Wednesday, July 3, 2013

chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto

chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto
Summer is here - the Farmer Markets are open!
Am I super excited to say the least? YES, why you ask- there are actually a few reasons:
First, I get to see my Farmers on a weekly basis
Second, nothing beats fresh organically grown local produce
Third, I get to ride my new bike with the snazzy market basket attached to the front.
My Mom and I rode our "vintage" bikes down to the market on Saturday, it was so much fun. It had been a while since I rode a bike on an actual road versus a bike path- it took just one trip to be fully comfortable on a bike again. Growing up riding a bike was my mode of transportation before getting my license, my cousin and I would ride our  bikes all over town- I loved it!


chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto

Early in the season can be the best time to discover different fruits and veggies not typically found in the store. You won't find too many chain grocers that carry baby beet greens and garlic scapes. I love the early summer greens and cold weather crops that can be found at the market early on, inspiration is always easy to find with these unique veggies .
chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto
chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto
While visiting the market last week, the bundle of baby beet greens from Sanborn Mills Farm caught my eye, along with a bundle of their scapes, a favorite of mine. It isn't often that I come across micro greens at the summer market,  they were very inexpensive - only a $1.50 for the bundle, beet greens are a nutritional powerhouse that I couldn't pass up, plus they were so darn cute. (speaking of cute and adorable, Sanborn Mills Farm has the best signs marking their produce, plus they never fail to have the most beautiful selection of veggies at  the market, definitely stop by to check out this small farm making a difference!)

chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto
chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto
A quick pesto was made from the scapes, in place of the traditional nuts found in most pesto recipes, I decided to take a different route- hemp seeds. I loved the nuttiness of the hemp seeds with the scapes- this has been one of my favorite pesto's of the season. The leftover pesto works wonders as a pizza base.

chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto
chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto
Chickpeas round out the dish, turning this into a decent lunch or hearty, not heavy side. Crisp radishes added a spicy sweet undertone, I love the crunch and texture raw radishes lend to a dish. My radishes this year have been on the mellow side, almost sweet versus that spicy heat so many people associate radishes with. I am terrible at labeling my crops as to exactly what was planted, I am pretty certain my first crop sown were french breakfast radish and Easter egg radish.
chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto
What do you hope to find when exploring your local market, are there any certain fruits and veggies you tend to become overly excited about at the market?
chickpea, baby beet greens, radish salad // scape hemp seed pesto
Chickpea beet green radish salad with scape hemp seed pesto
serves 2 large sides or 4 small sides
1 cup prepared pesto

you will need:
2 cups baby beet greens, trimmed & washed
4 radishes, sliced - about 1 cup
2 cups cooked chickpeas

for the scape hemp seed pesto
Juice of 1 lemon
Handful of Scapes -  about 8
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup good olive oil


assembly: 

Wash, trim and dry your baby beet greens, trim and slice your radishes- set these aside. Place the cooked chickpeas in a medium bowl.

make the pesto
In a food processor add scapes and lemon- process until scapes begin to break down. Add garlic and hemp seeds, process for 1 minute. While the processor is running, slowly add in the olive oil - process an additional minute or so until the desired consistency is reached, the pesto should look creamy, but not smooth.

Add half of the 1/4 cup of pesto to the chickpeas, using your hands or a wooden spoon toss the chickpeas together with the pesto. Add the baby beet greens & radishes along with the remaining pesto from the 1/4 and toss until well coated. Sprinkle with citrus herb salt or other finishing salt.

Can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Enjoy!


