Pasta with Fresh Lemon, Tomato & Basil

Original Recipe by Miss Jolie Ann
Inspired by my friend Sherrie

My co-worker and friend Sherrie is a ray of sunshine in my life. She is full of smiles, affection, warmth and humor for all who cross her path. She even calmly puts up with me when I can't sit still because I'm so hyper from my otc hayfever medication. Ever since she has found out about my kitchen-garden blog and my desire to complete a cookbook, she's been unconditionally supportive and encouraging.

Sherrie and I share a love of fresh home-grown seasonal produce and homecooking. While sharing telephone switchboard duty at our workplace we often swap stories of garden and recipe favorites. If you doubt Sherrie's influence on me let me share the infamous Giant Red Mustard Greens story. I have never grown mustard greens or had any desire to grow them. I don't think I've ever cooked with them either. In early spring when Sherrie and I were getting to know each other she shared how much she loved eating home-grown Giant Red Mustard Greens. Well, I trusted her completely, no questions asked. How could i have missed out on Giant Red Mustard Greens all this time? I set out to find starter tray packs of this mystery vegetable. Every week I looked for it at work (oh yeah, just a reminder-we work in a plant nursery), has it come in yet? I kept bugging and bugging the veggie chicks Jenn & Lana, until finally it arrived. I planted it, it thrived in my garden and upon harvest and cooking it was delicious.

But, I digress....Last week Sherrie was enthusiastically sharing her current favorite dinner recipe "Boxcar." Which is essentially cooked spaghetti with a raw sauce of fresh tomatoes & basil. She and her husband ate it several days in a row without tiring of it. So, Sherrie's boxcar inspired me to invent this pasta with fresh sauce of lemon, tomato, basil & garbanzo beans. I threw in the optional garbanzo beans to add some protein. This recipe is quick and easy to prepare-throw together the sauce while the pasta boils. Serve at room temperature. Yum!

Love ya Sherrie!

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Pasta with Fresh Lemon, Tomato & Basil

1 lb organic spaghetti or linguine --No linguine for Harry! :)

4 ripe fresh organic tomatoes-chopped

2 cloves organic garlic-pressed

Handful of organic basil leaves-cut into thin ribbons

Freshly squeezed juice of 3 organic lemons

1 tsp fresh organic lemon zest
1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil

Optional: 14 oz can organic garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed

Sea Salt & Black Pepper to taste

Freshly shredded organic Parmesan cheese to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. (Usually boil 10 minutes...)

2. While pasta is cooking, combine tomatoes, garlic, basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, and optional garbanzo beans in a large bowl.

3. Drain pasta, rinse with cold water, drain again. Place pasta in bowl with lemon tomato mixture. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let cool and come to room temperature. About 10 minutes. This also allows the pasta to absorb some of the tasty liquids.

4. Top individual servings with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Spring Panzanella Recipe from 101 Cookbooks

Spring Panzanella Recipe from 101 Cookbooks:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/spring-panzanella-recipe.html

I absolutely love this recipe from Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks site ( http://www.101cookbooks.com/ ) I have sugar snap and snow peas coming out my ears as these 2 plants in my kitchen garden have kicked into overdrive. As my co-worker Steve T. says "I'm pee-d out." :) Usually my pea plants would have produced over a month sooner and wilted in the high temperatures of Portland's "suddenly summer." (In case you don't live here, that's from 70 to 100 degrees this past week) But, it's been a wacky weather spring, eh? With bowls and bowls of fresh picked peas, homegrown basil & thyme I tackled this recipe and was delighted by the colors, textures and taste. The veggies are bright green and the fresh garden herbs a flavorful compliment. It's a winner recipe for late Spring staples: peas & asparagus!

The only adjustments I made were to fit my kitchen-garden situation. I used my snow and sugar snap peas un-shelled, sliced into segments equal to the asparagus bites. And, I substituted baby dinosaur kale leaves for the spinach, because that's what I have growing in my garden. At Heidi's suggestion I used a whole wheat seeded loaf. Mine was a multigrain loaf from Trader Joe's that had wheat, rye, cornmeal, flaxseed, sesame seed and sunflower seeds. The bread was perfect with lots of texture, visual appeal and flavor. It was challenging to not eat the shallot-thyme encrusted bread cubes toasty hot straight out of the oven.

Thank you for this great recipe Heidi!

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Spring Panzanella Recipe from 101 Cookbooks

1 lb loaf of hearty, day-old, whole wheat bread into 1-inch cubes

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme - just pluck leaves from the sprig

a couple pinches of salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 bunch asparagus, cut into segments

2 cups peas, fresh or frozen

4 handfuls spinach

1/4 cup small basil leaves

In a large bowl toss the bread with the garlic, shallot, thyme, salt and olive oil. Turn the bread out onto a baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes - or until they are nice and golden and crunchy.

