PYO Meal Series: Garlicky Green Bean Salad

For our next Pick Your Own (PYO) meal, we are featuring The Garlicky Green Bean Salad. Summer is the season of salads. If you like garlic, and aren’t sure what to do with green beans,  this salad will not disappoint. It has the best balance of flavours, a satisfying crunch, and is incredibly easy to throw together. This is a really good make-ahead salad as it gets even more delicious the next day. We love this salad on its own but it would pair well with fish or chicken! 

Please tag us on Instagram (@thamesrivermelons) if you try this recipe!  

The giant green beans!

Recipe

*Serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 lbs Thames River Melons beans 

1 cup parmesan cheese 

1 cup of pistachios (or sub slivered almonds), shelled and chopped

For the Dressing

⅓ cup of olive oil 

Salt and pepper

1 lemon, juiced and zested

6 cloves Thames River Melons garlic 

1 tsp Thames River Melon Blossom honey 

Here is what you will need!

Instructions

1. Trim and wash green beans. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Blanch beans for 3 minutes by submerging them in the boiling water. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and water. Use tongs to transfer the blanched beans into the ice bath to stop them from cooking. Once cool, drain, pat dry, and place in the fridge to stay cool while the rest of ingredients are prepared.

3. Make the dressing: combine olive oil, the zest of one whole lemon (zest before cutting), juice from one whole lemon, 6 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp TRM honey, salt and pepper. Shake well.

4. In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of chopped pistachio (or sub slivered almonds),  1 cup of grated parmesan cheese, and top with pepper. 

5. Toss beans and dressing together in a large bowl so that beans are well coated, then slowly add the parmesan and nut mixture and toss well.

Serve up cold! This makes a perfect side dish.

Garlicky Green Bean Salad

Cost 

PYO beans are $3/lb. 2 lbs of green beans are needed for this salad. 

Therefore, the total cost of PYO vegetables for this salad was $6.  

Nutritional Density

* Please note these amounts are based on 6 servings. If you want smaller portions or to get more servings per batch, divide by the amount of servings you decide to make, to get the correct amounts of fibre and protein. 

Storage

This salad will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 4 days. However, it’s important to note that the beans will not maintain their bright green colour for more than 1-2 days. 

The dressing will keep for 5-7 days in an airtight container in the fridge.


Modifications

This recipe may be modified to suit your needs. If you have tree nut allergies or want to make this salad for a back-to-school meal, you may roast pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. 


Recipe inspired by Molly Baz, developed and photographed by dietetic interns Lise Wolyniuk and Lexie Nobbs and reviewed by Alex Chesney, RD


Reference:

Health Canada. (2023). Canadian Nutrient File. Government of Canada. Retrieved August 12, 2024, from https://food-nutrition.canada.ca/cnf-fce/newSearch

PYO Meal Series: Raisin and Sunflower Seed Eggplant Salad

We are featuring our eighth Pick Your Own (PYO) meal, Raisin and Sunflower Eggplant Salad. Yes, you heard it here, our eggplant plants are full of fruit ready to be harvested. What to do with eggplant you ask?... make a delicious salad! Eggplant has a mild flavour that pairs well with bold flavours like bitter pickled onions (an easy how-to-pickle guide is within the recipe instructions of this post). However, the toasted fruit and seeds and fig dressing add a sweet and savoury flavour that pairs perfectly with the pickled onions.

The balance of flavours and nutrients are some of the many highlights of this salad. Not only will you be satisfied with this salad, but it may inspire you to get out of your comfort zone and experience new flavours. 

Please tag us on Instagram (@thamesrivermelons) if you try this recipe!

So much flavour, a must try!

