Garden treasures! :)

[niemela23]

Thanks to my small container garden & even smaller garden bed, I'll have some vegetables to harvest this year. Yay!

Things are still growing and will be for a little while yet, but I am beginning to taste this year's rewards!

So:

Uses for cucumber and kale, anyone?

As far as the cukes go--- I've been making cucumber & tomato salads, drinking my own home made cucumber-water, and of course throwing chunks or slices of them in to wraps, on to sandwiches, & in to grain-and-bean-based salads. As well, I'm looking forward to trying out my luck with a small batch of cucumber relish soon.

As far as the kale goes--- have been doing kale salads, kale & mixed green salads, have been using it in wraps and on sandwiches, have been sauteeing it as a component for main dishes, or as a side, & have been putting it in my smoothies.

Any ideas for using the above two vegetables?


-J

 

[Elawin]

Any ideas for using the above two vegetables?

Not keen on smoothies, but I love kale and apple salad. I posted a few cucumber pickle recipes in the CookingBites Recipe Challenge for Vinegar.

 

[Francesca]

Good evening, @niemela23,

Cucumbers:
1) A wide variety of salads year round call for cucumber.
2) I like " crudities " ( cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, red bell, radishes for example ) with a variety of dips & / or salad dressings ..

Kale:
1) Stuffed Kale ( like in stuffed cabbage which can be a meat dish or a vegetarian filling ) ..
2) I prepare a traditional Catalan dish, called Catalan Spinach, which can easily be used with Kale instead of spinach. The récipe is posted in the Vegetable Section. The ingredients are: Evoo, raisins, pine nuts or almonds, salt, minced garlic and freshly ground black peppercorns .. The leaves are sautéed in Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil ..

Have a nice summer and hope this has given you some new ideas ..

 

[niemela23]

Good evening, @niemela23,

Cucumbers:
1) A wide variety of salads year round call for cucumber.
2) I like " crudities " ( cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, red bell, radishes for example ) with a variety of dips & / or salad dressings ..

Kale:
1) Stuffed Kale ( like in stuffed cabbage which can be a meat dish or a vegetarian filling ) ..
2) I prepare a traditional Catalan dish, called Catalan Spinach, which can easily be used with Kale instead of spinach. The récipe is posted in the Vegetable Section. The ingredients are: Evoo, raisins, pine nuts or almonds, salt, minced garlic and freshly ground black peppercorns .. The leaves are sautéed in Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil ..

Have a nice summer and hope this has given you some new ideas ..

Great stuff, thank you Francesca! Am especially curious about the stuffed kale... what is your preferred filling?

 

[niemela23]

Not keen on smoothies, but I love kale and apple salad. I posted a few cucumber pickle recipes in the CookingBites Recipe Challenge for Vinegar.

Nice, I will have to take a look, thanks Elawin! I've definitely thought of pickles & I love to eat them (I teethed on them as a baby, lol!)...

Kale & apple salad, yum! This sounds scrumptious... Do you prefer to use any apple varieties in particular?

 

[Francesca]

Great stuff, thank you Francesca! Am especially curious about the stuffed kale... what is your preferred filling?

@niemela23

Favorite Kale Stuffings:

1) Greek style scented rice, either medium or long grain rice wth shallot, or onion, or scallion, fresh dill, fresh mint, leek & lemon, salt and freshly ground pepper, currants, or raisins if you wish; with or without prawns ( deveined, be - headed and no Shell ) ..

2) Traditional ground beef ( 1 / 2 beef and 1 / 2 porc if you wish ) cabbage meat stuffing .. If you prefer, you could use ground turkey .. with a light Marinara ..

Have a lovely day ..

 

[niemela23]

@niemela23

Favorite Kale Stuffings:

1) Greek style scented rice, either medium or long grain rice wth shallot, or onion, or scallion, fresh dill, fresh mint, leek & lemon, salt and freshly ground pepper, currants, or raisins if you wish; with or without prawns ( deveined, be - headed and no Shell ) ..

2) Traditional ground beef ( 1 / 2 beef and 1 / 2 porc if you wish ) cabbage meat stuffing .. If you prefer, you could use ground turkey .. with a light Marinara ..

Have a lovely day ..

My mouth is watering! I love the idea of rice, raisins or currants, & scallions (or an onion of sorts) all stuffed in to kale leaves. Prawns, (which I adore) would be an awesome addition, I can imagine. And the mint or dill, either way, each one with the above mix --- am guessing, delicious!

It sounds like you eat well & go for flavor when you do!

And, the meat mix.. I make a few batches of cabbage rolls every fall, and I've never thought of using kale to wrap things in, but now I just might try that.

Thank you very much!

I'll take a picture of the kale to post soon... just the small amount I planted has been more than enough for myself (tricky to get my hubby to eat anything green, although... through my gardening & cooking he's finally finding out that green 'stuff' can taste good!)...

 

[Francesca]

My mouth is watering! I love the idea of rice, raisins or currants, & scallions (or an onion of sorts) all stuffed in to kale leaves. Prawns, (which I adore) would be an awesome addition, I can imagine. And the mint or dill, either way, each one with the above mix --- am guessing, delicious!

It sounds like you eat well & go for flavor when you do!

And, the meat mix.. I make a few batches of cabbage rolls every fall, and I've never thought of using kale to wrap things in, but now I just might try that.

Thank you very much!

I'll take a picture of the kale to post soon... just the small amount I planted has been more than enough for myself (tricky to get my hubby to eat anything green, although... through my gardening & cooking he's finally finding out that green 'stuff' can taste good!)...

@niemela23,

What a lovely complment .. Thank you.

I am sure, that the stuffed kale (kale is a type of cabbage to the best of my knowledge) and truly works wonderfully stuffed ..

I look forward to seeing the photographs .. And the récipe that you are going to prepare ..

The Greek dill scented rice stuffed in either kale leaves or grape leaves ( Dolmades ) or cabbage with currants or raisins is simply sublime ..

Have a lovely summer ..

 

[Elawin]

Nice, I will have to take a look, thanks Elawin! I've definitely thought of pickles & I love to eat them (I teethed on them as a baby, lol!)...

Kale & apple salad, yum! This sounds scrumptious... Do you prefer to use any apple varieties in particular?

I don't know the name of the varieties of apples I get - any sweet, ripe eating apple would do, I think - but I leave the peel on them so I usually choose nice pink or red ones for a bit of variety colour-wise.