Ingredients for 2 servings

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 large shallot, cut into half moons

1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1 inch ginger, peeled and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups dashi*or veg stock

1/4 cup tamari

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1-3 teaspoons Siracha chili sauce

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1/2 bunch each, kale and mustard greens

1 small crown of broccoli, cut into florets

1/2 cup cashews, roasted

2 scallions, sliced

Directions

1. In a large, straight sided pan, heat the coconut oil to medium heat.  Add the shallots, shiitakes, ginger and garlic and saute for 5-7 minutes, stirring once.

2. Add the stock, tamari, sesame oil, fish sauce, maple syrup, Siracha and vinegar.  Bring to a gentle simmer.

3. Strip greens from stem and cut or tear into bite sized pieces.  Add greens and broccoli to pan and braise for about 8 minutes, turning often with tongs until wilted.

4.  To serve, portion into two bowls and garnish with cashews and sliced scallions.

*Dashi recipe

Dashi broth is traditionally made with kombu, a sea vegetable, and bonito flakes.  Bonito flakes are dried, fermented and smoked fish that is shaved into very thin and light pieces.  Both of these ingredients are found in the Asian section of most high end grocery stores.  The broth is simple and fast, acquiring the ingredients is the hardest part!

In a large pot, add 6 cups of filtered water and one-3X3 piece of kombu.  Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of bonito flakes.  Allow to stand for 5 minutes then strain through a fine mesh strainer.

Serves: 2

It may not look too beautiful, but it will make you look beautiful!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon fresh ground flax seeds
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 cup frozen blue berries
1/2 cup yogurt (or 1/2 avocado)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 apple, seeded and chopped
4-5 leaves of kale, stems removed
1 cup water

Directions
1. Blend all ingredients in a blender and enjoy immediately.

Sweet Breakfast Quinoa
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, soaked and rinsed
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup nuts and seeds of your choice
1/2 cup dried fruit of your choice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon ground cinammon
pinch of salt
1/2 can coconut milk

Directions
1. Soak quinoa for at least 15 minutes or up to 6 hours. Rinse well after soaking. In a medium sauce pan, add quinoa and water. Bring to a boil and cook over medium low heat for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

2. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the nuts and seeds and cook over medium heat, stirring a few times until the nuts become fragrant and slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the fruit, maple syrup, orange zest, cinnamon, salt and coconut milk. Stir to combine and heated through.

3. Add the mixture to the quinoa and stir until incorporated. Divide into four portions. Can be made ahead of time and reheated.

Sausage, Chard and Goat Cheese Fritata
Serves: 6

Easy, make ahead breakfast! Use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge!

Ingredients
1/2 pound ground breakfast sausage
8 medium leaves of chard, stems chopped and leaves torn in small pieces
1/2 cup of any other veggies (squash, peppers, onions, etc.)
8 eggs
1 tablespoon water
pinch of salt and pepper
2 ounces goat cheese
coconut oil to grease pan

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium saute pan, add sausage and begin to brown. After a few minutes, pour off excess grease. Add chard stems and saute for a few minutes. Finally add chard leaves and any additional vegetables. Remove from heat.
3. Crack eggs into a large bowl and add water, salt and pepper. Whisk gently.
4. Use a small amount of coconut oil to grease a 6-muffin pan. Divide eggs evenly into muffin pan. Sprinkle sausage and veggies into eggs and finally top with goat cheese.
5. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until eggs start to brown. Remove from pan and serve immediately or store in the frige for an easy, early morning breakfast.

Smoke Salmon Wrap with Cream Cheese, Spinach and Tomato
Serves: 4

Ingredients
4 whole wheat tortillas
4 tablespoons cream cheese
2 tablespoons fresh dill
black pepper
1 package of smoked salmon
handful of spinach or greens of your choice
2 medium tomatoes, sliced thin

Directions
1. Lay out the tortillas and spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese on each tortilla. Sprinkle with dill and a little fresh pepper.
2. Lay a few pieces of salmon on top of the cream cheese and top with spinach and tomato. Wrap up and enjoy.

I did my very first canning last week.  As the owner of a very, very small home, canning has never been appealing.  Where do I store it all?  I choose to can 4 pints of pickles and 4 pints of pepperoncinis, a reasonable amount that will fit under the bed!  I also froze some simple tomato sauce.  It was easy and I think I will be doing this every year.  The dehydrator has also been humming along, helping me take care of the giant watermelons I get from the market.  It will be interesting to see how the pickles turn out in about a month.

This is also the time when I start to feel a little tired of being a greenhouse farmer.  The watering, the harvesting, the massive amount of tomatoes!  I think I like the germination and fruiting more than the harvesting.  Sometimes it seems like a bit of chore to make use of the vegetables I spent all summer cultivating.  Todd and I have decided that next year we really only need two tomato plants and five chard plants.  Enough with the big garden, we are going to simplify as we always do.

The cool nights have been so nice!  Having the windows open and listening to the crickets again makes sleep so much more enjoyable.  I love these transitional times, I feel like I can hit the “start over” button all my plans and move forward with new ideas.

Raw Food Community Dinner

Sunday, August 19th at 7:30pm

Prepared by Chef Heather Mitchell
$28 per person / BYOB

For more information or to make reservations please contact me at (614) 738.6263 or hello@naturalchefheather.com

VERY LIMITED SEATING!