Recipes from the Garden

Impress your guests this summer with gourmet salads which include some or all of the following along with mixed salad greens for not only a unique taste sensation but also a colorful presentation!

Amaranth - variegated leaf with hearty spinach flavor that is sweet and slightly tart

Scarlet Runner Bean - rich, red flowers with a "beany" sweet flavor

Borage - cucumber flavored leaves and blue or white edible flowers

Calendula - yellow, orange or pink flower petals with a slightly bitter, spicy and tangy flavor

Chives/Garlic Chives - mild onion or garlic flavor leaves and stronger flavored flowers

Daylily - a variety of flower colors with a vegetal or sweet flavor

Dandelion - earthy, bitter, hot flavored leaves plus edible flower petals

Bloody Dock - tart flavor, colorful leaves

Gem Marigolds - yellow or orange small daily-like flowers with a spicy, citrus flavor

Nasturtium - peppery leaves and colorful edible flowers

Red Perilla - curry-like flavor combination of cumin, cilantro and parsley with a hint of cinnamon and colorful leaves

Squash Blossoms - crisp vibrant yellow or yellow-orange blossoms with a mildly vegetal flavor

Freezer Slaw : Submitted by Yvonne Jingle

2 lb. cabbage                                                    2 cups sugar                                                         large green pepper (about 8 oz.)         1 tsp. dry mustard
3 large carrots                                                  ½ cup water
¾ cup chopped onion                                     1 cup vinegar
1 tsp. salt                                                         1 tsp. celery seed
Shred cabbage, green pepper and carrots. Add onion. Sprinkle w ith salt and let stand one hour, then drain any fluid from vegetables. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; boil for 3 minutes. Cool and then pour over cabbage mixture. Let stand 5 minutes, then stir well. Pack in freezer container, seal, label and freeze. Yields about 5 pints.

Squash Casserole: submitted by Cathie Woodruff
Slice 6-8 Med yellow summer squash. Dice ½ cup onion. Cook in water on top of stove until tender. Drain. Add 1 stack pack of Ritz crackers (do not substitute) crushed, 3 beaten eggs, 1 Tbsp. of butter & salt and pepper to taste. Mix only until thoroughly mixed together. Turn into greased casserole (large enough to be about 2” deep) and top with generous Parmesan cheese. Bake 350 degrees until golden on top.

Lemon Bread submitted by Rouanna Garden
1/3 c. Melted Butter               1/3 c. Yogurt
¾ c. Honey                            1 Tbl. Lemon Rind
2 Eggs                                    ½ c. Chopd. Walnuts
¼ tsp. Almond Extract
1 c. Pastry Flour*                   Topping
¼ c. Wheat Germ*                3 Tbl. Lemon Juice
½ tsp. Baking Soda              3 Tbl. Honey
1 tsp. Salt                               Blend together.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (350 for metal pan). Blend butter and honey. Beat in one egg at a time. Add almond extract. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together and add to butter mixture alternately with yogurt. Fold in lemon peel and nuts. Grease
9 x 5 breadpan. Pour batter into pan. Bake about 70 minutes until golden brown. Spoon blended topping over bread and cool 40 minutes before removing from pan. Slice and enjoy!
*You can substitute triticale, teff, amaranth, kamut,
oat or rice flours for all or part of the whole wheat flour and wheat germ.

Pineapple Zucchini Bread submitted by Cathie Woodruff
3eggs                                       2 tsp baking soda
2 c. zucchini, shredded 1 ½ tsp grd. cinnamon
1 c. vegetable oil                       1 tsp salt
1 8oz can crushed                     ¾ tsp grd. nutmeg
pineapple, drained                  ½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract                   1 c. chopped nuts
3 c. flour                                   1 c. raisins (optional)
2 c. sugar
In a bowl, combine eggs, zucchini, oil, pineapple and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Stir in egg mixture just until moistened. Fold in nuts and raisins. Pour mixture into 2
greased 8” x 4” x 2” loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
Note: Cathie soaks her raisins in amaretto before adding to the recipe!

