Chicken with Cherry Tomato and Avocado Salsa

(Makes 4 servings.)

Colin Erricson/www.robertrose.ca

Ingredients

• 1 small firm-ripe Hass avocado, diced
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1⁄4 cup chopped green onions
• 1⁄4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (each about 4 ounces)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine avocado, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, jalapeño, half the salt, and lime juice.
2. Sprinkle chicken with the remaining salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning once, for 5 to 6 minutes per side or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast registers 165 degrees. Serve with avocado salsa.

Tip: Any leftover salsa can be tucked into a whole-wheat pita (perhaps with some spinach leaves or shredded lettuce) for a quick sandwich.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 257
Total fat 12 g
Saturated fat 1 g
Cholesterol 66 mg
Sodium 561 mg
Carbohydrate 8 g
Fiber 4 g
Protein 29 g
Calcium 12 mg
Iron 2.2 mg

Chicken with Cherry Tomato and Avocado Salsa The Saturday Evening Post

One of the things that has allowed humans to flourish as a species on this planet is our cultivation of plants for food. Jump forward several million years, and technology is now making it easier than ever to get growing – even in unlikely spaces.

Minimalism’s never been so tasty

If you love gardening but are short on space, Windowfarms could be the answer to your windowsill gardening needs. The company makes a clever, technology-infused planter that is both space-conscious and beautiful to look at.

The hydroponic Windowfarms planter lets you grow an astonishing range of plants, from seedling to mature specimen, right on your windowsill. The system works by pumping water and plant food through a connected chain of vertically stacked plant containers, with minimal mess or noise. You can buy a premade Windowfarm kit for $119, but if you sign up on Windowfarm’s website, you can get plans to build your own for as little as $30.

Windowfarms started life as a Kickstarter project, funded by home gardeners who loved the idea of this elegant and high-tech windowsill gardening alternative. Investing in one of these ups not only your green credentials but your techy ones, too!

Basic tips for the beginner gardener

But you don’t have to spend much to have your own kitchen garden. And if you’re a novice gardener, you might want to start a little smaller than a hydroponic indoor gardening device. Here’s what to do if you’ve never tried growing anything before.

1. Choose your plant. One of the best plants to try if you’ve never grown anything before is lettuce. Lettuces are easy to grow from seed and grow quickly without needing too much care or sun. Other easy things to grow include radishes, kale, and herbs such as mint and cress. If you have a yard you can transfer your seedlings to, then peas and beans are great plants to start off in a windowsill garden.

2. Choose your spot. When you’re choosing somewhere to put your indoor garden, try to find a windowsill with lots of light and a window you can open and close for fresh air. If you’re not sure about the right position for the plants you’re planning to grow, look for printed instructions on most seed packets. If you have a smartphone, try one of these apps for planting tips.

3. Choose your container. As long as you have good soil, the container you grow seedlings in shouldn’t matter too much. You can grow cress seedlings in egg cartons, then use the tiny plants to add some peppery heat to your sandwiches. Well-washed plastic take-out cartons and old Tupperware boxes with some holes in the bottom for drainage both make excellent improvised pots. If you’re planning on growing anything more complicated than lettuce or a few herbs, it might be worth investing in a few plastic plant pots with proper drainage holes in the bottom; they’re reusable and last for years.

Plant some roots

Scoop the compost into your pot, leaving about half an inch clear at the top. If your seeds came with planting instructions, follow those; if not, sprinkle the seeds sparsely across the soil and then cover very gently with the last half-inch of compost. Don’t pat it down too hard. Gently water the seeds. After that, water your seeds every few days, using enough water to make the soil moist rather than like mud.

Get growing!

Why should you try growing your own plants?

1. It’s easy. While you may not be coaxing rare orchids into bloom by the end of the week, almost anyone can grow things successfully. It’s great fun and produce edible or beautiful rewards.

2. It’s healthy. If you choose to grow fruit and vegetables, you’ll be growing healthy food that you like to eat.

3. It could save you money. Getting started growing things doesn’t have to be expensive. All you need are a few packets of seeds, a small bag of compost, and a few receptacles to grow things in. You can grow seeds and some plants in really small containers such as (clean) take-out containers, glass jars, and egg cartons. From one packet of lettuce seeds, you could get enough lettuce to last you from now until October – as you eat one batch, start sowing the next.

Do you have a windowsill garden? What’s your favorite thing to grow? Share your green-fingered tips in the comments!

How to Make Your Own Window Garden The Saturday Evening Post

Start today!

