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.

On this, the very first Local Lunchbox post, I thought it would be extremely gratifying to subject the world to a diatribe on my favorite of leafy greens: kale.  Not just any kale, but the tuscan variety cavolo nero, also known as lacinato or dinosaur kale.  This kale is so tasty, than even my sweetie, for all his anti-vegetable campaigning, will eat it quite happily.

The fact that it is easily grown in the cool fall and winter of the Pacific Northwest, turning sweeter after a frost, makes it particularly good to eat at this time of the year.  Filled with vitamins A, C and K, minerals iron and calcium, and cancer fighting phytochemicals called indoles; this leafy green can strengthen your eyes, skin, bones and blood.

There are many wonderful recipes for kale, one of my favorites is the traditional Portuguese soup called Caldo Verde, with potatoes, kale and sausage.  Another is this recipe for kale with local dried plums (alias: prunes) and hazelnuts.  There are several traditional versions of this dish from the mediterranean using flavorful greens with currants or raisins and pinenuts.  It is a fabulous side dish to any meat or pasta, and reheats quite well.  Just remember to only add the hazelnuts to each serving just before eating, leftover soggy hazelnuts = blech.

Braised Kale with Dried Plums and Hazelnuts

*Indicates ingredients that are grown or produced locally

Makes 6 – ½ Cup Servings

*2 Bunches kale

1 Cup light coconut milk or Vegetable stock

*5 Cloves garlic, chopped

*10 Dried plums, chopped

¾ Teaspoon kosher salt

1 Teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 Teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

*1 Tablespoon honey

*¼ Cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped (or substitute toasted pine nuts)

Salt and pepper to taste

Wash the kale leaves and drain in a colander.  Remove the thick stems that run up the center of each leaf, and discard.  Stack 4-5 leaves at a time and chop into ½ inch strips.

Heat a large stock pot with a lid over medium heat.  Add the coconut milk or vegetable stock and kale.  Cover for 1 minute, then uncover and stir to wilt the greens.  Add the garlic, dried plums and salt.  Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, uncover and let cook for 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally to evaporate some of the liquid.  Turn off the heat and add the vinegar, olive oil and honey, stir to combine.  Season the kale with salt and pepper to taste and serve in a warm dish.  Sprinkle hazelnuts over the dish just before serving.