Farmer Friday: Fennel and Celery Salad

So this Farmer Friday is actually not from my bag, but from my friends. :) She was wondering what to do with her fennel bulbs and I remembered this great recipe that I use every spring. I love the liquorice taste of fennel with the balance of lemon. Super tasty and fresh. I actually like to put this on top of a bed of arugula and top it with my favorite dressing. 

Fennel and Celery Salad

Ingredients:

2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed, some fronds reserved

3 celery ribs, trimmed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, more to taste

Salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste

Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.

Cut fennel bulbs in quarters lengthwise, discarding outer layer if it is exceedingly tough. Use a mandoline to slice quarters thinly; slice celery equally thin. Put sliced fennel and celery into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently to combine. Top with lots of freshly shaved Parmesan and chopped fennel fronds if you like.

Most entertaining blog... ever.

Thug kitchen. Hilarious. Informative. My kinda blog. Check it.

Farmer Friday: Paleo Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

I've gotten the most delicious strawberries in my produce box the last few weeks and was lucky enough to score some stalks of rhubarb as well last week! My Dad's favorite is a strawberry rhubarb pie so I thought I'd make us a paleo crumble instead. (Apologies to my Dad for telling him I made him a crumble and then eating the whole thing before he got to have any. Whoops!) Either way, it was pretty dang good.

 Ingredients: (topping)

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 Tbsp raw honey
1 cup almond meal
1 cup shredded coconut
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp of coconut sugar
1 cup of slivered almonds

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients using your fingers squish together into clumps and set aside.

(filling)
3-4 cups of rhubarb, rough ends trimmed, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups ripe strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon

 

Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Pour into a 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the crumble over the fruit and bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the crumble is golden brown. Remove from the over and allow to rest for a least 10 minutes before serving.

The original recipe calls for cornstarch, which would make the fruit a bit thicker and hold together well, but in an effort to keep the recipe simple and pure, I omitted it. All in all, this turned out to be different in texture then most crumbles but a delicious paleo alternative to the spring dessert. Enjoy!

Got raw milk?

“Milk does the body good”... but only if it has the same beneficial bacteria as breast milk. Not willing to hook up to the teat for the best nutrition? You don't have to. Milk does the body good--if it’s raw (unpasteurized).

Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures raw milk dairy in California, lectured at the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation recently. Mark is one of the largest organic, raw dairy producers, is pre-med trained, an educator for various health departments, and has lectured at Stanford Medical School, Rutgers and several other institutions. He educates farmers, consumers, legislators and government officials about the safety and nutritional benefits of raw dairy products.

I just watched this video and, although long (1:32), it was incredibly informative and inspiring. If you don't know much about raw milk, I would recommend watching any of the videos on this topic from the Price Pottenger Nutritional Foundation.

Click here to watch the video.