sprouts and cukes

Leave a comment July 19, 2016 nourishinggrace

“God, Who is by nature good and dispassionate, loves all men equally as His handiwork. But He glorifies the virtuous man because in his will he is united to God. At the same time, in His goodness he is merciful to the sinner and by chastising him in this life brings him back to the path of virtue. Similarly, a man of good and dispassionate judgment also loves all men equally. He loves the virtuous man because of his nature and the probity of his intention; and he loves the sinner, too, because of his nature and because in his compassion he pities him for foolishly stumbling in darkness.”

—St. Maximos the Confessor

Lately we have been sprouting our own micro-greens and sprouts for salads. It’s so much easier to buy them at the store, but when a small bag costs $5 and up, it starts to put a pinch in the pocketbook. What we’ve learned is that sprouting is pretty darn simple. Seeds want to sprout. Given moisture and an area out of the sun, the little sprouts burst out of their seed shells in no time at all. This salad is a combination of our pickling cucumbers – they tasted just fine fresh – and the mung beans we grew on in a mason jar on the counter.

Adding sprouts is a delicious way to boost the nutrient content of any salad. Mung beans are especially high in manganese, potassium, B vitamins, folate, copper, zinc and magnesium. Mung beans can also help fight cholesterol and decrease your risk of heart disease, but most notable is that they contain powerful free-radical scavenging antioxidants against cancer. Their phytonutrient content is protective against viruses and infection. Sprouts are a nutritional virtue and deserve a space in any salad or sandwich and because they are sprouted, they are also easier to digest than many starchy beans!

I did not special order any of my mung beans, but purchased them from the bulk food aisle of our local favorite organic store, Mom’s Organic Market.

For more information on sprouting visit Sprouting People, Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds or Garden Therapy.

Sprouts and Cukes Salad

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups sprouts (mung, broccoli, bean – whatever you like)
3 tablespoons goat milk kefir or plain yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh basil or oregano, chopped small
3 cups cucumbers, seeded and cut small
1/4 cup finely cut vidalia or red onion
grey celtic sea salt to taste
pepper to taste

Preparation

Mix all ingredients in bowl and toss.

simplest tomato salad

Leave a comment July 18, 2016 nourishinggrace

Our first and most important spiritual task is to claim God’s unconditional love for ourselves. To remember who we truly are in the memory of God. Whether we feel it or not, whether we comprehend it or not, we can have spiritual knowledge in the heart— a deep assurance that passes understanding— that we are God’s beloved.

Henri Nouwen

It’s the ripe, plump tomatoes which blanket the farmer’s markets and neighbors gardens that make this simplest tomato salad so delectable. No need to fancy it up – the salt really brings out the savory sweet juicy flavors of the tomatoes. It’s a family favorite during the summer.

Ingredients

5-6 ripe in season tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and serve. Dinner can be that simple…

garden beet salad

Leave a comment July 13, 2016 nourishinggrace

Do not say “this happened by chance, while this came to be of itself.” In all that exists there is nothing disorderly, nothing, indefinite, nothing without purpose, nothing by chance…. How many hairs are on your head? God will not forget one of them. Do you see how nothing, even the smallest thing, escapes the gaze of God? ~Saint Basil the Great

During the summer, we crave salads. They are a nice cool addition to any meal, or can be served as a meal on their own. You simply can not “beet” the simplicity of a garden beet salad. These particular beets are gems straight from our garden, but any from the store or farmer’s market will do. We planted these in early spring.

I actually hadn’t planned to harvest them, but I accidentally pulled one out while weeding… it looked so good, that we harvested the rest from that bed! Beets have a sweet earthy flavor, and are a mineral rich nutritional powerhouse. They have more iron than spinach, and are an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, and phosphorous. They’re also packed with choline, folic acid, iodine, manganese, organic sodium, potassium, fiber and carbohydrates (in the form of natural easily digestible sugars). Quite simply, they are superfood.