Edamame Salad submitted by Linda Gleason
Two 16 oz. bags Edamame
1 Red Pepper, chopped finely
1/8 tsp. Granulated Garlic
5 oz. Newman’s Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette

Boil 6-8 cups water. Add Edamame. Bring back to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and cool. Then add chopped red pepper, garlic and the balsamic vinaigrette. Stir to mix. Marinate at least one hour. Stir before serving. Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake submitted by Donna Hallsten
Cream together:
1/2 c. margarine, 1/2 c. oil (little less), 1 3/4 c. sugar
Beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Beat in 2 eggs - 1 at a time and 1 tsp. vanilla
Sift together:
2 1/2 c. flour, 1/4 c. cocoa, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt Add dry ingredients alternately with 1/2 c. milk. Stir in 2 1/2 c. grated, unpeeled zucchini. Mix well
Pour into 9 x 13 greased pan. Sprinkle top of cake with chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Bake 325 degrees for 55 minutes.

Breakfast in a Cookie submitted by Ellie Grillo

1/3 cup whole bran cereal 1/3 cup orange juice 1/4 cup softened butter 1/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1/4 cup honey 1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup unsifted flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup non-fat dry milk 2-3 teaspoons grated orange zest 1 cup regular or quick cook oatmeal (not instant) 1 cup finely chopped walnuts 1 cup raisins (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the bran and orange juice; set aside. in another bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Then add egg and beat until light. Blend in the honey, vanilla and the bran-orange juice mixture. (note: this is a guess on the butter as it was not listed in the original recipe) Combine flour, baking soda, salt, dry milk, orange zest, oatmeal, nuts and raisins. Stir this dry mixture into creamed mixture. Drop level teaspoons, two inches apart, onto greased or non-stick cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Makes 3 1/2 - 4 dozen cookies. Store in covered plastic food container. A serving suggestion from KOA: Put several cookies in a bowl, cover with milk and eat with a spoon. Yummy!!!

Felice's Tiramisu Bread Pudding submitted by Felice Dayhoff

1 (1 lb) loaf panettone bread, crusts trimmed, cut in to 1" cubes (Trader Joes has it)

8 large eggs

1 1/2 cup whipping cream (I use nonfat creamer from Shamrock)

2 1/2 cup milk

8 oz carton mascarpone cheese

1 small container ricotta cheese

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup Kahlua

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

In large bowl, whisk the eggs cream, milk and sugar to blend; add the mascarpone and ricotta and the mini chocolate chips.

Pour this custard over the pannetone bread cubes and press the cubes gently to submerge. Let stand 30 minutes, pressing cubes into custard mixture. Cover and refrigerate if not baking immediately.

Bake 350 about 45 minutes. Pudding will puff and center should be set. Add a dash of cinnamon on top for a garnish.

Mock Apple Rings: submitted by Yvonne Jingle

Step 1: Select 15-20 (about 2 gallons) large cucumbers, just before they turn yellow. Peel, core, seed, then slice them into ¼ to ½ inch thick rings. (Note: If it is easier for you, cut out the seedy center after slicing.)
Step 2: Mix 2 cups pickling lime and 8 ½ quarts water. Soak the cucumber rings in this solution.
Step 3: Mix 2 cups “red hots” (hot cinnamon candies) with 2 cups water. Let candies dissolve overnight.
Step 4: Drain cucumber rings, wash and then soak in clear water 3 hours. Drain.
Step 5: Simmer the following ingredients and pour over rings: 1 cup vinegar, 3 oz. Red food color, 8 ½ pts. Water. Leave cucumbers in this brine for 2 hours, then drain well and discard brine.
Step 6: Mix the following and bring to a boil, stirring to prevent sticking: 3 cups vinegar, 10-15 cups sugar, 6 sticks cinnamon and the “red hot” solution. Pour syrup over the rings and let stand for 24 hours.
Step 7: Pour off the syrup and reheat. Then pour over the rings and let stand another 24 hours.
Step 8: One day 3, repeat step 7.
Step 9: Drain syrup and reheat. Pack rings into jars. Pour hot syrup over them and seal them. If you are a little short of syrup to cover the rings in the jars, make a little extra.