James suggests taping this list to the refrigerator and adopting one healthy habit a week:

• Begin each day with a good stretch and some deep breaths.
• Plan a week’s worth of meals on your day off.
• Spend 30 minutes twice a week cutting up fresh veggies to have ready for snacks and preparing meals. Next time you want scrambled eggs (or tofu), sauté some veggies first, then add eggs.
• Keep seasonal fruit on hand for when hunger (or a sweet tooth) strikes.
• Vary your food; if you eat it on Monday, don’t have it again until Friday.
• Eat at a table and chew well. Be thankful.
• Make your own vinaigrette with olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar, a little Dijon mustard, a minced garlic clove, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle grated cheese on top of casseroles instead of mixing in larger amounts.
• Substitute raw nuts and seeds for processed granola bars.
• Have at least one day a week without meat—Meatless Monday, perhaps.
• Eat more leafy greens. Steam kale, chard, spinach, or radicchio, among others, for a couple minutes. Drain and set aside. Sauté some onions, garlic, and shitake mushrooms in olive oil for a few minutes. Add steamed greens, stir, and serve.
• Communicate well. Kindly speak your mind and be done with it. Don’t hold grudges. Forgive yourself and others.

12 Tips for Better Health The Saturday Evening Post

Have You Ever Seen a Yellow Eggplant?

I haven’t either. But during a visit to the downtown Indianapolis Farmers’ Market, I found a large yellow vegetable in a basket labeled “Eggplant.” I said to the farmer, “I’ve never seen a yellow eggplant.”

He laughed at me and replied, “Oops, wrong basket. That’s a spaghetti squash.” He then went on to tell me it’s one of his favorite meals. Baked, plain and simple. So I bought it, baked it, and it was simply delicious. Here’s the recipe I used to make it into a hearty and healthy meal for two.

P.S. A variety of yellow eggplant does in fact exist, but I haven’t seen one.

Baked Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash

(Makes 2 servings)

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese (or low-fat ricotta cheese)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Slice squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and pulp. Drizzle flesh with olive oil. Sprinkle with oregano and garlic. (Note: Use fingertips or back of spoon to rub seasonings into flesh.) Place each half flesh-side down on baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until insides are tender. Allow to cool for several minutes. Top each half with 1/2 cup cottage or ricotta cheese. Serve with a side salad or roasted vegetables. (I threw some carrots in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes while the squash was baking.)

Enjoy!

National Farmers’ Market Week The Saturday Evening Post

It may be hard to imagine your future garden as you look out the window and see endless piles of dirty slush, but March is the best time to plan out your garden and start seeds. Maybe it will help you if we paint you a picture. Look out your window, and instead of seeing bare branches and muddy snow, imagine bright green buds on the trees and songbirds trilling happily. Now, imagine your vegetable garden.

Is it a sprawling affair, like a miniature farm in your backyard, with plowed rows? Is it a cottage-style herb garden with a few vegetables here and there, fragrant and floral? Maybe it’s just a few sunny pots of tomatoes and peppers on your patio. Perhaps it’s an efficient high-density raised garden, where every vegetable gets a square foot to grow and produce pounds and pounds of food. There is no wrong answer. Every garden is good.

Select the dimensions of your garden and drag the vegetables onto the grid. Screenshot courtesy of Gardener's Supply.

Now’s the time to grab a pad of paper and draw out your ideal garden plan. Don’t worry if your garden never turns out like the plan. (If ours did, it would be a mess of scribbles and codes.) If you are considering the square foot method, Gardener’s Supply has a great tool on their website for planning a square foot vegetable garden. It even tells you how many plants to put in each section, and, in their pre-planned gardens, you can even see what kinds of supports you will need.

As you plan, make a list of the kinds of plants you would like to grow. Then check seed-selling websites like Burpee, Park seeds or Gurney’s, or you could drop into a brick-and-mortar hardware or garden store for seeds and seed-starting trays.

Of course, you could wait until spring and buy seedlings, but that costs more money, and seed-starting gives you a jump start on the growing season. Now is also a good time to get compost going if you don’t have a compost pit already underway (and if you’re not completely snowed under.) Of course, you could forego compost completely, but we recommend you do not. After all, compost reduces your food waste into rich soil, allowing you to grow more fantastic vegetables.

