Week 6 Recipes:
Roasted Broccoli Fennel Soup with Kale + Lemon Zest
Notes: If you don’t have time to soak the cashews before that’s a-okay!
Ingredients:
1 small – medium head of broccoli
1 medium head of fennel
2 – 3 cloves of garlic
5 kale leaves, ribs removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/2 cup raw cashews {soaked for 1-2 hours}
3 cups filtered water or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
chopped fennel leaves, to garnish
lemon zest, to garnish
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees + line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wash and cut the broccoli and fennel into medium sized pieces, spread on baking sheet, with the cloves of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes. Flip the veggies, then toss the kale leaves on top, and roast for about another 5 – 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Combine the raw cashews, water or stock, lemon juice and another heavy pinch of sea salt and black pepper in your blender. Blend until smooth. Then toss in the roasted broccoli, fennel, garlic and kale and blend until smooth again.
Transfer all to a pot, reheat on stovetop to desired temperature. Serve with chopped fennel leaves, lemon zest and pepper.
(Modified from recipe found at: http://withfoodandlove.com/broccoli-fennel-s)oup/
Roasted Parsnips with Thyme
Ingredients:
1 lb medium parsnips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Peel the parsnips and cut them into 2-inch lengths. Quarter the thickest pieces, halve the medium ones, and leave the thinnest ones whole. You want all the pieces to be about the same size.
Put the butter in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the parsnips in a single layer and put the dish in the oven until the butter melts.
Stir in the brown sugar and vinegar. Add the parsnips, salt, and pepper and stir to coat all the pieces evenly. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and stir in the thyme. Continue to bake until the parsnips are browned and tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes longer.
(Recipe found at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-parsnips-with-thyme-104126)
(Pictured below, Fenway Farms Kale Salad with a few substitutions- I used walnuts since I didn’t have pecans, and strawberries since I didn’t have dried cranberries on hand.)
Fenway Farms’ Kale Salad
Forgive me as I know I have included this recipe in a previous session. It is just so darn good, I had to share it once more!
1 bunch kale
1 small bulb fennel
1 Granny Smith apple
1/2 cup pecans
1 tablespoon shallots, finely diced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely diced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
2 ounces maple syrup
3 ounces extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4 ounces goat cheese
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Add the pecans to a baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly brown and fragrant, about 8 minutes, stirring once. Let cool, then roughly chop. Meanwhile, trim ribs from kale and discard, then cut the kale leaves into thin ribbons. Trim the stalks off the fennel bulb, then, using a mandoline, thinly slice the bulb and submerge the pieces in ice water. Julienne the apple.
To make the dressing, combine shallots and thyme in a small bowl, then add mustard, lemon juice and maple syrup. Slowly whisk in extra virgin olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To assemble, add the kale ribbons to a medium bowl and massage the leaves with a generous pinch of salt. Drain the fennel and add to the kale with the apples, cranberries, pecans and crumbles of goat cheese. Add dressing and mix thoroughly.
(found on Foodnetwork.com)
Tips and Hints for this week’s box contents:
Parsnips– this starchy root vegetable, related to the carrot, is high in potassium, thiamin, copper, folate, Vitamin C, and fiber. It can be eaten raw, roasted, steamed, or boiled into a soup. Shred and top salads with raw parsnips, slice thin and sauté, or cut into chunks and roast in an oven at 350 F. Boil and mash parsnips, top with butter and fresh parsley, for a dish even the kiddos will eat up!
Fennel- full of fiber, potassium, molybdenum, vitamins B and C, and folate, fennel is great for a healthy heart and cholesterol level. Try substituting fennel for celery in any recipe. It is very versatile and can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, baked, or sautéed. Fennel leaves can be dried and used in place of dill in many dishes. Try a yummy sauté of fennel, artichoke hearts, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, with salt and pepper.
Beets- what’s the big deal? Beets seem to be all the rage, and with good reason. Their health benefits include anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties, improved digestion, and they are a great source of healthy nitrates (think Nitric Oxide = increased blood flow = increased oxygen to the body when it needs it. Aiding in dilating blood vessels, and lowering blood pressure). They are high in phytonutrients, potassium, manganese, folate, vitamin C, iron, and the list goes on! Conclusion: Eat Your Beets! Have you ever tried shredding raw beets to add to salads? Just use the good ol’ cheese grater (can peel first or grate with skin on), then store them in the fridge for use throughout the week. I squeeze a little lemon juice on mine to keep them fresh! Add some grated carrots to grated beets, top with lemon juice, sunflower seeds, salt and pepper for a quick springtime side dish.
Jubilee Farm 