December is a wonderful month for using those late-season greens from your CSA, like Swiss chard, mustard greens, arugula and kale. Inspired by our first craft beer dinner, Mahasti visited one of our favorite local farms, Hines Valley Farm, to see what seasonal greens were available and what would pair best with a selection of beers from Oskar Blues Brewery.

The fine folks at Hines Valley had a great selection of tasty kale and collard greens. Both greens partner well with the tartness of the cranberries and the sweetness of the reduced balsamic vinegar. Rye berries offer health benefits such as being low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. They also serve as a source of fiber and Vitamin B6. Although we served this salad as a side to English-style bangers, it could work very well as an entree on its own.

1.5 cups Rye berries

3 cups Water

3 cups Kale

3 cups Collards

½ cup Onion

2 Tbl Vegetable Oil

½ cup + 1 Tbl Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbl Olive Oil

1.5 tsp Salt

1 ½ cup Dried Cranberries

Soak rye in 3 cups of water overnight. Bring 2 cups of water to boil, drain the rye berries and add to boiling water. Boil berries for 5 minutes, drain , run under cold water and set aside in a large bowl.

Meanwhile dice onions. Cut greens in half lengthwise then into thin strips.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, bring to boil, and boil for 2 – 3 minutes until reduced by ½ . Add greens and lightly sauté. Add  sautéed greens to bowl with rye berries. Add remaining tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, 1.5 tsp salt and dried cranberries. Toss until all ingredients are mixed together well.

Serve at room temperature – or refrigerate and serve cold.

Flour Head Bakery’s pumpkin cranberry muffin is sure to add a little warmth to our lives on these gray, gloomy and wet winter afternoons. The sweetness of the cinnamon, brown sugar and molasses is balanced by the tartness of the dried cranberries. Try out this recipe the next time your home made brunch needs a little treat at the end. Yum Yum Yum!

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 eggs

½ cup packed light brown sugar

3 Tbl vegetable oil

1 Tbl molasses

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup milk

1 cup dried cranberries

¾ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup white wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

In a large bowl whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, molasses, salt, spices, and milk.    In another bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir in the dried cranberries.  Add all at once the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently until all the ingredients are well combined. (do not over mix)  Let the batter sit, covered at room temperature for 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Scoop the batter into greased or paper lined muffin cups.  Bake the muffins for 20 – 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove the muffins from the tin and allow them to cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes about 12 muffins.

You can’t deny the crocus, daffodils, Bradford pears, rain and robins. Spring is here. And with spring comes a new season in the kitchen. As your cravings begin to seek out new seasonal flavors, this soup, Carrot Orange topped with cranberry mint crema, may be just the thing to celebrate these early days of spring.

Mahasti presented the recipe on WBIR this morning, but if you missed the show, now worries. We’ll be serving it at both restaurants today. Enjoy!

Tomato Head’s Carrot Orange Soup topped with Cranberry Mint Crema

For the Soup:
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
½ cup onion, diced
4 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 -3 inch strip of orange zest
3.25 cups water
½ cup orange juice
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
½ cup sour cream
½ cup heavy cream

Heat the oil in a medium sauce over medium heat. Add ginger, carrots, orange zest, water and orange juice to pan. Bring the mixture to boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 15 – 20 minutes or until carrots are soft. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients.

If using an immersion blender – blend soup till smooth. Serve immediately topped with cranberry mint crema. If using an upright blender – allow soup to cool (see note). Blend soup in 2 batches – heat before serving.

Note: blending hot ingredients in a traditional upright blender can cause severe burns. Make sure your soup is at room temperature before blending.

For the Cranberry Mint Crema:
½ cup sour cream
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1/8 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.