In a cold skillet pour in a splash of olive oil, a splash of water, and a couple pinches of salt. Dial up the heat and when the water starts to bubble stir in the asparagus. Cover, wait about twenty seconds, now add the peas. Cover, wait a few seconds, now add the spinach. Cover and cook just a few more seconds until the spinach starts to collapse just a bit.

Put the bread crumbs in a large bowl. Now pour the asparagus and peas and all the pan juices over the top of the bread.Give it a good toss, add the basil leaves and toss again. Serve the salad family-style on a big platter.

Makes about 6 - 8 servings.

Early July Garden Update

Greetings from the July 1st Kitchen-Garden!

Yes, my kitchen-garden has been full of activity the past few weeks. I've spent a lot of time outside working and have been very slow in getting my blog entries published.

Around mid June another succession crop of radishes, carrots and lettuce seeds went in and are all doing well. At this time I also planted 1 slicing and 1 pickling cucumber plant. I companion planted my cucumbers with chamomile and also a "black-eyed susan vine" on the same trellis to add some color. I continue to harvest lots of lettuce, sorrel, peas, parsley, cilantro, basil, oregano. The scarlet runner bean plants are snaking their way up the trellis. The strawberries underneath are pumping out tiny juicy berries. One of my parsley plants from last year has totally gone to seed, and I've let it be because the ladybugs seem to really like. And, I do not want to disturb valuable ladybug habitat.

The last week of June I planted a perennial butterfly garden for Tanya for her birthday. (More about that in another posting) I harvested a bunch of lettuce and mustard greens to make room for the zucchini and yellow patty pan squash plants. At this time I also planted an eggplant and bell pepper in large black plastic containers. I'm hoping this will really heat it up for these heat-lovers that I had no room for in the raised beds.

This was all just in time for the insane 100 day we had on the last Saturday in June. That was a brutal day. I gave the garden a really good soaking that morning at 6am before going to work. The only thing that appeared to freak out in the heat was the cilantro that went 5 feet tall seemingly overnight and bolted.

Today I harvested so many peas. I ended up pulling out all the snow pea plants to make room for the up and coming cucumbers. I'll leave the sugar snap peas in another week or two. We'll see how long they tolerate the heat. And, they need to be removed to make room for the up and coming yellow wax bush beans. I also did a second planting of basil and cilantro.

I've noticed a lot of holes in leaves and upon further investigation found a sack of tiny white eggs under a kale leaf. I think it's cabbage moths AGAIN. So, it's time for another round of BT solution spray. Those little buggers can wipe out everything if kept unchecked.

In happier news I continue to see ladybugs all over my garden. And, the birds still love my yard-bathing in the birdbaths and eating out of the feeders. There are a lot more blue jays this year which is awesome. I was delighted the other morning to open my bedroom shades upon waking to witness a hummingbird devouring the inside of a reddish brown nicotiana flower in the middle of my vegetable bed! The first hummingbird that I've seen this season--I'm so happy!

Due to the suddenly hot weather I've spent more early morning time in the garden watering around 5:30-6am before going to work. One morning I took my tea and sat in the middle of the garden for an hour until 7am. It was a totally quiet time, no neighbors making noise. Just me and the birds. (And, my cat Sashi running around like she was on crack climbing up and down the giant plum tree!) What a beautiful morning that was. It made me realize I need to spend more relaxing times in my garden just BEING not DOING. I got to bird and bug watch. I got more in tune with the slow natural rhythm of my garden and not my hurried waterings, weedings, or plantings. I really got to enjoy the fruit of my gardening labors and appreciate all mother nature has to offer when we slow down enough to breath in deeply and enjoy it all. And, I've decided that 5:30-8am is my favorite time in my garden...

In Peace & Happiness,
Miss Jolie

Blueberry-Lavender Cornbread Muffins with Maple Butter

Original Recipe by Miss Jolie Ann

Blueberry season in the northwest is quickly approaching, so I thought I'd provide some inspiration with this downright scrumptious muffin recipe...

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Author's Note 7/14/08: Um, Mary (bff) LOVES these muffins & I think that I've created a "muffin monster" because she keeps asking for them all the time!

BLUEBERRY-LAVENDER CORNBREAD MUFFINS

WITH MAPLE BUTTER

Makes about 7 muffins

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a muffin tin.

1 cup organic whole wheat flour

1 cup organic cornmeal

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried lavender (crush blossoms, whole ones can be overpowering!)

2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl until combined.

