Let seasonal citrus liven our winter vegetables

While spring tries to happen, we still have plenty of our stores of root vegetables and local greens, although it can be challenging to keep these interesting while we wait for the new crops. We’re grateful for these of course, but also for the vibrant, sunny citrus we get this time of year from the south.

I’ll take oranges and lemons in exchange for our apples, especially since they brighten up our meals during our spring season of deception. A little squeeze of lemon and those roasted potatoes are lifted up, the rutabaga transformed with some blood orange and the broccoli revived with Meyer lemon.

The seasonal citrus will wake up the flavors in these two colorful dishes, and as an added bonus, we’ll eat the rainbow for the best range of vital nutrients.

Rainbow chard with goat cheese and orange

With rainbow Swiss chard, you are way ahead of that nutrition game. It’s easy to find locally, and one of the most nutritious foods we can eat.

With a little spark of orange and a tang of goat cheese, this humble green will please a crowd. There’s a little sweet, some sour, a bit of crunch, and the orange and chard just taste lovely together.

I used a smoked red pepper jam goat cheese from Vermont Creamery and it was just right, but use any you love, herbed or plain, or even some soft feta or vegan feta.

First, prep the vegetables:
1 large bunch of chard
2 small carrots
1 small sweet red pepper

Rinse the chard and separate the stems from the leaves. These will be cooked separately. Cut the stems into strips and set aside.

Scrub the carrots. With a vegetable peeler, create long strips or curls from one of the them to use as final garnish, we want to delight the eyes first. Cut the other into strips about the same size as the chard stems. Dice the pepper coarsely.

In a large skillet over medium high, heat:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Add the chard stems, carrots sticks, and red pepper. Sauté for a few minutes, season with salt and pepper, then reduce the heat to medium low.

Add:
2/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Cover and cook until the stems have softened. Give the chard leaves another rinse, shake, and add to the pan. If you like, place the carrot curls on top to soften a little. Cover, then remove from the heat and let sit until the leaves are just wilted. Remove them from the hot pan as they soften to stop cooking, taste and correct seasoning.

Place the chard stems and carrots on one side of the serving plate and add the leaves to the other. That way, people can easily choose what they like.

Sprinkle with:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds

Arrange the goat cheese however you like it –– sliced or crumbled. The cheese will softly melt a little into the warm chard.

Make sure to get all the juice and small pieces of vegetables from the pan onto the vegetables! It is a flavorful little sauce. Garnish with flaked sea salt, pepper, and the reserved carrot curls.

Wild rice salad with lemon and mint

We’ve had this salad several times this winter, and everyone loved the snappy mint and lemon flavor.

Wild rice has a nutty taste and interesting texture, which make it great in a salad. It’s an aquatic grass similar to rice, but not a rice at all. Most varieties are native to North America and were used extensively by the Indigenous population for centuries.

A nutrient-dense food, wild rice is a good source of vitamins and minerals including B6, folate, magnesium, zinc and copper. High in fiber, this seed is also a good protein source. A 3.5-ounce serving has 4 grams of protein and it is a complete protein with all amino acids present. Consuming this humble grain supports heart health and is beneficial for those with Type II diabetes.

Just what we need after those Mardi Gras feasts of this past week. The watermelon and Daikon radishes are widely available at co-ops and farm stands. Their vibrant pink and purple colors please the eyes first and add sturdy crunch.

You can make this salad many ways, adding sugar snap peas rather than shelled peas, or maybe some broccoli or broccoli rabe. No scallions? Toss in some shallots or finely minced onion. Pumpkin seeds were delicious here, but any nut or seed would do. You can also swap out the wild rice for any favorite or left-over grain, like regular rice, farro, barley or quinoa.

Just keep the lemon and mint; this salad is very refreshing with these culinary stars, and if you can find Meyer lemons, all the better.

Lovely textures will keep you interested with every bite. It works great as a side, especially if you have a potluck or large gathering, but it is also delicious as a stand-alone lunch or snack, served warm, room temperature, or cold, even topped with a boiled egg.

To make the salad, cook one cup of wild rice in two cups of vegetable stock or water as your package directs. You want the rice to be still chewy with a nice texture. Cool.

Place the cooled rice (unless you are impatient, a little warm is all right) in a large bowl and add:
2 large watermelon and 1 purple daikon radishes, diced, about 1 1/2 cups
2 scallions, whites and greens, sliced thinly
A few baby carrots, sliced thinly
1 cup mint leaves, minced
1 cup thawed frozen peas
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds.

Whisk together:
Zest and juice of one lemon, about 3 tablespoons
1/4 of a cup of fruity olive oil
1 tablespoon of native honey.

Add this to the rice mixture mixing well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.