Some mysterious member of our local wildlife community has been nibbling on the melon plant in my Tower Garden. Just this plant, none of the others. I couldn't figure it out!!! No other evidence... no caterpillar poop, no insect eggs. Who is it??

And then... I caught her red handed. My garden pest is of the CANINE variety!

​OLIVE!!!! Leave my plants alone! I will share with you... but you have to let them GROW first!

OMG YUM! We had a somewhat successful, and somewhat NOT successful sushi-making experience last night. About half of our maki rolls fell apart when we tried to slice them, so we tossed them in a bowl and called it Sushi Salad.

It's a bit of stretch to say it's a Tower Garden recipe, since the only items we used from the tower are the cucumbers and a few baby greens, but I have to share it because it was the perfect lunch today! Crisp and light, maybe a little heavy on the rice. But hey, it's Friday. Let's live a little.

That was supposed to be sarcastic, BTW.

Check out these little cuties!

They are called Boothby's Blonde Cukes and I think they are adorable. We have a whole bunch getting ripe, and I think I'm going to try pickles! And here's why...

Last week I had to have a round of antibiotics, which I HATE doing now that I have learned so much about gut health, but they talked me into it because a procedure I was having had a high risk of infection. I'm still not convinced I should have done it… but it's done now… And the task at hand is to make sure I help my digestive system (another word for "immune system") recover from the slaughter of millions of innocent bystanders: the helpful bacteria that were living happily in my intestines.

Did you know that naturally fermented foods like homemade pickles are a great way to feed your beneficial gut flora?

I didn't either! 

So how great is it that I have a bushel of these cute cukes almost ready to harvest! I'm not sure they are ideal for pickles, but we are going to find out in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned for the result!

ingredients:

• One medium SWEET POTATO
• One medium ONION
• One large CARROT
• Several cloves of GARLIC
• 1/2 cup of raw CASHEWS
• A few tbs OLIVE OIL
• A generous handful of Tower-Garden GREENS° (take your pick… spinach, chard, kale, collards, etc)
• Your choice of fresh or dried HERBS° (basil, oregano, chipotle, etc)
• A squeeze of LEMON JUICE
• 1/2 an AVOCADO
• a small handful of sliced GREEN ONIONS° or CHIVES° (and more if you'd like to sprinkle them on top later)
• SALT and PEPPER 
• WATER reserved from the boiled veggies

make it:
Chunk up the sweet potato, onion, carrot. Toss them into a medium-sized pot of boiling water, and cook until soft. You can either soften the cashews ahead of time by soaking them, like "real" chefs do. Or if you're more spontaneous like me, toss them in the pot with the veggies.

Also‚ you can either include the whole garlic cloves into the pot to cook with the veggies (which will mellow the flavour) or if you are feeling more adventurous, leave it raw and grate it right into the blender with the other ingredients to leave its BITE intact.

Spoon the cooked veggies into your blender jug or food processor (but save the water). Add the rest of the ingredients, using a bit of the veggie-water to get it to dippable consistency.

Taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary. I found it bland at first, so I added more salt, garlic, and lemon. 

Let it chill or eat it warm on your choice of culinary companions: Mary's crackers, pasta, veggie sticks, or how about on a sandwich instead of mayo and mustard. YUM!!

As usual, I marked some of the ingredients with a dot (°). These are items that grow beautifully in your Tower Garden: grow your produce at home, indoors or out, organic and local, year-round regardless of your climate. I love it!

Enjoy!

1. LIBBIE'S CREAMY BALSAMIC
(This is similar to the one I included with my Kitchen Sink Salad post)

OLIVE OIL - 1 cup

MAYO (or high quality bottled BLUE CHEESE dressing, or a vegan substitute) - 1/2 cup

BALSAMIC VINEGAR - 1/2 cup

DIJON MUSTARD - 2-3 tablespoons

GARLIC - 1 or 2 (or more!) raw or roasted cloves, crushed or grated very finely. Or a teaspoon or two of garlic powder

ITALIAN HERBS - take your pick, but use lots! At least a tablespoon or two (total) dried, and more if fresh: BASIL, THYME, MARJORAM, ROSEMARY, OREGANO.

