucumbers, peeled and seeded, roughly chopped
2 avocados
1/2 cup lime juice
1 tbs honey
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste

Purée all the ingredients. Refrigerate until cold. Serve garnished with cucumber salsa. (Recipe follows)

Cucumber Salsa

2 kirby cucumbers, diced (no need to peel)
1 tbs onion, finely diced
1 tbs garlic, finely diced
cilantro, one handful, chopped
juice of one lime
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Use as garnish on cucumber soup, or on top of a grilled white fish. Also wonderful with chips!

Post and photos by Tricia Borneman, Blooming Glen farmer and co-owner.  Recipes provided by Kristin Moyer, Blooming Glen Farm Chef.

02 Jul

Posted at 13:37h in Recipes by
15 Likes

Pick-your-own string beans are a sure sign that summer has arrived at Blooming Glen!  Although we often don’t think about these beans as being particularly healthful, they actually have “impressive antioxidant capacity,” containing flavanoids, folate, and vitamins A, C, and K.  They’re a fantastic source of dietary fiber, which helps facilitate the passage of waste through our gut, as well as the mineral silicon, which works with calcium and magnesium to aid bone health.  And, because it’s in the pea and bean family, they also offer a nice bit of plant-based protein.

Given the heat wave we’re in the midst of, I’m sticking with cool ingredients once again for this week’s recipe — which has certainly been a theme here on the blog as of late! (If you haven’t already, check out last week’s recipe for Raw Mediterranean Squash & Greens Salad and Kristin’s awesome Raw Veggie Hash with Green Garlic Vinaigrette in a Lettuce Bundle.) Although there is a bit of stove time needed for blanching the vegetables, the recipe below requires very little cooking, little time, and little effort.  It’s a perfect dish to make ahead and have on hand for a healthy meal side dish or snack.  If you only have one bunch of scapes on hand, no worries! The optimal string beans-to-garlic scapes ratio may be a little off, but just use what you have 🙂  You can also skip the scapes all together; you may want to add a clove or two of minced garlic or a bit of granulated garlic to the marinades below.  There are three variations of the recipe, of which the Asian is pictured.

Cold Marinated String Beans & Scapes


Basic
1 quart string beans, trimmed
2 bunches garlic scapes, trimmed and cut in quarters
1/3 cup tamari or low sodium soy sauce
3 tbs sesame oil
1/2 tbs agave, or other sweetener

Asian
1 quart string beans, trimmed
2 bunches garlic scapes, trimmed and cut in quarters
3 tbs mirin
2 tbs rice wine vinegar
2 tbs cup tamari or low sodium soy sauce
2 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs sesame seeds
1 tsp minced ginger
pinch of crushed red pepper, or more to taste

Italian
1 quart string beans, trimmed
1 bunch garlic scapes, trimmed and cut in quarters
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs cup tamari or low sodium soy sauce
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs Italian seasoning, or combination of basil, oregano, and thyme

Boil a large pot of water. Blanch veggies: Add string beans to boiling water for 3 minutes, then add scapes, and blanch for 2 more minutes. Drain veggies and drop into ice bath to stop cooking. Drain again and set aside.

In a large resealable bag (or container with a tight fitting lid), add veggies and all of the remaining ingredients. Zip the bag closed and shake until veggies are evenly coated. Let cool in the fridge for a couple hours, tossing them once or twice. Or, marinate overnight.  Toss once more before serving.

Post sources
Nutrition Data
Web MD
WH Foods

Post and photos by Mikaela D. Martin: Blooming Glen CSA member since 2005, board-certified health counselor, and co-founder of Guidance for Growing, an integrative wellness practice in Souderton. Read more about healthy eating and living on her site, http://guidanceforgrowing.com!

