Fattoush! What’s that?

This is the most amazing salad! It can be a whole lunch in a bowl, It’s truly wonderful with a glass of white wine and a bowl of olives. Let’s get started:

The Salad
Start with a bed of greens (Romaine or red-leaf lettuce). Add any variation of the following: Cucumber, radish, green onions and/or purple onion. Coarsely chop and add these herbs: Parsley, basil and mint. (Be generous with them). Add chunked (not sliced, but chunked) tomatoes of any variety or size. Sprinkle this mixture with the seasoning sumac (ground sumac berries).

The Dressing
Any light vinaigrette will do, or you can drizzle the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can add the dressing about 10 minutes prior to serving.

The Bread
Yum! The best part of fattoush! We like to break up a French baguette into bite sized pieces and lightly toast them. Option: If you have olive oil in a spritzer bottle, you can spritz the bread lightly and dust with garlic powder prior to toasting. Just before serving, mix the bread into the salad. Add a little more dressing to taste.

This is a Lebanese or Middle Eastern “peasant” dish, so we’re told. And meant to be a useful way to use up stale bread. Who would have known!? It’s amazing!

Chocolate Mint Smoothie

We love Chocolate Mint here at the Greenhouse. Deep green with rich shades of brown, Chocolate Mint is great for desserts, teas, etc. Try this smoothie recipe for a quick morning boost!

You’ll need:

2 cups spinach
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your milk of choice)
1 cup water
½ of an avocado
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
¼ cup fresh Chocolate Mint
1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips
Stevia to taste (or sweetener of choice)
Ice (optional)

To make:

Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Tomato Tart

Summertime means tomato time! We love cooking with fresh tomatoes when they’re at their peak. A simple Tomato Tart is one of the easiest meals (brunch, lunch or a late night supper) you can prepare. You don’t really have to measure out ingredients, and you can change the recipe up each time you make it.

This is a good place to start:
Dash a bit of olive oil in a skillet and start some finely sliced onions to caramelize on medium heat. OK, so maybe add a dash of balsamic vinegar? Lay out a round of purchased pie crust (shhh!) on a cookie sheet or pizza pan. Slice up enough fresh tomatoes (any kind, all sizes) to cover your crust — but don’t put them on yet!

When the onions are done, cool them slightly and then spread them on the pastry. Add crumbles of bacon (optional). Lightly cover the mixture with shredded cheese (not too much or it will get soggy!) — a bit of mozzarella mixed with Gruyere is good. Now layer on all of the tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and fresh herbs (we like fresh thyme or oregano).

You can pull the edges of the crust up over the edge slightly (or not). It’s nice to brush the edges of the crust with an egg yolk glaze, too. Bake at 375° for about 45 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned.

Just before serving, you can top with fresh basil. Yum!

Fried Green ‘Maters

Warm months are just around the corner and you’ll be able to reap the benefits of all your gorgeous tomato plants. Pass the grilled chicken, the potato salad, and, best of all, the fried green tomatoes!

What you’ll need:

4 large and firm green tomatoes (beefsteak work just fine)
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp pepper
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup olive oil
4 tbsp butter

To make:

Slice your tomatoes to about a quarter of an inch thick. Mix flower, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or dish. In a second bowl, whisk eggs and water together. Put bread crumbs in another plate. Coat your tomatoes in the flour, then egg mixture, and finish with the bread crumbs.

In a hot pan, mix your butter and oil. When sizzling, add your tomatoes frying 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until they are tender. Transfer to a plate, sprinkle with salt and enjoy!

Haven’t planted your tomatoes yet? Head on out to the Greenhouse to pick up a few varieties perfect for sauces, salads, and, of course, fried green tomatoes!

Air Plant Basics

Like succulents, air plants are awesome sauce for those of us with black thumbs of death. Air plants kind of look like little green tarantulas, but they come in tons of amazing textures, colors, and blooms! Here are a few tips to keep yours from biting the dust.

Light
Air plants thrive in tropical regions so they’ve adapted to light that mimics sunlight that’s been filtered through tree canopies. Set your plants up near a window to ensure they get plenty of bright light. If you have an East facing window, that’s even better. If you normally have your plants in a low-light area, set them by the window for a day or two so they get their healthy dose of sunshine. Check out our Pinterest page for display ideas.

Water
As we said earlier, air plants are super low maintenance. They just need enough water to avoid getting crispy. There are two ways to water these cuties; misting and soaking. If you know you won’t have time to soak them, you can mist them a bit to ensure they’ll survive until their next bath. Soaking is the easiest method. Simply fill up the sink or a bowl and plop in your plants. Let them soak for around 15-30 minutes once a week. After soaking, gently shake off any excess water and you’re done.

That’s it! Stop by the Greenhouse to check out our air plant selection!