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Seasonal Roots CBS6 Cooking Segment – Taco Tuesday

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Karla Robinson was on CBS6 in Richmond on Monday, January 10th. She had help in the kitchen from CBS6’s Bill Bevins and Jessica Noll preparing her healthy and delicious recipe for Spicy Tacos with Garlic Cilantro Lime Slaw.

Click here to watch Karla’s TV appearance.

Karla reminded us about the importance of eating seasonally to ensure the freshest nutrient-rich ingredients and best flavor. Healthy, fresh dishes are always easier when you have a variety of tasty ingredients on hand.

The great news is that viewers of the show (and readers of the blog) can enter code “CBS6” when they sign up to  join Seasonal Roots for FREE. Code expires January 23, 2022.

Karla’s recipe follows below.

Spicy Tacos with Garlic Cilantro Lime Slaw

Toss your choice of protein with the spice mix (below). Sauté your protein choice in a pan with olive oil. Assemble your tacos and add your favorite veggies (suggestions below). Top with the Cilantro Lime sauce (below).

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. protein (your choice: shrimp, fish, chicken, tofu)
  • 2 cups shredded green cabbage or kale (or other favorite greens)
  • Julienned carrots, beets, cucumber or zucchini
  • 8 small tortillas

Spice Mix for Protein:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl or baggie and toss the protein of your choice in the mix.

  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne (more or less depending how much spice you like)

Garlic Cilantro Lime Sauce:

Pulse sauce ingredients in food processor or blender.

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ cup chopped green onions
  • ½ cup cilantro leaves
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 Tbsp lime juice

ABOUT SEASONAL ROOTS

Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our neighborhood market managers – who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, pastured eggs, grassfed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.

Easy Tips for Cooking Fresh!

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Our very own Karla Robinson was cooking live! She shared some ideas for whipping up some delicious health recipes using fresh ingredients all from Seasonal Roots.

The show was recently aired on the Hampton Roads Show. Viewers can use a special code HRSJOIN10 to enable them to join Seasonal Roots for just $10 (a $40 savings)!

Click here to watch Karla’s TV appearance.

Karla shared some insider tips for creating some versatile dishes using farm-fresh Seasonal Roots products:

  • Cooking with real fresh food – allows you to know exactly what’s in it (and what bad stuff is not)
  • Eating what’s in season – enables a lower carbon footprint since the food travels only a short distance from dirt to doorstep
  • Healthy fresh dishes – are easier when you have a variety of tasty ingredients

Fresh recipes using various fresh ingredients! 

If you’re looking for a little inspiration for some new seafood recipes, look no further!

Stuffed Eggplant Caprese

 

Eggplant caprese recipeIngredients:

(All available at Seasonal Roots.com when in season locally.)

  • Eggplant
  • Diced chicken
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Fresh mozzarella
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Basil pesto (2 cups fresh basil leaves, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 1/2 cup olive oil, 3 cloves minced garlic)

Directions:

  • Slice an eggplant in half, scoop out some of the middle.
  • Cook at 350 for about 15 min.
  • Then stuff with cooked, diced chicken, diced fresh mozzarella, diced tomatoes, basil pesto.
  • Put under the broiler until the cheese is browned, and top with fresh basil.
  • You can also cook up the scooped out eggplant and add that to the mixture to not waste anything.
  • Of course, it also makes a great vegetarian dish. Remove chicken and add Tempeh or chickpeas.

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

(All available at Seasonal Roots.com when in season locally.)

  • 3 bell peppers any color!
  • Diced cooked chicken
  • Salsa
  • Avocado Cilantro Lime Hummus
  • 2 Tbsp. Garlic, minced
  • 1 Shallot, diced
  • Olive oil
  • Grated Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

  • Cut the tops off the peppers and core them, then throw in boiling water for 3 minutes.
  • Stuff peppers with cooked, diced chicken mixed with salsa.
  • Top with Avocado Cilantro Lime Hummus and grated cheddar.
  • Be creative! You can add beans or rice, mix with refried beans and top with salsa, change up the cheese, use poblano instead of bell peppers. Make it your own.