26 Jun

Posted at 20:03h in Recipes by
13 Likes

Raw veggies for squash saladHappy Summer! As the temperatures rise this season, many of us find it harder to crank up the stove top or oven to get meals onto the table. This is a natural time of year to crave cooler, fresher ingredients that require little-to-no cooking — and eating these raw foods do provide us with benefits:

Eating our foods in a more raw form provides a different nutritional profile than eating a food cooked. For instance, ounce-for-ounce, raw Swiss chard has almost twice the amount of Vitamin C and almost three times the amount of Vitamin K than cooked Swiss chard. Similarly, raw zucchini offers much more folate and Omega-3 fatty acids than its cooked counterpart. Many people also find raw foods cleansing, as they often promote efficient digestion and a happy gut. Raw food also encourages us to slow down while eating, simply because it takes us longer to chew, which is a wonderful way to support portion control and mindful eating. All those benefits, and fresh, raw veggies also taste great (especially those from Blooming Glen 😉 )!

The recipe below uses lots of raw veggies from this week’s share, including summer squash, zucchini, green onion, dill, lettuce, and Swiss chard. By shredding the zucchini and chopping the greens, we’re helping out our belly a bit, making it easier to digest those veggies. As always, feel free to use this recipe as a base, an experiment with whatever vegetables, greens, and beans you happen to have on hand in the coming weeks.

Mostly Raw Mediteranean Squash SaladMediterranean Shredded Squash Salad

Ingredients
3 zucchini and/or squash, shredded
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 green onion including greens, chopped
12-15 kalamata olives, sliced
5-6 sprigs dill, chopped (basil would also be good)
Chopped lettuce and/or Swiss chard

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic scape, minced
sea salt and ground black pepper

Optional: Pine nuts, capers, dried figs, dried apricots, feta cheese

Method
In a small bowl (I use a glass measuring cup), whisk together the dressing ingredients. In a larger bowl, combine all the other ingredients, except for the lettuce/chard. Pour the dressing over squash mixture and stir to combine well. Place a handful of chopped greens on a plate, top with a big scoop of the squash salad. Serve with optional toppings.

Post and photos by Mikaela D. Martin: Blooming Glen CSA member since 2005, board-certified health counselor, and co-founder of Guidance for Growing, an integrative wellness practice in Souderton. Read more about healthy eating and living on her site, http://guidanceforgrowing.com!

19 Jun

Posted at 21:24h in Recipes by
4 Likes

All throughout the day, CSA members surrounded my demo table with pink smiles and mmm’s of amazement that beets and berries lived so harmoniously together in one silky pot of goodness. This recipe is so simple to make and can easily be adapted with different juices or fruit. Freeze in popsicle forms for the little ones, or make it into ice cubes for a great addition to smoothies.  The sweet strawberry flavor is balanced by the earthiness of the beets. And the color, well it just can’t be beat!

Beet Berry Soup, serves 4

3 to 4 small beets
2 cups berry juice 
juice of 2 oranges
1 kohlrabi
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup fresh strawberries

Rinse and drain strawberries, toss with the honey in a bowl and let sit to release their juices. Boil beets and let cool. Peel and set aside. In a blender add the beets, yogurt, chopped and peeled kohlrabi, orange and lemon juice. Drain the berries of their juices reserving the liquid and adding liquid to blender. Blend on high until smooth. Chill. Garnish with the macerated berries and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Recipe written by Kristin Moyer, Farm Chef Educator at Blooming Glen Farm and passionate farm-fresh food advocate. Kristin cooks at The Perk in Perkasie, does private catering and serves on the Pennridge Wellness Committee, working to create edible school yards in Pennridge School District. Together with Blooming Glen Farm she hopes to someday start a Community Supported Kitchen at the farm.

Photos and post by Tricia Borneman.

16 Jun

Posted at 21:18h in Recipes by
3 Likes

Strawberries are here, no need to fear!! As red and ripe as they are, they are almost through their season. Soon we will say goodbye to strawberries for the year. Strawberries for our markets are picked from the field at sunrise. From our CSA share, the members go into the strawberry field and pick for themselves. Strawberries do not just come and go in the blink of an eye. The plants produce strawberries and their flowers continue to bloom and turn into strawberries. Hurray for strawberries!

My mom makes Strawberry Shortcake every strawberry season. It is so delicious. Here is the recipe.

Strawberry Shortcake
Serves 8 (modify for less)

6 cups strawberries, rinsed, hulled and quartered
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
12 tablespoons cold (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces.
2 cups heavy cream
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with 3/4 cup sugar; let sit to bring out the juices.