You can choose a high-tech composter that is specially designed made from recycled plastic or metal, or a simple, homemade pit framed by scrap lumber or metal. Gardeners will swear by one method or another, but as long as you have a cool, dark place in your backyard, you can compost. You can buy a composter from several suppliers, like Gardener’s Supply, or build a square out of pallets or cinder blocks. Then start throwing in garden waste, kitchen scraps and old newspapers, close up your composter, or cover your compost pit (plastic or treated canvas tarps work best), and wait for your gardener’s gold to develop.

Believe it or not, now is the start of the growing season. Whistling winter winds can’t get to your seedlings on a sunny table in your home (substitute a grow light if you don’t get much sun in your house). There are many seed starting trays to choose from, in different sizes, shapes and materials. We prefer the ones with the deeper wells, so the plants can grow more robust root systems. Some even come with self-watering mats, which take the guesswork out of watering sensitive seedlings. As time goes by, you will need larger transplant pots to put your healthiest seedlings into. By the time the last frost of winter reluctantly melts away, you will have healthy young vegetable plants ready for your garden, and you’ll be that much closer to seeing results in your yard.

Spring Dreams And Garden Plans The Saturday Evening Post

What’s an heirloom?

The title applies to any seeds of plants that have been 
in cultivation for at least 50 years and which are open-pollinated. That means Mother Nature did all the work, untouched by the agricultural science of hybridization. Instead, gardeners saved seeds to regrow year after year, as opposed to purchasing new commercial seeds every season. That’s why heirlooms have survived for so many generations: Somebody’s landscape-loving ancestor tucked a few favorite seeds into cold storage for another season, another gardener. Now it’s your turn.

What’s so special about heirlooms?

“People who love their heirlooms want to grow the same plants that have been grown for hundreds of years,” says Peter Hatch, director of gardens and grounds at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia. “There’s 
a nostalgia factor. They like that connection with our forefathers and a real tangible link to our past.” Hatch 
should know: At Monticello, his staff grows hundreds of historic flowers and vegetables in the estate gardens.

But when discussing heirlooms, vegetables tend to get 
the spotlight. Take heirloom tomatoes, which generally 
have thinner skins and are juicier and more flavorful than anything you buy at the store. They can be wonderfully diverse, growing in all shapes, sizes, and colors—yellow, orange, pink, purple-black, and even green with stripes. When you compare them to the red, perfectly round variety typically found in a produce bin, there is no question as to which is superior.

How are heirlooms different from hybrids?

In some gardening circles, there’s a bit of a backlash against hybrid plants, which are artificially created by crossing 
two parent plants with desirable traits—superior disease resistance and early maturity, for example. Die-hard heirloom lovers tend to look at hybrids as being unnaturally uniform and lacking in diversity, but there’s no reason you can’t have both in your garden.

How can I get started?

If you’ve never planted or saved heirloom seeds before, it’s easy to get growing. There are resources that now specialize in saving and selling heirlooms, such as Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com), which offers an extensive collection of vegetables and flowers. Seed Savers Exchange (seedsavers.org), with its thousands of varieties of heirloom seeds, is the largest nongovernmental seed bank in America and is particularly known for its heirloom vegetable collection. After your garden comes in this year, save and 
dry seeds from your best plants, store them in a labeled envelope, put the envelopes in an airtight container, such as a canning jar, and store the seeds in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to plant your own heirlooms next season.

Vintage Vegetables The Saturday Evening Post

1. Improve your soil. Start with a soil test. In early spring, add organic fertilizers, lime, sulfur, and compost as indicated by the test results. Adding these amendments early allows them to break down before the plants really start to grow.

2. Use raised beds. Unless your soil is sandy, gardening in raised beds leads to better plant growth. Raised beds warm up faster and dry out more quickly in spring, and they also use less space. Learn how to build your own: “Raised Garden Bed: A Green Project for the Family,” from the Jul/Aug 2009 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.

3. Grow in containers. Containers are ideal for gardeners who only have a small deck or balcony to work with. Self-watering containers are productive and easy to use. Even if you have space to grow vegetables in garden soil, containers are especially good for raising specialty crops that may not do well in cool soils, such as eggplant.

4. Mulch, mulch, mulch. Organic mulches—hay, straw, chopped leaves, and untreated grass clippings—suppress weed growth, conserve soil moisture, and add nutrients to the soil. Wait until your seedlings are up and growing well, then place a 2- to 3-inch-thick layer of mulch around them. In cold climates, preheat the soil with plastic mulches to give your garden a jump on the growing season.

5. Garden regularly. The best sign of a healthy garden is the gardener’s footprint. Even just 5 to 10 minutes a day is enough to be sure the plants are well tended and problems are noticed quickly and dealt with. Make it a habit to visit the garden at a scheduled time to pull weeds, pick mature vegetables, water thirsty plants, and check for pests.

