Paleo "Chocolate Chip" Cookies

From Erin Shea, Co+op Support Specialist

• 2 C almond flour

• 2 T very soft ghee (not melted)

• 1/4 C honey

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 C cacao nibs

• 4 tsp tapioca starch

• 1 oz 100% chocolate

• 2 T honey

Preheat oven to 350. Finely grind almond flour in a food processor. Combine egg, ghee, extract, and 1/4C honey. Add salt, almond flour, and tapioca starch. Stir in cacao nibs. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop tablespoons of dough onto paper. Flatten to the size/shape you'd like the cookies to be (they won't spread much). Bake 15–18min. Cookies should be browned on bottom edges. Move paper to rack to cool til set (5min). Remove paper and cool on rack completely. Meanwhile, melt chocolate and mix with 2T honey. Dip bottoms of cookies into chocolate and let dry on parchment. Store in fridge or at cool room temperature.  

Mung Dal with Saag (Yellow Mung Beans with Spinach)

from Anju Mishra

Ingredients

• 1 cup mung

• 3 cups water

• salt, to taste

• ½ tsp turmeric

• ½ cup spinach, chopped

• ½ cup tomato sauce

• 2 tbsp oil

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 2 tsp cumin powder

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1 Tb ghee, melted

Instructions

Heat a saucepan on medium heat. Dry roast the mung beans till dal is light brown in color and fragrant. Add water, salt, turmeric and bring it to a boil. Add spinach, lower heat and cook till mung is soft to the touch and dal reaches the desired consistency. Add tomato sauce to the dal. Heat oil in a fry pan, add cumin seeds, and fry till light brown. Switch off heat, add cumin powder and paprika. Add this and garam masala to the dal. Drizzle melted ghee and serve hot with plain rice.

Simple Spring Salad

from Zarina A.

For 1 serving:

• 1 hard boiled egg

• 2 medium sized radishes

• 1/3 of a cucumber

• 3/4 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

• 2 tablespoons sour cream

• Salt to taste
  
  Dice the egg into small cubes. Shred the cucumber and radishes. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, add sour cream and salt. You can add some green onions if you would like.

Blueberry Arugula Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

By Karen Duggan

Serves 4-6

Dressing:

1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, from ½ of a medium sized lemon

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon sea salt (Himalayan, Celtic)

2 Tablespoons Raw Local Honey

¼ cup extra virgin cold pressed olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

For the Almonds:

½ cup sliced raw almonds

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon butter or coconut oil

½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

For the Salad

5 ounce arugula

1 ½ cups fresh blueberries

optional: 2-3 ounces goat cheese

½ cup sweet almonds

For the almonds, preheat oven to 350˚F.

1.  Place honey, butter and olive oil in a medium size oven-safe pan (I like to use a 9-inch cake pan.) Place pan over burner on medium low heat, just until butter is melted. Stir to combine. Add almonds and salt, stir till coated and spread to an even layer in pan.

2.  Bake for 8 minutes or until light golden brown, stirring after the first five minutes.

3.  Turn almonds out onto a sheet of parchment paper and spread out with a spatula. Cool completely, then store in a airtight container. (Since I'm heating up my oven, I usually make a double or triple batch of these almonds so I can use them on other salads or for snacking.)

4.  For the dressing, combine lemon juice garlic and salt in a small bowl. Let sit for about 5 minutes. The lemon juice will soften and mellow the garlic, so be sure to let it sit for this short period and allow all the health benefits of the garlic to be released.

5.  Add the honey and stir well. Add the olive oil in a slow drizzle, stirring continuously with a small whisk or fork. Take a small taste. If it's too tart add a bit more honey and olive oil. If it's too bland, add a bit more lemon juice. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.

6.  For the salad, place arugula in a salad bowl. Add a small amount (about 2 tablespoons) of the dressing and toss to coat the leaves.

