Tomatillos: Taco Tuesday’s Unsung Hero

/in /by

I know that I have mentioned this several times before, but one of my favorite things about being a Seasonal Roots member is the opportunity to learn about, experiment with, and try new foods with my family that we would probably not pick out on our own that the grocery store. This week’s basket was full of many familiar faces in addition to a bonus “newbie”: Tomatillos.  I literally had no idea what these interesting little guys were. Thankfully, one of my fellow Market Managers was willing and able to fill me in and offer some advice on cooking and preparation. Thank you, Lisa!

tomatillos

In case you have also been in the dark, tomatillos are small husked fruits that originated in Mexico and are a member of the nightshade family. If you are a fan of authentic Mexican food you have likely sampled tomatillos, as they are a key ingredient in many Mexican and Central-American dishes. Salsa Verde, Enchiladas Verdes, and Guacamole Taquero are just a few examples of popular dishes that allow the tomatillo’s green color and tart flavor to shine through.

I admit that I was a little embarrassed about my lack of familiarity with this ingredient since our family absolutely LOVES Mexican food, and I am positive that we have eaten dishes that contain tomatillos on more than one occasion. I’m not sure what I thought the “green stuff” was, but now we all know.

We decided to play it safe with our first family tomatillo culinary experience by making a Salsa Verde. It was easy to make, had great flavor, and the leftovers can be used to dress up a fish dish that we have planned for later on in the week. Taco Tuesday just got a little more real in our house, y’all.

tomatillos 3

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Recipe by Kimberly Binning

Ingredients:

1 pound tomatillos, husked

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 serrano Chile pepper, minced

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 ½ – 2 cups water (depending on desired consistency)

Lime juice

Directions:

  1. Place tomatillos, onion, garlic, and Chile pepper into a saucepan. Season with cilantro, oregano, cumin, and salt. Pour in water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a medium-low and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, about 10-15 minutes.
  2. Using a food processor or blender, carefully puree the mixture in batches until smooth. Stir in freshly squeezed lime juice to taste. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips, as a topping for enchiladas, or to dress up fish or chicken.

Sarah Young is a wife, mother of three, Certified Health Education Specialist, and healthy living advocate. She has a background in Dietetics and a B.S. in Health, Fitness, and Recreational Resources with a concentration in Health Promotion. She is also a writer for several local and online publications, an ambassador for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, and a health contributor for ABC 7 News/WJLA. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family and their dog, Maple.

We May Be An Online Farmers Market…

/in /by

But, there are some real (and not at all virtual) folks working behind their screens to make sure you get your local deliveries! From the farmers who harvest your crops, to the artisans who craft your baked goods, to the packers who assemble your order, and the Market Managers who deliver it – it takes a village. Here at Seasonal Roots, we have one of the best villages around! Today, meet Alyssa (left), and Melanie (right).

Alyssa is a seasoned Seasonal Roots pro, she began work with us as a Market Manager, and now is the responsive-problem-solver managing our support emails. If there is an issue with a delivery, inquiry about how to order online, or simply a request for a recipe – Alyssa handles it all. She’s knowledgable about everything from how to best store your produce, to how to manage your account, to our farmers’ growing practices. For those of you who have had the pleasure of working with Alyssa, we thought you might like to put a face to the ever-helpful name that coincides with support emails.

Melanie is our Chief Operating Officer! She’s been part of the team for years, wearing many hats along the way. Now, she is the logistics wizard who makes sure that your basket is packed correctly, and makes it to your doorstep. Melanie is the brains behind managing our new ordering system, and goes above and beyond to ensure exceptional customer service. For example – Alyssa sadly moved beyond our delivery area, and has been missing her weekly deliveries. The solution? When Melanie recently headed out of town, she packed up a box of local goodies and delivered it to Alyssa and her family on the way out.

Thank YOU for being part of our village – together we continue to support local farmers and businesses.

“But, I wanted to use that lettuce next week…”

/in /by

Our produce is about as fresh as you can get your hands on (short of growing it yourself.) Why then, doesn’t it store well for weeks in the fridge?  When you’re comparing shelf life to what you purchase in the grocery store, there are some things to consider.

