Celebrate the start of summer in the DMV with a Maryland crab cake. These have just enough filling to hold them together and not one bit more! Spicy mayonnaise is the perfect sauce for these and this week’s radish blend offers perfect peppery heat!

Ingredients

For the crab cakes:

For the mayonnaise:

Directions

Make crab cake mixture: Pick through crab carefully removing any bits of shell. Reserve. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay, lemon juice, and Worcestershire. Add crab and gently toss to combine. Add bread crumbs and parsley. Toss gently again to combine. Overworking the crab may turn it into mush.Cover and refrigerate mixture for 1 hour.

Shape crab cakes: Shape mixture into 8 crab cakes, 1.5-2” thick. Place panko on a plate and press crab cakes into bread crumbs to lightly coat each side. You can cook them at this point, but chilling for one additional hour will make them hold together better. You can also freeze them now and bake them in the oven later.

Make mayonnaise: Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Season with a pinch of salt if desired.

TIP: Add Lindera Farms Ramp Vinegar instead of the lemon juice in the crab cakes and for the mayonnaise to make these extra special and local.

Asparagus soup gets a spicy burst of flavor from this week’s microgreen blend. Potato and leek help thicken the soup without overpowering the delicate flavor of fresh spring asparagus.

Ingredients

Directions

Snap tough ends from asparagus. Add to a 4 qt saucepan with stock, thyme, bay and parsley stems. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Melt butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add leeks and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add 2 cups water and cook until water has evaporated. Strain stock into soup pot with potatoes and leeks, discarding herbs and asparagus ends. Cook, partially covered, until potatoes are soft. Cut asparagus into 2” pieces, leaving tips whole, and add to stock. Remove 10-12 tips after 3 minutes.

When asparagus is just tender add microgreens and purée in a blender or with an immersion blender. Stir through parsley. Season to taste with salt, pepper, butter and vinegar. Garnish with asparagus tips and additional microgreens.

Mom deserves something special and this not-too-sweet, creamy vinaigrette delivers! The microgreens bring peppery radish, sweet beets, earthy amaranth and earthy red cabbage adding complexity that delights without overpowering. This salad is all about delicate and elegant balance.

Ingredients

For salad:

For vinaigrette:

Directions

Make vinaigrette: Place shallot, strawberries, balsamic vinegar and sugar in a blender. Season with a small pinch of salt and blend to purée. While the blender is on, drizzle in oil to form a creamy emulsion.

Assemble salad: toss sunnies and Mother’s Day blend. Drizzle 2-3 tbs dressing over each of four plates. Top with 1 cup of mixed greens and 1 tbs of slivered almonds.

TIP: Why am I using more processed ingredients like Canola oil and white sugar in this vinaigrette? They have more neutral flavors, allowing the more delicate strawberries and white balsamic to shine through.

This comes as more of a shock than it should, but braised radishes lose their pepperiness and taste like, well, root vegetables. Earthy, sweet brassica microgreens provide the perfect balance to the rich, buttery-ness of the radishes.

Ingredients

Directions

Melt butter in a 3 quart sauté pan over med heat. Add radishes and cook 5 min. Add fennel seed and cook 1 min longer.

Add stock, cover and simmer until radishes are tender, about 5 min longer.

Remove cover and reduce stock to glaze radishes. Deglaze pan with vinegar and toss with microgreens.

TIP: Brassica is one of the most prolific food producing genera of plants including cabbage, turnips, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, arugula, broccoli, cauliflower and even the seed processed to make Canola oil.

Finely sliced asparagus and this week’s micro herb blend keep this salad savory and fresh tasting. With the complete proteins in quinoa, it’s the perfect take-to-work lunch or make-ahead light spring supper. Cook the quinoa ahead of time and the rest of the salad is done in 10-15 minutes!

Ingredients

Directions

Cook quinoa: place quinoa in a 2 quart saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water and a pinch of salt. Partially cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover completely, and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, fluff with a fork and allow to cool.

Prepare asparagus: Lay asparagus in a 12” skillet just covered with cold water. Place over high heat and cook until the water just comes to a simmer and asparagus is still crisp and tender. Remove asparagus to an ice bath – half ice and half water – and let cool, about 5 minutes. Drain, pat dry and slice into thin rounds.

Make vinaigrette: In a medium bowl whisk together shallot, vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper and let rest for 20 minutes while flavors combine. Drizzle in oil, while whisking, to form a creamy emulsion.

Assemble salad: Mix together cooked quinoa, asparagus and fresh herbs. Dress salad to taste with vinaigrette. Toss through micro herb blend to serve.

TIP: Don’t be fooled by the package directions! Quinoa cooks perfectly with 1 1/2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa. Rinse well before cooking to rinse off the naturally bitter coating on the seeds.