One great benefit of the beet is that is alkalizing to the body and that’s great news in a nation with a standard diet that is acid forming. Beets are a stimulator of liver health. They also have many cardiovascular benefits. They can be helpful in reducing cholesterol and their rich potassium content benefits blood pressure. Fermented drinks like beet kvass have been known throughout history as a blood tonic. And the list goes on. Some studies have also shown that beets are preventative for skin, lung and colon cancer, they support the structure of our capillaries, and can also aid in the slowing or prevention of macular degeneration.

Beets, they do a body good!

Garden Beet Salad

Ingredients:

9 beets, washed but not peeled
4 tablespoons goat cheese in small chunks to drop into salad
3 tablespoons pinenuts, slightly toasted
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion, green onion tops or chives
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F and place beets on a cookie sheet. Top loosely with foil and place oven for about an hour. They should be tender.

Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, using the edge of a knife or a vegetable peeler, peel of the outer skin of the beet. Your hands will get very red!

Next, cut the beets into bite sized pieces. Place all ingredients into your favorite salad bowl and toss lightly to incorporate.

Delicious!

Additional Resources

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49

crunchy bean salad

Leave a comment July 7, 2016 nourishinggrace

“Water falls from heaven as rain, and while it is always the same in itself, it produces many different effects, one in the palm tree, another in the vine, and so on, throughout the whole of creation. It does not descend, now as one thing, now as another, but while remaining essentially the same, it adapts to the needs of every creature that receives it. In the same way the Holy Spirit, whose nature is always the same, simple and indivisible, apportions grace to each person as He wills. Like a dry tree which puts forth shoots when watered, the soul brings forth the fruit of holiness when repentance makes it worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit never changes, the effects of His action, by the will of God and in the name of Christ, are both many and marvelous.” Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

It’s “bean” a while since writing on the blog. This past year beckoned reprioritizing – faith, family, homeschool and also really to focus on completing my Master’s Degree. No, I am not done, but almost! Yay!

We’ve also been battling Lyme disease in this home and I tell you, it is formidable – and affects everyone different! Lord have mercy. It really turned our lives upside down. However, all signs are that my loved one is almost done with treatment and that is a tremendous blessing.

In many ways, the year of Lyme Disease has been a blessing too… just in it’s very own way.

That aside, it’s also “bean” a long time since I have made a bean salad, but since the farmer’s market this week was so plentiful with green beans – I brought home a whole bunch!

This salad is a riff on that old picnic favorite the “three bean salad”. What I like so much about this is that the beans are green and crunchy, unlike the one I remember from my youth with watery faded green canned beans. You could easily make this with wax beans or a combination of string beans too.

Crunch Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:

3/4 pound of beans – washed and trimmed
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup finely sliced red onion
1 Tbspn extra virgin olive oil (currently we are using a local favorite, Spartan’s for our salads – it is very tasty and comes in a cute reusable ceramic bottle. Refills come in a convenient pouch)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or pecans
1 finely chopped red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

For the preparation, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the trimmed and cut green beans. You only need to cook them for 3-5 minutes or less. Test them to make sure they are still crunchy and retain that bright green color. Once done, immediately place them into a bowl of cold water. This will stop the cooking process.

Drain the beans in a collander and put them into your salad bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and toss well. Salt and pepper to taste.

You can make this the day before, the flavors just get better and better over night! Great for a picnic and for any summertime meal!

massaged kale salad

Leave a comment May 14, 2015 nourishinggrace

This Massaged Kale Salad is one of my favorites, especially when there are fresh strawberries in season at the market. Fresh picked strawberries are a sweet addition to the earthy kale and the citrus dressing. Kale is a superfood that deserves room on every plate. Most recipes for massaged kale salads call for green apples or other fruit, but I think the strawberries are the best. Massaging the kale in an olive oil, lemon and salt dressing has the effect of cooking the kale. The lemon also makes the iron content in the kale far more bioavailable (that means you absorb more!).

I hope you enjoy this kale salad!

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