When I am asked how I eat microgreens I smile big and say "I put them on everything but my cereal!"
But seriously, because we grow microgreens, and because they are packed with so many nutrients, we make it a priority to add them to many of our daily meals.
To help get our culinary juices flowing, Joel and I have come up with our favorite ways to eat microgreens; so, (add drum roll for dramatic effect) here it is:
Farmer's Microgreens Top Ten Ways to Eat Microgreens!
10. Topping on your Pizza! We love to make homemade pizza and microgreens make the final addition of color and flavor. After removing your pizza from the oven try adding a few sunflower sprouts, basic salad mix, or even some chopped sweet onion or basil. The flavors and textures will add the final kiss of perfection to your edible masterpiece.
9. Make a Pesto with them! Chef Kosta, at Vintage 61 in Meridian, taught me that anything green can become pesto! Making pesto is a great way to preserve your microgreen's flavor for later use. Grab any recipe for basil pesto and substitute your microgreens for the basil. You can then freeze your pesto in ice cube trays to store frozen for future use as pesto, in a soup or sauce. I will share Kosta's recipe in another post.
8. Snack on Them Anytime! Time to update your munchie snacks to microgreens. Sunflower and Pea Shoots are crisp and full of nutrition and flavor. They make an easy healthy snack in the mid-afternoon or even for a late-night snack. More than one mom has shared stories of their kiddos snacking on them after school!
7. Tuna Fish Salad for Lunch? A favorite at our house is salad sandwiches for lunch. Tuna, Chicken, or Egg Salad is always quick and easy. Our new take on this is filling while watching carbs. Mix a container of Spicy Salad Mix, add a can of Tuna Fish, and a large spoonful of Mayo, and add sweet relish to taste and you have one yummy salad ready to be devoured. Eat it alone (my fav.), on crackers, or as an open-faced sandwich. Try Chicken with dried cranberries or hardboiled eggs with paprika. Both are a hit!
6. Replace the Lettuce! Traditionally we have used lettuce in tacos, burgers, burritos, wraps, sandwiches, the list goes on. Trade the lettuce for more nutritious microgreens, such as our salad mix, which brings added color, texture, and flavor.
5. Add them to your smoothie! Use mild flavors like pea shoots, basic salad, or broccoli for a nutritious boost of minerals, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, protein, and fiber. These flavors blend well with fruits and berries, making them an easy choice.
4. Add them to your breakfast! Many of our favorite customers love to add them to breakfast. You can sprinkle them over scrambled or fried eggs, or add them to the middle of your omelet just before you fold and plate it. And don't forget to mix them into your hashbrowns for a burst of color and flavor to start your day.
3. Garnish your Soup or Stew! Kale, broccoli, and radish all make a flavorful topping for any soup or stew. Try adding radish to your butternut squash, basic salad mix to your beef stew, and chopped pea shoots to your next bowl of chicken noodle soup.
2. Tacos Anyone! Add any microgreens to your tacos for a flavor hit! Try Red Cabbage on fish tacos or cilantro microgreens on beef tacos with avocado. They are a hit every time we make them.
1. Peas and Sunflower Stir-fry! Peas and sunflowers are hearty shoots that can be used for cooking. Just before we are ready to plate our stir-fry, we add in our peas and sunflower shoots. They take a turn in the hot oil and take on this amazing green color after just a minute, which signals it's time to plate. A bed of brown rice with quinoa works well, and leftovers the next day are amazing!
Well, there you have it. We hope these get your culinary juices flowing. We know ours are!
Here is my trick. Think of the favorite meal that you love to make. With this new perspective, can you find a way to introduce or substitute microgreens into your recipe? Be brave. Don't be afraid to explore and try new things!
When you do, and you find a hit of flavor, be sure to pass it along and let us know. I would love to share your success in a future post!
One more thing... be sure to rate this post & add your comments below. Have ideas or questions - post those too so I can make sure these posts are helpful.
***Watch for future blog posts with helpful tips, easy recipes, and spotlights on local chefs with how they are using microgreens!
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