BLACK PEPPER - 1 or 2 tsp, fresh cracked if possible

ONION POWDER - 1 or 2 tsp



2. NATALEE'S CITRUS GARLIC RUSTICA
​Toss everything into a jar and let it sit at least for a few hours. It will be even better the next day.

OLIVE OIL - 1 cup

VINEGAR - 1/2 cup (your choice, or a mix: apple cider, white wine, red wine, balsamic, etc)

1/2 an ORANGE, or a whole MANDARIN/TANGERINE - halved, squeezed, and toss the WHOLE thing, peel and all, into the jar

GARLIC - several whole cloves, mashed with the flat side of a kitchen knife or wooden spoon, tossed into the jar

OREGANO - 2-3 tablespoons dried, more if fresh

SOY SAUCE - just a splash

BLACK PEPPER - 1 or 2 tsp

SWEET - a dollop of your preferred sweetener: honey, (real) maple syrup, agave, etc




3. ASIAN SESAME VINAIGRETTE

OLIVE OIL - 1 cup

SESAME OIL - 1/4 cup

RICE WINE VINEGAR - 1/2 cup

TAHINI - 2-3 TBS

SOY SAUCE - just a splash

GINGER - 1-2 TBS peeled and grated

GREEN ONIONS - one stalk, chopped 

GARLIC - 1 tsp powder or fresh

This one might need the blender or bullet to break up the thick tahini and green onions.

INGREDIENTS:

Chickpeas - either 2 big cans, or 2 cups of dry (soak overnight)

Kale - a big truckload, chopped into smallish pieces

Garlic - lots, at least one whole head. Chopped, grated, or smooshed.

Carrots - several, chopped

Italian Sausage - I prefer HOT! Maybe 9 or 10 big links (obviously, omit for a veg/vegan version)

Stock - I used chicken. Low-sodium, especially if you include the sausage, which is usually very salty. I used 3 tetrapaks, plus a big block of homemade from the freezer.

Soup - Yes, soup is the secret ingredient in my soup :-).  This time I grabbed a jug of Trader Joes corn and roasted red pepper from the pantry. Anything smooth/pureed helps add some texture. Sweet potato would be really good too.

Herbs and spices - honestly, I don't use them for this recipe because the sausage brings so much flavour. But if you go veg, you might want to include some. (Go Italian with basil and oregano. Go Indian with turmeric and coriander. Oooo, Mexican! Cumin and chile power).

Other stuff - I like this soup simple, but don't be shy… potatoes, zucchini, squash, celery, brussels sprouts, whatever sounds good to you.


GO MAKE IT:
• If you are using dry chickpeas, soak them overnight (or at least a few hours) and boil them for an hour or so in some stock or water with a little salt. 

• Slice the sausage into manageable pieces, and brown the heck out of it in a big soup pot. Don't be shy, this brings the flavour. Add the garlic just for the last couple minutes, but don't let it burn.

• Throw everything else in the pot, bring it to a boil, then simmer until the carrots are soft.

Of course we will!

We call it the "Kitchen Sink" salad, because it's got everything but. Ingredients not traditionally salad-like are the signature of this creation, I encourage you to experiment with anything and everything in your kitchen, or whatever catches your eye at the market.

My guilty secret is that I HATE making salad. Especially with 487 ingredients I like in mine. So I make sure to maximize the work by making LOTS. I break out every container and make lunches for the whole week. (But if you are prepping ahead of time, save the smooshier stuff like mushrooms and avocado for last minute toppers, just do the basic chopping all at once).

Here's how it works…

Raid your kitchen and throw it all IN THE BOWL...

GREENS - Spinach°, mixed babies, arugula°, chard°, collards°, any kind of lettuce°. 

RAW VEGGIES - Give it everything you got! And every colour… Cucumbers°, bell peppers°, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes°, celery°, green onions°, the options are endless

SPROUTS - anything alive (have you tried growing your own? So easy! And a nutrition powerhouse!)

NUTS and SEEDS -adds a layer of substance, protein and texture. Walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, chia, flax, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin, etc.