Curry Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Steelhead trout is very similar to salmon and delicious when served with herb butter.

Ingredients:

(All available at Seasonal Roots.com when in season locally.)

  • Lettuce
  • Cooked chicken
  • Bury Me in Curry Aioli
  • Thinly sliced tart apples
  • Chives
  • Optional add-ons whatever you have on hand: peppers, carrots, onions, grapes, etc.

Directions:

  • In a curved piece of lettuce add cooked chicken
  • Mix in Bury Me in Curry Aioli (yum!), thinly sliced tart apples, and sprinkle with chives.
  • Be creative! You can add sliced peppers, carrots, onions, or whatever you have on hand.

Delicious but simple seafood recipes!

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Seafood Recipes! 🐟

If you’re looking for a little inspiration for some new seafood recipes, look no further!

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail

Delicious jumbo shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Jumbo Shrimp
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1/2 Fresh Lemon
  • 1/2 cup of ketchup
  • 2 tsp. Horseradish
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

  • Steam the shrimp for 10-20 min. (check on them after 10 min)
  • While the shrimp is cooking prepare the cocktail sauce by adding all the ingredients but the shrimp together and mix.
  • Enjoy!

Striped Bass

Broiled Bass served with fresh lemon.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Striped Bass, thawed
  • 1 Fresh Lemon
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. Garlic, minced
  • 1 Shallot, diced
  • Olive oil

Directions:

  • Make sure fish is completely thawed.
  • Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a non-stick spray.
  • Place fish on the baking sheet, light coat fish with a healthy splash of olive oil, salt, pepper, minced garlic, and shallots.
  • Broil on high for 8-10 minutes, making sure that the top isn’t burning.
  • Turn off broiler and let fish rest in the oven for at least 2-3 minutes. Top with fresh lemon juice
  • Enjoy!

 

Steelhead Trout with Herb Butter 

Steelhead trout is very similar to salmon and delicious when served with herb butter.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb thawed Steelhead Trout
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Olive Oil
  • Fresh Lemon Slices

Directions:

  • Make sure fish is completely thawed.
  • Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a non-stick spray.
  • Place fish on the baking sheet, cover with olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon slices.
  • Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes
  • Add a dollop of compound butter half way through cooking or use as a topping to serve.

 

Herb Butter 

 

Ingredients:

  • Freshly chopped Basil
  • Freshly chopped Thyme
  • Freshly chopped Oregano
  • Minced Garlic

Directions:

  • Start with room temp. butter in a bowl.
  • Fold in all the herbs and garlic.
  • Once all ingredients are incorporated,place bowl in fridge and allow butter to harden. This will take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
  • Use to cook any protein or as a topping on any protein.
tomatoes vs squirrels

Tomatoes vs Squirrels and Other Garden Foes

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Spoiler Alert: The squirrels won

A Seasonal Roots staffer tells her story:

This is a story of tomatoes vs squirrels. It’s a sad story. But it has a suprise happy ending, so read on!

I grew up eating fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes. Biting into that sun-filled explosion of fully ripened flavor was one of the great joys of my childhood summers. So delicious!

But then I grew up and life got busy. I tried to keep a garden going but, you know — kids, work, traveling for work… I stopped gardening for a long time. At the grocery store, I’d always try to find the best tomatoes I could, but those homegrown, vine-ripened tomatoes of my youth had ruined me. Grocery store tomatoes looked beautiful but they just tasted like pale imitations of the real thing.

So I finally got back to gardening several years ago. I turned the soil, added compost, planted my seedlings, watered, and nutured. The tomato blossoms came, then the first hard green fruits that slowly grew bigger and began to turn a teasing shade of almost-red. I could practically taste them. Little did I know.

The squirrels were lying in wait.

