Mesclun "Spicy Mix" Salad (From Our Garden) with Salsa!

It's EASY being GREEN!  Check it out!  The very first edible from our Container Garden - soon to be - our Rooftop Garden!  This is my lunch today!

Spicy Greens Salad with Salsa!

Isn't it gorgeous!  And there's MORE where that came from!  Yup!  Our lettuces are doing well so far! 

This is a Mesclun Spicy Mix of Greens/Lettuces and are of the loose lettuce varieties!  Which varieties?  Well, let me tell  you!  It's a mix of different Arugula, Endive, Mustard, Mizuna, and Tatsoi.  I think there was supposed to be some Red Loose Leaf in there, too, but I didn't see any!

I have been eating a LOT of salads lately - even more than I usually do.  But this is the first one that we grew ourselves at work!  I hope to do another one tomorrow, but it will be the Sweet Mix of the Mesclun growth from our containers.

We hope to start hardening off some of our items after this week because it is going to get cooler again.  I can't WAIT until we have them outside full-time!  YAY!

The First of the Lettuces

I grabbed a few seed packets of some lettuces last night while I was out and about.  Here's a look at some of them we are going to try!  We do hope to get more, tho!

Grand Rapids Lettuce Seeds -  A long standing favorite, Grand Rapids produces medium-large plants that have wavy, frilled, deeply cut, light green leaves.  Nice uniformity.  Perfect for cold-frames, greenhouse growing or in the garden of course.  Crisp, tend and tasty.  Resistant to heat and tipburn resistant.

Mesclun - Sweet Salad Mix - Sweet lettuces and tangy, tender greens are pre-mixed in just the right proportions.  The French approach to salad greens ("mesclun" means "mixture"). Sweet lettuces and tangy, tender greens are pre-mixed in just the right proportions as you pick them from your garden. This classic mesclun is a feast for the eyes and a gourmet treat. It includes arugula, chervil, endive, mache, four lettuces (Oak Leaf, Prizeleaf, Red Salad Bowl, Green Ice), radicchio and upland cress. Grows best in cool weather and full sun to partial shade.   We also got a Mesclun - Spicy Mix - as well!

 Full Heart Batavian Endive (Escarole) — Large thick dark green leaves, ten to twelve inch diameter, compact heads, that are easy blanching.  Broad leaf endive varieties, or escarole, tend to be less bitter than the curly leaf endive varieties.  It can be eaten like other greens either fresh as part of a green salad, or sauteed or chopped and added into soups and stews.

 

Medium-sized, heat resistant heads are deep red with a blanched heart. Sow in average soil in full sun in early spring for first crop, in late summer for fall crop. Sow thinly in rows 12" apart and cover with 1/4" of fine soil. Firm lightly and keep evenly moist. Seedlings emerge in 7-10 days.

I also picked up some White Lisbon Bunching Onions, Bright Lights Swiss Chard, Carnival Hybrid Mix Sweet Peppers, Little Finger Carrots.

I was sitting here waiting for 2 of my co-workers to get here so we can start planning and I figured I would do a quick blog post about my findings last night!

Top 20 Ingredients I Can't Live Without!

Alicia Silverstone over at The Kind Life posted about the 20 ingredients she can’t live without. As did Cadry at Cadry's Kitchen.  So I decided to follow suit!  Here are my TOP 20 Ingredients in random order.

TEA - As many of you know I drink A LOT of tea.  All day...all night...I have even started using it in dishes!  All sorts of tea...Black, Green, White, Yellow, fruit and herbal tisane's, Oolongs, Pu-erh, Blends, Purple, Guayusa, Rooibos, Honeybush...the list goes on and on!

CHICK PEAS & BLACK BEANS - I was going to list these separate but came up with too many items I MUST HAVE in my kitchen, apparently!  The older I get the more I LOVE Chickpeas.  They are so versatile!  I would have also put HUMMUS on the list but it's not just ONE Ingredient it's a FOOD, a dish, a delicacy, really.  Okay, okay...you can tell I LOVE hummus!  Well, Chickpeas are one of the ingredients so it works, right?

GRAPESEED OIL - Why GSO?  I think this sums it up nicely!  I LOVE IT!  If you want to order some let me know!!  I can have it shipped directly to you!

