At request . . . two more recipes

Earlier in the week when I shared a vegetarian menu with friends, they asked for the recipes so I want to honor that request. I love putting together a vegetarian meal with the challenge of getting in the protein and full range of nutrition. Here’s what I did when my nonmeat-eating friend came to visit.

Nutty Sweet Potato Soup
Green Salad
Swiss Cheese and Onion Quiche
Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Rolls

A few notes: We now have locally-grown hydroponic lettuce available. That’s a first that I’ve found so I mixed it with the beautiful lettuce I’ve been nurturing with the help of my grow light.

Quiche has been a long-time favorite of mine. You’ll find many quiche recipes but the simplest way to make it is to remember the three eggs to two cups of cream (or milk) combination. Par-bake the crust, sprinkle on it whatever cheese, vegetables and meats you want to fill the quiche with and pour over the combo mixed with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and nutmeg. It won’t fail you.

Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Rolls
1 TBSP yeast
¼ c warm water
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 C buttermilk
3 tsp canola or other vegetable oil
1/1/2 tsp salt
1/1/2 tsp baking soda
2 C unbleached white flour
2 C whole wheat flour
Warm buttermilk, oil and salt to approximately 110 degrees. (If you’re new to working with yeast, test with thermometer then feel with your finger to learn what the temperature should feel like. You’ll like not need a thermometer after you learn.) While warming, combine yeast, water and sugar in small bowl.

Pour buttermilk mixture into large bowl. Add almost all of the flours and baking soda. Beat vigorously until very well mixed. Add more flour until dough is relatively firm. Turn onto lightly floured surface, knead a few strokes then cover with a bowl (glass works especially well) for 15 minutes.

Uncover and knead 5 minutes or so until smooth and elastic. Spray two muffin tins to prepare for 24 rolls. Roll piece of dough into walnut size and put two pieces in each tin.

Cover with a damp towel and place in warm place to double for 45 minutes or so. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake risen rolls for 15 – 20 minutes until gold brown.

Although Cole slaw wasn’t included in that meal, I shared it with a friend the next day at lunch. It was a vinegar slaw I made from the fresh, spring cabbage then froze. Here’s that recipe, too.

Mom’s Winter Slaw
3 lbs. shredded cabbage
2 chopped onions
2 chopped green peppers
2 chopped red peppers
1 TBSP salt
1 C vinegar
1 C Water
2 C sugar
2 tsp. celery seed
2 tsp. mustard seed

Mix first four ingredients in large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in large pot and bring to boil. Pour over cabbage mixture. Cool and fill freezer bags.
I like to use small bags so I have lunch-sized servings.

Mother Wind does me a favor

One of the joys of having a greenhouse during winter is stepping inside to be enveloped by sun and warmth as I check on whatever is growing. I planted lettuce in two containers to grow this winter and dug up my flat leaf Italian parsley to repot and continue harvesting. My watering visits to the greenhouse were a highlight of a sunny afternoon.

Were. No longer. Yes, you read right. New Year’s Day brought 40 mile per hour winds that knocked down the green house and blew at the plastic, tearing holes in it. As you can imagine, my lettuce containers also toppled from the shelves, spreading black soil and baby plants all over the fallen greenhouse.

When I returned from church and saw the disaster, I quickly changed clothes and made my way out there to see what I could salvage. The wind continued to whip the fallen plastic around me as I scooped up soil and plants to carry inside. Somehow the parsley plant remained intact so I had to merely carry it indoors.

As for the lettuce, my goddaughter and I spent some of the afternoon carefully repotting it from the one oblong and one round container to three round containers that would fit on the counter under my grow light. Yes, you heard me right. I received a grow light from Santa this year. Since I had been planning to bring in one container of lettuce to grow in the heat and light of the kitchen, Mother Wind did me a little favor by pushing me to repot. The long, oblong container that I had photographed in the greenhouse earlier in the week wouldn’t fit under the two-foot light anyway.

I no longer have a test pot in the greenhouse to see how long it could stand up to the sheltered cold. However, I do have lettuce plants that have decided they want to continue growing. They aren’t quite as beautiful as they were all snug in the greenhouse, but they’re getting there. Perhaps in another month we’ll have fresh salad. In the meantime, I need to look into replacing or repairing the greenhouse cover so it will be ready for my spring seedlings.

Don’t miss out on salad season

Spring is such a wonderful time for salads. Garden leaf lettuces are tender and sweet, an entirely different eating experience than the head lettuce I grew up eating. There are also plenty of other garden goodies to add to your salad. And if it’s a hot day, you can combine these ingredients for a wonderful meal without ever turning on the stove.

Here’s one way to think about creating a spring salad.

Step 1: Choose lettuce, spinach, arugula or a combination. If cutting from your own garden, remember it’s best to cut it in the morning. I sometimes water mine the day before cutting to add to its goodness. When the summer sun begins beating down on it, the lettuce will get bitter so cut it all or cover it.

Step 2: Choose a fruit. I’ve been adding strawberries since they’re in season. Later I’ll try blueberries, apples, peaches, whatever I can find.

Step 3: Add something acidic. I like throwing on Kalamata olives. You might also try capers.

Step 4: Add cheese. This can add another texture to tempt your tongue. I typically use cheddar, Parmesan, feta or goat cheese. I was thrilled to find the delicious Bluegrass Chevre at Marksbury Farm Market.

Step 5: Add more protein. The cheese will give you some protein and staying power, but you can also add tuna, chicken, bacon, whatever you like. I oftentimes only add walnuts or almonds to make it more filling.

Step 6: Top with croutons or another grain if you like. I often skip this step.

Step 7: Finish with your favorite dressing. You can easily make your own or squirt on something you already have.

For this salad, I used a variety of leaf lettuces, strawberries, Colby cheese, walnuts, Kalamata olives and Italian dressing. It was the perfect lunch for a warm day.

Timing the garden

Our spring came later than usual this year in central Kentucky. The beginning of the month was as dry as August and filled with encouraging sunshine. But it only takes a day for clouds, rain and cool winds to reappear and remind us it’s not summer yet. That’s what we have this week.

Gardeners pay attention to the weather because it’s important. The vegetables I have in the ground now are thriving because this is when they like to grow. Lettuce, spinach, arugula, onions, potatoes, beets, peas, cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage are all happily opening their arms to the drizzle and the cool nights. The weather will make them sweet, crisp and filled with flavor. This is their season.

Just last week the warm weather dangled temptation in front of many gardeners, including my husband. “When are you going to plant your tomatoes?” he asked as he eyed the healthy plants I grew from seed. He encouraged me to go ahead and put a few of them in the ground. I declined. In Kentucky it’s never a good idea to put summer crops in the ground until some time in May.

If you’re new to gardening and unsure about the timing of setting our your plants, check with your local agricultural extension office. When I first started gardening, a friend gave me a gardening guide from the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service that included earliest and latest safe planting dates. Just last year I picked up an updated version. It’s invaluable, especially on those tempting days of spring.