SOMETHING COOKED but COLD - This seems out of place, but it totally works. Our fave is leftover steamed broccoli° and whole baby (or chunks of bigger) potatoes (but chilled! not hot). Leftover grilled veggies (like eggplant°, zucchini° and peppers°) are perfect too.

ONE SWEET ITEM - Blackberries have become the star of this show. Strawberries°, blueberries, apple, pear and tangerine chunks are good too. Or dried fruit like figs,  cranberries or raisins. But unlike the rest of the above items, DON'T overdo this one or you'll end up with a dessert instead of a salad. Pick one… ok, maybe two. A little sweet goes a long way.

PROTEIN - not essential if this is destined to be alongside a bigger meal. But a little protein will make this a perfect one-dish-meal. Hard boiled eggs, canned chickpeas or black beans, marinated tofu chunks, any kind of meat, fish or seafood. I like to grab a can of tuna for an easy office lunch. Just plop a whole can on top and toss.

FAT - Feed your brain!! Avocado is perfect! How about cheese (or vegan "cheese"): goat, feta, mozzie, parm, blue. Olive oil, for sure, but that comes later.

GRATED ROOTS - This is the signature item! I use a box grater to make the tougher root veggies more manageable, and it puts a gorgeous finish to the bowl. Essentials are raw beets, carrots, and radishes. Zucchini° is good here too since I'm not crazy about chunks of raw zuke. 


And now for the best part… THE DRESSING!

If you MUST violate the bowl of beauty you just put together by using a cesspool of commercially processed and unpronounceable ingredients, go ahead, use the dressing from the store. Snorseville!

I encourage you to make your own. It's so easy and SO much better than anything you will find at the store. (exceptions… Cherry Creek from Granville Island, or Trader Joe's Goddess. For those, I will forgive you).

And let's address the issue of quantity…Don't be modest and deprive yourself of the flavour and goodness that comes with the dressing. Being scared of dressing is the quickest way to induce salad misery. These are all healthy ingredients!! I could even defend the mayo, depending on the quality of the source. (Feeling brave? Make your own.)

Besides, does anyone still believe the weight-loss bozos who say all you need to to do is limit your dressing to 2 TBS and the pounds will just fall off? POPPYCOCK!! Fresh homemade salad dressing is NOT the enemy. I guzzle this stuff while losing (and am maintaining) a 50 pound weight loss. Go nuts. It's not gonna kill you.

Feel free to adjust the qty, this will make a nice big jar and should last a week or so in the fridge. (But be careful if you took me up on the make-your-own-mayo challenge. That will drastically decrease the shelf-life. Proceed at your own risk. Be food safe!)

So let's get to it!…

OLIVE OIL - 1/2 cup

MAYO - 1/2 cup (or less if you are still a salad masochist and will feel better NOT enjoying your lunch).

BALSAMIC VINEGAR - 1/2 cup

TAHINI   or   DIJON MUSTARD  -  a few tablespoons of either. Not essential, leave it out if you don't have it handy, but tahini adds such a nice flavour, and dijon gives a nice bite.

GARLIC - 1 or 2 (or more!) raw or roasted cloves, crushed or grated very finely… talk about "bite"!

OREGANO° - lots! At least a tablespoon of dried, and more if fresh. BASIL°, CILANTRO° or SAGE° work too, but I prefer oregano.

BLACK PEPPER - 1 or 2 tsp, fresh cracked if possible

ONION POWDER - 1 tsp

Sling it all into a mason jar or other tight container and shake-shake-shake. Small appliances are not really necessary, but feel free to break out the immersion blender, food processor or bullet, especially if you feel the need to justify their purchase. "See, I use it all the time!"

And there you have it! Out of our vault and into your kitchen. Good stuff.

Did you notice I marked some of the ingredients with a dot (°). These are all items that grow beautifully in your Tower Garden: grow your produce at home, indoors or out, organic and local, year-round regardless of your climate. I count 14 tower options in this recipe!! Awesome!

What do you think? Did I miss anything? Impress us all with your mad salad skills and add your favourites in the comments.