Category: Recipes

It is late spring and the garden is starting to take off. The Swiss Chard is growing like a weed and it’s a perfect time to try lots of new ways to use those big leaves in creative ways. These roll ups are just the thing for a tasty plate of hors d’oeuvres that have good flavor and are good for you.

Makes 20

Ingredients

• 5 large leaves of Swiss Chard (you can substitute kale or spinach)
• 3/4 C Onion, chopped
• 4 Cloves Garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbl Olive Oil
• 2 1/2 tsp Thyme, fresh or 1 tsp dried
• 1 tsp Lavender, dried, ground
• 1/4 C Almonds, chopped
• 3/4 C Asagio Cheese, hard, grated
• 1 Egg
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Toothpicks for roasting

Mix the filling

Chop onion, garlic, thyme, and lavender.

In a fry pan with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil sauté the onions and garlic. When barely starting to brown, add Thyme and Lavender, Salt and Pepper. Stir frequently so the vegetables just get a little bit more brown. 

Then remove from heat and put into another bowl to cool.

Add egg and stir until blended. Then add the Asagio cheese and the chopped almonds and stir until they are all mixed in.

Prepare the leaves

Wash and de-stem the leaves and break into pieces that are about 4” square. They will vary in size and shape, that’s ok. Save the stems of the Swiss Chard for soups, or just sautéing with other veggies in another meal.

Form the roll ups 

Put them vein side up and spoon in about a teaspoon of filling per leave piece.

Almost as if you are wrapping a little package, fold over sides first 

then the ends.

Put a toothpick through to hold it from falling open

and place onto a cookie sheet that has been greased with butter or oil (I started using coconut oil for this and it’s releases well).

After you have filled your pan, roast them for about 12 minutes in the 350º oven.

Take them out and cool them on the pan. They will be slightly crispy when you take them out, but they will soften a bit as they cool.

Plate them up and add a garnish of sprigs of lavender and thyme if you want.

This is a Plan Friendly recipe.

PS. Use the stems from the swiss chard for soups or stir fry. In this recipe we used Rainbow Chard, and those stems are so pretty!

Bake Temp: Preheat to 350°
Bake Time: 35-45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 4  (1 oz ea.) squares unsweetened
• ¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lavender extract*
• 1 cup flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground culinary lavender*
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preparation:

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler (if you like the old way to do it) or microwave chocolate and butter in large microwave bowl at high 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Stir sugar into chocolate. Mix in eggs and vanilla, and lavender extract until well blended. Stir in flour, ground lavender, and nuts. Spread in greased 13 x 9-inch pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. Cool in pan; cut into squares. Makes 24 brownies.

* We have Lavender Extract: http://lavenderwind.com/webstore/food-extracts
* We have Culinary Lavender: http://lavenderwind.com/webstore/food-herbs

Note: When using glass baking dish, bake at 325°F. For cake-like brownies, stir in 1/2 cup milk with eggs; use 1 1/2 cups flour.

Substitution if needed: 3 level tablespoons unsweetened cocoa and 1 tablespoon butter, margarine or shortening for every 1-ounce unsweetened baking chocolate.

For some added ZING, add
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

When the weather turns frightful, and the fire is burning delightfully…. It’s time for Lavender Hot Chocolate. Here is the recipe for that hot chocolate and a video to show you how to make it.

Ingredients
[table]
Item,Amount,Unit
Milk,2,Cups
Sugar,1/4,Cup
Powdered Cocoa,1/3,Cup
Lavender (Whole Bud),3,Tbl
Whipping Cream,1/3 ,Cup
Lavender Extract,1/4,tsp
[/table]

Put the milk in a saucepan and start to heat. Add the lavender and let it warm with the milk for about 5 minutes or until the milk reaches about 150º F. Strain the lavender out of the milk and return the milk to the pot. Keep at about that temperature while adding the sugar and the cocoa. Stir occasionally until the cocoa is fully integrated into the milk.

