Some Weeds With Your Eggs?

This time of year the verdolagas (AKA purslane) is growing in the garden. Some think of it as a garden weed, but it is a nutrition powerhouse (Omega-3s, Vit. C, Vit. A, Calcium, Magnesium, and very few calories – a winner all around.). I grabbed some from the garden this morning.

Verdolagas in the garden

I chopped them up (leaves and stems) and sauted them with 1\2 an onion in butter. As with all fresh greens, it looks like a lot when you put them in the skillet, but it really cooks down.

Verdolagas in skillet before cooking.

The verdolagas has cooked down and will add 4 eggs.

Once the onions have softened and the greens have cooked down to about 1\3, then I added 4 eggs. This made breakfast for 4 people. I served it with some feta cheese, toast, and fresh tomatoes. A lovely breakfast in the cool of the morning before the day got HOT.

Banana Bread Recipe

Banana Bread with Apricots & Nuts

2 cups of flour (1 c white, 1 cup whole grain flour)
3 very ripe bananas
1\4 cup vegetable oil (sesame or sunflower)
1\2 cup fruit syrup (peach or nectarine) or 1\3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons yogurt (or sour milk)
1\2 teaspoon salt
1\2 teaspoon baking soda
1\2 teaspoon baking powder
1\8 teaspoon nutmeg
1\2 cup toasted walnuts nuts
1\2 cup dried apricots, chopped

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Select a pan or pans: 1 large (6-by-3-inch) loaf pan or 3 small, 5-by-2-inch loaf pans. Grease the pans.
2) Place bananas, oil, buttermilk, fruit syrup in food processor and buzz to smooth.
3) In medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg.
4) Mix banana mixture into flour mixture, stir to just enough to mix. Stir in nuts and dried apricots.
5) Bake large loaf for 50 minutes. Small loaves for 35 minutes.

Note: This recipe works great using Bob’s Red Mill White Spelt flour for the white flour and 1\2 cup ground whole spelt flour and 1\2 cup oat flour. No eggs in this recipe and could easily trade out the dairy for fruit juice. Can change out the nut and dried fruit add-ins, for example, chopped dates, chocolate chips, pecans.

Yum Ranch – What’s Cooking At Alpine Ranch

This is the beginning of a blog about the kitchen and garden at Alpine Ranch. The garden has tons of tomatoes so tomato recipes will be coming soon. This morning those 3 sad looking bananas were calling to me to make them into banana bread. So I adapted a recipe using some nectarine syrup as part of the sweetener and tossing in some dried apricots.

A basket of sweet cherry tomatoes from the garden. YumRanch!