sweet miscellany

I’ve had the immense pleasure the past few weeks of developing recipes for Loam Agronomics and their CSA members! Yesterday they went live on the Loam site and I eagerly hurried over to check them out (even though I knew exactly what the photos and recipes looked like, but still!). The goal with these recipes is to get people curious about seasonal produce and eager to start cooking with it. Each one is heavily focused on what I get in my CSA shares in addition to being gluten free and vegan. Also, I’m aiming to keep hard-to-find ingredients out of the mix so that the recipes are more approachable. The first recipe I developed for them is a spring falafel with cilantro tahini cream featuring the beautiful carrots, kale, and cilantro I received in my share that week. Head here to check out the recipe and stay tuned for more to come this week 🙂

I’m starting a new feature here on the blog! It’s actually one that I’ve wanted to do for quite some time but it kept getting buried beneath the lists of recipe concepts and ideas. Throughout the seasons for the next year, I’m going to share seasonal food guides highlighting what’s currently in season. Since I live in Houston and we are lucky enough to have a year long growing season, the guides will be suited to that fact. Each item shared will also have links to past blog recipes in order to provide a little kitchen inspiration.

Today it’s all about early spring! In Houston it’s a time of weird weather patterns (think storms, crazy wind, both cool and warm temperatures…). The hallmark of spring produce is that it is fleeting. Blink your eyes for long enough, and you just may miss some of it! Here’s a few items that won’t be around for too long so put ’em at the top of your market list:

S U G A R S N A P P E A S — If you read the previous post, you know how much of a crush I have on these peas. They’re not only good for straight up snacking, but they make a great addition to salads, veggie sautes, and as a topping to preeeeety much anything. These plants don’t like heat so they’ll only be around while we are still getting cooler morning temperatures. Try them in these millet flatbreads with mint cashew ricotta or in this radish & snap pea quinoa salad

S P R I N G O N I O N S — Not to be confused with scallions or green onions, spring onions actually have a bulb at the base. Both the bulb and tender greens can be used in your favorite recipes. They have a milder taste than standard onions which makes them perfect for those sensitive to strong pungent tastes. Try them in this spring onion & asparagus frittata if you eat eggs, or in the place of the scallions in this tofu scramble if you don’t.

S T R A W B E R R I E S — These little crimson colored babes are what signifies to me that’s it’s spring! Their arrival ends the monotony of winter produce, paving the way for new varietals. Like sugar snap peas, though they love ripening in the sun, strawberries are picky about having too much heat. So, we are only graced with their presence for a few weeks in late winter/early spring here in Houston. Try them in these roasted strawberry sundaes or in these strawberry upside down cakes with vanilla bean.

Wondering where to find these items locally? Check out your farmers market or neighborhood co-op 🙂

The strawberries & spring onions used in this post were sourced from Gundermann Acres & the snap peas were sourced from Loam Agronomics.

Loam Collaboration: Spring Falafel with Cilantro Tahini Cream

Early Spring Seasonal Food Guide