Not just any squirrels. These were greedy squirrels. Ferocious squirrels. Greedy, ferocious, tomato-loving monster squirrels. And cruel! Sometimes they’d spot a tomato when it was about two seconds shy of being fully ripe and take a big bite out of it. But just one bite. Just enough to spoil it for anyone else. Other times they’d carry off their booty and leave a mangled, blood-red mess of a veggie massacre. They’d sit up in the trees and laugh.

I tried netting. More netting. Netting on top of netting. So much netting that I’d wind up tangled in it like a mummy. But not the squirrels. They came and went in that netted fortress like it had a revolving door.

I tried putting the fear of fake owls in them. They knew no fear. Even my three dogs got nothing for their squirrel-chasing efforts but a scolding from the fearless tomato bandits.

I should have put up a marquee over my garden and sold tickets: BIG FIGHT TONIGHT! TOMATOES VS SQUIRRELS! And don’t get me started on slugs, kale-devouring caterpillars, those worms that rot your squashes just before they’re ripe… my gardening Enemies List is long.

But now that I’m with Seasonal Roots, all my gardening woes are solved. When tomatoes are in season, whether they come from the field or the greenhouse, I get to enjoy that mouthwatering burst of vine-ripened tomato goodness with every order. Yum.

As for the squirrels, they’re now raiding the bird feeder. But that’s another story.

Leslie
Seasonal Roots Marketing Maven

ABOUT SEASONAL ROOTS

Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our neighborhood market managers – who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, pastured eggs, grassfed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.

Summer Mocktails or Cocktails

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Summer Mocktail or Cocktail Recipes!

It’s hard to beat a cold refreshing drink while enjoying the great outdoors this Memorial Day — or any day! Whether you’re at the beach soaking up some rays or just kicking back on the patio, you’ve got to try these yummy drink recipes. They’re fun, fresh, and actually pretty healthy, whether you serve them as mocktails or cocktails, because they start with super fresh local produce.

Strawberry Cooler Recipe

Ingredients: 

  • 3 cups water
  • 5 cups sliced fresh strawberries
  • 3/4 to 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
  • 1 cup ginger ale
  • crushed ice
  • additional strawberries, optional

Directions: 

  1. In a blender, process the water, sliced strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in batches until smooth.
  2. Strain the berry seeds if desired.
  3. Pour mixture into a pitcher; stir in the ginger ale.
  4. Serve in chilled glasses over ice. Garnish with strawberries and enjoy. Or add vodka for a refreshing cocktail.

 

The Green Giant: A Garden-Fresh Cocktail With Peas

Peas?! Yeah, seriously, you have to try this refreshing green cocktail. It’s perfect for spring!

Ingredients: 

  • 2 ounces vodka
  • 4 sugar snap peas
  • 1 sprig tarragon
  • 1 ounce lemon juice
  • 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
  • 3/4 ounce honey

Directions:

  1. Muddle 4 sugar snap peas, 10 to 12 tarragon leaves, and honey in a cocktail shaker.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and shake with ice.
  3. Strain into an old-fashioned glass over crushed ice.
  4. Garnish with two sugar snap peas.

 

Celery Cup No. 1

Ingredients: 

  • 2-inch piece celery stalk
  • 1-inch slice cucumber (fresh, English)
  • 1/4 cup cilantro (fresh)
  • 1 ounce lemon juice
  • 1/2 ounce vodka
  • 1-1/2 ounces cucumber vodka
  • 3/4 ounce agave nectar

Directions: 

  1. In a mixing glass, muddle the cucumber, celery, cilantro, and lemon juice into a pulp.
  2. Add the vodka and agave nectar.
  3. Cover in ice and shake hard for 10 seconds.
  4. Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice and garnish with a piece of celery.
  5. Serve and enjoy!

 

Strawberry Mojito

This delicious and refreshing cocktail is perfect for a sunny day, or it can even cheer up a cloudy day.