LEAFY GREENS - I know this is more than ONE but I couldn't resist!  There are so many Leafy Greens to choose from and they ALL have their benefits!

CASHEWS - And other nuts, really.  I'm very fortunate to NOT have allergies to Nuts!  I don't think I would be able to deal with that intolerance, to be honest!  I'm finding Cashews are very versatile as well and now that I'm NOT doing dairy there are many things I can do with them as a substitute. 

NUTRITIONAL YEAST - I have used it for YEARS - but have been using it on a weekly - sometimes daily basis these days!  Along the same lines would be HEMP HEARTS and CHIA SEEDS, I guess, too!  For Digestion Issues/Benefits as well as a protein option.

VARIETY of RICES - Again, I am a REBEL, here, and noting more than one but I really can't help it!  Just when I think I know which RICE is my favorite I discover new ones...like Medleys from Bob's Red Mills as well as FORBIDDEN RICE, lately, too!

QUINOA - Quinoa is in a category all of it's own for me!  I have been eating it for years but continue to be amazed by it!  I LOVE the nutritional benefits as well as digestion support but also the texture and flavor and the ability to make it MORPH!

TOMATOES - Any kind, really.  I could go on and on about THE TOMATO but I will let it speak for itself!  YUM!

BALSAMIC VINEGAR - Yes!  BALSAMIC VINEGAR...Wildtree Brand, specifically.  And I'm not just saying that because I sell it!  The flavor CANNOT BE BEAT!  Plus it has the Grapeseed Oil Base, too!

TAHINI - I thought it was just for HUMMUS but it's good for SO MUCH MORE!!!  I'm using lately in Cheese and Cream Alternatives, too!

GARLIC - Need I say more?  I just LOVE it!  I can't get enough of it!  I'd put it on cereal if it were allowed.  Okay...that might be a stretch...but...you know what I mean, right!?

ONIONS - They give flavor to EVERYTHING and they make the perfect base for many things!

LEMONS & LEMON JUICE - I almost over looked this one.  It's one of those things I really use a lot of but just USE it and tend to forget about it BUT if I run out...there is HELL TO PAY, Mister!

CORN - It's so sweet, It's so cute, It's SO GOOD!  I have been using it more and more to kick certain recipes up a notch as well as add to leftovers, wraps, salads, etc.  So simple - yet - SO effective!

COLORFUL BELL PEPPERS - LOVE them!  In every way!  I find myself adding them to EVERYTHING and then some!  The sweeter the better!

SPROUTS - When I was a toddler they used to be one of my 3 favorite foods (next to Dried Apricots and Lima Beans - which SHOULD also play a part in this list somewhere...there...they just did!) and I lost touch with Sprouts for a while but have been having FUN Sprouting my own Sprouts at home on and off again for a couple of years!

CARROTS & CELERY - Mostly because I can't have one without the other - and because they are right up the same alley as Onions and Garlic and Corn!

ALMOND MILK - I prefer Almond Milk to any of the other Milk Alternatives.  It's my default, really.

AVOCADOS - I wish I could have one everyday but they are really expensive here but when they are on sale!  I'm ALL OVER THAT!  Nom.Nom.Nom.

Hope you enjoyed my list!  If you do one let me know!

Asparagus & Snow Pea Salad

Yesterday I had a fun trip around Warren and Chautauqua Counties in search of some great local produce!  Two of the items I found were these beauties!  The Asparagus is from The Hatch Patch and the Organic Snow Peas are from Aber's Acres.

Tonight I made a 'snack' or a 'taste test' of this and the rest I will be taking for my lunch tomorrow.

I'm rather excited about the way my 'sauce' or 'dressing' turned out!  I must say!  I started with a recipe from one of many Moosewood Cookbooks I have but tweaked it.

The sauce is made up of roughly 2 to 3 Tablespoons of Peanut 'Butter', 2 Tablespoons of Braggs Liquid Aminos, 1 to 2 Tablespoons of Seasame Oil, 3 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice, and 2 to 3 Tablespoons of Agave Nectar or Natural Honey.  I blended all of this into my Magic Bullet and drizzled over top of my salad.  I'm not a Blanching-Pro but it's the method I attempted with the 'greens'.  It kept them a vibrant green in color but also kept them crunchy!