Photo: Thomas J. Story; Styling: Karen Shinto

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1  tablespoon  lemon juice
5  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
1  teaspoon  Dijon mustard
1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
1/2  teaspoon  pepper
1  butter lettuce head, torn into large pieces
2  cups  small squash blossoms, stems removed, divided
3  tablespoons  roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds
1  avocado, peeled and sliced

Preparation

Whisk together lemon juice, oil, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add lettuce, 1 1/2 cups blossoms, the sunflower seeds, and avocado and lightly toss with dressing until coated. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup blossoms on top of salad.

Recipes By Ingredient, lettuce, squash blossoms

Excerpted with permission from Farmer John’s Cookbook: the Real Dirt On Vegetables: Seasonal Recipes and Stories from a Community Farm by Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics (Gibbs Smith, Publisher). www.AngelicOrganics.com/cookbook

Crisp young turnips mixed with dried apricots and toasted walnuts, then tossed with a refreshing, flavorful yogurt-based dressing, make for a unique and special salad that will delight your dinner guests. This recipe is a great way to use up any leftover turnip or radish greens.

Serves 4 to 6

½ cup walnut pieces
4-5 young turnips, cut into matchstick-size sticks
½ cup finely sliced dried apricots
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
1 bunch young turnip greens or radish greens, coarsely chopped
½ cup mild-favored vegetable oil
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup vinegar
¼ plain yogurt
2 shallots, quartered
1-2 jalapenos or other chili peppers, stems and seeds removed, quartered
1 clove garlic, quartered
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon grated horseradish
1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Salad greens of your choice.

1. Toast the walnuts in a dry, heavy skillets over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and fragrant. (Be careful not to over toast them, as they will burn very quickly once toasted.) Transfer the walnuts to a dish to cool.
2. Combine the turnips, apricots, and walnuts in a large bowl and stir to combine.
3. Put the parsley, chopped greens, vegetable oil, olive oil, vinegar, and yogurt into a blender; process briefly, until the ingredients are just combined. Add the shallots, chili pepper, garlic, dry mustard, horseradish, and soy sauce or tamari; process until thick and creamy. If necessary, thin the dressing with a little extra yogurt or a tablespoon of cold water.
4. Pour the dressing over the turnip-apricot-walnut mixture; toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Line individual plates with a generous amount of salad greens; spoon the turnip mixture on top. Serve immediately.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, chiles, garlic, lettuce, other greens, parsley, salad dressings, salads, turnips

4 servings, 2 cups each

Dressing:

1/4 c. tomato juice
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3c. chopped green pepper
Coarse-ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Salad:

6 c. mixed salad greens
2 c. diced tomatoes
1 c. diced cucumber
½ c. thinly sliced basil
1/3c. crumbled Feta cheese
1/4 c. sliced green onions
15-oz. can cannellini or
other white beans, rinsed

Combine dressing ingredients with a whisk. Salad: combine greens and
remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing mixture, tossing gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, basil, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce, onions, salad dressings, salads, tomatoes

Preparation time 40 min. chilling time 2 hrs. 308 calories

Serves 4

1 pound small potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
½ pound whole green beans
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons brown mustard
3/4 teaspoon dried dillweed
Lettuce leaves
1 - 6 1/2 ounce can tuna, drained and broken into chunks
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks
½ small red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2 hard-cooked eggs, cut into wedges

1. In a large saucepan bring 2 inches of water to boiling. Add potatoes and green beans. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or just till tender. Remove beans with a slotted spoon; drain potatoes. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours.
2. Meanwhile, for dressing, in a screw-top jar combine lemon juice, oil, sugar, mustard, dillweed, 2 tablespoons water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cover and shake well to blend. Chill for 2 to 24 hours.
3. To serve, place lettuce leaves on a platter. Arrange potatoes, beans, tuna, tomatoes, onion, and eggs atop lettuce. Shake dressing and drizzle over salad.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, beans, dill, lettuce, onions, potatoes, salad dressings, salads, tomatoes

Serves 4

2 large red bell peppers
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces aged goat cheese
1 small head lettuce, such as red leaf or Bibb

1. Heat grill to high. Roast red peppers on grill until charred, turning as each side blackens. Transfer to a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Using paper towels, peel off blackened skin.
2. Lay peppers flat on a clean work surface. Using a sharp paring knife, cut open peppers and remove seeds and ribs. Slice into ½-inch-wide strips. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt and black pepper; set aside.
3. Slice goat cheese into four pieces, and place directly on grill. Heat, covered, until cheese starts to soften and melt. Remove from grill.
4. Place one piece on each serving plate. Arrange lettuce leaves next to cheese on each plate. Drizzle greens and cheese with remaining tablespoon oil; season lightly with salt and black pepper. Divide reserved peppers among plates; serve immediately.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, lettuce, peppers, salads, side dishes

