January Garden-to-Table Recipes
The only thing more fun that watching the miracle of a garden growing is eating the bounty from the garden! At Monarch Garden, we’re committed to learning together as a community how to enjoy the foods we are growing in our gardens. In a world that’s becoming further removed from its food source and less familiar eating at home, it can be a challenge to know what to do with the food we are growing or how to prepare it. Thankfully we have so many foodies in our Monarch Community!
Here are my favorite recipes that use what we’re harvesting in January from our gardens. I’ve personally made each of these, and love them enough to pass them along to you!
Just in time for New Year’s traditions, collard greens and mustard greens are stunning and plentiful in the January garden!
Hoppin’ John Soup
Our family rings in the New Year every January 1 with Rachel Ray’s Hoppin’ John Soup. This soup combines pork, black-eyed peas, and greens - everything you need for luck, health, and wealth in the new year - and it’s all in one bowl! Plus this soup is light and veggie-packed, so it’s the perfect food when you’re ready to start fresh in the new year.
Note: I cook the rice separately. I’ve never had luck cooking it in the actual soup.
I use a really lean sausage (my favorite is Elk).
I add a large bunch of whatever greens are growing in the garden - collards, mustards, and kale (all chopped small).
I add 1/3 cup of Franks Hot Sauce per batch (but I have to double her recipe to feed my giant family).
We add cooked rice to our bowls, then top with soup. It’s delicious!
Kale is so delicious in the Houston garden in January. This pasta dish is simple and tasty!
Roasted Cauliflower and Kale
Spaghetti with Toasted Almonds
With roasted almonds and cauliflower and crisped kale - you’ll love this Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Spaghetti with Toasted Almonds from Pralines and Greens. Note: I used whole wheat angel-hair noodles, and I think it adds to the nutty flavor. Such an easy, delicious dish!
Farro Salad with Mustard Greens
I adjusted a recipe from the cookbook Food 52 - A New Way to Dinner for this filling Farro Salad with Mustard Greens. This is the perfect salad for lunch or a dinner without kids (if your kids are anything like mine). This one has so many unique flavors and textures - it took a minute to grow on me, but then I could not stop eating it. When I made this for the Monarch girls, they loved it. It’s a super filling salad and a fun way to use your mustard greens. Definitely for the more adventurous eater!
You’ll need:
Dressing
3 anchovy fillets
1 clove garlic
Salt
Juice of 2 lemons
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
With a mortar/pestle, mash together the anchovies, garlic, and a pinch of salt until you form a paste. In a small jar, mix the remaining ingredients with the paste. Shake well.
Salad
2 cups cooked farro
salt and pepper
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds
1/4 cup golden raisins, dried cranberries, or currants
4 cups roughly chopped mustard greens
Shaved parmesan cheese
Add cooked farro to a large bowl. Salt and pepper farro really well. Add nuts, dried fruit, mustard greens. Toss. Pour dressing over salad. Toss until coated. Top each serving with shaved parmesan.
Serves 4
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Spinach Alfredo
You can harvest spinach in the January garden. This Spinach Alfredo is a go-to comfort food and kid-favorite in our house. It’s super fast and easy to make. This is also great with grilled chicken.
Here’s what you need:
1 lb fettuccine
1 stick butter
1 pint whipping cream
2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
generous harvest of spinach, chopped (or about a bunch or half bag of store-bought spinach)
Boil noodles and cook according to directions in a medium sauce pan. Reserve a cup of pasta water before straining.
While noodles are cooking make sauce in a medium skillet or sauce pan. On low heat, melt butter (do not let it brown), whisk in whipping cream slowly, then add parmesan cheese a cup at a time whisking until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste (we like ours peppery). You’ll have a thick sauce. The goal is to simply melt the cheese - not cook anything, so keep the heat really low.
Once noodles are cooked, place in a large serving bowl on top of chopped spinach. Let sit for 2 minutes so spinach wilts. Add sauce. Toss really well. If the sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time. Taste to see if you need more salt or pepper.
Top with grated parmesan and serve.
Serves 4
Kale and Ricotta Dip
This Kale and Ricotta dip is the simplest thing you’ll make all year, and it’s a great way to use up your garden kale! This is easy and delicious. Win-win!
What you need:
2 Tbs olive oil
2 small bunch of kale, stems removed, chopped very thinly
2 cups ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper
Zaatar seasoning (I love Old Country Olive Oil’s)
Red pepper flakes (optional, and to taste)
Crackers or crostini
Preheat oven to 425. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add kale and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium, shallow baking dish. Add Ricotta cheese. Stir well. Add sat, pepper. Stir. Taste to see if you need more salt and pepper. Smooth out in pan. Top with zaatar seasoning and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Bake about 15 minutes until golden and bubbly. While dip is cooking, slice bread. Place on a baking pan. Toast until soft and light brown.
Remove dip and bread from oven and serve hot!
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Kale and Quinoa Salad with Crisp Celery, Plumped Cranberries, and Lemon Dressing
Not lying. This salad is incredible. After making it, I instantly went to my holiday binder (yes, I’m that person) and added this salad to our Thanksgiving Day menu and removed the salad we’ve been eating for the past 5 years. This Kale and Quinoa Salad with Crisp Celery, Plumped Cranberries, and Lemon Dressing is a winner. We devoured it!
Swiss Chard Lasagna
This terrible photo does not do this recipe justice. First, this lasagna is amazing. It was a 10/10 at our house and everyone ate it. This almost never happens. Second, not only is it a great way to use your Swiss Chard, you use the STEMS! What? How fun! If you never know what to do with your Swiss Chard from the garden - now you do!
Martha truly does it again with her Swiss Chard Lasagna. Enjoy!
HELPFUL LINKS
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