Whip the whipping cream up with the Lavender Extract (please note lavender extract is not the same as lavender essential oil, the extract is for cooking).

Serve the hot chocolate with the whipped cream and enjoy!!

Across the street from us is Bell’s Farm and those in the know around here, understand that means one thing this time of year…. STRAWBERRIES!! Also, we make our own yogurt (at home) and had a huge batch of greek yogurt ready to be used. Here is the result.

Ingredients:

• 24 oz. Greek Yogurt
• 1 Cup Heavy Cream
• 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 2 teaspoons finely ground lavender
• 4 Cups Strawberries
• 1 Tablespoon Water
• 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice

You will need a decent ice cream maker, so be sure yours is ready to go, cold and clean.

Wash the strawberries and cut them into quarters. Put them into a saucepan with the sugar, water, and lemon juice, and simmer for about 7 minutes or until the berries are soft and there is a lot of juice. Put in blender and puree. Pour the mixture in a metal bowl and cool the mixture down until at or below room temperature. You can hurry this along by putting ice and water into a bigger bowl and placing the bowl containing the strawberry mixture into that ice water and stirring.

Mix the yogurt, cream, and strawberry mixture together. Have your ice cream maker ready and pour the mixture in.

Start it up and let the ice cream maker do its work. If yours is a good one, it will go until the mixture is quite firm with little ice crystals. That is what you want – your mixture converted into lots of tiny ice crystals. Then put into another container for finishing off the freezing in your freezer. .

For some serving ideas, try serving with a fresh strawberry or two on top, or a couple of mint leaves.

At the farm we raise more than lavender! This year we have a good sized mint patch and so we’re starting to cook with mint. For a pot luck a couple of weeks ago I made this watermelon mint salad.

•  7-8 lb. seedless watermelon, chilled
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup fresh chopped mint leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground lavender
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Makes one bundt cake

Ingredients

• 1 stick of butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs, separated
• 16 ounces sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons lavender extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ Tablespoon dried chopped lavender
• 12 ounces chocolate chips

Frosting

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons lavender extract
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk (more if needed for consistency)

1. Have ready a greased 9-by-13-inch rectangular baking pan. Set the oven at 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar, then mix in the egg yolks, sour cream, and vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir into the butter mixture.
4. Beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks, then fold into the batter. In a small bowl, mix the dried lavender with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and the chocolate chips.
5. Pour half of the cake batter into the pan. Sprinkle the top with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Pour remaining batter on top, then cover that with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture.
6. Bake 40-50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
7. Beat butter and powered sugar together in food processor, add remaining frosting ingredients, adjusting milk to get the consistency you desire.  I find it works best to have it a little soft, so it dribbles down the side of the cake.
8. Cool on wire rack for at least  20 minutes.  Invert on serving platter.  Put frosting on top and let it dribble down.  Decorate the cake with fresh edible flowers or dried lavender sprigs.

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup sugar
• 3 tbls butter
• 3 tsp ground lavender
• 2 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1/2  teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 1/2  cups all purpose flour
• 3/4  teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8  teaspoon salt
• 1/4 C toasted almonds
• Optional: 3 oz.  Melted semi-sweet chocolate
• cooking spray

Preheat oven to 325.

Beat the first 5 ingredients at medium speed of a mixer until well blended. Beat in egg whites. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a k knife. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating until blended. Stir in almonds.

Turn biscotti dough out onto a floured board or other surface to work on. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray; with lightly floured hands, shape the dough into two 5″ long rolls;  move to the baking sheet and flatten the rolls to a  1″ thickness.

Bake them at 325 for 30 minutes. Remove the rolls from the baking sheet, and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Cut each roll diagonally into 7 – 1/2″ slices a good sharp knife. Place the slices on baking sheet. Bake the slices at 325 for 15 minutes (the cookies will be slightly soft in the center, but will harden as they cool.

Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

If you want dip one end of the cooled biscotti into the melted semi-sweet chocolate and place on waxed paper to cool and harden.