Author: bloomingglenfarm

21 Oct Mashed Potato Cakes with Creamy Leek Sauce

Potatoes can be mashed, baked, fried or roasted.  They can be used in stews, shredded and cooked as a breakfast side, or sliced and grilled.  They are incredibly versatile and are used in a variety of different recipes.  This week I wanted to showcase them in a very different way.  These mashed potato cakes can be a great side dish to any meal.  We served them alongside sautéed greens and grilled pork chops.  I even made a second batch to freeze and use as a quick side for a future meal.

Potato Cake Ingredients:
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and rinsed
2 Tbsp butter (can also use coconut oil)
¾ tsp sea salt (plus a few pinches to season water)
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp paprika (plus a little bit for garnish)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

• Fill a large pot halfway with water. Add a few pinches of sea salt.
• Cut potatoes so pieces are about the same size. Place in pot of water.  Bring to a boil.
• Reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork tender.  Cooking time will vary depending on size of potato pieces and type of potato used.
• Drain potatoes. Place them in a large bowl or a stand mixer.  Mash well.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Add in butter, sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika to mashed potatoes. Mix well.
• Add in eggs and chives. Mix well to combine all ingredients.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a ring mold to shape the cakes.  *I used a ring mold that was 3 inches in diameter and 1 ½ inches high. If you don’t have a mold, feel free to shape them by hand or create a mold using aluminum foil.

• Fill the mold with the potato mixture, pressing down the sides to fill the mold. Use a butter knife to release the cake from the mold. Gently lift the mold away from the cake.
• Continue to make cakes until all of the potato mixture is gone. This recipe makes about 5-6 cakes depending on size of mold.

• Sprinkle the tops of the cakes with a little paprika. **You can actually freeze the cakes at this point.  Place the baking sheet in the freezer. Once cakes are frozen, remove from sheet and place in airtight container in freezer. When ready to use, thaw the cakes and bake as directed in recipe.
• Bake the cakes for 20 minutes or until the outside is crispy. Broil for a minute or two to get the tops golden brown.
• To serve, place cake on plate. Drizzle with creamy leek sauce (recipe below) and garnish with fresh chives.

Creamy Leek Sauce Ingredients
2-3 leeks, thoroughly washed and thinly sliced (white and light green parts)
1 Tbsp avocado oil or butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup almond (or other type) milk
¼ tsp sea salt
Pinch black pepper
¼ cup cashews (soaked for at least 1 hour in hot water)

• Heat oil or butter in small saucepan. Sauté leeks for 3 minutes on medium to low heat.
• Add in garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Add in almond milk, salt, and pepper. Heat until warm.
• Remove from heat. Blend leek mixture with soaked cashews until a smooth, creamy sauce is formed.

Recipe and photos by Stephanie Borzio.  Stephanie is a mom of three active boys and is an autoimmune warrior.  After battling her own health for several years, Stephanie found healing through food and lifestyle changes, including joining Blooming Glen Farm CSA of which she is a long time member.  She is a Board Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who is passionate about sharing healthy living tips and real food recipes. Instagram and Facebook: Tru You Essentials, Website: www.truyouessentials.com

17 Oct Turnip, Leek & Potato Soup

What a difference the weather makes- last year’s soggy wet weather wreaked havoc on our fall roots. This year we’ve been fortunate enough to have a dry fall and with it came some gigantic root vegetables. With our purple top turnips weighing in anywhere from 1-3 pounds each, I wanted to find a recipe to highlight them. Now that they’ve been touched by a frost, their natural bitterness has sweetened up a bit (an advantage to buying your veggies locally, rather than shipped in from warmer climes). This recipe comes from NYT Cooking, by Martha Rose Shulman. It is a very simple French soup, that will only taste as good as your ingredients. Serving size- 8 bowls.

Ingredients
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large leeks (or 3 medium), white and light green part only, halved lengthwise, cleaned and sliced or chopped (save those tops for your next batch of homemade stock!)
Salt to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds turnips, peeled and diced
1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced (the recipe called for Russets, but I think you could use any variety)
2 quarts water, chicken stock or vegetable stock (we had homemade chicken stock in the freezer- the soup gets a lot of its flavor from the stock, so I wouldn’t use water if I could help it)
A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, a couple sprigs each thyme and parsley
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh tarragon (or chives), chopped for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat and add the onion, leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 min. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the turnips, potatoes, stock, salt to taste, and the bouquet garni. Bring to boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 min, or until the veggies are very tender and the soup is fragrant. Remove and discard the bouquet garni.