Makes 6 servings

6 slices bacon
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp water
2 tsp sugar
½ tsp ground black pepper
8 c. leaf lettuce, washed, dried and torn into pieces
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 hard cooked egg, optional
8 radishes, thinly sliced, optional

1. Cook bacon over medium high heat until evenly brown. Remove from skillet, crumble and set aside. Reserve drippings.
2. Combine lettuce and green onions in large bowl.
3. To the hot bacon drippings, add vinegar, lemon juice, water, sugar and pepper. Stir over medium heat until hot and sugar is dissolved.
4. Add warm dressing and toss to evenly coat. Sprinkle with bacon. If desired, garnish with egg and radishes. Serve immediately.

Recipes By Ingredient, The Recipes, lettuce, onions, radishes, salads, side dishes

(recipe from the book Local Flavors used with permission of the author, Deborah Madison)

Serves 4 as a main dish.

It’s pre-tomato season in June, but the first green beans, tender little carrots, and French Breakfast radishes fit quite nicely with a few handfuls of lettuce, herbs, and fleshy purslane leaves. Tuna packed in oil or smoked fish-salmon, tuna, albacore, which can often be found at farmers’ markets—makes the salad into a meal.

1 sweet onion, thinly sliced into rounds
1/4 cup aged red wine vinegar
1 pound small potatoes, any waxy fleshed variety
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ½ pounds green beans, one variety or several
1 bunch little carrots
several handfuls salad greens or small head lettuces
a handful purslane sprigs or big sunflower sprouts
several herb sprigs, such as chervil, marjoram, lovage, chives
2 garlic cloves
1 can anchovies, packed in olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, drained, or an 8-ounce chunk smoked albacore,
thinly sliced
3 tablespoons smallest capers, rinsed
1 bunch radishes

1. Heat a large pot of water for the vegetables. Toss the onion with 2 tablespoons of the vinegar and set in the refrigerator.
2. Wash the potatoes, then put them in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, add 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender when pierced with a knife, about 25 minutes, then drain. Cut the stem ends off the beans, along with the tails if they’re tough. If the carrots are small and tender, you don’t need to
   peel them. Leave them whole or halve lengthwise with about an inch of the stems. Wash and dry the lettuces and herbs.
3. Mash the garlic with ½ teaspoon salt and 2 anchovies in a mortar. Whisk in the mustard, the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, and the oil, making a thick,
   emulsified dressing.
4. When the water boils, season well with salt, then add the beans and cook until tender but still a little firm, 4 to 8 minutes, depending on the varieties. Scoop
   them out and put them on a towel to dry briefly, then toss them, while still hot,
   with half of the dressing. Season with salt and pepper and heap them in the
   center of the platter. Boil the carrots until tender-firm, 4 to 6 minutes or so, then
   drain and dress lightly.
5. Arrange the lettuces on the platter. Place the tuna at either end, breaking it up slightly. Halve the potatoes and arrange them on the platter. Spoon the
   remaining dressing over the lettuces and potatoes and scatter capers over all,
   along with the onions, drained of their vinegar. Lay the remaining anchovies over
   the potatoes. Tuck in the radishes and carrots; add the purslane and herb sprigs.
   Season everything with pepper. Present the salad arranged. Toss it before serving.

beans, carrots, entrees, garlic, lettuce, lovage, onions, potatoes, radishes, salads

(recipe from the book Local Flavors used with permission of the author, Deborah Madison)

Serves 4-6

Although this salad can be made at the last minute, it doesn’t suffer from being
dressed hours earlier, which makes it a good picnic salad. Add the peanuts just
before serving so they’ll be nice and crunchy.

THE SALAD
½ cup skinned raw peanuts
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 large carrot
4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
2 cups slivered lettuce leaves
3 thin scallions, including some of the greens, finely sliced diagonally
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons torn basil leaves,
Preferably Thai basil

THE DRESSING
½ jalapeno chile, finely diced
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup roasted peanut oil

1. Heat the peanuts in the oil over medium-low heat, shaking the pa occasionally, until lightly browned after a few minutes. Blot with paper towels and set aside.
2. Peel the carrot with a vegetable peeler and discard the skins. Then, with the vegetable peeler, continue removing long strips of the carrot until you’ve
   reached the core.
3. Combine the cabbage, lettuce, and carrot with everything except the nuts.
   Whisk the dressing ingredients together and toss with the greens. Add the
   peanuts just before serving.

The Recipes, basil, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, lettuce, lovage, onions, salad dressings, salads