From summer garden to your table: local chef shares healthy recipes
Cheers to your health!
In our kitchen today, Audrey Barron of Ezra’s Enlightened Cafe, shares a recipe for a recent class she taught at Ezra’s Café with summer picnics in mind. Audrey says, “When I think of summer picnics, I think of prepared salads like pasta and potato salads. The tricky thing is that many of those items are made with less than favorable dressings and sauces. By that, I mean they often contain low quality dairy, low quality spices and flavorings and are generally just high in calorie.”Chef Audrey’s Sweet Potato Farm Fresh Pasta Salad
I love this recipe because it’s so unique but also something that vegetarians and meat eaters alike will enjoy.
I included tomatoes, carrots and green onion because that happens to be what we have growing at our farm right now. Any veggies you have and love will work!
Sweet potatoes are such an awesome noodle option – they are firm, readily available, high in vitamins and minerals and low calorie.
The sauce is high in protein and immune boosting ingredients.Chef Audrey’s Sweet Potato Farm Fresh Pasta SaladServes approximately 4 people
This pesto uses the amazing goodness of dandelions, a spring treat that aids your body in cleansing your liver of toxins – cheers to a fresh start!Onion & Dill Sauce
- 2 large onions, sliced and browned
- 2 cups cashews
- ¾ cup almond milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- pinch black pepper
- 1/2 cup water
Noodles and such
- 8 cups spiralized sweet potato noodles
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes from the farm
- ½ cup green onion
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
- Dill to garnish
- Hemp seeds to garnish
- To make your sauce, combine all ingredients in your food processor and process until smooth.
- To make your pasta, add your sauce to your noodles and gently mix. Mix in the rest of your ingredients and top with additional hemp and dill. Serve with love J
*** The spiralizer I love is by Paderno World Cuisine ***Chef Audrey’s Summer Harvest Herbal Tea
Serves 1
Inspired by the seasonal offerings of Gaia, I made this tea last night for Sam, Ezra and I. We had corn on the cob ~ the perfect opportunity to make a corn silk tea and receive all that the plant has to offer.
Corn silk tea helps support the heart, lowers cholesterol and and helps the body balance the blood sugars and aids the fatigued person (which both Sam and I are experiencing with two young kiddos)
Basil – not just for the plate! I really have began a love affair with adding fresh basil to my tea cup. The flavor is so fragrant ~ permeating my senses with its essence. It’s also helpful for combatting stress, it’s anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and is high in antioxidants.
Marigold became a favorite of mine last year when I grew it for the first time at the farm. As I learned about how amazing it is, I started drinking marigold tea and adding it to the plates at the cafe. The tea boosts the immune system, calms inflammation and helps lower free radical damage.
- To make your tea, add one marigold flower (check for little buggies first!). You also want to make sure they are from organically grown plants. Pesticides are not something you want in your tea!
- Add a leaf or two of basil and about half of the silk from one corn cob.
- Pour over your hot water and let steep for a few minutes. Once steeped, you can sip and enjoy this sweet and flowery summer herbal tea.
Follow Chef Audrey at @GaiaChef on Instagram for more about her farming adventures, herbal remedies, natural mothering posts and more! You can also follow Ezra’s Café at @ezrasrawcafe for their most recent kitchen creations and farm harvests.
To learn more, visit www.ezrasenlightenedcafe.com.