5 tbsp organic butter (or canola oil)

2 tbsp organic honey

2 organic large brown eggs

1 tsp organic non-alcohol pure vanilla extract

1 tsp fresh organic lemon zest

3. Mix all wet ingredients in a smaller bowl until combined.

4. Combine the wet mixture with the dry. Stir until just combined, do not over-stir.

1 cup fresh organic blueberries

5. Stir in the blueberries until just mixed.

6. Pour muffin batter evenly between 7 muffin spots. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan.

MAPLE BUTTER:

1 Stick Organic Butter

3 tbsp organic pure maple syrup

7. With an electric hand mixer, beat butter and maple syrup until light and fluffy. Yum.

Edible Flower Salads

When my roses begin blooming in late May, I know it's time for edible flower salads. Prior to last year, the only flowers I knew you could eat were nasturtiums and blue borage blossoms. Then while I was completing my Holistic Nutrition program my classmates shared several edible flower recipes with me. I began adding Calendula, Rose petals, Pansies and Violets to my salads. They are such a nice treat and a welcome addition during the early spring when my garden is just yielding greens and herbs.

PLEASE NOTE: NOT ALL FLOWERS ARE EDIBLE!!!!!!

I was recently chatting with my manager & friend, Laura Alvatar of Portland Nursery. She shared with me some other edible flowers: Bellis "English Daisy", Bachelor Buttons, and Marigolds. I'll be trying those soon.

ANOTHER NOTE: Do not buy florist bouquets for eating. These cut flowers have been chemically treated to the MAXIMUM and would not be healthy for you.

Grow your own edible flowers for salads and other recipes. Also, the flowers you eat should be grown organically. I do not eat rose petals from a rose bush that has been treated with chemicals, such as a systemic. The flower plants I purchase from a nursery are not grown organically. Once I've transplanted them into my garden I grow them organically. So I wait to eat the flowers until a couple of bloom cycles have passed just to be safe I'm not eating blossoms and petals that have been chemically sprayed by the growers.

Here's my improvisational edible salad recipe:

Handful of each:

• Red Butterhead & Green Looseleaf Lettuces
• Sorrel, Arugula, Mustard Greens
• Snow Peas
• Petals of: Roses, Calendula
• Whole Blossoms: Pansy, Violet, Blue Borage
• Nasturtiums-blossoms and leaves

Add a light dressing of your choice, one that won't cover up the unique flavors of the flowers.

I hope that you enjoy experimenting and discovering edible flowers!

In Health,

Miss Jolie Ann

Grilled Asparagus Bruschetta with Chevre & Tapenade

Hi folks,

First I must declare this recipe is not my own and I have no idea where it came from. I found it stuffed inside my recipe journal. It's on paper printed from my Deskjet and so I'm assuming I downloaded it off of an internet site. Once I figure out where it came from I'll happily credit the author. Until then, please enjoy another asparagus recipe...

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Grilled Asparagus Bruschetta with Chevre and Tapenade
Serves 4
30 minutes or less

2 tbsp. olive oil plus extra for drizzling
1 lb. asparagus, tough ends trimmed and spears peeled and blanched
4 slices Italian country bread, cut 1/2-inch thick
1 large clove garlic, peeled and sliced
1 tsp tapenade, or more to taste
4 oz. mild chevre such as Montrachet cheese
1/2 cup black olives, pitted and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a ridged grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and cook, turning frequently, until tender and golden brown. Remove from the pan, and set aside.

2. Rub both sides of bread with cut side of garlic. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to a ridged grill pan or skillet, and heat over medium heat. Place bread in pan, and cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until golden and crisp. Remove from pan, and let stand until cool enough to handle.

3. Spread 1 teaspoon tapenade on one side of each bread slice. Top tapenade with 1 ounce chevre with asparagus, cut to fit bread. Scatter olives over top, drizzle with olive oil and season with black pepper. Cut in half, and serve warm.

Garden Harvest Mid-June

We've finally been blessed with partially sunny days with daytime temps in the 60s and 70s. Although, it really doesn't feel much like June yet. Such a slow start to spring and the Summer Solstice is quickly approaching this week.

Most everything is continuing to grow in my kitchen garden. This is what all I'm harvesting this week:

Peas: Sugar Snap & Snow
Lettuce: Red Romaine, Buttercrunch, Looseleaf
Mesclun Mix
Sorrel
Beet Greens
Giant Red Mustard Greens
Radishes
Scallions
Onions: Walla Walla overwintered-started last summer
Herbs: Basil, Cilantro, Dill, Fennel, Oregano, Parsley, Chives, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Tarragon
Edible Flowers: Roses, Pansies, Violets, Calendula, Blue Borage, Nasturtium

And, let's not forget THE FIRST STRAWBERRIES OF THE SEASON!
It's really hard to let them get large and fully ripe because they look so delicious and yummy I immediately want to eat them ALL straight off the plant. There is a different shade of red, tenderness and of course sweet flavor that comes only from home-grown freshly-picked strawberries. You will never get this flavor from store bought strawberries.

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann