Moua’s Farm

Mercado Kitchen: Valentina’s Veggie Medley

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Mission Community Market in Blog, Blue House Farm, Far West Fungi, Mercado Kitchen, Moua's Farm, Recipes | Leave a comment

We often think that the Winter months bring us a lack of variety in the kitchen. How do we make our meals fun and interesting and into something delectable we want to eat? The answer is simple. Vegetables.

California’s bounty is incomparable and not to be taken for granted. From a variety of greens to colorful root vegetables, we still have a lot of produce options before spring rolls around. Don’t get discouraged. Focus on finding amazing fresh ingredients (found at your local farmers’ market) and the meal practically makes itself. Here is a veggie medley inspiration for you. Modify as you like!

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This meal was made in 3 parts. Makes 3-5 servings, depending on how hungry you are!

Prep Time: 30 mins. Cook Time: 1 hour.

Root Medley

  • 1 Bunch Golden Beets
  • 1 Bunch Red Beets
  • 1 Bunch Carrots
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt + Pepper
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Lemon Zest

Cut off Beet greens and put aside for Sautée (later). Cube beets and carrots to similar size. Mix in bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest. Spread evenly on cooking sheet. Bake in Oven at 365° F for 45-50 mins.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

  • 3-4 Cups of Brussel Spouts
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt + Pepper
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Lemon Zest
  • 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast or Parmesan Cheese

Clean and chop Brussel sprouts in half, if desired. I find it absorbs more flavor when they are chopped in half but usually just chop the bigger brussels. Mix in bowl with olive oil, salt, peeper, red pepper flakes and lemon zest. Spread evenly in cooking pan. Sprinkle nutritional yeast/ parmesan cheese on top. Cover in aluminum foil and poke a few holes in foil for ventilation. Cook covered in oven at 365°F for 30 mins. Uncover, stir it up a bit and cook for another 30 mins! Yum.

Beet Green Sautée

  • Beet Greens from your 2 Bunches of Beets
  • 1/2 Cup Pine Nuts (Or Walnuts)
  • 1-2 Cups of Shitake Mushrooms
  • 1 Medium Onion
  • 3 Cloves Garlic
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt + Pepper

Sautée can be done while everything else bakes! Yay for time-saving.

Chop up onion and garlic and start the sautée with Olive oil on Medium heat. Add Shitake Mushrooms and pine nuts and let cook about 5-7 minutes. Chop up beet greens and add to your sautée. They cook down a lot! Add your salt, pepper and other herbs you like to taste! Cook ’til beet greens have cooked down a bit but are not soggy (about 5-8 minutes more).

Now that you have your three components, add them in equal parts on top of rice or lentils. And enjoy! 

 

 

Mercado Kitchen: Traditional Gazpacho

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Jeremy in Blog, Blue House Farm, Happy Boy Farms, Mercado Kitchen, Moua's Farm, Recipes | Leave a comment

Surprise! I have another tomato-based recipe for you! Gotta take advantage of the season while you can; am I right?

Gazpacho is a cold soup made of raw fruits and vegetables originating from Spain. This recipe is very close to my heart because I got it from my wonderful Catalan host family when I traveled to Barcelona a few years ago. It’s a staple in Spain, so much so that I’ve spotted people drinking canned gazpacho on the subway many times during the hot summer months.

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It’s such an easy dish and can be made ahead of time – in fact, it’s even better the next day. Take it to work in a Mason jar or sip on it at your weekend picnic.

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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ripe tomatoes (about 10-12 medium tomatoes)
  • 1/2 small green bell pepper (you can use Anaheim pepper if you want to add a little kick to it)
  • 1/2 small cucumber
  • 1/2 small onion
  • 1 tbsp salt (or to taste)
  • 1 ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 4.4 oz extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1/4 cup of water (more, if need to adjust consistency)
  • 1 clove of garlic

Directions

  1. Peel cucumber.
  2. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend for 2 ½ minutes.
  3. Strain through a sieve and add more water if you need to thin it out.
  4. Serve cold.

Mercado Kitchen: Bruschetta

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Jeremy in Blog, Blue House Farm, Marla Bakery, Mercado Kitchen, Moua's Farm, Recipes, Tomatero Farm | Leave a comment

I am admittedly a tomato fanatic and I can honestly say that there are very few things that I look forward to more about summer than ripe tomatoes. Every week I fill my basket with at least a couple pounds of beautifully colored, sweet, juicy tomatoes. But even so, they only last a few days in my household. I just can’t help myself.

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Today I’m going to share my go-to bruschetta recipe which is one of my favorite tomato recipes. If you have seen the movie Julie & Julia, you might remember that one of the many mouthwatering cooking scenes involves Julie preparing this dish – which is what gave me the inspiration to make it the first time.

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The more colorful tomatoes you use the better. I also like to add some cherry tomatoes in order to have a variety of textures.

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While you could just stick the bread slices in the toaster, toasting them on butter puts this dish over the top.
DSC04949This is a very quick and easy recipe and I hope you’ll give it a try!

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This recipe was adapted from The Pioneer Woman‘s website:

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
  • 5 heirloom tomatoes, diced
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 16 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 baguette/ciabatta
  • 3-4 tablespoons Butter

Preparation

In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir, lightly frying for about a minute, removing before the garlic gets too brown. Pour into a mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.

Add tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Toss to combine, taste and adjust basil and salt to your liking.

Cut the baguette into diagonal slices to allow for the most surface area possible. Melt the butter in a large skillet with 2 teaspoons of olive oil to prevent the butter from burning. Grill the bread on both sides, making sure they’re nice and buttery. Cook till golden brown on both sides.

To serve, give the tomato mixture a final stir and spoon generously over the slices of bread. While this dish works wonderfully as an appetizer, I often make it the main course of my meal. Happy cooking!

Mercado Kitchen: Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Jeremy in Blog, Blue House Farm, Happy Boy Farms, Mercado Kitchen, Moua's Farm, Recipes, Shoup Farms, Tomatero Farm | Leave a comment

This super easy and quick recipe can be summed up in one word: summer. As you have probably already guessed from the title, the main cast in this colorful salad are tomatoes, corn, and avocado.

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Tomatoes are at their peak season which means each bite is packed with a wonderfully delicious harmony of flavors from sweet to tangy. You could use frozen corn in this recipe, but why not take advantage of the fresh corn available at markets right now. Plus, they are quicker to prepare than you’d think (see below). Then there’s the creamy, melt-in-your-mouth avocado which adds an extra layer of deliciousness to this crowd pleasing dish. And finally, it’s all tossed in a lime and cilantro dressing for a bright and summer infused dish. Need I say more?

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You can pick up all the main ingredients from some of your favorite vendors at Mission Mercado and you likely already have the rest in your kitchen.

It’s a fail-proof recipe that’s a perfect addition to a picnic in the park, a potluck with friends or a quick weeknight dinner. Pair it with a fresh baguette or some grilled chicken and you got yourself a delicious and healthy treat.

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Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 ears of fresh corn (or 2 cups frozen corn)
  • 1 avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup finely diced red onion

Dressing

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  1. Clean corn and place into a pot with enough water to cover. Once the water starts boiling, turn the heat down to medium and cook for 10 minutes. When done cooking, I also like to stick them in the oven and broil them for about 5 minutes, turning them every now and again to develop an even toasted color. Once they’re cooled, cut the kernels off the cob.
  2. Combine the corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion in a large bowl. Mix together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad. Gently toss to mix and, if you can wait, chill for an hour to let the flavors blend.
  3. Enjoy all the compliments!