First, much of the produce that is available in the grocery store has been bred with the purpose of having a long shelf life and being resistant to pests. That means what you see on grocery store shelves is designed to last for a while (at the expense of flavor and taste.) Our farmers on the other hand prefer to grow varieties of crops that taste good! They focus on the delicious flavor and high quality of the food they grow, rather than how long it can sit on a shelf and wait to be purchased.

In addition, many grocery stores keep food in storage for weeks with the help of anti-fungal sprays that help preserve the food and keep it from spoiling. Since our farmers rarely spray crops in the field, they definitely don’t spray them once they’re harvested. As a result, sometimes our potatoes sprout (grocery store potatoes are sprayed with a substance that keeps them from sprouting, even though they’re most likely significantly older than our potatoes).

What this all means is that our produce spoils at a natural rate. Usually, we recommend that folks be strategic with their weekly orders. If you plan to use more perishable items (leafy greens, beans, berries) immediately after delivery, and save hardier produce for last, you should be able to enjoy it all before your next delivery.

Breakfast, Brunch, or Dinner: Zucchini, Arugula, and Cherry Tomato Quiches

/in /by

Happy August, Seasonal Roots friends! It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of summer. Don’t worry; there are still lots of delicious reasons to look forward to your weekly Seasonal Roots delivery. Squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, corn, green beans, potatoes, peaches, apples, blueberries, cucumbers, onions, and farm fresh eggs, are just some of the many options that are currently available to our Members.

Our family usually doesn’t have any problems using up all of our produce before the following week’s delivery, but sometimes it is nice to have a few recipes on hand that are easy to throw together and can utilize just about any vegetable that happens to be waiting around on your countertop or in the refrigerator. Add the versatility of being able to enjoy it for breakfast, brunch, or dinner and you are left with a real winner! This week’s recipe checks all of those boxes. Our family has enjoyed these Zucchini, Arugula, and Cherry Tomato Quiches at Sunday brunch, as “breakfast for dinner”, and as leftovers for a quick and easy weekday breakfast option. And my favorite thing about it is that I can substitute and add-in whatever vegetables we have on hand. Mushrooms, yellow squash, asparagus, spinach, potatoes…if you can chop and sauté it, it is fair game!

Zucchini, Arugula, and Cherry Tomato Quiches

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini, diced

2 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 ounces arugula

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 mini pie crusts

2 farm fresh eggs

1 lemon

1 ounce Fontina Cheese, diced

½ cup Ricotta Cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using the flat side of a knife or spoon, smash garlic until it resembles a paste.
  2. In a medium pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high heat until hot. Add zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and softened.
  3. Add in tomatoes and garlic paste, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes until tomatoes are slightly softened. Remove from heat.
  4. Crack eggs into a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Add the ricotta cheese and whisk to combine. Add in cooked vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and whisk to combine thoroughly.
  5. Place pie crusts onto a sheet pan and divide filling evenly between the two crusts. Top each evenly with Fontina cheese. Place quiches in the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until crusts are browned and the filling is set and cooked through.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Sarah Young is a wife, mother of three, Certified Health Education Specialist, and healthy living advocate. She has a background in Dietetics and a B.S. in Health, Fitness, and Recreational Resources with a concentration in Health Promotion. She is also a writer for several local and online publications, an ambassador for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, and a health contributor for ABC 7 News/WJLA. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family and their dog, Maple.

 

A Second Chance: Baked Eggplant, Tomato, and Parmesan

/in /by

Since becoming a Seasonal Roots member, I have come to appreciate all of the benefits that go along with our weekly basket of produce and local goodies. Not only does our family have access to fresh, local food on a weekly basis, but we are able to customize our basket through their online ordering options, enjoy free delivery, and support local farmers and artisans through the entire process. Add in the health benefits that are associated with eating FRESH, locally grown food, and I feel like our family hit the jackpot!

