Category Archives: dressing

Spinach, Strawberry, Cucumber Salad

What a super opening day we had on June 15! The weather was perfect, the produce was bountiful, and I got to cook with a professional chef. New Wakefield resident Katie Franzetti, who has offered to volunteer her talents to the WFM Cooking Demos and Farm/Food Eduction program, is a Certified Health Supportive Chef from The Natural Gourmet Institute in New York. We are excited to have her on board!

This week, we took advantage of the abundance of spinach from Farmer Dave’s, cucumber and basil from Kelly’s Farm, and strawberries from Fay Mountain Farm and made a simple yet lovely salad dressed with a light olive oil and rice vinegar dressing with a touch of lemon and honey that just radiated SUMMER!

Here is the recipe. Apologies in advance: the sampling was over and done with before we had a chance to take and picture of the finished product.

Spinach, Strawberry, and Cucumber Salad

Salad
¼ lb (or so) fresh spinach
1 pint strawberries
1 medium cucumber
Leaves from 3-4 stems of basil, to taste

Dressing
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar*
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse all the produce and pat dry. Remove any woody stems from the spinach and chop and/or tear the leaves to preferred size. Slice strawberries and cucumbers into thin slices and/or chunks. Tear or slice basil leaves very thin. Then gently toss it all together.

Whisk the dressing ingredients, adjust seasoning to taste, add to salad starting with half of it, gently toss, and add more as desired.

Serve as is, add some feta, nuts, seeds, or whatever strikes your fancy. Or put on each plate as a colorful bed for a serving of sautéed shrimp or other entrée.

  • Why rice vinegar? We like it because it is a bit less acidic than most other types, giving the signature tang but not overpowering other flavors. You can use your choice, but might need to adjust the other flavors.

Simple Cranberry Bean and Arugula Salad

Cranberry beans and arugula from Farmer Dave’s

Suman will be back for our two final market days, but this week Wendy came up with an easy salad that Greg prepared, adding his own twist (lemon juice and garlic) for the dressing.

There really isn’t a set recipe for this.  Just shuck as many beans as you need, (see below for pounds to cups shucked) cover with cold water, bring to a boil and cook 20-25 minutes or until tender. In the meantime, rinse, dry, and roughly chop the greens or your choice, (we used arugula for its peppery bite) perhaps to make one or so cups lightly packed greens to 1 cup shucked beans, and then use your imagination to create a dressing or just grab your favorite prepared brand. Greg opted for lightly sautéing some minced garlic, and combining it, oil and all, with some additional olive oil and lemon juice, along with a touch of salt and ground black pepper. It was quite tasty!

Cranberry beans also do well in stir fry dishes and are especially suitable for soups. Read on for a bit more about this versatile legume.

About Cranberry Beans
Also known as borlotti, pink-flecked cranberry beans are available fresh in the late summer and fall. Creamy and flavorful, they’re delicious in soups or stews or can be tossed with olive oil and herbs for a simple side dish (though they lose their gorgeous coloring once cooked).

How to Store: Fresh, unshelled cranberry beans can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for three to four days

How to Cook: Fresh cranberry beans are very easy to shuck. One pound of beans in the pod yields about 1 1/3 cups shucked beans, or enough for about two to three people. To cook, shell the beans and put them in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Courtesy of the James Beard Foundation

Summer Squash and Corn Hash with Maple Chili Syrup

When fritters stick, make hash! That was Suman’s quick save this past weekend when the induction burner we use at the market did not cooperate with her pan. But it is all good. In fact, it was delicious! Click on the link, below, to check out the recipe, which also includes a link to a Fork On A Road recipe for squash pancakes.

Wakefield – Fritters on a Fritz!

Potato and Bean Salad with Red Onion and Dill Vinaigrette

This week Suman created a perfect make right before the meal or make ahead potato salad that had green and yellow beans for color, texture and added nutritional value that can be served warm or at room temperature. The onion and dill vinaigrette pulls the flavors all together.

Click the photo or HERE for the recipe.