Garden to Table

I love the idea of a garden, picking fresh veggies and taking them inside to make dinner. Sounds
so domestic, so organic. But, I can’t keep a cactus alive! I’d make a terrible gardener, every plant
I’ve had has shriveled up and died. The idea of a garden might be tastier than the real deal, but
we gave it a shot anyway.

We eat a ton of veggies... a ton! Our meals make vegetables the all-stars and meat and carbs
make guest appearances. We are by no means vegetarians. We just love greens. In my opinion,
veggies are key to clean eating! They're low in calories and full of fiber and vitamins... and you
can do so much with them! I'm not just talking salads either.

Anyway, back to our garden. My kids are crazy into plants - watering them, smelling them and
unfortunately, picking them... and then there's the dirt. I mean what kid doesn't love dirt. So we
decided it would be a family venture. My in-laws are gardening pros so we got lots of tips from
them. We decided to plant the ingredients to one of our favorite fresh eats - "garden salsa".

We got cherry tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, radishes and cilantro. Then we
made a garden box (by "we" I mean my husband). We threw a bunch of soil in the box and got to
planting... again, swap "we" for "my husband". Haha!

Two weeks and a few rain showers later and our plants are growing!!! They're really starting to
pop up! I can't believe it! I haven't done a thing, except pick out the seeds. My husband and
Mother Nature have done it all. Maybe that's the key... I need to stay away and just do the
cooking when... if... the veggies survive and make it inside.

Here are a few garden to table recipes that I can't wait to make.

Garden Salsa

• 2 large beefsteak tomatoes
• 1 C cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 C radishes
• 1 small sweet onion
• 1 large green bell pepper
• 1 medium hot pepper of choice
• Salt, pepper and chili powder to taste
• 1 TBSP avocado oil
• 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

Dice veggies and mix well. Add seasonings, oil and vinegar. Toss to mix.
We love scooping it up with chips, piling it on salads and ... eating by the spoonful.

Ricotta Tomato Toast

• 1 slice Dave's Killer Bread
• 2 TBSP ricotta cheese
• 1 large slice of tomato
• Salt, pepper
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Spread ricotta on toasted bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with tomato and drizzle
with balsamic.

Cilantro Pepper Chicken Burgers

• 1LB ground chicken breast
• 1/3 C chopped cilantro
• 1 small bell pepper (any color)
• 1 TBSP lime juice
• Salt, pepper to taste
• 1/2 TBSP chili powder
• Optional: Trader Joe's chili lime seasoning instead of lime juice and chili powder

Sauté bell pepper in skillet 3-4 minutes. Let cool. In the meantime, combine all other
ingredients in a large bowl. Then add bell pepper and mix well. Turn skillet on medium heat.
Form 4 patties. Cook 4-5 minutes, then flip. Cook an additional 4-5 minutes. Continue flipping
until cooked through. Place on one slice of Dave's Killer Bread and top with avocado and that
yummy garden salsa from above recipe!

I'm pretty darn excited for my ‘garden to table’ meals in the near future. But if all fails and my
plants once again shrivel... I'll head to the weekly farmers market and buy from the pros. For
those of you who like the more modern approach... thank goodness for the good old
supermarket! Whatever you choose... choose clean, lean and fresh!

This little babe styled in our Dark Grey Suspenders HERE.

-Elyse