Arugula, Orange, & Fennel Salad with a Citrus Vinaigrette

Spicy arugula paired with thinly-sliced fennel and juicy orange segments makes for a light and delicately-flavored salad perfect for our transition into late spring. For a more robust dressing, I suggest replacing 1 tablespoon of citrus juice with equal parts apple cider vinegar.


Arugula, Orange, and Fennel Salad 
with a Citrus Vinaigrette
Makes about 2 servings

Ingredients:
1 bunch arugula, washed and trimmed (about 6 cups)
1/2 small bulb of fennel, thinly-sliced (about 1/2 cup)
2 oranges, for juice (2 tbsp), zest (1/2 tsp, grated), and orange segments
1 tbsp honey
1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp fresh mint, finely-chopped (optional)
salt to taste
shaved Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

To make the dressing, whisk together the orange juice and zest, honey, lemon juice, oil, mint (if using), and salt until well incorporated.

Place arugula in a large bowl, followed by the orange segments and fennel pieces. Drizzle with dressing and toss. Sprinkle with cheese, if using. Serve immediately.


Rebekah

Image by Rebekah Carter (2012).

French Lentil Salad

I am a girl on the go. Between grad school, part-time jobs, and the return of gardening season, only so much of my day can be dedicated to the many, ever-changing culinary adventures I dream up. So when it comes to actually getting in the kitchen and cooking, I often try to develop healthful recipes yielding meals that can be eaten now, later, or several days or weeks from their initial preparation.

This fabulous vegetarian lentil salad, featuring raisins, walnuts, feta, and fresh mint, certainly fits the bill and is loaded with flavor and nutrients. Pair it with some sauteed greens and whole wheat pita bread, brown rice, or roasted winter squash and you've got yourself one tasty meal.

French Lentil Salad
Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked French lentils (can substitute black lentils, pictured above)
• 2 cups water
• 1/3 cup raisins, chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 6 scallions or 1 small spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup mint, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

To toast the walnuts: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F; toast walnuts until fragrant, about 10 minutes (they should not brown much or at all).

In a small pot, combine the lentils and water and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer the lentils until tender (not mushy!), or for about 20-25 minutes. Add the raisins and let simmer another minute or two. If there is excess water remaining in the pot, drain the lentils in a fine mesh sieve.

In a bowl, combine the lentil-raisin mixture with the walnuts, scallion or onion, olive oil, and lemon juice and gently toss; add the feta and mint just prior to serving, toss, and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.


Rebekah

Image by Rebekah Carter (2012). Recipe adapted from Didi Emmons' Entertaining for a Veggie Planet.

Classic Marmalade

'Tis the season for quality citrus. Let the distinctive aroma and taste of oranges, lemons, and grapefruits in the form of homemade marmalade whisk you away from the cold, dark days of winter in New England to memories of warmer seasons and places. The following recipe, which utilizes the whole fruit (pith, membrane, and seeds are added for the natural pectin they yield when boiled), makes for a sweet and slightly bitter preserve to spread on bread and other baked goods, stir into plain yogurt, or brush on pork, poultry, or fish as a glaze.

Classic Marmalade
Makes about 7 half-pints

4.5 lbs of citrus fruit*, whole (I used only navel oranges)
6 cups sugar
4 cups zest poaching liquid
*Should yield roughly 2.5 cups zest and 4+ cups flesh

Instructions:

Wash/scrub all fruit. Using a paring knife or vegetable peeler, remove zest from fruit, leaving as much pith on the fruit as possible. Cut the zest into thin slices, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick; longer zest "ribbons" may need to be cut in half as well. In a medium-sized pot, add zest ribbons to 6 cups of cold water; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, separate the fruit from the pith, seeds, and membrane (watch this 48-second tutorial to see how the pros do it) into two bowls. Bundle the pith, seeds, and membranes in cheesecloth, tying off tightly to ensure no pieces escape.

Drain the zest, reserving 4 cups of poaching liquid in a large, non-reactive pot (stainless steel or enameled cast iron work well). Add poached zest, raw fruit, sugar, and the cheesecloth bundle to the pot and bring to a boil; cook vigorously until the marmalade reaches and sustains 220 degrees F for at least a minute (takes about 30-45 minutes). Remove the pot from heat and gently stir for a minute to help evenly distribute the zest throughout the marmalade.

Fill sterilized jars and process for five minutes in a boiling water bath canner for shelf-stability.


Rebekah

Image by Rebekah Carter (2012). Marmalade recipe adapted from Food in Jars.

Not-Your-Mama's Zucchini Bread

The recent heatwave we experienced in the Northeast resulted in a whole lot of cucurbit growth in the garden, leaving us with several arm's length zukes to pick. While I usually cook up something savory with the smaller guys, the gigantic ones typically meet my grater and get baked up into a sweet bread or batch of muffins. Like many, I've tried boat loads of zucchini bread recipes; I usually end up doing something quite traditional with spices, raisins, and nuts, and sometimes I switch it up with a chocolate loaf, which I highly recommend trying if you've never gone that route! But I stumbled upon this unique recipe for a lemony loaf and couldn't resist trying it out, especially because it featured whole wheat flour and maple syrup instead of refined white flour and sugar. Super moist and packed with refreshing lemon flavor, this recipe is well-suited for the sunshine-filled days of summer.

Not-Your-Mama's
Zucchini Bread
makes 2 9-inch loaf pans or 24 muffins

Ingredients:
(slight alterations marked with *)

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup walnut oil*
• 1 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• Zest and juice of one lemon
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (worked nicely with 100% stone ground)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
• 3 (packed) cups shredded zucchini
  
• Walnuts, chopped (optional)*
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F for bread or 375 degrees F for muffins. Beat eggs, butter, oil, syrup, zest and juice together. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet, just enough to incorporate; fold in the zucchini. Pour the batter into loaf pans or muffin cups. Sprinkle with walnuts, if desired. Bake bread for about an hour and 20-25 minutes for muffins or until a tester comes out clean.

My Two Cents (and an update):

Three cups of zucchini shredded off of a really big zuke like I had is quite moist; I suggest oh-so-gently pressing or squeezing the shredded zucchini just before you fold it into the batter in order to remove some (but certainly not all) of its water. If the zucchini you are using is small or medium-sized, you will likely want to keep all of its moisture. I love the bright citrus flavor of this bread, and hope that orange zest/juice and poppy seeds will make a delicious sister to this particular recipe. I also made this bread without butter, using all walnut oil, and the muffins are just as scrumptious. It has been suggested in my household that piping raspberry or blueberry jam into the center of the muffins would really put this recipe over the top, and I would have to agree! Sounds like an excellent hand-held dessert for a summertime party.

UPDATE on 8/7/2011: Since I suggested trying out chocolate zucchini bread if you had never done so, here are some slight adjustments to the above recipe that will give you a batch of yummy chocolate bread or muffins.

• Nix the lemon zest and juice (though chocolate-orange bread sounds pretty good...)
• Use 2 cups flour and 1 cup cocoa powder
• Use 1 1/2 cups maple syrup
  
• Add 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Add 1+ cup chocolate chips if you want a double-chocolate bread
  
• Sprinkle with chopped almonds or walnuts (optional)
  

Rebekah

Images by Rebekah Carter (2011). Recipe from Lemonbasil.