Yum

29 comments:

  1. This salad sounds delicious! It's been a few weeks since I've been to the farmer's market here, which is definitely too long. When I go to the farmer's market I don't even make a list, I just let myself be amazed by whatever incredible things I find. You never know what will be there, which is part of what makes it so fun!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh that pesto - sounds incredible!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mmm what a fabulous recipe! This just screams summer to me :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. The farmer's market is definitely the best! Such a beautiful salad. I don't think I've ever had a pesto made with hemp seed--I'll have to put it on the list of things to try!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Such a colorful salad, perfect for the weather.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow - just when I thought I was all scaped out (and out of scapes) you offer this delightful salad! Now that I've gone through all the scapes from my garden (pesto, veggie stir fry, pasta oh my!...yum!) now I'll have to get more from my farm stand to try this!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a fresh & beautiful salad Heather that is full of seasonal goodness! I know beet greens are great to eat....this is a gorgeous & fresh use for them!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is a lovely salad my friend :D
    Delicious ingredients!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    ReplyDelete
  9. that is such a beautiful and fresh salad. i can imagine that this pesto works wonders on a pizza.

    ReplyDelete
  10. oooh a scape hemp seed pesto! How interesting! sounds and looks absolutely delicious:)

    ReplyDelete
  11. The pesto sounds great. I had to look up what "scape" was though, never heard that word before! It's the stalk of garlic, right? I get that sometimes in my organic vegetable delivery, so it's great to have new ideas for what to do with it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The pesto sounds lovely Heather! I looove hemp seeds.

    I haven't gotten to go to the market in a couple weeks sadly, work schedule just hasn't allowed for it. I MUST make it next week, I just have to!

    ReplyDelete
  13. i love your fresh salads. this one looks so crisp and refreshing.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is one stunning salad, lady!

    ReplyDelete
  15. The photos caught my attention! :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I believe that you need to also visit this blog article for some information on how to write good essay in MLA style format. I think that this kind of stuff could prove really useful for your future

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hello I am so delighted I located your blog, I really located you by mistake, while I was watching on google for something else, Anyways I am here now and could just like to say thank for a tremendous post and a all round entertaining website. Please do keep up the great work.
    If you want to learn more about The Electric Blender, you can visit now

    ReplyDelete
  18. Whatever your needs are, there is likely a great resource online to help you out. This website is designed to offer you reviews and quick links to some of the best resources available. Enjoy! baby safety gates for stairs

    ReplyDelete
  19. Salad is the best for health and I like to eat radish salad with my lunch because raw vegetable are full of vitamins that are very helpful for maintain our health Assignment writing services

    ReplyDelete
  20. If you want to grow your business, we are providing top qualified MCA Live Transfer Leads in best prices & We offer best Merchant Cash Advance Leads to grow your business.

    ReplyDelete

  21. I’ve recently started a site, the information you offer on this site has helped me greatly. Thanks for all of your time & work.

    Also visit my webpage - 오피 (jk)

    ReplyDelete
  22. This recipe is a fusion of three different vegetables that are in season during the winter. It's a great way to get some good nutrition and flavor during the cold months. The winter is a tough time for many people because they don't have access to fresh produce, but this recipe is perfect for those who want to enjoy their favorite vegetables while they're still in season.

    ReplyDelete
  23. superslot ที่สุดของเว็บเดิมพัน ลงทุนกันแบบไร้ขีดจำกัด ทำรายได้ให้แก่คุณอย่างมหาศาล ทดลองเล่นสล็อต ฟรี
    เกมทำเงินออนไลน์บนมือถือ กับเกม สล็อต ให้คุณได้เงินรางวัลแจ็คพอตกัน

    ReplyDelete
  24. Do you want to start your own blog, but don't know how to do it? All the great bloggers in the world have faced this problem when taking their first steps. Therefore, there is no better way to start your site than by taking inspiration from what other people are doing to find that one differentiator that will define your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Good post, keep it up and update with your new phenomenon beautiful stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I have reading your blog. It is very interesrting Topic, Thanks for its.

    ReplyDelete
  27. That’s a brilliant story you posted. I will come back to read some more.

    ReplyDelete
  28. It’s exceptionally useful and you are clearly extremely proficient around there.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by - your comments make my day!