Recipes & Meal Planning Tips for This Week's Produce

Delicious Artichokes

Submitted by Target

For other artichoke & artichoke dip recipes go to: http://www.artichokes.org/recipes.html

4 medium artichokes
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons basil pesto
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Trim the stems from the artichokes, and remove the small leaves from the bottoms. Slice 1 inch or so off the top so that it is flat. Pour 2 cups or 1 inch of water into a large pot, and insert a steamer basket. Place artichokes into the steamer, cover, and bring to a boil. Allow them to steam for about 15 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce the stem.
In a cup or small bowl, mix together the melted butter and pesto. Drizzle the mixture over upright artichokes, being sure to dribble into all of the crevices. Then sprinkle bread crumbs across the tops and serve.

Spinach & Shiitake Salad With Citrus Dressing

For other shiitake recipes go to: http://www.oakshire.com/Recipes%20Shiitake.html

Submitted by Oakshire Mushroom Farms

3 ounces Shiitake Mushrooms
6 cups lightly-packed trimmed spinach leaves in bite-sized pieces
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Trim stem ends of Shiitake Mushrooms; cut mushrooms into thin slices, through the caps and stems. In a large serving bowl place mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes; set aside. In a small bowl whisk together grapefruit juice, oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Just before serving pour over vegetables, tossing gently.
Yield: 4 portions

Previous Recipes

Cooking Brussel Sprouts

Remove all the dead outer leaves and trim off any hard part of the stalk. Cut a deep line in the base all the way through to the middle. Plunge into boiling, salted water. Bring back to the boil and simmer until soft (pierce the thickest part with a pointed knife to test if they are soft and cooked all the way through). Strain and toss in a little melted butter with one of the following:

- finely sliced garlic
- grated fresh ginger
- tarragon
- caraway seeds
- black mustard seeds
- garam masala
- chopped fresh, red chili
- finely chopped onion and bacon bits.

They are really quite versatile, they can be:

shredded raw and tossed into salads,
shredded raw and served as a salad unto themselves,
marinated in a great vinaigrette,
cooked and pureed,
shredded and lightly steamed.

Beetnik Cake