Blend the soup in batches in a blender (cover the top with a towel and hold it down to avoid hot splashes), or if you have it, an immersion blender works beautifully. The soup should be very smooth- return to pot if need be. Stir and taste. Adjust salt, add freshly ground pepper, and heat through. Serve garnished with finely chopped tarragon- it adds a lovely sweet anise flavor. We served it with Steph’s Roasted Apple & Arugula Salad for a perfect fall meal on a cold windy night. Enjoy!

Post and photos by Tricia Borneman, Blooming Glen farmer and co-owner. Tricia and her husband Tom have been farming together since 2000. Blooming Glen Farm is celebrating its 14th season bringing high quality certified organic vegetables, herbs, fruits and cut flowers to our local community.

14 Oct Butternut Squash Chili

It’s soup season! Soups are the perfect way to use up all those fall veggies in one pot. This healthy chili can be made on the stovetop or in a crockpot or instantpot but for this batch I did it on the stove in under an hour. Hope you love it as much as I do!

Ingredients
1 butternut squash
2 leeks
1 bell pepper
1 head celery
1 small onion
2 cloves grated garlic
5 large carrots
3 diced hot peppers (I used 1 jalapeño and 2 poblano)
4 whole tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp each of cumin, Himalayan salt, black pepper, and coriander
dash of cinnamon and cayenne pepper
1 cup finely chopped kale (or other hearty fall green like chard, collards or raab)
Cilantro and sliced jalapeño for toppings

Chop up onion, celery, carrots, leeks and onion and add to a pot with garlic and a teaspoon of oil. Cook for a few minutes and add hot peppers and vegetable broth. Dice two of the tomatoes and purée the other two in the food processor and add to pot. Peel and chop butternut squash and add with the rest of the ingredients besides the kale. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until veggies are soft. Stir in kale and chickpeas and serve with cilantro and some jalapeño slices if you want some extra spice.

Recipe and Photos by Olivia Edgar. Olivia’s passion for food and cooking finds focus on recipes using plant based, organic ingredients which make people feel their absolute best. She is a graduate of The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and now meal preps for clients and small events. Olivia is newly married, and when she’s not cooking and sharing her recipes and holistic approaches on her Instagram account, you can find her working on their fixer-upper in Telford.

07 Oct Roasted Apple and Arugula Salad

It is officially October and I’m so excited because this is my favorite month of the year.  I enjoy having the windows open in the house, decorating with pumpkins and cornstalks, and eating all the beautiful fall produce that we get in our CSA shares.  As I looked through this week’s share, I knew that I wanted the arugula to be the star of the recipe.  Pairing it with some apples from North Star Orchard and some maple syrup from Augusta Acres Farm (available for sale at Blooming Glen Farm) makes this dish an amazing blend of some of my favorite farmers’ hard work.

Salad Ingredients
½ lb arugula
½ small red onion, sliced thin
2 medium apples
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup
½ cup candied walnuts (see recipe below)

Dressing Ingredients
3 tsp maple syrup
4 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp sea salt
Pinch black pepper

• Rinse arugula and dry. If pieces are large, you may want to cut them into smaller pieces.  Place in a large serving bowl or on a platter.
• Place thinly sliced onions on top of arugula.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Core apples and slice into matchsticks. Place in medium bowl.  Toss with olive oil and maple syrup.  Spread apples in a single layer on baking sheet.  Roast for 7 minutes.  Mix and roast for 2-3 more minutes.  Remove and let cool a few minutes.
• Place dressing ingredients in a small mason jar. Cover with lid and shake well to combine.
• Top salad with roasted apples, garnish with candied walnuts, and drizzle dressing on.
• Enjoy!

Candied Walnuts
1 cup walnuts
2 Tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp vanilla extract

• Line baking sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Combine maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla in a small bowl.
• Place pecans in a medium bowl. Pour maple syrup mixture over top and toss to coat.
• Spread coated pecans onto baking sheet.
• Bake for 5 minutes. Mix and bake for 3 more minutes.
• Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes and then break apart. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe and photos by Stephanie Borzio.  Stephanie is a mom of three active boys and is an autoimmune warrior.  After battling her own health for several years, Stephanie found healing through food and lifestyle changes, including joining Blooming Glen Farm CSA of which she is a long time member.  She is a Board Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who is passionate about sharing healthy living tips and real food recipes. Instagram and Facebook: Tru You Essentials, Website: www.truyouessentials.com

30 Sep Butternut Squash Hummus

My favorite time of year is here and one of my favorite fall vegetables is butternut squash. This hummus turned out so good and is perfectly sweet from the roasted squash. I’ll be making this for upcoming get together’s this season!

