Home Grown Nutrition

Craving a little sunshine?  Here in the land of rain (and snow and hail) we must learn to embrace our inner sunshine.  If, like me, you need a little help – try this bright tasting salad.   The lemon zest and juice taste just like bottled sunshine and add vitamin C.  The grated carrots and golden beets (yes, raw beets are tasty!) seem to glow with healthy goodness and add fiber and vitamin A.  The little coconut snowflakes add irony.  Go eat your sunshine.

Sunshine Salad

Makes about 2 Cups *Indicates ingredients grown or produced locally

*1 Large or 2 medium carrots

*1 Large golden beet, scrubbed and peeled

1 Lemon, washed (use organic, we’ll be zesting)

*2 Sprigs mint

2 Heaping tablespoons raisins

*2 Heaping tablespoons chopped roasted hazelnuts

2 Heaping tablespoons shredded (unsweetened) coconut

Into a medium bowl, grate the carrot and beet.  Using a microplane or the small holes on a grater, grate the zest from the lemon into the bowl.  Avoid the white pith just underneath the yellow zest, its bitter.  Pull the leaves off the mint sprigs, finely chop and add to the bowl.  Add your raisins, hazelnuts and coconut & give it a good stir.

Ah, the holidays. This is the time of year I most love to be in the kitchen, cozy and warm by the stove with a new cookbook.  And believe it or not, my least favorite time of year to be in the garden, soggy and cold with a shovel, digging potatoes.  But that is exactly where I was recently, preparing for the latest cooking workshop.  Harvesting potatoes and arugula from the winter garden, imagining how tasty they would be in my holiday appetizers!  And thanks to my lovely co-chefs, the appetizers turned out great!

Today’s recipe was my personal favorite.  Great ingredients, simply prepared, allowing the flavor of each ingredient to shine.  Juicy crisp Bosc pear, peppery arugula, creamy nutty local cheese, and just a drizzle of walnut oil and a sprinkle of smoked sea salt to bring the flavors together.  Delicious.  Try it with your favorite sparkling wine…

Pears with Arugula, Cheese and Walnut Oil

*Indicates ingredients that are grown or produced locally

Makes 6-12 Servings

• 1 Small bunch arugula, or 24 arugula leaves, washed & dried
• 2 Ripe pears (Bosc, Comice, Anjou, Bartlett)
• 2 Limes, quartered
• 6 Ounces semi-hard cheese (Mt. Townsend Trailhead Tomme or Estrella Old Apple Tree Tomme)
• 1 Tablespoon walnut oil
• Smoked sea salt (or kosher salt)

Tear or cut 24 arugula leaves so that each leaf is 3-4 inches long. Place each leaf separately on a large platter. Get a large mixing bowl for the pears. Cut each pear lengthwise around the core, discard core and slice the pears into at least 24 slices, ¼ to ½ inch thick. As you cut the pears, place them into the bowl and squeeze lime juice over every so often to prevent browning. When all the pears are in the bowl, toss well with the lime juice. Place one pear slice on each arugula leaf. Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin slices of cheese over the pears, making sure each pear has some cheese on top. Drizzle everything with walnut oil and sprinkle with smoked sea salt to taste.