Recipe

*Serves 4-6 

Ingredients

~8 small (2 lbs) Thames River Melons eggplant 

1 cup Thames River Melons herbs (basil and sage)

½ cup feta cheese (I used goats feta, but you may also use goat cheese) 

Toasted Fruit and Seeds 

½ cup of raisins (can substitute for currants or cranberries)

½ cup of sunflower seeds (can substitute for pumpkin seeds or use a nut such as walnuts)

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp Thames River Melons Melon Blossom Honey or maple syrup 

2 dashes of cinnamon 

Dressing 

2 tbsp fig jam 

1 tbsp Thames River Melons Melon Blossom Honey

⅓ cup olive oil 

1 lemon, juiced

Pickled Onion 

1 medium Thames River Melons sweet onion

¾ cup of apple cider vinegar 

¼ cup water

½  tsp salt

1 tsp Thames River Melons Melon Blossom Honey 

Here is what you will need!

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Wash the eggplant, then cut into quarter or 1/8th  wedges (depending on the size of the eggplant). Place the  wedges skin side up on a baking sheet, pour olive oil over them and season with salt. Place in the oven and set a timer for 10 minutes.

Eggplant wedges!

3. While the eggplants are in the oven, make the pickled onion brine:  in a small pot on high heat bring the apple cider vinegar, water, salt, and honey to a boil.

4. Thinly slice the onion and place into a mason jar. Pour the boiling brine mixture over top of the onions and shake the jar. Let cool and marinate on the counter for a minimum 20 minutes (the longer the better). 

5. After 10 minutes in the oven, or until the one side of the eggplant looks golden, flip the eggplant and set another timer for 10 minutes. 

Golden and ready to be flipped!

6. Meanwhile, make the salad dressing by adding the honey, olive oil, lemon, and fig jam to a jar. Shake until evenly mixed . 

* There may be chunks of fig, but that is okay!

7. Now, take out the eggplant and let it cool on top of the oven. 

8. While the eggplant cools, add the butter, sunflower seeds, raisins, maple syrup/honey, and cinnamon to the same pot as the vinegar brine and put on medium heat. Stir until the sunflower seeds get golden and crisp. 

* This is my favourite step as it gives off the most delightful aroma. 

9. Assemble the salad: place the roasted eggplant wedges on a serving plate, then  remove the pickled onions from the jar (look at the waste less notes for more ideas on how to use the remainder of the pickled onions) and add them on top of the eggplant wedges. Add the crumbled feta cheese, sprinkle on the fruit and seed mixture and lastly, cover the salad in dressing and garnish with sage and basil leaves. 

10. Serve up warm or cool! This makes a perfect side dish to share with family & friends.

Tada! Raisin and Sunflower Seed Eggplant Salad!

Cost

This salad requires approximately 2 lbs of eggplant. Eggplant PYO cost is $2/lb. Therefore, the PYO vegetables for this salad cost $4 in total. 


Nutritional Density

Eggplants contain manganese and vitamin K which are minerals and vitamins essential for good bone and blood health. Both micronutrients play a role in blood clotting. Manganese specifically plays a large role in reactions that contribute to bone formation and bone density (1).

For 100g of eggplant, there is 0.232 mg of manganese and 3.5µg vitamin K (2). 

The recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for manganese is 1.8 for female adults and 2.3 for males adults. Therefore, 100g of eggplant provides females with 13% of RDA and males with 10% of RDA. The adequate intake (AI) for vitamin K is 90µg for male adults and 120µg for female adults. Therefore, 100g of eggplant gives 4% of AI for females and 3% of AI for males (3). 

The pickled onions may provide probiotics. Probiotics are the good bacteria present when a food item is fermented. The fermentation process uses the bacteria present on the fruit or vegetable and a salt/water/sugar brine to activate the bacteria. When consumed, these bacteria may transport to the colon and help your digestive tract maintain good health (4). 


Storage

This salad will keep in the fridge for 2 days. If planning to store, we recommend keeping the dressing on the side as the eggplant may become soggy. 

The dressing will keep for 5-7 days in an airtight container in the fridge.


Waste Less Notes 

You may not use all of the pickled onions (depending on how much your crowd likes onions). However, these pickled onions can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in a sealed container and used in a number of delicious recipes, especially in tacos, stir fry, and as a pizza topping. 