In a food processor, pulse flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, and the salt until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal but with some pea-size bits of butter remaining, 10-12 times. In a medium bowl whisk together 1/2 cup cream and the eggs; pour over flour mixture, and pulse until some large clumps begin to form, 25-30 times.

Using a half-cup measuring cup, gently pack dough, invert, and then tap out into a baking sheet. Repeat to form 8 biscuits. Bake until lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool, about 15 minutes.

Beat remaining 1 1/2 cups cream and 2 tablespoons sugar with the vanilla until soft peaks form.

Slice biscuits in half horizontally. Spoon strawberries and their liquid over bottom halves. Spoon whipped cream on strawberries, and replace top halves of biscuits.

Recipe courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

Written by Dakota, a 9 year old farm girl who loves to chase her chickens, read books, ride her bike and cuddle with her dog. Her favorite thing about growing up on a farm is getting to eat the food that grows right outside her door. Photo by Tom Murtha. 

11 Jun

Posted at 10:45h in Recipes by
4 Likes

Today on the farm we had our first chef demo and tasting during CSA pick up. We look forward to building deeper more intimate relationships with each other and the food.

After many months of winter, I always find myself needing Spring on so many levels. As the anticipation heightens so does the influx of Spring inspired recipes.

Most recipes can easily be adapted to suit personal preference or convenience, thanks to the internet. Get creative! Most likely, if you can imagine it, you can find help creating it online. My personal Spring inspiration for recipe design comes from my love and adoration of nature’s unadulterated perfection. I am not a raw chef, or even a vegetarian chef, but let’s face it, Spring is the time to eat RAW. So let’s do it….!

Raw Veggie Hash with Green Garlic Vinaigrette in a Lettuce Bundle

For the Hash:
2 kohlrabi, peeled and diced small
1/2 bunch radish, diced small
2 beets, peeled and diced small
2 cups total beet greens, kale and escarole, chopped fine
1 cup cooked grains of your liking: for example, barley, rye berries, rice, kamut
salt and pepper
Lettuce leaves, whole, for serving

For the Vinaigrette:
2 stalks green garlic, sliced thin
2 stalks spring onion, sliced thin
1 bulb of fennel, fronds removed, finely sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 T honey
fresh herbs

Dice the kohlrabi, beets and radish and place in a bowl. Chiffonade greens (cut into long, thin strips) and set aside.

Heat oil in a saute pan on medium and add sliced green garlic, spring onion and fennel.

Cook 10 minutes stirring frequently until they are very tender and sweet. Add the vinegar and reduce for 3 to 5 minutes or until the mixture looks and smells happy. Remove from heat and stir in honey.

At this point any fresh herbs such as tarragon, marjoram, lemon thyme, basil etc, can be folded in. Whole grain mustard is also a nice addition when making any vinaigrette. For the sake of spring simplicity, I left it out.

Toss the warm vinaigrette with the diced veggies. Fold in greens and grains. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in lettuce leaves. If making ahead of time, I suggest keeping the beets separate as they will bleed into the salad and make everything pink. Enjoy!

Few rituals are as sacred as that of feeding ourselves and our families. Consciously connecting to the land, the sun and the harvest opens our hearts and strengthens our bodies, minds and spirits. Carry with you, from the farm to your table, joy and presence with every bite.

Post written by Kristin Moyer, Farm Chef Educator at Blooming Glen Farm and passionate farm-fresh food advocate. Kristin cooks at The Perk in Perkasie, does private catering and serves on the Pennridge Wellness Committee, working to create edible school yards in Pennridge School District. Together with Blooming Glen Farm she hopes to someday start a Community Supported Kitchen at the farm.

Photos by Tricia Borneman.

04 Jun

Posted at 08:48h in Recipes by
4 Likes

We were lucky to pick a quart of perfect strawberries at this season’s first share pickup — yum!  These pretty, plump berries aren’t just nice to look at: One cup of them offers nearly 150% of the daily recommended allowance of Vitamin C and 29% of manganese, both powerful antioxidants that protect our bodies from free radical damage.  They also offer a healthy dose of dietary fiber, needed for everything from blood sugar maintenance to happy digestion.  Finally, strawberries have an “amazing combination of phytonutrients,” including anthocyanins, ellagitannins, flavonols, terpenoids, and phenolic acids, which help prevent unwanted inflammation.