7.  Scatter the blueberries, goat cheese and almonds over the top. Serve immediately. Pass the extra dressing at the table

Market Coleslaw with Sweet Corn, Kohlrabi & Carrots

Ingredients

• 1/4 head of green/white cabbage, cored and finely shredded

• 1 small kohlrabi, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch julienne

• 1/3 lb (approx 1.5 carrots) peeled and coarsely grated

• 1/4 cup very thinly sliced red onion, rinsed

• 1/2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 2 large ears sweet corn, roasted and cooled

• fresh ground black pepper

Dressing

• 1/4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

• 1/4 cup sour cream

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1 small garlic clove, puréed with a pinch of salt

• 2 tbsp lime juice

• 2 tbsp minced parsley

• 1 tbsp chopped dill

• 1 tbsp minced mint

• salt and pepper

Preparation

• Place the first four ingredients in a large bowl and add lemon juice and kosher salt.  Toss to distribute and set aside for an hour (refrigerate if the room is warm).

• Cut the kernels away from the corn cobs. Run the back of your knife down the length of each cob, going all the way around to release the “milk” and residual bits of corn.  Add these to the kernels (about 2 cups of cut corn). Add the corn to the bowl of shredded vegetables and toss to combine.

• Drizzle in about 3/4 of the dressing and toss to coat. Add the remaining dressing as necessary to make a moderately creamy slaw. Taste and add kosher salt, black pepper and lemon juice as needed. For a very sweet slaw, add a drizzle of honey.

Bitter Melon with Beef Stir-Fry

Recipe courtesy Patty M, from New Roots for Refugees

1 T dry sherry

1T soy sauce

1/2T cornstarch

1/2 lb beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips

1lb bitter melon, sliced lenth-wise, pulp and seeds removed

1/2t salt

1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly

2T peanut oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1T grated fresh ginger root

2T black bean sauce (available at most Asian grocers)

2t sugar

Chipped cilantro

Combine sherry, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add beef strips, coat thoroughly and set aside to marinate. Slice bitter melon thinly; put into a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 20min, then squeeze out water.

In a hot wok, heat 1T of the oil. Add bitter melon, garlic, and ginger; stir-fry for about 3min. Remove the vegetables and put onto a warm serving plate. Add remaining 1T oil to wok, heat, then add beef strips, reserving marinating juices. Stir over high heat until meat starts to brown, but is still pink inside. Add marinating juices, bean sauce, 1C water, and the sugar. Cook for one more minute (do not overcook). Arrange beef strips over the vegetables. Garnish with cilantro.

Savory Butternut & Black Bean Burritos

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium-sized onion, chopped

3 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed

8 flour tortillas 

1-1 1/2 cups grated Monterey jack or Cheddar cheese

Sour cream, cilantro, salsa for garnish

Heat oil in heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add winter squash cubes and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring often until squash is just tender. If your mixture begins to stick, add a little water (or apple juice) to help steam the squash. When squash is just tender, add cumin, cinnamon and salt. Stir carefully to distribute spices. Add the beans and heat through. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large oblong baking dish (not oiled) lay out one tortilla. Place 1/8 of the bean mixture down the center, top with 3 tablespoons of cheese and roll up tightly. Continue to do this with the remaining ingredients, lining up your burritos in the pan as you go. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes until burritos are heated through. Serve burritos topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, with salsa on the side. Makes 8 burritos.

Legendary Shakshouka

From Emily Henry

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil or butter (from grass-fed cows if possible!)
1 bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz size)
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 lb. ground beef (from a good source if you can!)
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
6 eggs (free range is nice)
sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp. goat cheese (optional)

Directions

• In a large cast iron pan, heat oil/butter on med heat.

• Add peppers and garlic, cook about 5 min, stirring with wooden spoon every couple min so garlic doesn’t burn. Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste, stir to incorporate. Let simmer on med while making the meatballs.

• Combine beef, curry powder, paprika, thyme, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix with spoon or hands so all spices are dispersed. Shape into 1” meatballs, and put directly into tomato mixture in a single layer. Let simmer.

• When meatballs are starting to turn brown around the edges, flip them over and continue cooking. After flipping meatballs, add chili powder and cumin, plus more salt and pepper to taste. Stir gently.

• When shakshouka has thickened to stew-like consistency, use wooden spoon to make 6 slight indentations in top of the shakshouka. Carefully crack eggs into indentations and cover pan with a lid (glass works best to keep an eye on it, but metal is ok too). When egg white is just cooked through and yolks are still soft, remove lid, take pan off heat and let sit for 5 min. Just before serving, crumble goat cheese over shakshouka.

• Serve with crusty bread and a green salad.