Modifications

This recipe may be modified to suit your needs. You may substitute the raisins for any dried fruit, like currants or cranberries. Even diced dates would work great! As for sunflower seeds substitutes, pumpkin seeds or if you have nuts on hand, then walnuts or pecans would be lovely. 


Recipe developed and photographed by dietetic interns Lexie Nobbs and Lise Wolyniuk and reviewed by Alex Chesney, RD


References

  1. National Institutes of Health. (2021). Manganese: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Retrieve August 17, 2024, from https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Manganese-HealthProfessional/ 

  2. Health Canada. (2023). Canadian Nutrient File. Government of Canada. Retrieved August 17, 2024, from https://food-nutrition.canada.ca/cnf-fce/newSearch 

  3. Health Canada. (2023). Dietary Reference Intake Tables: Reference values for vitamins and minerals. Government of Canada. Retrieved August 17, 2024, from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/dietary-reference-intakes/tables/reference-values-vitamins.html#tbl1 

  4. Valentino V, Magliulo R, Farsi D, et al. Fermented foods, their microbiome and its potential in boosting human health. Microb Biotechnol. 2024;17(2). doi:10.1111/1751-7915.14428 

Pick Your Own Meal Series: Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

We are featuring our next Pick Your Own (PYO) meal, Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad. Craving pasta…but also wanting something summery and fresh? Presenting the long weekend Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad, because it ages like fine wine, feeds a crowd, and you grill the veg on a barbecue which is perfect for keeping your house cool during those hot days. 

We made this salad to go with a BBQ meal including steak, halloumi, and tofu, which provided protein, but you could always add protein of your choice directly to the salad. Things like tuna, or chicken would work great!

Please tag us on Instagram (@thamesrivermelons) if you try this recipe!

Look at all the veggies!

Recipe

*Serves 10 - 12

Ingredients

2-3 Thames River Melons zucchini 

2-3 cups Thames River Melons grape tomatoes

½ medium Thames River Melons red onion

1 Thames River Melons red bell pepper

2 cups arugula 

½  cup capers

½ kalamata olives 

200g of dried pasta (we are using penne)

200g of feta 

1 tsp salt (for boiling pasta)

For the Dressing

⅓ cup of olive oil 

Salt and pepper

⅓ cup red wine vinegar 

1 tbsp Thames River Melons honey

2 tbsp Thames River Melons garlic scape mustard 

1 cup of fresh Thames River Melons herbs (dill, basil, oregano, etc)- please feel free to add more 



Prepping the produce!

Instructions 

1. Prepare the vegetables, beginning with the zucchini and bell pepper, for grilling. Wash and then cut zucchinis in half lengthwise then half again to get four pieces. Sprinkle salt over the zucchini to help draw excess water out, and set aside.

Cut the red pepper into quarters and set aside.

2. Slice the red onion with the grain and separate, halve the grape tomatoes, and mince fresh herbs. We used dill and basil.

3. Peel, crush and mince 3-4 garlic cloves

4. Dab the zucchini with a paper towel to remove water. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to the zucchini and red pepper, ensuring all is well coated.

5. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to instructions. 

6. Place the zucchini and red pepper on the BBQ.

7. Begin to assemble the salad. In a large serving bowl, place grape tomatoes, olives, capers, red onion, arugula, dill, basil, and crumbled feta

8. Make the salad dressing. Combine olive oil, minced garlic, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, honey, salt and pepper and mix

9. Remove the vegetables from the grill.

10. Drain the pasta and set aside to cool slightly.

11. Cut the grilled vegetables into bite sized pieces.

12. Add the pasta, grilled vegetables, and dressing to the serving bowl. Toss and serve.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

Cost 

The zucchini weighed 1lb. The bell pepper was 0.35lb. The tomatoes were 0.8lb. 

PYO zucchini is $0.50/lb, bell peppers cost $2/lb, and grape tomatoes cost $0.80/lb. 