Although it’s tempting to pop all of the berries right into my mouth, I was able to refrain from that temptation and save them for the salad below.  Feel free to use any combination of the greens that you have on hand from this week’s share.

Macerated Strawberry Salad

Ingredients
Macerated Strawberries:
1 cup strawberries, sliced into quarters
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs brown sugar
Splash of vanilla extract

1-1/2 to 2 cups greens, chopped (kale and red lettuce are pictured)
Squeeze of lemon juice
Salt
2 tbs sunflower seeds
Balsamic vinegar

Method
In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, and vanilla. In a larger bowl, add the strawberries, and pour the balsamic mixture over top. Let the fruit marinate for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Drain the berries from the marinade.

Note: If you are using lettuce and/or spinach, you can skip this step, which is to soften up tougher greens, such as kale. Place chopped greens into a bowl, squeeze on a bit of lemon juice and/or balsamic vinegar, and add a little salt. Massage the greens, so they’re coated. Let stand until strawberries are ready.

Pour drained berries onto greens, and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.  Add balsamic vinegar to taste.

Post Sources:
Nutrition Data
The World’s Healthiest Foods

Post and photos by Mikaela D. Martin: Blooming Glen CSA member since 2005, board-certified health counselor, and co-founder of Guidance for Growing, an integrative wellness practice in Souderton. Read more about healthy eating and living on her site, http://guidanceforgrowing.com!

07 Nov

Posted at 08:42h in Recipes by
8 Likes

Blooming Glen PotatoesBlooming Glen Farm grows a really wonderful selection of potatoes. We’ve been introduced to a variety of potatoes this season, including Sangre, Purple Sun, Kerrs Pink and Purple Viking, along with classic Yukons. While specific nutrition may differ a bit between varieties, generally speaking, all potatoes have almost half the recommended daily values of vitamins C and B6 and potassium. The recent low-carb craze have given potatoes a bad rap in recent years, but the truth is potatoes are actually a healthy complex carbohydrate. They’re a “good” carb, meaning that they digest slowly, preventing your blood sugar from spiking like simple carbs do. The caveat: We need to eat them with their skin and prepare them as healthily as possible. So, choose the baked potato or simple mashed potatoes over the French fries and potato chips 🙂

If you’re anything like me, you still have some potatoes from the last few weeks’ shares hanging out in your kitchen, and maybe even a couple different varieties. Feel free to mix and match whatever potatoes you happen to have on hand for the recipe below. This recipe is based on one of my mom’s classic soups. Growing up, we always looked forward to the first batch of her potato soup each fall — it took some of the sting out of the increasing colder weather and darker nights. In this version, I add beans, which provide a healthy boost of fiber and plant-based protein, and makes for a more filling and nutritionally complete meal. The seasonings are kept super simple, allowing the natural flavors of our fresh and local potatoes, leeks and celery to really come through.

Sam’s Potato Soup

Sam's Potato Soup
Serves 12
Ingredients
2 tbs Earth Balance
1 tsp peppercorns
1-1/2 cups leeks, cut into half moons and sliced
1 cup celery stalks and greens, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5-6 cups potatoes, scrubbed clean with skin left intact, cut into a large dice
1/2 tsp salt
6-8 cups vegetable or No-Chicken broth
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Heat butter in a large heavy-bottom pot. Add leeks, celery, garlic, salt, pepper and peppercorns, sprinkle with a bit of salt and stir well. Cook until veggies begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in potatoes and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix well. Add a splash of broth and let potatoes heat up, about 3-5 minutes. Add 6 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Let simmer and cook until potatoes begin to get get tender, about 20 minutes. Remove peppercorns. Add beans and, depending on consistency of soup desired, add more broth. Cook for 5-10 minutes more. Salt and pepper to taste. Option: You can blend part of the soup with an immersion blender or in a blender for a creamier soup.

Post and photos by Mikaela D. Martin: Blooming Glen CSA member since 2005, board-certified health counselor, and co-founder of Guidance for Growing, an integrative wellness practice in Souderton. Read more about healthy eating and living on her site, http://guidanceforgrowing.com!