One of the unexpected benefits of our Seasonal Roots membership that I have enjoyed the most is exposure to items that our family would not normally buy at the grocery store or try otherwise. We have been LEARNING about and EXPERIMENTING with foods together as a family, and while not everything has been a hit around the dinner table, we have had fun with the process of expanding our palate and giving second chances to previously dismissed (or disliked) foods.

One of last week’s basket items offered the opportunity of a second chance. As a bonus, we received several eggplants. As beautiful as they are, they have never made their way onto my grocery list. I cannot remember ever trying eggplant as a child, and the few times that I tried it as an adult weren’t great. I just was not a fan. I thought about passing them on to a friend or neighbor, but decided that even eggplant deserved a second chance.

After a little time searching the web for some eggplant inspiration, I came up with this Baked Eggplant, Tomato, and Parmesan recipe. It is a combination of several recipes that I found online using ingredients that I already had at home: eggplant, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, garlic, basil, oregano, olive oil, and some salt and pepper.  With very little time and effort required to put this dish together, I assured myself that it was worth giving eggplant one last chance, and man am I glad that I did! This dish was a big hit in our house. So big, that we have made it twice this week and I’m still craving more.

Baked Eggplant, Tomato, and Parmesan

Ingredients:

Eggplant, sliced into ¼” – ½” slices

Tomato, sliced

Parmesan cheese, grated

Fresh basil, sliced (chiffonade*)

Garlic, finely minced

Dried oregano

Salt and pepper, to taste

Olive oil

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a baking dish.
  2. Place sliced eggplant in a single layer in oiled baking dish. Layer with tomato slices, garlic, oregano, and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Top with grated Parmesan.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Broil for last 5 minutes until eggplant is tender and slightly browned.
  4. Remove from oven and sprinkle with a little extra Parmesan. Serve and enjoy!

*Not sure how to chiffonade basil? Check out this video: http://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/video/slicing-basil

Still need convincing to give Eggplant a second chance? Check out some of its many health benefits:

Antioxidant Activity
Eggplant contains several phytonutrients with good antioxidant activity: caffeic, chlorogenic acid and the flavonoid, nasunin.

Heart Health
Animal studies show that eggplant may help lower overall cholesterol in the body and help to improve blood flow. The antioxidant compounds in eggplant help to prevent oxidative stress to the cardiovascular system and thus reduce the risk of heart attack and heart disease. Eggplant is also a good source of fiber, which is needed to maintain good cardiovascular health.

Brain Health
Eggplant contains nasunin, an antioxidant anthocyanin, which may help to promote healthy brain function.

Fiber
One cup of eggplant contains about 8% the DV of dietary fiber. Fiber can aid in digestion and weight loss. It helps to balance the metabolism. The fiber in eggplant helps to reduce cholesterol and relax blood vessels, which suggests it may play a productive role in maintaining good heart health.

High In B Vitamins
Eggplant is rich in vitamins B1, B3 and B6. B vitamins play an essential role in the proper function of the central nervous system, energy production, hormone balance and healthy liver function. They are also believed to help balance blood sugar and reduce cholesterol.

Weight Loss
Maintaining the proper DV of fiber and B vitamins can be a great way to contribute to healthy weight loss. Fiber promotes a healthy, active metabolism and B vitamins can help the body to process fat. Eggplant is also rich with nutrients while offering very few calories (only 19 per cup), which makes it a great addition to an active, effective weight loss program.

Bone Health
Eggplant contains many of the minerals needed to maintain strong, healthy bones: manganese, potassium, magnesium and copper.

Cancer Prevention
Many doctors and scientists believe that a compound in eggplant can effectively treat certain types of skin cancer. The phytochemical, known as BEC5, is believed to kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells.

Sarah Young is a wife, mother of three, Certified Health Education Specialist, and healthy living advocate. She has a background in Dietetics and a B.S. in Health, Fitness, and Recreational Resources with a concentration in Health Promotion. She is also a writer for several local and online publications, an ambassador for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, and a health contributor for ABC 7 News/WJLA. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family and their dog, Maple.