Therefore, the PYO vegetables in this dish cost approximately $2 in total. 

Storage

This salad will keep in the fridge for 4 days. If planning to store, we recommend keeping the arugula separate and adding at time of consumption. However, dressing the salad is recommended as the pasta and vegetables can marinate over time.

Waste Less Notes 

It is an easy way to incorporate vegetables that may be on their last days of freshness. 

Modifications

This recipe may be modified to suit your needs. You can add or subtract vegetables depending on what is in season and what you have on hand. 

Recipe developed and photographed by dietetic interns Lise Wolyniuk and Lexie Nobbs and reviewed by Alex Chesney, RD

Pick Your Own Meal Series: Cucumber Salad, Two Ways

PYO Meal Series: Cucumber Salad, Two Ways

This is our fifth Pick Your Own (PYO) meal, featuring cucumbers from the farm, two ways: a Cool Creamy Cucumber Salad and an Acidic Cucumber Salad. 

The cucumber plants are thriving right now in the PYO patch! What can you do with a cucumber? Here we will show you how to turn plain ole’ cucumbers into two different deliciously elevated cucumber side salads that will pair perfectly with your BBQ plans this summer. 

The field cucumbers we have here on the farm are different from the English cucumber you may be used to seeing in your local grocery store. For these recipes, we recommend roughly peeling the cucumber skin, as it is a bit tough and can be hard to chew. In addition, we recommend halving the cucumbers and lightly scooping out the insides of the medium to large sized ones, to reduce the water content and remove the larger seeds. 

Please tag us on Instagram (@thamesrivermelons) if you try this recipe!

Recipe for The Creamy Cucumber Salad

*Serves 4 

Ingredients

1 lb Thames River Melons cucumbers

1/2 cup Thames River Melons dill 

2 small Thames River Melons red onions and their greens

4 tbsp white vinegar or pickle juice  

¾ cup Greek yogurt 

1 tsp salt 

Juice of half a lemon

Instructions 

1. Thoroughly wash the cucumbers, onions, and dill.

2. To make the dressing, whisk together pickle juice (or vinegar), yogurt, salt and lemon juice + zest in a salad bowl. Finely chop the dill and add to the dressing.

*It is most efficient (and creates less dishes!) to make the salad dressing in the same bowl you plan to serve the salad in.

3. Slice onion from north to south* (greens to the root or ‘with the grain’) and add to the dressing bowl. Save some of the greens to slice and add as garnish). Marinate the onions in the dressing while preparing the cucumbers. 

*Slicing onion ‘with the grain’ yields a more mild flavour, important when eaten raw

4. Roughly peel the cucumbers, and cut them each in half, then lightly scoop out the inside of the larger ones. Next slice the cucumber halves into half-moon shapes.

4. Chop dill and add to  the salad bowl with the dressing. Add the cucumber slices as well.

5. Toss the salad in the dressing until the cucumbers are fully coated.

6. Garnish with onion greens.

This salad pairs well with a Greek inspired dinner, such as Souvlaki style chicken.  

Recipe for The Acidic Cucumber Salad

*Serves 4 

1lb Thames River Melons cucumbers (we suggest small to medium)

2 Thames River Melons onions and the greens 

6 tbsp rice vinegar or white vinegar

1 tbsp Thames River Melon Blossom honey 

1 + ½ tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp toasted sesame oil 

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Juice of half a lemon

Instructions 

1. Wash cucumbers and onions.

2. To make the salad dressing, in a salad bowl whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice 

*It is most efficient (and creates less dishes!) to make the salad dressing in the same bowl you plan to serve the salad in.

3. Slice onion from north to south* (greens to the root or ‘with the grain’) and add to the dressing bowl. Save some of the greens to slice and add as garnish). Marinate the onions in the dressing while preparing the cucumbers. 

*Slicing onion ‘with the grain’ yields a more mild flavour, important when eaten raw

4. Lightly peel the cucumbers, then halve them. Scoop out the insides of the largest ones. Cut  the cucumbers into half-moon and add to the salad bowl with the dressing and onions. 

