Crudités, Anyone?

Another item that can move grease off of the game day buffet is utterly simple:  crudités, or, simply, cut up veggies with dip.  Pick up some carrots and anything else that looks appetizing at the store this week, and either put out your favorite salad dressing with it, set out some hummus, or use this utterly simple dip.  My mom has been making it since the beginning of time, I believe.

Thanks, mom, for the recipe.

Photo via Saveur

Vegetable Dip With Dill

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (light mayo works just fine)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (again, fat free is just fine)
• 1 tablespoon dried onion or 
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dried dill weed (double for fresh)

Directions:

Stir it all together.  finis.  It's better, though, if it can sit in the fridge for a day or two prior to serving to allow flavors to integrate.

Radishes In Herb Butter

Other than raw in a salad or in this delicious Radish Dip, I've never actually cooked with radishes.  So for Easter Sunday, I figured why not turn it into a quick and simple side dish.  I'd bought a bundle of parsley earlier in the week, and frankly I couldn't remember what I planned to use it for, so it became destined to join the radishes, and thus this recipe was born.  The bitterness of the radish and parsley is the perfect accompaniment to anything with very rich flavors (like that Gratin of Leeks).

Radishes In Herb Butter

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter

1 bundle radishes, both ends trimmed and sliced thin

1 bundle parsley, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

In a skillet, melt butter over medium high heat.  Add in radishes and saute for about 3-5 minutes or until the middles are translucent.  Toss in chopped parsley and season with salt & pepper and cook for an additional minute.  Remove from heat and serve.

Oh Honey, Let's Be Rad...ish!

If you haven't figured this out yet, I'm incapable of talking about radishes without making a pun.  It will keep happening, so just smile and nod.

Anywho, last evening I finally got around to using up my radishes from two weeks ago (thank you cooler season produce for lasting so much longer and suiting my procrastination tendencies), and was able to finally make this Radish Dip that Crop Share member Missie Welch had shared with us.  She was oh so right with how delicious it is.  We baked up some Beet Chips to go with it, but this would make a fantastic veggie dip.  So for holiday parties, if you're tasked with bringing the veggie tray, whip up a quick batch of this dip and tell the french onion dip to take the night off and keep off your hips!  It has an almost hummus like consistency so it's a great, healthy alternative for a chip dip, too.

We used the juice of 1 lemon and a full 8 oz of cream cheese (we use Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese to keep it dairy, free but you can use any reduced fat variety to keep the calories down).  Plus at one point I went to add a dash of pepper and opened the pour and not the sprinkle side, so I spent a good 5 minutes scooping what was about 1/4 cup of ground black pepper out of my blender.  *sigh*

Radish Dip via Missie Welch

Laying Down Some Rad...ish Beets!

This week we're hitting you with beets and radishes.  Okay, we're not literally going to hit you with them, but for those of you who are cringing over either or both of these veggies, you may be feeling like this is a human rights violation.  Thankfully, they are much more versatile than things that get sliced and placed on a sad, side salad.

So here are two sweet treat takes on radishes and beets, one a healthy and detoxifying smoothie, and the other...cupcakes, awesome Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  Because everything is better with cream cheese frosting.  And the cupcakes are vegan, so really they're practically a health food.

Rawkin Radish Smoothie via Young and Raw

Natural Red Velvet Cupcakes Made With Beets via Je Suis Alimentageuse

Radish Dip: Guest Post From Crop Share Member Misse Welch

This week's Crop Share is going to be RAD!  Why?  Because you're getting a bundle of RADishes!  If you're a radish skeptic, fear not, because do I have a recipe for you.  Or more like Crop Share member Misse Welch has a recipe for you.  During the Early Spring round, Misse sent us this recipe as an entry into our Nalls Next Top Food Blogger Contest, and we've been drooling over it ever since and waiting for another go-round of radishes so we could share this great recipe with you all.  So from Misse's kitchen to yours, we give you delicious way to prepare radishes.  Because we all know, cream cheese makes every thing amazing!

Radish Dip

Ingredients:
5 oz cream cheese
1 cup radishes, quartered
1-1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 bunch chives, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic
Sea salt
Black pepper
Paprika

I threw the radishes, chives, garlic and parsley in my food processor until finely chopped, and then added the lemon juice and cream cheese (cubed to make it easier).  Once it was combines to the consistency of a dip, I added sea salt and pepper to taste and put it in a serving dish.  I sprinkled it with paprika and it was ready to eat, more like devour!  It can be eaten with veggies, potato chips, or I even used it as a sandwich spread!

Adapted from Farmgirl Fare (http://www.farmgirlfare.com/2009/08/advice-for-new-vegetable-gardeners-what.html)

Let's Be Rad(ish)!

Think radishes only exist to be shaved thin and perched atop fancy crostini appetizers, then it's time to Rethink Radishes.  The foodies over at Cooking Light put together a series of 20 recipes to stretch our imaginations when it comes to this oft underused vegetable.  So be sure to check out the full list (here), but here was my favorite from the bunch: Radishes In Browned Butter & Lemon.

Radishes In Browned Butter & Lemon

Ingredients:
3 cups radishes, halved lengthwise, with root and 1" stem left on
1 Tbsp butter (or dairy-free margarine for vegan preparation)
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup torn radish leaves
1/4 tsp black pepper

Click through to view the rest of the recipe...


And just so you all know...

Corn Radish Salad With Chile-Jalapeño Dressing

For those of you who have not had Lake Mattamuskeet onions, they are super sweet! They're sweeter than Vidalia onions and not as moist so they keep a little longer. This recipe can be modified to be used as a topping on grilled fish or chicken. You can also mix it in with your favorite greens for a big lunch salad. 

Ingredients:
4 ears of raw sweet corn, husked and silk removed
10 to 12 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup either thinly-sliced or small-diced Lake Mattamuskeet onion
1/2 to 3/4 cup coarsely-chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 to 1 jalapeno chile pepper (or long hot pepper) seeded and coarsely-chopped
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
3 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Click here to view the rest of this recipe: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Salad/CornRadishSalad.htm

Raw Radish and Cucumber Salad

How beautiful is this salad? It's a great way to incorporate all the great spring vegetables available. You can add fresh corn to it or tomatoes to give it even more color and nutrition.

Yield: 2

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, seeded and sliced into matchsticks

1 medium carrots, shredded

6 medium radishes, shredded

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon agave (or honey)

3 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper to taste



Click here to view the rest of this recipe: http://www.fortheloveoffoodblog.com/2011/06/raw-radish-and-cucumber-salad.html