lemon

Mercado Kitchen: Mediterranean Microgreen Salad

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Mission Community Market in Achadinha Cheese Company, Blog, LifeFood Gardens, Mercado Kitchen, Recipes, Twin Girls Farm, Vendors | 1 Comment

photo 4(3)

Mediterranean Microgreen Salad

Microgreens are a new way to get your daily dose of vitamins, whether they are juiced, added atop salads, or upon a toasted baguette. This week, we’ve highlighted the microgreens in their very own salad. The greens are accompanied with some of our favorite vegetables and fruits, drenched in healthy Omegas, and topped with fresh feta cheese if you like! This salad is best enjoyed outside under the thick sunlight we San Franciscan’s have been enjoying this year! The subtle flavor of the tomatoes and cucumber help add a bit of moisture to the salad, while allowing the full flavor of the microgreens and sprouted beans from Lifefood Gardens to come alive in your mouth. Stop by the market this week from 4-8pm to pick up your own tray of microgreens and jump on the healthy bandwagon.

Ingredients:
Tray of Sunflower microgreens from Lifefood Gardens
1/2 bag of Sprouted beans from Lifefood Gardens
1 Tomato, chopped
1/2 Cucumber, chopped
Juice of 1 Lemon from Twin Girls Farm
Salt, Peppper
Healthy pour of olive oil
Crumbled feta from Achadinha Cheese Co. (Optional, but highly recommended)

Directions:
Acquire either a whole tray or a handful of sunflower microgreens from Lifefood Gardens. Lightly wash the greens and place in a large salad bowl.
Add chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, half a bag of any sprouted beans from Lifefood Gardens, the juice of one lemon, generous amounts of salt and pepper, and a healthy pour of olive oil (we used an olive oil that has been infused with garlic and fresh chilli for a light kick).

We chose to highlight the microgreens in a vegan salad for this recipe, but we think that adding a handful or two of fresh crumbled feta from Achadinha Cheese Co. would be a GREAT addition, helping balance the sweet and tangy flavors of the veggies with a salty, creamy bite of cheese.
Serve immediately or after a few hours when the flavors have infused (even after being coated with olive oil the microgreens hold their firmness for a day or two!).

Mercado Kitchen: Linguine with Zucchini and Mint

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Mission Community Market in Blog, Blue House Farm, Home Made Ravioli, Marla Bakery, Mercado Kitchen, Recipes, Tomatero Farm, Twin Girls Farm | Leave a comment

zucchinimintAs spring begins to move into summer, more and more vegetables and fruits are popping up at Mission Community Market each Thursday. This past week Tomatero Farm introduced the season’s first zucchini and yellow summer squash, while Blue House Farm across the way had bundles of fresh mint… If you’ve never combined zucchini and mint together, this week’s recipe is a must try! The sweetness of the zucchini is highlighted by the mint when sauteed in fresh olive oil. Combined with Home Maid Ravioli‘s fresh pasta, this dish can be served during spring and summer when the temperature rises and our palates crave cool, sweet flavors.

IMGP0556

Linguine with Zucchini and Mint

Ingredients:
4 zucchinis from Tomatero Farm
1 cup of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 bag of fresh pasta from Home Maid Ravioli
3/4 cup fresh mint from Blue House Farm, finely chopped
1 tbs. finely grated fresh lemon zest from lemons at Twin Girls Farm
Juice from 1/2 of the zested lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
First, slice the zucchinis very thin, similar to the shape and size of the linguine you will be combining it with.

Heat the cup of oil in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot, but not smoking. Fry the sliced zucchini in three separate batches, stirring occasionally, until soft, pale, and slightly golden (about 3-4 minutes per batch). Transfer the lightly fried zucchini by a slotted spoon to paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Once all of the zucchini has been fried, add the chopped garlic to the remaining oil and slightly brown to infuse the flavor into the oil. Remove skillet from heat.

Cook pasta in a 6-8 quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain pasta in a colander and transfer to a large, shallow bowl.

Toss pasta with garlic oil, fried zucchini, mint, zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add some of the reserved cooking water to moisten if necessary. Continue to salt to taste. Serve with warmed bread from Marla Bakery.

Mercado Kitchen: Citrus Ginger Cookies

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Mission Community Market in Blog, Mercado Kitchen, Recipes, Twin Girls Farm, Winters Tree Fruit | Leave a comment

GingerCookies

Orange zest and orange glaze add a fresh twist to these delicious ginger cookies. Pick up juicy navel oranges from Twin Girls Farm or mandarin oranges from Winters Fruit Tree to add this seasonal spin to a classic cookie. You can also make a variation substituting lemons for oranges. Try Meyer lemons from Winters Fruit Tree for their sweeter flavor.

Oranges

The addition of citrus doesn’t mean these cookies are light on ginger flavor. Each chewy bite has a zing of ginger from the addition of three types of ginger: ground ginger, fresh grated ginger, and crystallized ginger.

Citrus ginger cookies are perfect for this time of year. Bake up a batch for a cookie swap or to share with friends and coworkers! And in the process fill your kitchen with the warm aroma of ginger, spices, and citrus baking in your oven.

Happy baking!

Citrus Ginger Cookies

Adapted from 101Cookbooks.com

Ingredients:

1/2+ c large-grain sugar (such as organic cane sugar or turbinado)

1 naval orange or 2 mandarin oranges or 2 Meyer lemons

2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 t allspice
1/2 t salt
1/4 t white pepper
2 t ground ginger

1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 c unsulphured molasses
2/3 c sugar
1 T plus 1 t fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 large egg, well beaten
1/2 c crystallized ginger, minced

1/2 c powdered sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Zest the orange(s) or lemons to yield a heaping tablespoon of zest. Juice the fruit and reserve 2 tablespoons of the juice for making the glaze. Save the remaining juice for another use.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, salt, white pepper, and ground ginger in a large bowl.

Heat the butter in a saucepan until just barely melted. Stir in the molasses, sugar, and fresh ginger. If the mixture is hot to touch, let it cool until it is lukewarm. Whisk in the egg and pour the mixture over the flour mixture. Add the crystallized ginger and orange or lemon zest. Stir until just combined. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Scoop a heaping teaspoon of dough and roll into a ball, then coat in large-grain sugar. Place sugar coated dough balls a few inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies puff up, get fragrant and crack. Cool on a wire rack.

Prepare the glaze by whisking together powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons orange or lemon juice. Dip cooled cookie tops in the glaze or use a pastry brush to apply the glaze. Sprinkle with more large-grain sugar.

Store in an airtight container. Makes about 45 cookies.