5. Garnish with onion greens.

6. Toss, then let sit for 5-10 minutes. Toss again, ensuring all cucumbers are coated in dressing. Let sit again for 5-10 minutes. 

7. Enjoy! This version of the cucumber salad pairs beautifully with sushi, or a teriyaki chicken. 

We ordered our favourite local sushi to complement the flavours of this salad. This lunch was a great balance between homemade and takeout food. 

Cost 

PYO cucumbers are $1/lb. PYO onions are $4/lb. PYO dill is $4/lb. 

In total, the cost of PYO cucumbers per salad is $1. The onions cost PYO onions per salad $1 and dill (for the creamy cucumber salad) was $0.20. 

Nutritional Density

Did you know? Cucumbers contain 95% water (1). These salads will surely keep you hydrated on a hot summer's day. Not only are cucumbers good for providing water to your body but they also contain an abundance of electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium (1). These electrolytes control our bodies’ water balance, helping it to function optimally.  

Storage

These salads will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

All of the onion greens won’t be needed for these salads, but you can freeze the remainder and use in your next stir-fry!

Modifications

This recipe may be modified to suit your needs.

In terms of the Creamy Cucumber Salad, you may substitute the Greek yogurt for a plain dairy, or lactose-free yogurt. 

Recipes developed and photographed by dietetic interns Lexie Nobbs and Lise Wolyniuk and reviewed by Alex Chesney, RD

Reference:

Health Canada. (2023). Canadian Nutrient File. Government of Canada. Retrieved July 21, 2024, from https://food-nutrition.canada.ca/cnf-fce/newSearch .

Pick Your Own Meal Series: Breakfast Edition!

Easy Frittata, featuring PYO produce!

Over the summer we are excited to bring you recipes featuring produce from our PYO (Pick Your Own) patch! Each recipe will be easy, delicious, nutritious, and budget friendly. There is no better feeling than picking your own food from the dirt it was grown in and preparing a meal from scratch with it. We look forward to having you visit our farm and try these dishes yourself, using your harvest. The whole experience can be a great activity to enjoy with family or friends. 

Please tag us on Instagram (@thamesrivermelons) if you try any of our PYO recipes – we would love to see them!

Ingredients ready to go!

The first recipe in this series is a breakfast (or brunch) frittata, perfect for hosting on summer weekends, as you can feed a crowd or just a few folks by easily adjusting the recipe up or down.  This is also a host-friendly meal because it’s easy to whip up while guests are gathered, or the frittata can also be made ahead of time. The best part: this recipe uses almost exclusively ingredients from our farm! Right now, our PYO patch is full of kale and zucchini for picking. Our chickens have been busy laying, and you can purchase fresh eggs in our farm shop. We also sell a variety of local cheeses from Gunn’s Hill.

Kale and zucchini are sources of dietary fibre, as well as an abundance of important vitamins and minerals.

Kale contains 2.4 grams of fibre/100 grams. This recipe contains 7.2 grams of fibre in total, from the kale. Kale also contains vitamin C (120 mg/100g), important for immune health, and calcium (150 mg/100g), important for healthy bones and teeth (1). 

Zucchini contains 1 gram of fibre /100 grams, and is a good source of potassium (261 mg/100g) and phosphorus (38 mg/100g), both important electrolytes (1). This recipe contains 3.6 grams of fibre from the zucchini.

Eggs are a complete protein (meaning they contain all 9 essential amino acids that our bodies cannot produce by themselves), helping to keep our bodies functioning optimally, and keep us satiated, with approximately 6-7 grams in a large egg. 

Finally, herbs are an excellent way to provide flavour without the need to add too much salt, plus they add to the visual appeal of a dish. 

Ingredients

Serves 7-8, and can be adjusted up or down as needed. Keep in mind that if you adjust, you will need to adjust the number of eggs and vegetables, to ensure they are proportioned well.

