Another week and lots of great farm fresh goods to experiment with! Week 2 came with some new-to-me foods as well as a PILE of strawberries to play with. In addition to the strawberries, Week 2 included garlic scapes, baby kale, mixed greens, beet greens and pea shoots.
Since things were busy with family visiting, I didn’t get to use everything quite the way I had wanted but was able to experiment a little bit, which of course made me happy!
I used the garlic scapes in a stir fry and also to make my favourite vegan Caesar salad dressing – http://ohsheglows.com/2010/06/25/easy-vegan-caesar-salad/
We used the pea shoots on top of the greens in salads and also threw them into the stir fry (where I also used the broccoli from Week 1) for some added greens.
Since I didn’t have time to get creative, the baby kale went into the easy salmon curry that I posted last week. Right now that recipe is still one of my favs so it’s nowhere near getting old.
The beet greens and the rest of the baby kale were used up in smoothies to sneak in some extra greens. I love blending greens in with my daily smoothie since it’s an incredibly easy way to get an extra serving in.
My favourite experiment of the week was with the strawberries. After eating a box of them from the Week 1 delivery and also gorging on the strawberries growing in my own backyard, I wanted to try out a recipe with them this time. I found a recipe for strawberry oat squares oh the Oh She Glows blog and decided to play around with the recipe a little to suit my taste and make them gluten free. They were very easy to put together and I loved the chia seed jam so much that I ended up making some more to keep in the fridge to throw on top of my morning oatmeal!
- For Oat Base:
- 1.5 cups gluten free old fashioned oats
- 1 cup Buckwheat flour (or other gluten free flour of choice)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 chia egg (1 Tbsp chia seeds+ 4 Tbsp warm water, mixed)
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- For Strawberry chia seed Jam:
- Ingredients:
- 2 & ¼ cups chopped strawberries, finely chopped into ¼ inch pieces
- 3-4 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Line a square pan (I used an 8x8) with parchment paper and oil the sides of the pan and base.
- For the jam: In a medium sized pot, add the chopped strawberries and syrup. Heat over medium until the strawberries begin to sweat and it gets a bit watery. Mash the strawberries a bit until you have your desired consistency. I like my pretty mashed! Once it cooks down a bit, add in the chia seeds, and stir well. Bring to a low boil and then simmer over low to medium heat for at least 10-15 minutes. Once it has thickened a bit, remove from heat and cool for 15 mins (you can pop it in the fridge or freezer to cool quicker).
- In a small bowl, mix the chia or flax egg and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the oat base dry ingredients: oats, flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt. In a small bowl, mix the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, almond milk, and chia egg. Stir well. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix well, using hands if necessary. Set aside ½ cup of the dough for the topping. Pour the oat mixture onto the square pan and press down with fingers. Pour on strawberry mixture and smooth out. Now sprinkle on the reserved ½ cup oat mixture and sprinkle on. Bake at 350F for approximately 30 minutes. Allow to fully cool for at least 30-40 minutes before gently removing from pan. Slice and then store in a container in the fridge to keep firm (they really are better after they are cooled in the fridge...they stick together better!).
Hi I'm Pam, welcome to my blog! I'm here sharing recipes, day-to-day musings, fitness, travel, and my journey to health, wellness, and happiness. 