Our spicy radish microgreens add a fun spin to this classic greek salad. Top with grilled chicken for an extra protein boost!

Ingredients

For salad:

For dressing:

Directions

Make dressing: combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well. Set aside.

Assemble salad: Add all ingredients except radish microgreens and feta cheese to a large bowl and toss to combine. Add radish microgreens and dressing and toss very gently. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve!

Tip: leftovers from this salad will continue to marinate in the fridge. Toss with salad greens the next day for a refreshed salad!

Serves 4 // Recipe by Chef Jonathan Bardzik

Yes, this is the salad you’ve been waiting for! Crunchy tortilla strips, creamy homemade Ranch and spicy Buffalo chicken top tender, fresh greens. Feel free to add crumbled blue cheese, grated carrot, sliced celery and diced summer tomatoes! Oh, and double the recipe so you can assemble it quickly with pre-cooked chicken and tortilla strips for an easy lunch or week night dinner.

Ingredients

For salad:

For chicken:

For dressing:

Directions

Make dressing: Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Purée. Thin with a couple tablespoons of buttermilk or water for a pourable but thick dressing.

Make tortilla strips: Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Cut tortillas into 4” wide strips. Stack and cut into ¼” strips. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and toss to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook until crisp, about 10 min. Reserve.

Make Buffalo chicken: Pat chicken thighs dry and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Let rest for 20 min. Warm oil in a 12” skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and brown, about 5 min. Turn and brown other side. Reduce heat to med and cook through to 165°F. Reserve chicken. Return pan to med heat with hot sauce, vinegar and Worcestershire. Scrape up brown bits from bottom of pan while sauce bubbles. Begin to whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time. Remove from heat when half the butter is whisked in and continue with remaining butter. Slice chicken and toss with sauce.

Assemble salad: lightly dress Salanova blend with homemade Ranch. Divide among four plates. Top with chicken and tortilla strips.

TIP: Why whisk in the butter cold rather than melted? The cold butter emulsifies, making the sauce silky and creamy.

Recipe by Chef Jonathan Bardzik

Sweet notes of popcorn shoots, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives and white balsamic vinegar play off briny flavors for a light, yet hearty winter salad. Top with grilled chicken, salmon or cooked chickpeas if you want to add protein.

Ingredients

For salad:

For vinaigrette:

Directions

Make vinaigrette: Sprinkle garlic generously with salt. Using the flat side of a chef’s knife, mash into a paste. In a medium bowl combine garlic, vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk and let sit for 15-20 minutes while flavors combine. When ready to dress salad, drizzle in oil, while whisking, to form a creamy emulsion.

Assemble salad: Place greens in a large bowl and lightly dress with vinaigrette. Divide among 4 plates. Top with artichoke hearts, olives and cheese.

Recipe by Chef Jonathan Bardzik

This hearty meal is the perfect Valentine’s comfort food before some good snuggling on the couch. Our Valentine’s microgreens blend of purple kohlrabi, amaranth, beets, and kale adds a fresh, sweet balance to the earthy beef, mushrooms, and turnips.

Ingredients

Directions

Sear pot roast: Pat pot roast dry and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Let rest for 20 min. Preheat a heavy bottomed pot like a Dutch oven over med-high heat for 3 min. Add oil and sear pot roast on all sides, about 3 min per side. Reserve.

Make braising broth: Return pot to med heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 min. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 sec longer. Add carrot and celery and cook 3 minutes longer. Add vinegar, scraping any brown bits from bottom of pot while it bubbles. Return beef to pot and add beef stock to come halfway up the meat. Tuck thyme around the meat, bring stock to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 2 hours.

Cook vegetables: After two hours add turnips and mushrooms. Cook until tender, about 1 additional hour. The beef should be between 195°F and 205°F. Remove beef and vegetables from the pot and increase heat to high. Reduce liquid by half and season with a splash of Sherry vinegar.

Serve: Place broth in the bottom of a soup plate/pasta plate. Add beef and vegetables. Top each plate with 1/2 cup Valentine’s microgreens blend.

TIP: I know 195°F seems high for beef, but for this tougher cut it’s the temperature when the meat is tender.

Recipe by Little Wild Things farmer Rayna

Easily made in under 10 minutes, this sauce makes for a perfect kitchen staple!

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare herbs: in the bowl of a food processor, combine 1/2 cup winter herbal blend, 1/4 cup water, and 2 cloves of garlic. Pulse until herbs are roughly chopped.

Create sauce: add 1/4 cup tahini, juice from 1 lemon, and salt and pepper to the chopped herbal mix. Blend until smooth.

TIP: if sauce is too thin, add more tahini. If sauce is too thick, add more water.