4-5 cloves Thames River Melons garlic, minced (garlic is available for PYO or for purchase at our farm shop)

1/2 cup Spanish onion, chopped (these aren’t ready for picking on our farm just yet, but they will be available in late July)

8 Thames River Melons eggs 

1/3 cup whole milk or heavy cream (using a dairy-free milk alternative is also an option here!)

2 large stalks (300 grams) of Thames River Melons kale, chopped

1 medium (360 grams) Thames River Melons zucchini, chopped into quarter inch pieces 

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh herbs of your choice (we used Thames River Melons dill and basil) 

Cheese of your choice (we used shredded mozzarella). 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. In an oven-safe 12” pan or cast-iron skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat.

3. Prepare vegetables: wash, then chop kale and zucchini, dice onion, and mince garlic. 

Although you can eat the entire kale stalk, it is preferable to ‘devein’ it. Fold the stalk in half to make this more efficient. Slice along the inside edge, from bottom to top. For a demonstration, see video below.

4. In a large bowl, crack eggs, add milk or cream, and whisk gently to combine. The key to get a silky-smooth texture is to avoid over-whisking, which creates bubbles. Set aside. Add salt and pepper to taste if you would like. 

5. Add onion to the warm skillet, and stir occasionally, until translucent and beginning to caramelize. 

6. Add chopped vegetables, and minced garlic. Sauté on medium for approximately 10 minutes, or until tender but still crisp.

Pre-cooking the vegetables ensures your frittata will not be soggy as some moisture in them will have had a chance to evaporate.

7. Remove from the element and pour the egg mixture into the skillet (you may need to tilt the pan to evenly distribute the egg). Do not mix or you will end up with scrambled eggs! 

8. Sprinkle cheese and herbs of your choice over the top (we sell Gunns Hill cheese in our farm shop). You can use gouda, feta, cheddar, anything you like!

9. Cook on medium heat until the edges begin to set (this should not take long; you want to do the majority of the cooking in the oven), and then transfer to the oven to bake for 8 minutes. 

10. Remove the finished frittata from the oven and add a sprinkling of fresh herbs and more cheese to the top if you like. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.

The finished product!

Cost

In total the PYO herbs, zucchini, and kale purchased on the farm cost $3.21 . In general PYO prices are half-price of our pre-picked produce. 

A dozen of our eggs costs $6.00, bringing the total to $9.21.  We only used 8 eggs, so $7.21 is actually more accurate.

Storage

This dish will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, so for a smaller household this is an excellent make-ahead-of-time meal to take for an on-the-go breakfast throughout the week.

Modifications

Other vegetables you can use include bell pepper (available soon in our PYO patch), spinach, asparagus (available in our farm shop, and PYO in the Spring) or Swiss chard. 

We used a 12” pan but you can certainly size down and just use less eggs, cream, and vegetables. Another idea is to divide the frittata mixture in a muffin pan for littles, or for using on breakfast sandwiches between an english muffin.

Recipe and blog post developed and photographed by dietetic intern Lise Wolyniuk and reviewed by Alex Chesney, RD


Reference:

Health Canada. (2023). Canadian Nutrient File. Government of Canada. Retrieved July 12, 2024, from https://food-nutrition.canada.ca/cnf-fce/newSearch .

Potato Ham Soup

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 white onion, chopped

1 medium sized carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

4 white potatoes, chopped to bite sized

½ head of cauliflower, roughly chopped to bite sized pieces

1 ham steak (or about 1 cup ham), chopped

6 cups vegetable stock

¼ cup cream

1 tsp thyme, ground

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and saute until tender. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.

  2. Add the vegetable stock, and potatoes to the pot. Cook on low-medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower and ham and continue to cook until cauliflower and potatoes are tender.

  3. Add ground thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in cream.

  4. Serve hot.

Note: you can serve this topped with cheddar cheese, bacon bits, a dollop of sour cream, and sliced green onions for added freshness and flavour!

