Asian Kohlrabi Salad

This recipe was recommended to me by a CSA member, and I absolutely love it!

I was excited to try this recipe out, so I just used what I had without waiting until I went to the store next for ingredients. Note the plethora of substitution options below.

Asian Kohlrabi Salad

ingredients

salad

• 4 kohlrabi, peeled and sliced into matchsticks (I used one MASSIVE kohlrabi, and it made a LOT of salad. You can also thinly slice or shred/grate the kohlrabi, but it won’t give you as much crunch.)

• 6 radishes, sliced into matchsticks (I used a large carrot instead, but you could also substitute a salad turnip or cabbage)

• 1 mango, chopped (I used the remainder of a bag of frozen mango chunks from the back of my freezer, diced small. You could substitute pineapple, mandarin oranges, or grapes)

• 4 green onions, chopped (or 1/4 c minced sweet onion)

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or substitute parsley, basil, or dill)

• 1/4 cup chopped cashews (or almonds or peanuts)

dressing

• 1 tablespoon sesame (or peanut) oil

• 1/3 cup rice vinegar

• 1 tablespoon honey (or sugar)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or 2-3 minced garlic scapes)

• 1 small knob of ginger, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)

• Dash of salt and pepper

instructions

In a large bowl, combine the kohlrabi, radishes, mango, green onion, cilantro, and cashews.

Add the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk.

Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and toss together until combined.

Simple Snacks

Simple snacks with local veggies

If you’re trying to incorporate more healthy food into your routine, here are some easy ways to eat healthier snacks.

The quickest and easiest is to simply eat raw veggies with your favorite dip, like Ranch, honey-mustard, or homemade beet hummus like in the photo below. (For more delicious dip ideas, check out this collection.)

To make healthy snacking easier, have your veggies washed and sliced, and in an easy-to-grab container so you’ll be more likely to choose them over the bag of potato chips.

Veggies in the photo above include:

• carrots

• cucumbers

• multi-colored green beans

• kohlrabi

• multi-colored bell peppers

Other great veggies for raw snacking include:

• cauliflower

• broccoli

• radishes

• salad turnips

• cabbage

• snap peas

• cherry tomatoes

And fruits and berries are great for snacking! You can find local:

• strawberries

• raspberries

• blackberries

• cantaloupe

• watermelon

• apples

• peaches

• pears

You can freeze or dehydrate fruits and berries to make them last longer.

To step up your snacking game a bit (or for fancy appetizers), try incorporating vegetables into dips, spreads, or the beautiful tomato-basil bruschetta pictured below, crafted by one of our CSA members.

photo by Jen Amor

West African Ground Nut Stew

I love trying new foods and especially foods from different countries. I first ran across a recipe for Ground Nut Stew in college when I was assigned to make a dish from west Africa. If you're looking for a hearty soup for a rainy day, definitely try this one. I sometimes make it in a crock pot, which makes it even easier. This is a great recipe to try if you still have some sweet potatoes hiding in your basement from the last CSA boxes last year!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can chicken or several pieces leftover chicken, shredded

• 1 T oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 carrot, chopped

• 1 green pepper, chopped

• 1 tsp fresh ginger root, peeled and grated (or 1/2 tsp powdered ginger)

• 1 sweet potato, peeled & chopped

• 2 cups chopped spinach (fresh or frozen, or other greens)

• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

• 2 cups water or broth, divided

• 1/2 cup peanut butter

• 1 can tomato paste or tomato sauce

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• cayenne powder to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Add 1 cup of the water or broth, onion, carrot, green pepper, ginger, sweet potato, spinach, and garlic to crockpot. Saute chicken (if raw) in oil, then add to crockpot. In a bowl, stir together remaining cup of broth, peanut butter, tomato sauce, and spices. Add to crockpot. Cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 8 hours, until ingredients are tender. Add more broth/water to make a thinner soup. Serve over rice, and garnish with cilantro, roasted peanuts, or hot peppers.

NOTES:

• You can leave out any ingredients you don’t have or don’t like. This is a flexible recipe.

• Substitute chickpeas for chicken to make a vegan version.