June 3 Strawberries are ripe in New England for only a short time in June. There is no comparison between fresh in season strawberries and what passes for strawberries the rest of the year.
For many years I belonged to the Lindentree Farm CSA in Lincoln. I have memories of picking strawberries there in my 20's with good friends and then in my 30s with those same friends, alongside all of our kids, the sweet strawberry juices sticky on our finger tips, our mouths, and in the case of my son Nadav, his whole body! I encourage you to pick some strawberries this June. Or find some at your local farmers market. And check out this recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler.
April 28
Serves 4-6.
This is the perfect early spring soup. It is seasonal, and the color is that of new spring growth.
10 medium or 20 thin stalks of asparagus (remove the tough bottom end of each stalk)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium leeks, white part plus an inch of green, chopped
2 small shallot bulbs, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 - 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
vegetable broth or water, about 3 cups
black pepper and lemon juice to taste
chopped fresh dill or chives for garnish
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a soup pot. Sauté onion, leek and shallot with a pinch of sea salt at medium heat until onions are translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to sauté for 8-10 minutes more.
2. In a separate pan, blanch asparagus until it softens and turns a bright spring green color, about 2-3 minutes, and then set it aside.
3. Add garlic and enough vegetable broth to completely cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 20 minutes, until potatoes are soft.
4. Add asparagus. Purée soup in a blender, or in the pot with an immersion blender.
Season with salt and black pepper.
5. Serve the soup hot or cold, sprinkled with dill or chives. Add a splash of lemon juice to each bowl just before serving.
Note
Whenever possible, I use Magic Mineral Broth by Rebecca Katz, as a base for this soup.
March 3 When you are in the mood for a crunchy, salty something, this snack will hit the spot! Each small pumpkin seed contains within it everything it needs to grow into a full pumpkin. That is one reason why seeds are considered nutrient dense power foods. Wakame, a sea vegetable, is filled minerals that support nervous system balance.
Ingredients
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 handful of wakame, or more to taste. (I use Emerald Cove’s Ready to Use Pacific Wakame.)
1 teaspoon tamari sauce, add more to taste.
Directions
1. Preheat a cast iron skillet at medium heat for 1 minute.
2. Add pumpkin seeds and stir occasionally for 3-5 minutes. Listen closely for when the seeds begin to pop. After the 3 or 4th popping sound turn off the heat.
3. Sprinkle tamari sauce over the seeds and mix well.
4. Once the mixture cools, stir in the wakame.
February 10 
This recipe was created by my dear friend Leslie Cerier, the Organic Gourmet chef and renowned cookbook author. I learned how to make these truffles this winter when I took one of Leslie's farm to table online cooking classes. Here is a link to her making them in a cooking demo. They call for maca, a healing root from Peru. Maca is used traditionally to regulate moods and increase libido among other things. If you don't have maca on hand you can still make these truffles. The cacao alone is a superfood rich in both minerals and anti-oxidants.
Makes 12-15 walnut size balls
Ingredients
1 cup raw cacao butter
1 cup raw cacao powder
¼ cup extra virgin coconut oil
6-9 tablespoons maple syrup, depending on how sweet you like things
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maca powder
Pinch sea salt
¼ cup combination: choose 2-3: goji berries, hemp seeds, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, cacao nibs.
Directions
Grate the cacao butter in a food processor. Switch out the grater attachment, and insert the blade.
Add the cacao powder, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, maca, salt to the grated cacao butter and blend all the ingredients in food processor.
Taste and adjust the seasonings, if desired.
Transfer the cacao mixture to one side of a large plate. Put the goji berries, hemp seeds, shredded coconut on the other side of the large flat plate.
With your hands, shape the cacao mixture into walnut sized balls.
Roll the balls in the goji berries, coconut and hemp seeds.
Eat immediately or store in a jar on the counter.
December 8 I am always experimenting with dessert recipes made with wholesome ingredients. They don’t always work. My kids could tell you in detail about some of the more colossal failures, like the chocolate cake I recently made with avocado and prunes. It smelled good. It was moist. But the taste left much to be desired. And when they saw flecks of green in their cake they dropped their forks in horror! In comparison, this chocolate chip cookie recipe passed the kid test with flying colors.
Click on this link for the recipe.
I hope you enjoy it! When you make it please email me to let me know how it came out for you.
August 4 
This is one of my favorite spring and summer soups, especially when the mint returns to the garden in spring and the zucchini from the farm is abundant and you need to get creative about how to use it all. It is simple to make and is delicious either warm or chilled. The flavors are simple so people of all ages tend to enjoy it!
Ingredients
1 onion, coarsely chopped
6 cups zucchini, chopped (about 3 medium sized zucchini’s)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
Optional
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
A splash of umeboshi vinegar
Garnish: fresh mint, parsley or chives.
Directions
1. Sauté onions with a pinch of salt in olive oil until they are translucent.
2. Add zucchini, salt, pepper, and enough vegetable broth or water to JUST cover the vegetables. The zucchini will release a lot of water into the soup, so less liquid is better if you are not sure about amounts. Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer for 15- 20 minutes or until the zucchini is soft.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and blend with an immersion blender in the cooking pot. You can serve this soup warm or chilled, depending on your preference.
4. Garnish with fresh mint, chives, or parsley.
April 21 This recipe was created by my friend Michael Krause-Grosman. He was inspired by a meal he had at Grendel's Den in Harvard Square years ago, and created his own version. It is a bit decadent, calling for a lot of sheep or goat feta and eggs. I find this dish especially satisfying in April in New England when the the weather is oscillates between winter and spring. It strikes a nice balance between light and hearty.
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled and grated
1 medium zucchini, grated
2 cups of fresh spinach, or 1 cup of frozen spinach
1 cup quinoa
2 cups of vegetable broth or water
4 eggs
8.5 - 9 ounces of sheep or goat feta
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of broth in a small pot. Bring to a boil and simmer covered on low for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté onion with a pinch of salt in cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet until translucent.
Add grated carrots and zucchini to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add spinach for 1 minute more.
Crush feta into small chunks. Place feta, quinoa and vegetables in a large bowl and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then add eggs and mix well.
Place this mixture in a medium sized ceramic or pyrex pan. My pan is 8 inches x 11 inches. If you use a larger pan, (like 9 x 13), simply cook for less time.
Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and cook for 40-45 minutes, until the cheddar is nicely browned.