Root Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner

Sheet pan dinners are super easy and filling! You can omit the protein and use this as a side dish as well. Use any vegetables that you like and that you have on hand. This is a great way to use up those veggies that aren’t looking so fresh, but because we are roasting them, they are perfect for the job!

Ingredients: recommendations only

2 medium carrots, cut into wedges

1/2 onion (red/yellow/white, whatever you have!)

1 parsnip

½ beet, chopped (will change the colour of other vegetables on the pan)

5 mushrooms, cut into quarters

1 head of broccoli

2-3 potatoes (white, red, sweet, whatever you want!)

5-6 Brussels sprouts, halved

5 turkey sausages (if using as a meal)

2-3 generous tablespoons of olive oil or another

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp Italian seasoning

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

  2. Cut up all vegetables and slice turkey sausages. Lay out on a roasting pan.

  3. Cover in oil, and seasonings.

  4. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.

Vegetable Pesto Gnocchi

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups broccoli florets

2 cups leeks, sliced

1 pepper, sliced

1 tbsp garlic, minced

2 handfuls fresh spinach

700g gnocchi

2 cups heavy cream

½ cup pesto

1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Salt

Pepper

Instructions

  1. Follow cooking instructions for gnocchi and set aside

  2. If wanting to add a choice of protein such as chicken, shrimp, lentils, etc make now and set aside with gnocchi.

  3. In a medium sauce pan add cream and pesto and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Once boiling bring heat down and simmer for about 10 minutes, occasionally stirring the mixture. During this time the vegetables can be started in the following step.

  4. In a medium frying pan add olive oil, then add broccoli and peppers. Sauté on medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Then add chopped leeks and sauté for another 5 minutes.

  5. Add garlic to pan and sauté for 1 minute before adding in fresh spinach. Continue stirring mixture around until spinach is cooked.

  6. Going back to the sauce, after 10 minutes stir in 1 cup of parmesan and then let simmer another 5 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken. Sauce should be able to coat the back of a spoon when finished.

  7. Once sauce is done add to pan with vegetables. At this time also add gnocchi and choice of protein to the pan. Top with a bit of parmesan cheese and serve hot.

Recipe Developed and photographed by Dietetic intern Rae Wilcox.

 

Vegetable Personal Pizza

Ingredients

1 whole wheat naan bread

1/4 cup pizza sauce

1/3 cup cheese

1/2 cup diced vegetables (we used sweet peppers, zucchini, and garlic scapes for this one!)

6 pepperoni slices (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Spread the pizza sauce over the naan bread.

  3. Add the cheese on top.

  4. Place the pepperoni slices and vegetables on the naan bread.

  5. Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted.

  6. This recipe makes one serving, but feel free to make several personal pizzas for your whole family!

This recipe was developed and photographed by dietetic internship student Amy Campbell.

Muskmelon Strawberry Feta Salad

Ingredients

1 muskmelon, chopped

1 cup strawberries, chopped

1/2 cucumber or bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup raw almonds

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Mix the muskmelon, strawberries, cucumber, feta cheese, and almonds together in a large bowl.

  2. For the salad dressing, mix the canola oil, red wine vinegar, and ground pepper together thoroughly.

  3. Pour the dressing onto the salad and mix.

  4. This recipe is best consumed right away. Enjoy!

This recipe was developed and photographed by dietetic internship student Amy Campbell.

PYO Fruit & Vegetable Patch Experience

Are you looking for a family-friendly outdoor activity this summer? We have just the thing for you! This August we are hosting a pick-your-own fruit & vegetable experience where you will learn about the farm, agriculture, and food production first-hand by picking your very own fruits and vegetables. With the items you pick, you will then be making a delicious recipe right here on the farm, while also learning about the nutrients in the ingredients you picked!

This event will be one hour long, and when you are finished you can eat and take any leftovers home with you to share with your family. We will be hosting sessions throughout August:

This fun and educational activity is $15 per person. To choose an available time and pre-pay click here. See you soon!