Swank Farms Broccoli  & Cauliflower Soup

Created by Bonnie & Dick

• 4 C.      Broccoli floweret’s cut into small pieces

• 4 C.      Cauliflower cut into small pieces

• 1½ C.   Chopped yellow onions

• 4 C.      Chicken broth

• 4 T.       Butter

• 4 T.       Flour

• ½ tsp.   White pepper

• ½ tsp.   Chili powder

• ½ tsp.    Nutmeg

• ½ tsp.    Salt

• 2 C.       Milk

• 1 C.       Sharp cheddar cheese

• 1 C.       Swiss cheese

In large kettle add broccoli, cauliflower, onion & chicken broth. Bring to boil & cook until firmly tender. Do not overcook!

Meanwhile in a medium saucepan melt the butter. Mix the flour, salt, nutmeg, chili powder & white pepper together & whisk into melted butter. When thoroughly mixed add milk & whisk until smooth. Cook one minute & add both cheeses stirring constantly until cheese is melted.

When vegetables are ready add cheese mixture slowly and stir gently until thoroughly mixed. Your soup is ready to serve. No need to garnish, this soup is perfect as is!  

Swank Farms Cauliflower Salad with Avocado Dressing

Created by Bonnie & Dick  

This recipe will make four side salads or two dinner salads

• Cauliflower (one head)

• Salt

• Lettuce (leafy)

• Diced tomatoes

• Red onion thinly sliced

• Sliced black olives

• Feta cheese (crumbled)

• Cilantro sprigs

Avocado Dressing

• 1 large ripe avocado (2 small)

• The juice of ½ lime

• The juice of ½ lemon

• 1 to 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 Tablespoon cilantro (chopped)

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon coriander

• 1/8 teaspoon cumin

• 1 tablespoon good Dijon mustard

• ½ teaspoon honey

• ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Clean & cut cauliflower into small flowerets. Cook flowerets in salted boiling water until firmly tender. Drain & cool. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile mix your dressing. Mash avocado in small mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and whisk. Cover and place bowel in refrigerator until needed.

To assemble your salad, lay a layer of lettuce on each plate. Top with generous portions of cauliflower. Top each salad with tomatoes, onions, black olives & feta cheese. Top salad with avocado dressing and garnish with sprigs of cilantro. Enjoy!

To create a heartier salad, add broiled chicken.

Swank Farms Fish Steaks & Vegetable Medley

Vegetable Medley

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• ½ red bell pepper julienne

• 4 green onions slivered

• 1 -2 cups cauliflower flowerets

• 1 small head baby Bok Choy

• 1 small head Napa cabbage

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

• (can be substitute with one teaspoon dried dill)

• 1 medium chopped tomato

• ½ cup chicken stock or bouillon

• ½ cup white wine

• 1 ½ - 2 pounds Tuna, Halibut or Salmon steaks

• Salt    

• Ground pepper                      

• 1- 2 tablespoons olive oil     

Preheat oven to °400.

In medium sauté pan add olive oil. Heat oil until sprinkles of water splatter.

Add all vegetables except for tomatoes and cook until limp.

When vegetables are cooked place in bowel and add chopped tomatoes. Set aside.

Sprinkle fish with salt & pepper Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to pan & heat. Cook fish 2-3 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Do not overcook!

When fish is done, place in ovenproof baking dish (this may be your frying pan if it is oven proof) & cover with vegetables. Add broth & wine. Cover & bake for 6-8 minutes.

Pasta Dishes

LEMON PASTA

 

1 pound fettuccine (or pasta of your choice)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan (or any good hard cheese)
1/2 cup Fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
2/3 cup Olive oil
1 tsp Lemon zest
1/3 cup Fresh basil leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped Basil.

PASTA WITH PESTO, POTATOES AND GREEN BEANS
 

1 lb. Potatoes cut into 1inch cubes
8 oz. Cavatappi or any tubular pasta
½ lb. Green beans, trimmed & cut in half
½ C. Pesto
Salt & pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot of water; bring to a boil. Add 1 T. salt and pasta; return to boil; cook 2 minutes.
Add beans, return to boil. Cook until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain; toss with pesto. Season with salt & pepper; serve warm or at room temperature. For a little extra flavor; top with some crumbled bacon and or Feta cheese.

Pesto

½ C. Pine nuts or walnuts
4 C. Basil leaves, loosely packed
½ C. Grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove Garlic

 

NO KNIFE PASTA
 

This dish is so easy to make, you don't even need a knife to prepare the ingredients. Simply tear the tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and oregano into small pieces with your hands. This technique has the particular advantage of helping release the flavor and aroma of the herbs. The tomatoes, basil and oregano are in your basket this week. Give this recipe a try. Serve with some grilled squash and a salad.

