Garden Wisdom Blog — Appetizers

Salsa Verde (literally “green sauce”) is the most popular condiment in Mexico, ubiquitous on restaurant tables around the country. Good salsa verde recipes are easy to make, and nearly all the ingredients can be grown in the home garden. Ingredients: 15 tomatillos, halved 1-2 jalapeno peppers 2-3 cloves garlic 1 white onion, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup cilantro juice of 1 lime 1 avocado, quartered salt & pepper to taste Method: Begin by laying the tomatillos, cut-side-down on a cookie sheet. Broil these until they are soft and slightly blackened. They don’t all have to be charred black, but the black skin...

1 bunch kale, washed and dried 1 cup cashews 1/2 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, chopped into large pieces 1 clove garlic, peeled 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/3 cup nutritional yeast 1 lemon, peeled, cut into wedges, and de-seeded Flavour Paste Cover the cashews with water in a small bowl and let the soak for at least one hour before proceeding. Preheat oven to the lowest heat setting. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Drain cashews and set aside. Trim stems the from each kale leaf and cut each leaf into chip-size pieces....

We like to make a batch of this recipe every time we make regular hummus, tabouli, and other Mediterranean salads. This colourful Hummas and beets recipe adds colour and playful flavour offering a nice contrast to the meal. 540 mL can of chickpeas 3 cloves garlic, peeled 3 beets, peeled, diced, and cooked 62.5 mL (¼ cup) beet juice 60 mL (1 Tbsp) tahini 10 mL (2 tsp) sea salt juice of 2 lemons extra virgin olive oil Drain and rinse the chickpeas, discarding the canning fluid. Peel and dice the beets to 1cm (½”) cubes. Put them in a saucepan...

The ingredient list for this Cabbage pakoras recipe may not be immediately familiar to you, but they are all readily available these days. You may not use very much ajwain, but it is one of the essential flavours here. When it’s called for, it’s worth having on hand. Try these savoury snacks with tamarind chutney or even ketchup! ½ medium onion, thinly sliced 375 mL (1½ cups) red or green cabbage, shredded 250 mL (1 cup) besan (aka gram flour or chickpea flour) 30 mL (2 Tbsp) rice flour 15 mL (1 Tbsp) coriander powder 5 mL (1 tsp) cumin...

This Tomatillo Salsa Recipe is a great side dish for any southwestern style meal, and it’s a nice way to use up tomatillos, which seem to ripen all at once at the end of summer. Combining the green tomatillos with the red and yellow tomatoes makes it both tasty and eye-catching. 3 Tbsp olive oil ½ small red onion, peeled and finely diced 1/3 cup dry white wine (or substitute tequila if you’re feeling adventurous) 8 tomatillos, cored and diced 4 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced 1 pint yellow cherry tomatoes, seeded and diced – try this with a sweet...