Many thanks to Natalie Hinkle for guest blogging! You’re in for a real treat, delicate pears on ricotta toast and a family favorite complete with a handwritten recipe.

This week’s fruits and veggies are absolutely SPECTACULAR!  

We are ushering in a new year and with it brings new opportunities to feed our bodies with vibrant, nutritious, and utterly delicious foods!  

I recently watched the Netflix documentary “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones” where Dan Buettner travels around the world (the scenery is incredible) exploring unique communities where people live extraordinarily long and vibrant lives.  I found it very inspiring to reinforce healthy lifestyle choices including diet, movement, and staying connected in community.  The foods the people in the Blue Zones eat are all grown locally and consist of mainly fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains….much like the goodies from Holland Botanical!  

Fruit:  Pears

Pears can be eaten fresh with their skin on or used for baking.  Pears are a good source of Vitamin C, potassium and high in fiber. What did I try with the pears?

Ricotta Toast with Pears and Honey 

Ingredients: Toasted Multigrain bread, local honey, ricotta cheese, thinly sliced pears, salt and pepper, optional almonds.  

Directions:  Toast the bread.  In separate bowl combine ricotta cheese, honey, dash of salt and pepper

Spread the ricotta cheese mixture on toast and top with thinly sliced pears.  Drizzle with honey.   Optional add toasted almonds.  I omitted because a family member is allergic.

Link to recipe

Focus Veggies:  Onion and Potato

With the weather getting colder, we’re spending more time indoors and I’m craving warm comfort foods like soups and stews.  Growing up my mom used to make Nana’s (my grandmother) beef stew recipe every winter and I loved it!  I enjoy the hearty taste, the savory flavors, and the way the house smelled when I got home from school after it had been cooking all afternoon!  

When I saw the beautiful potatoes and onions in this week’s delivery, I called my mom and asked her to send me Nana’s recipe.  Here it is the recipe card in her cursive writing:

Onions are good source of antioxidants including vitamin C which is needed for immune function.  Onions can be prepared a plethora of ways including sauteed, roasted, carmelized, boiled, grilled or pickled.  The flavor changes dramatically depending on how they are cooked.

Potatoes contain many vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C and potassium.   Potatoes can also be prepared SO MANY ways including being boiled, fried, roasted and mashed.

It turned out just as I remember…such a fantastic comfort food!   I served it in a bowl with French bread and a salad.  A perfect recipe for this cold winter evening.

Thank you Natalie for sharing! If you’re interested in a guest blog, please send me a message!

Don’t forget to place your orders for next week’s delivery by 3 PM Monday! You can find our order form on the front page of our website.