Roasted Baby Turnips with Spicy Mustard Dressing

No one should ever have to weedwack their entire lawn. Ever.

Unless, perhaps, you have teenagers and want to punish them... Unfortunately, I don't, so I got to experience the punishment for myself.

Earlier this year, my partner and I began renting a house from family members who are currently living overseas. I was excited at the thought of renting an entire house, however, it never occurred to me that with the amazing deal they were giving us, it also meant we had to do a lot of work.

It didn't even cross my mind that I would need to mow the lawn. That is, until I noticed that our grass was about a foot and half taller than the yards on both sides of us. Oops.

The grass was so tall, in fact, that the lawnmower repeatedly stalled when I tried to mow it. And that is when I came up with the brillant idea to weedwack the entire lawn and then mow it.  Two and a half hours of the most intense work ever, I felt like the biggest idoit on the planet. Well, at least I did until I woke up the next morning and saw how amazing my arms looked.

So, in summary, don't ever let your lawn get long enough that you need to weedwack it, but if you do, just know that you'll look great afterwards.

And, if any of you have suggestions about a smarter way I could have handled the lawn situation, I'll take 'em. Maybe I can even trade you a recipe for some landscaping advice... Roasted baby turnips, anyone?

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Sauteed Dandelion Greens

One of the things that I love most about this time of year is the bounty of fresh greens.  Everywhere you look at the farmers market, booths are exploding with baby kale, collards, perky lettuce, spinach, and dandelion greens.  Dandelion greens are a bitter green that, you guessed it, come from the dandelion plant.  (Yes, that same "weed" that grows in your yard makes a wonderful side dish for dinner!)  You can find them in spring and early summer and most health food stores even carry them.

You could also pick your own dandelion greens, but if you do this make sure you are picking them from somewhere that has not been exposed to chemicals or pollution.  It is best to avoid areas near traffic (like freeways and roads) or near train tracks.  There are many great books available about foraging for wild plants and weeds so I highly recommend doing your research before getting too adventurous.



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Blistered Green Beans with Ginger & Garlic

How much time do you spend at the Farmer's Market?  How do you decide on what produce to buy?  Do you have a certain routine that you usually follow?

See, I have very specific Farmer's Market behavior that drives my partner Ashley completely crazy.  It goes like this... I have to make at least three complete rounds around the market.

The first round is just for looking.  It's a chance to see what new vegetables have showed up this week, find out price points for produce I'm interested in, and start dreaming of different recipes I want to make.

The second round involves some buying, but mostly more looking.  This is when I buy my essentials that I know I have to have for the week - which usually involves beets, greens, carrots, and onions.  I also usually stop and grab lunch between the second and third rounds.  It gives me more time to decide on other items that I want to buy in the third round.

Then, my third round is all about buying my final picks.  This week I opted for two pounds of green beans, some yellow wax beans, donut peaches, two cucumbers, four green peppers, a half pound of cherries, and some fresh corn.

On occasion, there will be a fourth round in this process if I have to go back for something that I later decide on.  All in all, this process takes at least 45 minutes.  You do not want to rush me during this process.

Ashley's objectives at the market are a little different than mine.  Her only goal is to get out of there as quickly as possible and she does not understand why someone would circle the market several times when you could just buy everything the first time.  Of course, I can usually appease her frustration when I take all of the beautiful produce home and make something amazing.  Hint: like these green beans.

Green beans and me are totally BFFs this summer.   We're making salads together, we're shredding it up, and now we're blistering in a pan covered with soy sauce, fresh ginger, and minced garlic.  I don't have green beans in my garden, but I certainly wish I did because I cannot get enough of them at the moment.  These green beans are a hearty side dish to any meal and they are perfect with some tempeh and brown rice for a simple dinner.  Once you try them you'll have to resist eating them straight from the pan... and you'll be very thankful for all of the time spent at the farmer's market to get them.

Blistered Green Beans
Adapted from Christie's Corner
Serves 4

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons coconut oil (or another oil that can handle high heat)
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

Mix the soy sauce, ginger and garlic together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Add the coconut oil to a medium pan and turn to high heat.  Let the oil heat for a minute, then add the green beans and toss to coat them in the oil.  After a minute or so, you should see small brown blister spots.  (If you don't, turn up your heat a bit). Continue to cook them, tossing as necessary, until they are all blistered, about 5 minutes.  

Add the soy sauce mixture to the browned beans and toss to coat. Let the beans saute in the mixture for about 2 minutes before transferring to a serving platter and garnishing with the sesame seeds.