Holy Zucchini!

I have had to come up with some unique and different ways to use up all the zucchini’s growing in my garden this year. I have never had so many zucchini’s in my life! I have to admit, I wasn’t a fan of zucchini years back, it didn’t do all the much for me as a vegetable. I found it bland and boring. But over the years I have grown to appreciate it’s versatility in many recipes. Whether I want to grill it, steam it, grate it, shred it, spiralize it or puree it, zucchini has become anything but boring, but rather a fun addition to my kitchen repertoire.

So, there I was a week ago in my kitchen, in the middle of making a huge feast for dinner tonight with some friends– and realized I didn’t have a dip. What is a gathering without a dip? So this is where one of my million zucchini’s has made it’s way into the evenings meal. I chopped it up, blended it with some fresh ingredients – and what came  out is a creamy – herbed dip that was just simple so simple to make and tastes so fresh. It is nice to know that I don’t always have to throw some beans into a dip to bulk it up! I was super excited to serve this dip  alongside some sprouted crackers, veggies or even topped on the quinoa tabule as a sauce. It is that good! This recipe made quite a bit, so I got the chance to use it for many days after on veggie burgers, as a salad dressing and drizzled on top of steamed greens and grains! The limits are endless with this dip. So if you’ve got zucchini’s, give this one a whirl!

The Raw Ingredients!

All Chopped Up!

In the food processor it goes…

Blend # 1

Blend # 2

And Voila!

Creamy Zucchini Dip

1 large or two medium sized zucchini’s

½ cup pure tahini

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

¼ cup raw sesame seeds

¼ tsp sea salt

Cumin to taste

1.     Chop up zucchini and gather all the ingredients, and set aside.

2.     Place all ingredients in bowl of a food processor and blend until well combined.

3.     If it’s not “creamy” enough for you, pour it into a blender and whirl on high for a few minutes. It should come out like a creamy and thick salad dressing.

My Growing Garden!

If you have been reading my blog for over a year then you would remember that I have a garden. Last year was the first year that I had a full edible garden with all the fixings…it was great. The growing beauties in my garden made for amazing local produce in my cooking classes and supplied greens for my morning green juices everyday (all the way until December – can you believe it!). But this year my garden is going to be bigger and better (literally)! I am so excited that I want to share this experience with you – from it’s very early sprouting stages…right now – all they way until its full growth! So right now I have all kinds of goodies germinating and starting to grow – along with a barrier or garlic to protect my little green babies from rabbits, squirrels etc… at least that is what the gardener said – let’s hope it works. I am going to have a full yield most likely starting the end of April – so if you are lucky enough to be attending one of my DELICIOUS COOKING CLASSES this spring and summer- you will have the honour of tasting veggies right from the source! Planted and sprouting so far is radishes, arugula, Swiss chard, parsley, kale, collards, carrots and at least 3 different kinds of lettuce. There is more, I know there is! Of course there is also more to be planted at different stages throughout the season…looking forward to that!

I also have a compost system going in place, so that all the goodies from my organic waste in my kitchen can be recycled right back into the earth as it makes new soil for growing seasons to come. Very exciting!

I can’t emphasize how exciting it is to see growth in my backyard! To be able to harvest and use greens and veggies right away – there is no comparison! I wish I had the knowledge of how to do this myself but luckily I am getting some help. That way  hopefully at some point, I will have an understanding of how to do it myself…but for now – I love having the help and the education and I will just need to stick to what I do best – using the veggies from my garden in delicious and nutritious recipes!

April 12th/2010 – Stage 1

Little sprouts of arugula and parsley starting in a mini greenhouse!

Arugula, garlic shoots, and chard starting to pop up

Newest addition to the garden – for more yield to maximize sunlight!

Most herbs will be here, basil, dill, rosemary, thyme

JUNE 2010 UPDATE ON MY GARDEN!!!

Look whats growing….so exciting!

All my herbs and extra lettuce!

New Garden Bed with Lettuce, Cucumber, Kale, Chard, Peas and Stevia

Strawberry Bush

The Main Garden – Zucchini, Lettuces, Kale, Chard, Beets, Cabbage Leaves

I LOVE Golden Beets!

Minty Greens!

Please let me know if you have a garden or compost!

What are you growing?

What do you love to make, cook, prepare with your organic veggies?

Garden of Eatin’

There really is nothing better than produce shopping in your own backyard!

I have always been able to maintain a simple garden consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, kale and green beans. By maintain, I mean drop the seeds and hope for the best! This year I decided to take it to the next level. Because I have a the farthest thing from a green thumb, I had to hire in help for this task, an organic farmer. He came at the beginning of the season to get my soil turned over with organic goodness and now he comes by to plant things in their proper places – because now I know there is a proper place for every little seedling and they can’t just go anywhere.

I am also learning that there is a timeline involved with everything, and that all things will grow in cycles. I am also learning that little critters, bugs and animals like to feast on my organic buffet in the backyard – I guess it’s because it all just tastes so good! But honestly it’s not fair that they get to dive in before I do – and they usually eat the best parts! But there are ways around this – like building a mesh mini green house to keep the animals away. As for the little critters, cayenne pepper in a water bottle seems to help a bit. However, I am open to more suggestions, if you know of some other ways I can get the bugs off my chard, kale and lettuce – please let me know and leave a comment!!

So far this season I have been seduced with radishes, spinach and some other greens (which I am going to have all season) this includes everything from salad greens to kale, chard, collards, broccoli and arugula. I also have some berry bushes planted that will yield strawberries, blueberries, cranberries and blackberries. In the later part of the summer I will have carrots, beets, fennel onions – I will take more pictures at that time. I also have a beautiful little box of fresh herbs like oregano, lavender, sage, thyme and rosemary.

So if you are considering having your own garden please go through with it, hire some help or at the very least just get some seeds or herb plants and plant them yourself. You can usually get a hold of this stuff at your local farmers market. There is nothing better than walking out to your own “garden of eatin’ and picking your own produce.

Having my own organic garden has made my weekly produce shopping extremely easy. It also provides me with enough veggies for my morning juice – without any worry that I am running out of greens. But the best part is that I get to use some of this wonderful organic and very local produce in my cooking classes. The participants really enjoy this as there is nothing better than eating salad that is picked that same day. If you want to experience this, then you are just going to have to come to a class to find out!

Veggie Delight Salad

2-3 handfuls fresh arugula, baby greens or spinach
4 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 carrots, shredded
1/4 of a beet, shredded
2 tablespoons hemp seeds

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil or Vega’s EFA Oil Blend
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2-3 tablespoons agave nectar
1 heaping tablespoon dijon mustard
fresh herbs
salt and pepper to taste