Ingredients
1 butternut squash
2 cans chickpeas
1/2 cup olive or avocado oil
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp fresh or dried rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and chop butternut squash and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 15-20 mins or until cooked through. Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Serve with veggies, crackers or pita.

Recipe and Photos by Olivia Edgar. Olivia’s passion for food and cooking finds focus on recipes using plant based, organic ingredients which make people feel their absolute best. She is a graduate of The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and now meal preps for clients and small events. Olivia is newly married, and when she’s not cooking and sharing her recipes and holistic approaches on her Instagram account, you can find her working on their fixer-upper in Telford.

24 Sep Potato Crusted Quiche

For a family that’s on the go all the time, healthy recipes that can be made ahead of time are absolutely necessary.  Quiches can be prepped and made in advance, then reheated for a meal.  Feel free to change up the vegetables in this recipe as the seasons change.

Ingredients
4 purple potatoes
1 tsp sea salt, divided
½ tsp black pepper, divided
1 Tbsp avocado or olive oil
1 onion- diced
1 green pepper- diced
1 summer squash- cubed
5 eggs
½ cup almond milk
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fresh parsley- finely chopped
1 tsp fresh chives- finely chopped
½ tsp paprika

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease pie dish with butter, ghee, or cooking oil.
• Thinly slice purple potatoes to create rounds. Layer these potatoes on the bottom and sides of the pie dish.  Sprinkle with ¼ tsp sea salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.

• Bake crust in oven for 10 minutes.
• Place 1 Tbsp avocado or olive oil in saute pan and heat to medium heat. Add diced onions and cook for 2 minutes.  Add diced peppers and cubed squash and cook for 3 more minutes.
• Once crust is done cooking, remove from oven.
• Place cooked vegetables in the pie dish over the crust. Spread evenly over the crust.
• In a blender or bowl, combine eggs, almond milk, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¾ tsp sea salt, and garlic powder. Add in fresh herbs.
• Pour egg mixture over the vegetables. Sprinkle with paprika.  Place quiche in oven and cook for 30-35 minutes or until center is set.
• Let cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving. Garnish with fresh chives.
• Enjoy!

**If you can tolerate dairy, feel free to use regular milk instead of almond milk.  You can also add ½ cup shredded cheese.  You would add this over top of the vegetables before you pour in the egg mixture.

Recipe and photos by Stephanie Borzio.  Stephanie is a mom of three active boys and is an autoimmune warrior.  After battling her own health for several years, Stephanie found healing through food and lifestyle changes, including joining Blooming Glen Farm CSA of which she is a long time member.  She is a Board Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who is passionate about sharing healthy living tips and real food recipes. Instagram and Facebook: Tru You Essentials, Website: www.truyouessentials.com

16 Sep Fennel and Radish Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

I’m always looking for new spins on salads and this one is so refreshing for fall! You can add some greens in too but I like it just how it is with lots of crunch:)

Ingredients
2 heads fennel
3-4 radishes
1 orange
Juice of 1 orange
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup avocado oil(or olive oil)
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper

Thinly slice fennel and radishes (I used a mandolin but you can also just slice them yourself). Peel and slice orange. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl for dressing. Toss together salad with vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Recipe and Photos by Olivia Edgar. Olivia’s passion for food and cooking finds focus on recipes using plant based, organic ingredients which make people feel their absolute best. She is a graduate of The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and now meal preps for clients and small events. Olivia is newly married, and when she’s not cooking and sharing her recipes and holistic approaches on her Instagram account, you can find her working on their fixer-upper in Telford.

03 Sep Salad in a Jar Repost

The mason jar salad is portable, healthy, and let’s be honest, pretty to look at. The idea has been popping up all over the web and I even spotted a mason jar salad cookbook at the bookstore in town. (Seriously- why didn’t I think of this first?) But there’s a reason people are excited about a meal in a jar. The appeal is truly the make-ahead convenience and as an added bonus for kids (ok, adults too), the fun factor. Put together these jars the night before, customize them slightly for different family members, then grab and go. Head off to school or work with a healthy farm fresh lunch!

To avoid soggy salad dressing soaked greens, the trick is in the layering. Once you have a handle on the basic idea you can get as creative as you want. I made a pint size for my daughter and a quart size for me. But if you were pairing this salad with soup or a sandwich, or looking for a light lunch, a pint size would be plenty big enough for an adult.

