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Happy summer! To everyone in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway. I think I might be officially done using my oven for the next couple of months. Bring on the popsicles and ice cream, fresh salsa and green salads, and quick stovetop recipes like these garlic scape chickpea pancakes! These are packed full of early summer’s finest flavors.

My first weekend of the season was a really great one. On Saturday, I woke up very early (hint: the number on my clock began with a 4) to drive up to northeastern Maryland for a killer trail half marathon. My ankles are still sore as I write this, but it was totally worth it! It was a rainy but beautiful day and I had a great race, finishing 2nd in my age group. I don’t usually win things. So that was pretty cool! I missed a few weeks of training due to badly cutting my foot, and I’m truly grateful that I was able to get out there and run at all, let alone have a competitive performance!

I also had to the opportunity for a fantastic brunch at Woodberry Kitchen, a farm-to-table restaurant in northern Baltimore that partners with the same farm where I get my CSA. Woodberry Kitchen is not the most vegan-friendly place around, but they generally have at least one great option available. The menu changes almost daily and they have THE BEST cocktails. Kind of ironic, though, that when I take a break from cooking at home to go out to eat, I end up basically eating more of the same veggies that we currently have at home.

Speaking of which, I owe you a CSA update! Yesterday I picked up our second share of the season. Usually there are 8 things, but this week we got 9. Here’s what was in it:

Kohlrabi (with greens)

Broccoli (with greens)

Turnips (with greens)

Radishes (with greens)

Spring onions (with greens)

Fresh oregano

Arugula

Curly kale

Garlic scapes

I’m sensing a theme here… are you? I’m currently failing miserably at eating the rainbow, but at least it is fairly obvious that I am getting sufficient iron intake! Last week my partner was out of town and I finished all 7 leafy green things myself. Not totally sure I want to repeat that experience. I think half of that amount is probably more reasonable.

In conclusion, it’s now that time of year when I try to put as many vegetables as I can into one dish, without muddling up the flavors too much. These turnip green & garlic scape chickpea pancakes do a great job at that. I gave them that name for brevity, but I actually used a combination of turnip greens, broccoli greens, and radish greens, in addition to the garlic scapes, a good dose of fresh oregano, and some leftover onion chives from last week. Chickpea pancakes are versatile and these will work with any leafy green of your choosing, and a variety of different herbs, as well. I find them incredibly satisfying and they’re packed with nutrition!