Ingredients: 

  • 1 lime
  • 5 strawberries
  • 1 sprig mint
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 2 ounces white rum
  • 2 to 3 ounces club soda
  • strawberry, garnish
  • sprig of mint, garnish
  • lime wedge, garnish

Directions:

  1. Cut the lime in half, then cut each half into three or four wedges. Remove the stems and slice the strawberries. Pull six to eight leaves from a sprig of mint, leaving the top intact for a garnish.
  2. In a tall glass, add 3 to 4 lime wedges, the sliced strawberries, and individual mint leaves. Top with the sugar.
  3. Muddle well to mash the fruit and dissolve the sugar.
  4. Fill the glass with crushed ice and add the rum.
  5. Stir well to integrate the fruit and mint into the ice. Top with soda.
  6. Garnish with a strawberry, lime wedge, and sprig of mint. Serve and enjoy!

Credit: thespruceeats.com & tasteofhome.com

Donation List from Teacher Appreciation Week

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Donation Announcement and Other Shout Outs! 

This year, teachers have had to adapt to constant change. And now that teachers are in the final year-end sprint, we know they’re still doing it every day. We so love our teachers! So in early May, we organized a drawing for three lucky teachers to win a free membership to Seasonal Roots (usually $50) and a $100 credit toward fresh veggies, fruits, dairy, eggs, meat and more from Seasonal Roots.

Knowing how much teachers care about kids, we also asked them to nominate their favorite kid-related cause to receive a Seasonal Roots donation. After randomly selecting our three teacher winners, we randomly selected one of the teacher-approved organizations.

And the winner is:
REACH OUT & READ VIRGINIA!!!

We’re excited to donate and support their great work! Reach Out & Read Virginia believes all families should have the tools and information they need to make reading aloud a daily routine. They help integrate reading into pediatric practices, advise families about the importance of reading with their children, and share books that serve as a catalyst for healthy childhood development.

Check out all these worthy charities that were nominated by our local teachers!

Other causes that teachers care about:

  • Youth civic engagement
  • Child trafficking
  • Youth sports coaching
  • Ending childhood obesity

ABOUT SEASONAL ROOTS

Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our market managers – who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, pastured eggs, grassfed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.

Teacher Appreciation Week starts May 3rd!

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It’s Teacher Appreciation Week!

Wow, do we need to send some extra love to our teachers this year! The Seasonal Roots community feels so connected with teachers. Among our team members and customers, many of us in the Seasonal Roots family are teachers. And many of us are parents with kids in the “classroom” — in all the forms that it took this year.

The past year has posed unending challenges for all of us – especially our teachers.

To respond to the shifting safety protocols, teachers had to…

  1. Change their curriculum weekly (if not daily… or hourly.)
  2. Teach and motivate students online and in the classroom (often at the same time.)
  3. Look out for, and advocate for, students facing extra family challenges because of the pandemic.
  4. Deal with the realities of periodic COVID cases or exposures involving themselves, loved ones, and extended school family.
  5. Technology challenges and hiccups every day!

What a year it has been. So during this Teacher Appreciation Week we want to send some extra recognition and thanks your way.

We’re giving away 3 local food prizes worth $150 each for 3 deserving winners, who will be selected in a random drawing on May 6. Winners will need to live in our delivery area. https://www.seasonalroots.com/delivery-areas

We’ll also be donating to a cause that helps children. Which cause? We’ll let you teachers guide us.

Any teacher is welcome to enter the drawing. When you enter, be sure to nominate your favorite kid-related cause to receive our donation. We’ll pick one and also highlight them all to raise awareness.

Be sure to enter before noon on May 6!

 

Click here to enter the drawing!

Many, many thanks for all you do!

ABOUT SEASONAL ROOTS

Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our market managers – who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, pastured eggs, grassfed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.

free home delivery

It’s national Tell-a-Story Day: “Local food to the rescue!”

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Hey, gather ’round – today is national “Tell a Story” Day! Do you have a local food story? Like the first time your kids tasted truly fresh green beans? Or that hilariously ugly potato that was shockingly delish? Spin your yarn on our Facebook page, and feel free to illustrate with pix! To kick things off, Faye tells her story about the time she broke her leg… and yes, it actually does wind up being all about local food!  – The Veggie Fairy Editor

Once upon a time: A member tells her story

– By Faye D, Seasonal Roots member

A few years ago, I broke my leg. For two weeks I couldn’t put any weight on it at all and for eight weeks I was dependent on a wheelchair, a walker, crutches, and finally a cane. Needless to say I couldn’t cook or buy groceries.

