ITEMS
Scallion Bunch
Shiitake Mushrooms
Curly Kale
Coleslaw Mix
Kimchi
Crimson Lentils
PRODUCERS
Gallatin Valley Botanical - Bozeman
Mother Fungi - Missoula
Amaltheia Organic Produce - Belgrade
Root Cellar Foods - Belgrade
House of Ferments - Missoula
Timeless Natural Foods - Ulm
Thai-Style Vegetable Stir-Fry
Adapted from Milk Street:Vegetables. Serves 3-4. Serve with cooked rice, quinoa, or any grain you like.
1 1/2 Tbs fish sauce - substitute soy sauce or GF Tamari for a vegetarian option
2 tsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper
salt, to taste
3 Tbs safflower oil, grapeseed oil, or other high-heat neutral oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbs cilantro stems, minced, plus 1/4 C cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 container Coleslaw Mix, sub ~1 lb sliced napa cabbage or green cabbage
4 oz snow peas, bell pepper, or other sweet, crunchy vegetable, thinly sliced
Optional garnishes: thinly sliced scallions and Sriracha sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet with a lid, or well-seasoned cast iron, over medium-high heat and cook the oil, garlic, and cilantro stems, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 2-4 minutes. Add the sliced cabbage, mushrooms, and peas/bell pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to char and soften, 4-6 minutes. [Note: Even though it's called "stir-fry," don't need stir too often in the first 5 minutes. Stirring infrequently allows a bit of char to develop on the veggies, adding more depth of flavor. If they're burning too much, adjust the heat and/or stir a bit more frequently]
Add the sauce mixture and immediately cover the pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook, occasionally shaking the pan back and forth without removing the lid, for 2 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring often, until all the liquid has cooked off and skillet is dry, ~2 more minutes. Taste and season as needed.
Serve with rice or other cooked grains, and top with the cilantro leaves, sliced scallions, and Sriracha, if you like.
Red Lentil & Scallion Pancakes
These are based on the Korean dish, Bindae-tteok - a savory pancake made traditionally with a batter of ground mung beans, rice, kimchi, pork, and scallions. This vegetarian version with red lentils is adapted from the book, Cooking at Home by chef David Chang and food writer Priya Krishna (which, notably, contains very few measurements. I've included some derived from my best judgement, but you should taste, season, and adjust until the flavors suit you.) *Note the soaking time!* Serves 2-4.
1 C crimson lentils
1/4 C uncooked short-grain white rice
1 small bunch of scallions, finely chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
A pinch of ground ginger
3 tsp toasted sesame oil, divided
4 Tbs soy sauce, divided
Scoop of kimchi, drained and chopped (if the kimchi is too strong, rinse it first, then drain and chop. If you can't stand kimchi at all, use thinly sliced bok choy, zucchini, or cabbage instead)
Safflower oil or other neutral oil for high-heat cooking
2 Tbs rice vinegar, or any clear vinegar (white, white wine, rice wine, cider, etc)
-A bit of Spicy - Gochugaru is a Korean chili powder typically used in this dish, but not likely to be in your pantry. Sub chili powder, chili flakes, gochujang, Sriracha, or whatever spicy element you like.
-A bit of Sweet - granulated sugar or agave work well, but any sweetener you have is fine.
Put the lentils and rice in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for 8 hours or overnight.
Drain the lentils and rice, reserve the soaking water - either strain over another bowl, or use a fine mesh scoop to transfer the solids to a strainer, leaving the water in the bowl.
Using a blender (or hand blender, magic bullet, etc), blend the lentils and rice until it looks homogenous. Use the reserved soaking water to help make it go, adding a little at a time so you use as little water as possible.
Pour the blended mixture into a mixing bowl and add the chopped scallions, minced garlic, ginger powder, 2 tsp sesame oil, 2 Tbs soy sauce, and a bit of Sweet. Mix well.
Next, add the chopped kimchi or other vegetables. Stir until just mixed, taste the batter and add salt if you think it needs it.
Using a large non-stick skillet or well-seasoned cast iron, heat over medium-high with a glug of cooking oil. Add a bit of batter to the pan, and using the bottom of a spoon or ladle, form it into a thin, flat circle. Let it cook on one side until golden brown, then flip and cook until the other side is golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone. [I suggest starting with a small amount of batter until you get a feel for it, then you can make larger cakes if you like]
Make a dipping sauce with 2 Tbs each rice vinegar and soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, a pinch of Spicy (see ingredient notes), a bit of Sweet, and toasted sesame seeds if you have them. Adjust to your tastes. Cut or rip off pieces of the pancakes and dip them in the sauce.
Additional Recipe Suggestions
If you like bold flavors, this Scallion-Ginger sauce is for you.
Here's a yummy quiche recipe we shared a while back from our friend Megan Ulrich's cookbook. It features lots of greens, herbs, scallions, and mushrooms.
Fried rice is another favorite weeknight meal. Here's my go-to version
Crimson lentils are the foundation of many versions of dal. Simple and flavorful, I can't get enough. Here's a pretty basic dal recipe - you could use sauteed kale and/or mushrooms instead of tomatoes for a more seasonal approach.
Timeless has lots of recipes to help you use your lentils, like these Curried Lentil Patties , which could be made with Gold or Crimson lentils
Don't love lentils? Trick everyone, even yourself, with these lentil brownies.