Salsa Mexicana (Red) Makes 2 cups

1 lb. ripe tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
2 chiles jalapenos or 3 chiles serrano
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp water

Core tomato, stem and seed chiles. Chop all ingredients finely or place in blender briefly until coarsely chopped. Salt to taste and chill 1/2 hour before serving.

Salsa Verde (Green) Makes 2 cups

1/2 pound fresh tomatillos or 13 oz can , drained
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
2 chiles jalapenos or 3 chiles serrano
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp water
Salt

If fresh, roast tomatillos until soft; they can also be boiled for 10 minutes. Chop or blend as above till finely chopped. Salt to taste and chill 1/2 hour before serving.

Yarrow tea can be used to sooth a sore throat. Yarrow tea can be made by steeping 2 large fresh yarrow leaves or 1 tablespoon of dried yarrow, 1 tea bag, in pint of boiling water (a sprig of mint if one has it) for about 10 minutes. Lemon, sugar, honey, milk, or whatever, can be added for additional flavoring.

High Altitude Cooking Adjustments

At high altitude, the air density is lower than at sea level. This causes problems with both boiling and baking. At higher elevations, water boils at a lower temperature. This is the reason, when cooking in the mountains, your coffee and hot chocolate can be merely tepid, even though the water was boiling. So you’ll have to cook things longer, once they hit boiling. At as low as 5000 feet, the boiling point of water has changed enough to change cooking times significantly. For example, rice cooked at 5000 feet will take 25-30 minutes instead of 20-25 minutes of simmering before the water is absorbed and the rice is done.

Baked goods tend to rise faster, requiring a change in the proportion of ingredients used in leavened foods (such as breads and cakes). Sometimes, you may need to adjust the baking temperature in your oven as well! Since baking items often rise quicker at higher altitudes, you may want to increase the oven temperature. At elevations over 3500 feet, the oven temperature for batters and doughs should be 25 degrees higher than the temperature used at sea level. Proofing time for yeast breads should be reduced because they will rise faster at higher elevations. Also, for any baked goods that rise, it is important to adjust the recipe so that the rapid rise time doesn't make the resulting bread or cake too dry. Usually, a decrease in leavening or sugar (or both) and an increase in liquid are needed. You’ll want to decrease the amount of baking powder slightly to prevent the recipe from rising too much. Also, don’t overbeat eggs as this will add too much air to baked goods. In addition, Always grease your baking pans thoroughly, as cakes and breads tend to stick more when they are baked at high altitudes.

Adjustments for 3000+ feet:

Add an additional egg to rich cakes to help keep them from falling.
Increase flour: For each cup of flour increase by 1 tblsp
Decrease fat: For each cup of fat, decrease 1 to 2 tblsp.
Reduce baking powder: For each tsp., decrease 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp
Reduce sugar: For each cup, decrease 0 to 1 tblsp.
Increase liquid: For each cup, add 2 to 4 tblsp.
Increasing oven temperature 15 to 25°F more will help set the batter before cells formed by leavening gases expand to much.

For each increase of 2000 ft. above 3000ft. further adjustments will need to be made:

Adjustment	3,000 ft.	5,000 ft.	7,000 ft.
Reduce baking powder, for each tsp., decrease	1/8 tsp.	1/8-1/4 tsp.	1/4 tsp.
Reduce sugar, for each cup, decrease	0-1 Tbsp.	0-2 Tbsp.	1-3 Tbsp.
Increase liquid, for each cup, add	1-2 Tbsp.	2-4 Tbsp.	3-4 Tbsp.