Recipes

Serves 4 (Serving size: about 1 3/4 cups)

2 heads escarole, quartered lengthwise and rinsed
oil
2 ounces pancetta, chopped (optional)
1-2 medium summer squash, quartered and cut into thin strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley
1 (15 oz.) can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1. Heat some oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add escarole and cook 3 minutes or until wilted, turning frequently. Trim white stem ends from each escarole quarter; roughly chop.

2. Wipe pan with a paper towel. Return to medium-high heat. Coat pan with a little more oil. Add pancetta (if using), summer squash, and garlic; cook 2 minutes or until squash is tender. Combine escarole, squash mixture, parsley, and beans in a large bowl. Add vinegar and remaining ingredients, toss well to coat. Serve immediately.

The slightly sweet nature of fennel pairs well with radicchio’s mild bitterness. The lemony olive oil vinaigrette and herbs keep the salad vibrant.

Makes 2 large servings

2 Tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. lemon juice
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 c. pitted kalamata olives,
1 medium fennel bulb
1 radicchio, leaves torn into small pieces
1/4 c. basil leaves, torn, if large
1 Tbs. chopped chives (optional)

1. Whisk together mustard, lemon juice, and 1/8 tsp. pepper in a large bowl until well blended.

2. Trim the fennel bulb and remove tough outer layer. Halve the bulb lengthwise, then thinly slice (can use a mandoline for super thin slices).

3. Add fennel, radicchio, basil, and chives to vinaigrette in a bowl and gently toss until evenly coated. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Makes 12 tarts

2 tsp. coconut oil, melted, plus more for pan
2 c. pecans, walnuts, or almonds
5 Tbs. agave syrup, honey, or maple syrup, divided
2 Tbs. flour of choice
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (you can use 1 tsp. vanilla extract if you don’t have a vanilla bean, but if you can it is worth getting a bean… sooo delicious!)

1. Lightly brush 12 muffins cups with coconut oil. Set aside. Pulse nuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add the sweetener, flour, ginger, salt, and 2 tsp. coconut oil. Process until coarse dough forms. Gather into a ball. Press 1 heaping Tbs. dough firmly into bottom and up sides of each muffin cup. Chill for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake crusts until firm and golden around the edges, 8-10 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before removing. DO AHEAD: can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

3. Place strawberries, lemon juice, and remaining 2 Tbs. sweetener in a medium bowl; scrape in vanilla-bean seeds (if using, and save the bean!) or add the vanilla extract. Stir well, crushing a few berries to release their juices.

4. Using a spatula or butter knife, remove tart shells from pan and fill with scoops of strawberry mixture. Serve immediately.

Serves 8

for crust (makes one 10-inch crust):
2 Tbs. butter plus 1 Tbs. olive oil
1 bunch chard, stems and leaves finely chopped
1/2 c. oat flour plus 1/2 c. rice flour (or use 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 tsp. sesame salt or sea salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
for filling:
1 c. sliced red onions (or 1/2 C onion, 1/2 C green garlic)
2 Tbs. butter plus 1 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 c. grated cheese of choice
1 1/2 c. cottage cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp. white pepper
nutmeg (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Saute chopped chard in butter and olive oil until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add flour, salt and nutmeg.

3. Pat mixture into the bottom of an oiled pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes to set, then allow to cool.

4. Saute onions (or onions/garlic) in butter and olive oil until aromatic. Add carrots, reduce heat, cover and cook until carrots are just tender.

5. In a large bowl, beat egg and combine with cheese, cottage cheese and white pepper. Add carrot mixture, stir to combine, then transfer to prepared crust and bake 15 minutes at 375 degrees, then reduce temperature to 350 and bake 30 minutes more. Serve warm or room temperature.

A member who prefers to remain anonymous sent me these great suggestions. He, his wife and two children manage to consume TWO shares a week, so I know they know what to do with greens!

We eat mizuna in many ways, but here are just a few:

As a salad. Toss mizuna with whatever other salad goodies you like. Any and all.  Here’s one way I like to go: I’ll take orange slices, roasted cashews, and cubed jicama and toss them together into a kind of salsa, with a home made orange-honey dressing. We serve a pile of Mizuna (with or without other goodies) and spoon helpings of the above “relish” on top and chow down! The orange-honey dressing is simply frozen orange juice concentrate thinned with just enough water (or olive oil or any liquid, incl. wine) to reach a desired consistency, then combined with a little honey. I have no precise measurements; all done by tastes. You adjust and add as you wish.

Stir-Fry. This is wonderful with green garlic.  Divide green garlic into two parts: the green top and the lower half including the bulb. Slice the bulb portion and slice the green top portion. Heat a pan to cooking temperature, add oil, then quickly add in sliced bulb portion and let it sear for 5-7 seconds or so, or until the garlic aroma hits the nose, then add in the green top portion and stir a bit and cover. Let sit for 10 seconds or so, then add Mizuna and start tossing until it just begins to go limp (not until wilted). Cover for 10 more seconds or so and serve. Basically it’s a quick hot-tossed Mizuna with garlic.  The green garlic tops take longer to cook than the mizuna, so add it to the pan first. The desirable texture is ‘just-cooked mizuna’, not ‘dead and wilted mizuna’… with sparkingly garlicky flavors.

Other methods. We like using fresh Mizuna as a bed for cooked goodies. The fresh greens counter-balance the cooked and seasoned flavors of the goodies on top: Stir-fry sliced beef in various sauces and pour on top of a bed of fresh Mizuna (sliced to bite size) to serve. Curry stewed vegetables or meat on top of Mizuna, or braised tofu or braised shitake on top of Mizuna. Be creative!

In the end, I just cook with whatever is on hand and make the best of it, so it is hard to provide measurements. Sometimes I cannot repeat what everyone likes because the ingredients are gone or proportions are forgotten! 🙂

Here’s an undated Bon Appetit recipe I modified to use mizuna (it just says ‘greens’ and mentions mustard greens, so since mizuna is a mustard green, I think it will be just fine!)

Penne with Greens [Mizuna], Olives, and Feta
serves 4 to 6

“Greens are paired with salty olives and feta – to great effect. The greens cook in the pasta water, making this an efficient one-pot meal.”

¼ C chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large bunch of greens (such as spinach, mustard greens, kale, or broccoli rabe; about 1 lb.), stems removed (except for spinach), torn up
12 oz. penne pasta
5 tbsp. olive oil, divided
½ C coarsely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
½ C crumbled feta cheese (about 3 oz.)

Mix parsley, lemon peel and garlic in small bowl; set aside.

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add greens and cook just until tender, 1 to 6 minutes, depending on type of greens [the mizuna would be a minute or less!! Probably more like 30 seconds or so]. Using skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer greens to colander to drain. Return water to boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving ¾ C pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot; add greens and 3 tbsp. oil and toss. Stir in olives, feta, and enough reserved pasta cooking water by ¼ cupfuls to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Drizzle with remaining 2 tbsp. oil, then sprinkle with parsley mixture and serve.