The first layer is the dressing. (Though I did skip this for my daughter’s first back to school lunch- she’s not a dressing kid, but yours might be.) Use a little less than 2 tablespoons for the pint, and between 3-4 tablespoons for the quart. Mine was a simple balsamic, olive oil and honey blend. Check out Chef Kristin’s previous recipe post for some other salad dressing ideas.

The next layer is the firmer vegetables- these will act as the barrier between the dressing and the rest of the salad. Put in something you don’t mind absorbing the dressing a bit- I did chunks of tomatoes, then diced cucumbers, followed by diced sweet peppers, and for my jar, the softer veggie came last, roasted eggplant. (The hardest part of this whole process is not making your layers too thick, and really packing them in there. I ended up with enough chopped veggies to make quite a few salads- not a bad thing- just make up some extra jars- they will keep in your fridge for a number of days.)

Next comes the grain/nut layer- I used chickpeas (organic- drained and rinsed from the can) and noodles. This layer could also be followed by a protein if you so desire- chunks of grilled chicken, hard boiled egg, or tofu. Check the fridge for those leftovers! For my daughter’s jar, I topped the noodles with diced cheddar cheese and called it done.

The final layer would be your greens- kale, spinach, radicchio, raab, arugula, lettuce mix- whatever is fresh and seasonal! My jar got a layer of packed broccoli raab.

The morning of school I just grabbed my daughter’s jar out of the fridge, and sat it in a small plastic bowl in her lunchbox with a fork and an icepack. (It’s much easier to eat these salads out of a bowl- and the pouring in part really mixes all the layers up. Plus what 9-year old doesn’t want to feel part of the process?!). It was a hit! She came home with an empty jar and asked for another tomorrow. Score!

I have mason jar salad ideas spinning through my head- I’m imagining a fresh tomato salsa, followed by rice and beans, then arugula or kale. Or what about a sweet yogurt dressing, a fresh fruit layer, quinoa then spinach? So many options! Experiment and share your ideas on our facebook page. Personally, I’m just thrilled to have a source of inspiration for those back-to-school lunches!

Original Post from Sept. 2014, edited and reposted 2019. Post and photos by Tricia Borneman, Blooming Glen farmer and co-owner. Tricia and her husband Tom have been farming together since 2000. Blooming Glen Farm is celebrating its 14th season bringing high quality certified organic vegetables, herbs, fruits and cut flowers to our local community.

26 Aug Simple Summer Salad with Grilled Tomatillo Dressing

Sometimes it is nice to keep things simple and enjoy the vegetables we receive in their raw state.  Salads are always a fantastic option for summertime picnics, barbecues, or quick meals.  This week’s recipe showcases a simple salad with a dressing that highlights tomatillos!  Enjoy!

Grilled Tomatillo Dressing
Ingredients
1 lb tomatillos
2 jalapeno or poblano peppers
1 sweet onion
½ cup avocado or olive oil (plus a few Tbsp for grilling)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp honey

• Preheat grill to about 400°
• Remove husks from tomatillos and place in bowl. Peel onion, slice into ½ inch thick rounds, and place in bowl.  If using jalapenos, slice in half and remove seeds and stems.  If using poblanos, just place in bowl whole.
• Add 1-2 Tbsp of cooking oil to bowl. Mix to coat vegetables.
• Grill vegetables for 5 minutes per side.
• Remove from grill. Place tomatillos and onion in blender.  If using jalapenos, place them in blender as well.  If using poblanos, remove stems and place them in blender.
• Add remaining ingredients to blender. Blend well until a thick dressing is formed.
• Serve with salad, use as a marinade, or use as a spread for sandwiches, burgers or wraps.

Simple Summer Salad
Ingredients
1 head lettuce, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
3-4 sweet peppers, stems and seeds removed, cut into rounds

• Prepare all vegetables. Place on platter.
• Drizzle grilled tomatillo dressing over top.
• Enjoy!

Not feeling salad? Try the tomatillo dressing on a delicious grass-fed beef burger!

Recipe and photos by Stephanie Borzio.  Stephanie is a mom of three active boys and is an autoimmune warrior.  After battling her own health for several years, Stephanie found healing through food and lifestyle changes, including joining Blooming Glen Farm CSA of which she is a long time member.  She is a Board Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who is passionate about sharing healthy living tips and real food recipes. Instagram and Facebook: Tru You Essentials, Website: www.truyouessentials.com