Ezgrow

Check out this EZgrow user-submitted recipe! What do you make with your EZgrow? Send us your favorite recipes for a chance to be featured!

Check out this user-submitted recipe below!

"Israeli Salad"

Israeli salad is a dish that is ever-present in my kitchen. It’s easy to make, inexpensive, and surprisingly delicious. In summer, I serve it alongside grilled fish or kebabs. In colder weather, I use it as a healthy side to lighten up heavy meals. I also serve it with breakfast sometimes, it goes great with an herby egg and cheese omelette!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Israeli Salad, here’s a little background. It evolved from a Turkish salad known as shepherd’s salad – coban salatsi, which is closely related to a Persian salad known as salad shirazi, named for the ancient city of Shiraz. The salad is known under different names with slight ingredient variations throughout the Middle East.

Ingredients:

1 lb Persian cucumbers, diced
1 lb fresh ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/3 cup minced onion (optional)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp)

Instructions

1.)
Here is the way I like to dice the Persian cucumbers-- it produces small, even, triangular pieces. Slice the Persian cucumber in half lengthwise.

2.)
Slice each half into 4 slices lengthwise, so you have 8 long, thin pieces total.

3.)
Hold the long, thin pieces together with one hand, and slice the bunch into very small pieces with the other hand. Note: Persian cucumbers have lots of little seeds, which add to their flavor. If you have trouble digesting seeds, you can seed the cucumber easily by slicing it in half lengthwise and scooping out the seed-filled center.

4.)
Place the diced cucumbers into a large mixing bowl along with all the other ingredients.

5.)
Mix until vegetables are well coated with parsley, oil, lemon juice, and salt.

Check out this EZgrow user-submitted recipe! What do you make with your EZgrow? Send us your favorite recipes for a chance to be featured!

Check out this user-submitted recipe below!

"Roasted Vegetables with Bright & Crunchy Herbed Topping"

Ingredients:

root vegetables for roasting (such as carrots, parsnips, potatoes, beets, squash), scrubbed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (about 1/2 shallot)
2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
1/4 teaspoon MSG
1/4 cup pepitas
2 tablespoons red quinoa (or millet or sesame seeds)
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

Directions:

1.)Preheat the oven to 425° F and prepare the vegetables for roasting. Depending on the vegetable, cut them as you wish: For small carrots, perhaps leave them whole; for squash, cut down into bite-size pieces.

2.)Toss the vegetables with the salt, pepper, and enough olive oil to coat. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast until fork-tender, about 20 to 60 minutes, depending on the vegetable. (If you're roasting red beets, roast them on their own section of the pan or on a separate pan as they will bleed into their neighbors.)

3.)Meanwhile, stir together the shallot, lemon zest, and MSG, which will allow the shallot to lightly pickle. While the shallots are sitting, toast the pepitas in a dry pan, then add to the shallots. Toast the quinoa in the same dry pan until they start to pop, then stir into the shallots, as well. Add the parsley, followed by 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, and stir to combine. Season to taste with the MSG, olive oil, pepper, and lemon juice.

4.)To serve, put the vegetables on a large platter then sprinkle with the crunchy topping. Serve warm or at room temperature.