6. Pick early; pick often. For many fruiting vegetables—e.g., tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and cucumbers—the more often you pick, the more the plants will produce. Even if your refrigerator is full, keep picking! You can always give extra produce away to a neighbor or donate it to a local food shelf.

7. Don’t stop planting. Once a crop is finished, don’t just leave the ground fallow. Instead, plant something! Succession planting allows you to keep the vegetables coming right into fall. For example, plan to follow a crop of bush beans with lettuce. When spinach plants go to seed, sow another bed of carrots. If a squash plant dies from disease or insects, yank it out and sow some greens.

Happy 2010 Gardening!

7 Garden Resolutions The Saturday Evening Post

Mixed Vegetable Casserole with Cheese

Mixed Vegetable Casserole

(Makes 8 servings)

• 1 head cauliflower or 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen cauliflower
• 1 pound fresh peas, shelled, or 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas
• 4 carrots, diced
• 1/2 pound small pearl onions
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon brewer’s yeast (optional)
• 2/3 grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• Paprika

Prepare all vegetables. If using all fresh vegetables, which is preferable, wash cauliflower carefully and cut into florets, discarding all but tender stems. Steam vegetables separately until half cooked. Put into lightly buttered casserole or oven-serving dish.

Melt butter, stir in flour. Cook 2 minutes over low heat, add milk. Whisk vigorously until mixture is thick and smooth. Add cheese and continue to whisk until cheese melts. Add salt to taste. Remember vegetables have not been salted.

Pour sauce over vegetables, sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered at 350 F. for 20 to 25 minutes. Vegetables should be tender, not mushy.

Recipe from The Saturday Evening Post Fiber & Bran Better Health Cookbook,  © The Saturday Evening Post Society. All rights reserved.

Mixed Vegetable Casserole with Cheese The Saturday Evening Post

California Asparagus Sandwich

California Asparagus Sandwich with Roasted Red Pepper, Mozzarella, Pancetta, and Lemon Aiola

SERVES 4

LEMON AIOLI

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

SANDWICH

• 4 squares (5-by-5-inch) foccacia bread
• 1 1/2 cups baby arugula leaves or baby lettuces (lightly packed)
• 1 cup roasted red pepper, well drained and julienned
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 1/4-inch thick 16 asparagus spears, cooked fork-tender
• 4 slices pancetta (1/8-inch thick), cooked almost crisp, break into 2-inch pieces or 8 slices bacon

All ingredients should be at room temperature before proceeding. To make Lemon Aioli, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, and salt; whisk in mayonnaise and oil. Spread smooth side of each focaccia square with ½ tablespoon aioli. Divide remaining ingredients among 4 squares focaccia, layered in the order listed. Top with remaining focaccia squares. Cut each sandwich in half into 2 triangles. Sandwiches can be served at room temperature or warmed for a few minutes in the oven at 450° F. Sandwiches should not be hot.

Souffle Omelet with Balsamic Stawberries

Souffle Omelet with Balsamic Strawberries

SERVES 2

• 1 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) fresh
• strawberries, stemmed and quartered
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, divided
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons butter

Confectioners’ sugar, as needed In bowl, combine strawberries, mint, vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of granulated sugar; set aside. In small bowl, whisk egg yolks with vanilla and remaining 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar for 1 minute or until slightly thickened.

In another bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer until they form soft peaks. With rubber spatula, fold yolks into whites until no streaks remain. In 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt butter. (To make 2 individual omelets, use 6-inch nonstick skillet.) When butter is sizzling, add egg mixture, spreading it into an even layer with spatula. Cover pan; reduce heat to low. Cook omelet 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown on bottom and barely set on top. Spoon strawberries down center of omelet; with spatula, fold omelet in half over filling. Slide omelet onto plate; dust with confectioners’ sugar.

HOW FRESH?
Vegetables and fruits are at their peak of freshness and nutrition at the time of picking. They gradually lose nutritional value (particularly the fragile, water-soluble vitamins B and C) the longer they linger uneaten in the refrigerator. For the best nutrient value, harvest from your garden only the amount you need for that day or the next day. When buying from a farmers’ market, make sure to ask whether the produce is locally grown. Frozen vegetables packaged at their peak of freshness may retain more nutrient value than fresh ones shipped from out of state.

Our Favorite Farmers’ Market Recipes The Saturday Evening Post