Although my husband is not comfortable in the kitchen and only a little more comfortable in a grocery store, he did pitch in to do his best at cooking and the shopping. Still, it was a very difficult time for us both.

Online ordering with free home delivery saves the day

The best thing ever was that just before the accident I had signed up for Seasonal Roots. (In fact, I took that photo of my first home-delivered box of local food.)

What a life-saver! It was easy for me to go online and order the vegetables we needed. They always arrived on time, fresh and plenty to last the entire week. That was something I could count on.

The icing on top: Vegan options

Because we both follow a vegan diet, vegetables are a central and necessary part of our diet, and because of Seasonal Roots having good fresh vegetables to eat, that was one thing I didn’t have to worry about. I loved that. My husband loved getting his favorite vegan cinnamon buns!

This all happened back in the before-covid time. So one of Seasonal Roots’ market managers, Margo, even brought the box in for me and put it in the kitchen since I was still using a cane at that point. Thanks, Seasonal Roots…

THE END (sort of)

Vegan options, free home delivery, and lots of TLC will never end!

ABOUT SEASONAL ROOTS

Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our market managers – who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, pastured eggs, grassfed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.

free home delivery

Free home delivery of local food to the rescue!

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A new member tells her story

– By Faye D, Seasonal Roots member

On February 9, I broke my leg. For two weeks I couldn’t put any weight on it at all and for eight weeks I was dependent on a wheel chair, a walker, crutches and finally a cane. Needless to say I couldn’t cook or buy groceries.

Although my husband is not comfortable in the kitchen and only a little more comfortable in a grocery store, he did pitch in to do his best at cooking and the shopping. Still, it was a very difficult time for us both.

Online ordering with free home delivery saves the day

The best thing ever was that just before the accident I had signed up for Seasonal Roots. (In fact, I took that photo of my first home-delivered box of local food.)

What a life-saver! It was easy for me to go online and order the vegetables we needed. They always arrived on time, fresh and plenty to last the entire week. That was something I could count on.

The icing on top: Vegan options

Because we both follow a vegan diet, vegetables are a central and necessary part of our diet, and because of Seasonal Roots having good fresh vegetables to eat, that was one thing I didn’t have to worry about. I loved that. My husband loved getting his favorite vegan cinnamon buns!

Then this week, Margo, one of Seasonal Roots’ market managers, even brought the box in for me and put it in the kitchen since I’m still using a cane. Thanks, Seasonal Roots…

VEGGIE FAIRY EDITOR’S NOTE:
Many thanks to Faye for sharing her story – we’re so glad our free home delivery was a help. And a big shout out to Tracy at Yummvees for her vegan-licious buns and other vegan treats and meals!

Also, like a lot of Seasonal Roots members, Faye’s first box of local food inspired her to snap a photo. We love it when members post their veggie pix on our Facebook page!

ABOUT SEASONAL ROOTS

Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our veggie fairies – mostly moms who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, eggs, grass-fed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.

vegan meals

Out of tragedy, a vegan dream is born

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EAT BETTER LIVE BETTER NEWSLETTER / January 31, 2018

Tips, hacks, recipes, stories, and the weekly special all help you eat better live better with fresh local food!

YUMMVEES VEGAN MEALS & TREATS COME TO SEASONAL ROOTS

You don’t have to be vegan to appreciate 100% plant-based food from Yummvees. It’s local, family-run, and creates vegan meals, desserts, and snacks so delicious that the nutritious, eco-friendly part is like icing on the cinnamon bun! The meals are ready-to-heat, so you don’t have to sacrifice nutrition when you’re too busy to cook.

But first we want to introduce you to Tracy, the woman behind Yummvees…

Continue reading about Yummvees below, or view this issue as a printable PDF with clickable links.

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