Roasted Fall Veggies

digging for potatoes

Fall is a wonderful time to roast vegetables! And the garden is a perfect place to find delicious vegetables to roast and eat. Kids from Lincoln and Northgate Elementary Schools were able to harvest some pumpkins and squash, leeks, carrots, beets, and potatoes and make a tasty snack.  Here is the recipe!

Fall Roasted Vegetables

-  Peel the potatoes, carrots, and beets and cut them into pieces that are about as wide as a finger and about 1 ½ inches long. 

-  Scoop the seeds out of the squash and small pumpkins, and cut them into pieces about ½ by two inches long.  You can take the peel off or leave it on if the skin is thin. 

-  Cut the root and dark green leaves from the leek and cut it the long way.  Use scissors to cut the leek into 1-inch pieces.

-  Toss all of the vegetables with olive oil and place them single layer on a baking tray.  Bake them at 375 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes.  You should watch them closely and have an adult help you check if they are done by poking a fork in them.  They’re ready to eat when they’re soft and lightly brown.  Delicious!

What else could you roast in the oven?  What about zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, or yams?  The answer is yes!  Very hard vegetables (like yams) may take longer to cook, so you can chop the pieces smaller, or put them on their own baking sheet so they can stay in the oven a little longer.  This is a wonderful time to experiment in the kitchen and find out which veggies you love the most.  Enjoy!

Celebrating fresh food and fun cooking!

Yummy Potato Leek Latkes

Every week the IslandWood garden is filled with students from visiting schools. And one of our favorite programs to teach is an experience called Soil to Snack. What is Soil to Snack you may wonder? The answer lies in the name... The students harvest fresh food grown right here in the garden soil, and then work with IslandWood chefs to learn how to cook a yummy snack!  Our students learn first-hand how delicious fresh food tastes, AND they learn how to cook healthy food when they return home. 

tasting yummy garden treats like broccoli flowers

The students start in the garden tasting different foods and harvesting ingredients for their cooking project.

harvesting potatoes...

...and leeks (or is it a garden octopus hat??)

Once they have harvested the ingredients, they head over to the kitchen to work with our IslandWood chefs and create a delicious (and nutritious!) garden snack.  Potato Leek Latkes have been a Fall favorite.  Here is the recipe so you can create this delicious snack at home!

Potato Leek Latkes

9 Potatoes (medium-sized)

3 Leeks

4 Eggs

½ c. Flour

2 ½ tsp. Salt

1 ½ tsp. Black pepper

½ c. Canola oil (or any frying oil)

1.   Peel the potatoes and grate them into a bowl lined with cheese cloth. Bring the ends of the cheese cloth together and twist to squeeze out as much liquid from the potatoes as possible. Then transfer the grated potatoes into a large mixing bowl.  (You can also press the liquid out through a colander if you don’t have cheese cloth). 
2.  Trim the root and leafs from the leeks and discard. Cut leeks once length-wise, then use scissors to snip leeks into fine shreds. Add to potatoes. 
3.   Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the whisked eggs to the potatoes and leeks and stir gently. 
4.  Add the flour, salt, and black pepper. 
5.  Stir all ingredients until well mixed and presto, delicious Latke Mix! 

With the help of an adult, heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet at a medium-high temperature until hot. Place large spoonfuls of Latke mix into the hot oil and press down on the top to form ¼ - ½ inch patties. Fry until the edges are golden brown, then flip and repeat (usually about 2 ½ - 3 minutes per side). Carefully remove the Latkes and place on a wire rack or paper towel to drain any excess oil. 

Serve warm and Enjoy!

Potato leek latke with herb sour cream, baked cinnamon apple sauce and kale chips.  With fresh garden tea to drink.  All ingredients found in the garden and prepared in the kitchen!

Brussels Sprouts and Sunchokes...Together!

Tis' the season of kale, sunchokes, Swiss chard, and Brussels sprouts....our tough winter vegetables. Not sure what to do with these seasonal crops? Here are a couple of recipes courtesy of our garden friend and volunteer Carol....thank you Carol!

Brussels Sprouts and Sunchoke Salad 

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 50 mins Serves: 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

Any leftover protein (beef, pork, chicken, tofu, or just leave it as a vegetarian/vegan)
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 pint sunchokes, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups Brussels sprouts, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced (keep any loose leaves to put on the salad later on)
2 sprigs rosemary
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt pinch ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
2 teaspoons maple syrup
Juice of 1/2 a lemon 
Shaved Parmesan, or aged cheddar Cheese (optional)

Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Heat your oil or butter in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, then add in your protein and cook until browned and caramelized, about 2 minutes (unless you are using bacon, then just cook until crisp). Remove with a slotted spoon, place on a plate lined with paper towel and set aside.

1. Add in another tablespoon or two of oil or butter, then add in your thinly sliced sunchokes over medium-high heat. Cook until blistered and becoming slightly tender, about 6-8 minutes, then add in the thinly sliced Brussels sprouts (but save some raw leaves for a pretty finishing touch). Toss in the rosemary, salt, and pepper, stir to combine, and allow to cook for an additional 6-8 minutes, until almost completely tender. Add in the meat, whisk together the mustard, maple syrup, and lemon juice, and toss to combine. Place in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, until everything is tender and warm.

2. Remove the pan from the oven, toss with the raw Brussels sprouts leaves and cheese, adjust seasonings as desired, and serve warm (although this tastes great reheated for lunch the next day or for breakfast with a fried egg on top, too).

3. Recipe by The Crepes of Wrath at http://crepesofwrath.net/2013/01/07/brussels-sprouts-and-sunchoke-salad/

Enjoy!!



Bean and Swiss Chard Soup

Chard!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white dry beans cooked, or 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
3-4 cups vegetable broth, depending on desired thickness
1/2 bunch Swiss chard (or kale), ribs and stems removed and roughly chopped
Freshly grated parmesan for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, cook onion, carrots, and garlic in olive oil until
veggies soften. Add white beans, vegetable broth, and chard. Cook
until the chard has softened, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to
taste. Serve with parmesan cheese. For those who can't do dairy, add some fresh parsley or non-dairy cheese instead......and voila!

South Shore and Madrona!

December 5, 2012!

Harvesting Brussel Sprouts!

Freshly harvested leeks

Beautiful cauliflower, ready to pick!

IslandWood welcomed South Shore and Madrona Elementary this week! With the help of their fabulous students, we harvested and made a delicious snack with Chef Chris using the following home grown ingredients:

• Brussel sprouts
• Leeks
• Kale
• Cauliflower
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Peppermint
• Lemon Balm
• Lemon Verbena

 We made a delicious vegetable saute, fresh tea, and garnish of herbs and fresh grated cheese...yum!

Prepping our veggies

Saute it up!

 

Decorate our plates, and enjoy!