Garden-Grown Food
Amanda is passionate about where her food comes from. She loves that she can find a variety of chef-inspired plants at Lowe's to fill her home garden with. Each spring Amanda plants a raised garden bed. She loves creating it with her daughters and showing them the wonder of home-grown food. Amanda says some of her happiest memories are in the garden getting her hands dirty with her girls. The best part is there's food to use for dinner. The three recipes below show you how home-grown vegetables and herbs can be a great way to add flavor to any dish.
Strawberry Salsa
This recipe is a twist on a traditional salsa. Amanda is a huge fan of using strawberries in savory dishes. They add an unexpected twist and create a sweet and savory flavor profile that keeps everyone coming back for more. Serve this salsa with your favorite chips or even on grilled chicken or fish for a light and flavorful springtime meal.
Strawberries are really easy to grow at home. You can plant them in just about anything. Amanda suggests clipping the runners to keep the plant nice and tight for lots of fruit to grow.
Strawberry Salsa
Servings: 4
• 1 cup diced cucumbers
• 1 cup diced strawberries
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• 2 tablespoons minced jalapeño
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• Kosher salt to taste
Chop the strawberries, cucumbers, onions, cilantro and jalapeño. When you're making a salsa, chop everything to the same size. When you have a chip and a bit of salsa you want to have all of the flavors in just one bite.
For a milder salsa, you can deseed the jalapeños.
Wear thick cleaning gloves when cutting jalapeño because oil from the peppers can irritate your hands and cause problems later if you wipe your eyes or touch your face.
In a bowl, combine the strawberries and the cucumbers. Add the minced red onion, and jalapeños; you can make it as spicy or as mild as you want. Finally, add the cilantro.
Top the salsa with a little lime juice and add a pinch of salt. Serve with tortilla chips or on chicken or fish.
Strawberry Salsa Variations
Amanda's strawberry salsa recipe is very adaptable. If you don't have cilantro or if you want to try a different herb, you can use basil, parsley or even mint. You can also use other vegetables; try swapping out cucumbers with zucchini. The possibilities are endless.
Strawberry Salsa Shopping List
Print this list and take it with you when you shop for the plants and other ingredients to make your strawberry salsa. Don't forget, you can adapt it, as Amanda suggests above, with different vegetables and herbs.
Springtime Flatbread
This is basically pizza with a salad on top. The base of the flatbread is caramelized onions, which are a great way to add flavor to whatever you're cooking. The medley of the caramelized onions and crunchy vegetables makes this flatbread a hit. Amanda likes using store-bought pizza dough because it's so easy. Just remember to let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 to 45 minutes before you use it.
Don't be afraid to experiment with your favorite vegetables.
Springtime Flatbread
Servings: 6
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt to taste
• 1 pound raw pizza dough
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shaved carrots
• 1 cup shaved zucchini
• 1 cup tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 cup thinly sliced snap peas
• 4 ounces burrata
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• Fresh basil to taste
• Basil vinaigrette (recipe below)
In a medium saucepan, heat a little bit of olive oil. Add onions and salt. Caramelize the onions until they're soft and golden brown. It'll take about 35 to 45 minutes to caramelize the onions, depending on how thinly you sliced them. Cook them low and slow until they're soft and golden brown and then remove them from the heat and set aside.
Slice the zucchini and peeled carrots. They'll go on top of the flatbread to add both color and texture. Amanda used a mandolin slicer to cut the vegetables into thin ribbons. You can also use a knife; just cut the vegetables as thin as possible so that when you're baking the flatbread they cook through.
Be careful when slicing and chopping. Mandolins and knives can be very sharp.
Next, make the basil vinaigrette. In a blender, add the basil, white wine vinegar, a shallot, one clove of garlic and a large pinch of salt. Add olive oil, blend on high for about 30 seconds until the mixture is bright green and smooth.
You can make the vinaigrette by hand if you don't have a blender. Just chop up the shallot, the garlic and the basil finely.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. On a floured surface, use your hands to spread the dough to a diameter of about 12 inches. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet — Amanda likes to use the back of a baking sheet so she can just slide the pizza off when it's done — and brush with a little bit of olive oil to help it get nice and brown.
If the dough is still hard to work with even after being at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes, give it a little more time before you finish working it.
Spread the ricotta cheese onto the dough, leaving a 2-inch border with no cheese. Drizzle the basil vinaigrette and sprinkle parmesan cheese. Add the caramelized onions and make sure they've cooled a little bit.
In a small bowl, toss the carrots and zucchini with olive oil. Place on top of the flatbread. It'll look huge, but the heat of the oven will cook it down a bit.
Bake the flatbread at 425 F for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the vegetables start to char.
Carefully top the flatbread with thinly sliced snap peas — they give a nice crunch — and then with some tomatoes. Add fresh burrata or mozzarella. Drizzle with your favorite olive oil and add some fresh basil. Sprinkle salt and red pepper flakes on top.
Springtime Flatbread Shopping List
Print this list to take shopping so you can find the vegetable plants, herb plants, cheeses and other ingredients you'll need to create this delicious springtime flatbread.
Spicy Strawberry Mocktail
This spicy strawberry mocktail is refreshing and delicious. Amanda loves the combination of spicy jalapeños, sweet sugar and the floral flavors of the basil. You can make it a cocktail by adding tequila or vodka.
Spicy Strawberry Mocktail
Servings: 1
• 1 ounce jalapeño basil simple syrup (recipe below)
• 2 ounces strawberry juice
• 2 ounces lime juice
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 ounces tequila (optional)
• Soda water to taste
• 1 pinch kosher salt
Make the jalapeño basil simple syrup. In a pot over low heat, combine the sugar and water. Once the sugar is dissolved, add half of a jalapeño and some fresh basil. Take the syrup off of the heat and let it steep for about 20 minutes. Strain and discard the jalapeño and basil.
If you don’t want your mocktail too spicy, remove the seeds from the jalapeño before adding it to the mixture.
In a blender, puree the strawberries and then strain and discard the seeds. Add ice, jalapeño basil simple syrup, the strawberry puree, lime juice, a couple leaves of fresh basil and a pinch of salt into a shaker.
Depending on how sweet your strawberries are, you may want to add a little more or a little less of the syrup.
Shake well. Pour over ice and top off with soda water. Garnish with basil, sliced strawberries or lime.
Spicy Strawberry Mocktail Shopping List
Print this list to take shopping with you when you're ready to try Amanda's mocktail. It'll tell you the plants and other ingredients you need to make your own sweet and spicy refreshment.
Growing Your Own Fresh Foods
A raised bed edible garden is a great way to cultivate the vegetables and herbs in these recipes, allowing you to provide the best soil and making it easier to care for your plants and harvest the food. Build your own raised bed, or for a quick and simple solution, you can assemble a raised garden bed kit. Start with a quality raised bed soil, add your favorite fruit plants, vegetable plants or herb plants and make sure they get the sunlight and water they need. Don’t forget to give them the nutrients they need with the right plant food.
Want to grow your own vegetables, fruits and herbs but not sure how to get started? We can help. Tips for First-Time Vegetable Growers, Easy Vegetables and Fruits to Grow at Home and Grow Herbs in Your Garden will help you begin growing and harvesting your own fresh produce.