Coarse salt
1pound Spaghetti
4 medium Tomatoes (about 2 lbs.) cored and torn *into 3/4" pieces
½ cup coarsely torn basil leaves, plus more for garnish
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ pound fresh mozzarella, torn into 1/2 " pieces
3 tablespoons coarsely torn oregano leaves
4 medium cloves garlic, smashed
½ teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti, and cook until al dente, following label directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, combine all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. This sauce can be made 4 to 8 hours in advance without the mozzarella, which will be added later. Let stand at room temperature.
3. Drain spaghetti in a colander. Add to tomato mixture. If making in advance, be sure to add the mozzarella with the spaghetti. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with basil, and serve immediately.

CHICKEN DISHES

GRILLED CHICKEN TOSTADAS

4 Boneless & skinned chicken breast halves
½ cup Fresh squeezed limejuice
¼ cup Extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 teaspoon Coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
¼ teaspoon Freshly ground pepper, plus more for seasoning
8 Corn tortillas
2 Red onions, sliced into 1/2" thick rounds
Chopped lettuce, sliced tomatoes, avocados, fresh cilantro and sour cream, for serving.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in center. Between two sheets of waxed paper, pound chicken breasts with a meat pounder until about 1/2" thick. Transfer chicken into a reseal-able plastic bag. Add limejuice, oil, and pepper: refrigerate.

2. Place tortillas on a baking sheet. Brush tops with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until crisp and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside to cool.

3. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator; discard marinade. Grill chicken until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Let rest until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes, cut into strips.

4. Brush onions with oil; grill until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Heat tortillas and serve topped with lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, chicken, onions, cilantro, and sour cream.


 


HERB CRUSTED FISH

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush baking sheet with 1-tablespoon olive oil; place fish skin side down, on work surface; season with salt and pepper; spread each with ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard. Place ½ cup finely chopped assorted fresh herbs on plate; press mustard-coated side of fish in herbs to coat evenly. Bake fish on baking sheet, skin side down 12 to 15 minutes
 

Cooking with Swank Farms Fresh Heirloom Salsa

Available at Swank Farms and local Farmers Markets.

Salsa Sautee – Salsa Stuffed Tri-Tip – Stuffed Salsa Burgers 

SALSA SAUTEE

Try this with fish or chicken

½ Red Bell Pepper (sliced in thin lengthwise strips)
½ Onion (sliced thinly)
1 cup Swank Farms Salsa
2 T. Capers
1 T. Olive Oil

Sautee peppers and onions in olive oil until tender. Add salsa and capers and heat and serve over fish or chicken.

NOTE: I served this for dinner over broiled salmon and scallops. I steamed some of our fresh broccoli and dinner was done in less than 25 minutes. It was a hit!

SALSA STUFFED TRI-TIP

 Tri-Tip Steak
Swank Farms Hot Salsa
Montreal Seasoning

Cut a pocket in the steak. Start at the side and cut to about 1/2" from the edge. Stuff the meat with drained salsa and skewer closed; season and barbecue. Slice meat and serve. This is not only attractive it is also delicious. The salsa seems to tenderize the meat as it cooks!

STUFFED SALSA BURGERS

Hamburger Meat                   (½ lb. per serving)
Swank Farms Salsa             (I like hot for cooking)
Pepper Jack Cheese
Onion Rolls
Seasoning
 

For every hamburger make two 1/4 lb. patties. Top one patty with drained salsa and a thick chunk of pepper jack cheese. Top with the second patty and crimp the edges with a fork. Season and either barbecue or cook in a pan with olive oil. Be very careful as to not let the patty fall apart while cooking. The fat content of the meat can also be a factor in how the burger holds up during cooking (I use 15%) Serve on a toasted onion roll and enjoy!

DESSERTS

BROILED APRICOTS

Apricots
Butter
Brown sugar

Halve apricots and place cut side up on a rack set on a baking sheet. On each halve place 1/2 teaspoon each of butter and brown sugar. Place under the broiler for 4 to 5 minutes, until butter and brown sugar are melted and bubbly. Place the apricots in a shallow dish and pour any liquid that may have dripped on the baking sheet over the apricots. Serve warm over vanilla ice cream or custard. This is so quick and easy and makes a great summer time desert.

CHERRY ICE

1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbls freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups pitted cherries, plus whole ones for **garnish

In medium bowl, whisk together wine, honey, and lemon juice until combined. Set aside.

Place cherries in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to bowl with liquid mixture; stir until combined. Pour into a shallow metal pan and place in freezer. Stir with a fork every 10 minutes until mixture is slushy and partially solidified, about 35 minutes. Spoon into serving cups: garnish with whole cherries.

Do you have a recipe you would like to share?

Remember, fresh produce is key!

E-mail it to: info@swankfarms.com