Balance your holiday table with this colorful, seasonal side dish for a healthy, gluten-free option from the Ancient Harvest family. They also offer a wonderful suggestion to create a fast, protein-packed lunch using these same nutritious ingredients, brightening even the dreariest of days with this vibrant salad.
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Make the most of our fresh, CT-grown green beans with this refreshing, healthy side dish from Julia Deane of Culinary Works. This simple preparation preserves the texture and nutritional benefits of the green beans, while the light, zesty dressing adds an additional layer of flavor. Finish with a sprinkle of toasted walnuts and enjoy!
1 pound green beans or combined with yellow wax beans, trimmed one side
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts – optional
Blanch beans in boiling salted water. When al dente, about 3 minutes, drain beans and immerse into a large bowl filed with ICE cold water. This will stop the cooking process and keep them bright green. Whisk together remaining ingredients, add salt and pepper to taste. Toss beans with dressing, taste and re-season if necessary, with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped walnuts!
Serves 4-6
This classic side dish is the perfect showcase for our locally grown bi-color corn, one of our specials this week here at Walter Stewart’s. It’s pure comfort food, made with real ingredients – no canned cream of corn or corn muffin mix.
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With Organic Asparagus on special this week and Easter this sunday now is the perfect time to give this simple spring recipe a go. As the weather turns warmer here in New Canaan, Eila can’t wait to start grilling. This simple Grilled Asparagus with Fresh Lemon Zest and Ginger recipe is one of her favorites. “It just tastes like spring! My whole family really enjoys this side dish. I love that we can get local asparagus, and that it takes 10 minutes to make, start to finish!” In addition to being a Certified Health Coach and culinary instructor, New Canaan mom of two young children, Eila Johnson, writes the full plate blog. The site, which was named to Forbes’ Top 100 Sites for Women and Forbes’ Top 10 Sites for Parenting and Homemaking, teaches busy parents how to make simple, nourishing recipes for their families and friends.
Simple Grilled Asparagus with Fresh Lemon Zest and Ginger
(Makes 6 servings)
2 lbs asparagus (I like the Foxy organic brand)
olive oil (I like Olave brand’s garlic or lemon infused olive oils)
zest of two lemons
½” fresh ginger, grated with a zester (I use a Microplane zester)
sea salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat your grill (or broiler if we get a cold snap). Snap the ends of your asparagus at the natural breaking point. This ensures that the asparagus will be tender. Lay asparagus on a piece of tin foil, and drizzle with a bit of your favorite oil. Sprinkle with lemon zest, grated fresh ginger root, salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high heat until asparagus starts to blister (about 8-10 minutes). Serve warm or room temp.
Pairs wonderfully with any of Walter Stewart’s marinated meats and grain salads.
In addition to being a Certified Health Coach and culinary instructor, New Canaan mom of two young children, Eila Johnson, writes the full plate blog. The site, which was named to Forbes’ Top 100 Sites for Women and Forbes’ Top 10 Sites for Parenting and Homemaking, teaches busy parents how to make simple, nourishing recipes for their families and friends. As the weather turns warmer here in New Canaan, Eila can’t wait to start grilling. This simple Grilled Asparagus with Fresh Lemon Zest and Ginger recipe is one of her favorites. “It just tastes like spring! My whole family really enjoys this side dish. I love that we can get local asparagus, and that it takes 10 minutes to make, start to finish!”
Simple Grilled Asparagus with Fresh Lemon Zest and Ginger
(Makes 6 servings)
2 lbs asparagus (I like the Foxy organic brand)
olive oil (I like Olave brand’s garlic or lemon infused olive oils)
zest of two lemons
½” fresh ginger, grated with a zester (I use a Microplane zester)
sea salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat your grill (or broiler if we get a cold snap). Snap the ends of your asparagus at the natural breaking point. This ensures that the asparagus will be tender. Lay asparagus on a piece of tin foil, and drizzle with a bit of your favorite oil. Sprinkle with lemon zest, grated fresh ginger root, salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high heat until asparagus starts to blister (about 8-10 minutes). Serve warm or room temp.
Pairs wonderfully with any of Walter Stewart’s marinated meats and grain salads.
Busy New Canaan mom, Eila Johnson, writes the full plate blog. The site, which was named to Forbes’ 2012 Top 100 Sites for Women, teaches busy parents how to make simple, nourishing recipes for their families and friends.
While she loves traditional stuffing and cranberries, Eila also enjoys bringing a new Thanksgiving side
to the table each year. She recently asked her readers what sort of side dish recipe they most-wanted to see. The responses ran the gamut from recreating one reader’s memory of her mother-in-law’s marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes that had orange juice in them…to another reader’s wish for a
sweet side that didn’t have lots of added sugar or dairy. And another reader said she wanted to make acorn squash, but lamented the lack of space in her oven Thanksgiving Day. So, Eila created this
simple, orange-infused recipe, which makes use of local delicata squash… that can be made on the stovetop. The side dish was a total hit with her young family, and will be included in this year’s family feast… plus, it was so simple and delicious that it will no doubt make appearances at normal Fall/Winter family dinners from time to time too!
(makes 10-12 servings)
2 large delicata squash (about 1 lb. each)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3-4 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
zest of 1-2 large orange(s)
1 ½ cups fresh-squeezed orange juice
salt & pepper, to taste
¼ cup roasted, unsalted pistachios, rough chopped
A note on ingredients: with the exception of olive oil, salt and pepper, all ingredients are found in Walter Stewart’s produce department. I chose to purchase fresh-squeezed orange juice (also found in the produce department), but you could also purchase a few more oranges and juice them yourself, if you’d like. The pistachios are found in the tubs on the top shelf of the produce department. They come in several varieties, including raw, roasted and roasted/salted. I used roasted/unsalted in this recipe.
Here is the recipe in photos, for those who like a visual. I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does!
