Three Sisters Kitchen ReFresh Newsletter- 06-08-22

What are leeks and what are their health benefits?

Leeks are a vegetable from the onion family. They are native to the Middle East and can be produced in your garden. They resemble green onions, or “scallions”  and can be used in soups, casseroles, salads, canned, pickled, or sauteed dishes.

Leeks are rich in vitamins, such as vitamin A and K, which help boost your immune system and are good for eye, bone, and heart health.

A great way to store leeks is to wrap them in a damp towel with a rubber band around the middle and put them in the crisper in your refrigerator for up to 10 days. For freezing the leeks, they should be blanched and cut, and placed in a freezer bag before freezing.

Check out the recipe below that will be featured in the ReFresh cooking class and don’t forget to sign up above.

Do you have a question about food and nutrition?
Send your questions to [email protected].

Disclaimer: The information shared by Three Sisters Kitchen (TSK) is for general informational purposes only, and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by a doctor or other health care provider.

Ask a Farmer
by Tiana Baca

Recipes We Love!

• This smoothie bowl recipe is refreshing and packed with vitamin C. Adding granola to the smoothie makes it crunchy and more flavorful.
  

• This vegetarian tostada recipe is simple and delicious. The beans and veggies provide protein, vitamins, and fiber for a nutritious light meal.
  
  

• This bean stew is fulfilling and packed with fiber. Use the pinto beans, peas, tomato, leeks, and sunflower sprouts from your ReFresh bag to make the stew. You can sprinkle some cheese on top too!

Recipes by 1) TSK, 2) Katharine, 3) Diabetes Food Hub

Community Resources

Free Cooking Classes at Chispas Farm

June and July Whittier Food Hub 

The Senior Farmers Market Program

New Mexico Legal Aid

New Mexico Legal Aid is an organization that promotes family and economic stability by providing assistance in securing safe housing, food, income, and personal safety.

Click HERE to learn more!

This week your Refresh bag will include many of the following delicious fresh and staple items:

• Romaine lettuce and leeks from Solarpunk Farm*

• Beefsteak tomatoes from Growing Opportunities*

• Corn tortillas from Sabroso Foods*

• Sunflower sprouts from Tesuque Pueblo Farm*

• Peas and salad mix from Tres Arboles Garden*

• TSK/ Kids’ Cook! Granola from Three Sisters Kitchen*
  This winning flavor was designed by an Albuquerque 5th grader for a contest hosted by Kids Cook!, an Albuquerque-based non-profit. Proceeds from the sale of Piña Colada Paradise Granola go to support their important work in improving the health of children and families by exposing them to a variety of culturally diverse foods, providing the knowledge to prepare these foods, and teaching the benefits of daily activity. Find out more at KidsCook.us!

• A variety of spice mix from The Blast*
  The Blast products are New Mexico born seasonings based on the love of local ingredients and northern New Mexico flavors with a bit of Cajun flair. You can find their products at Nexus Blue Smokehouse. Use the product as a rub on fish, chicken, steaks, burgers, tempeh, tofu, or sprinkle on fresh or cooked vegetables.

• Cheese from Tucumcari Mt. Cheese Factory*

• Pinto beans from Ness Farm*

• Russet potatoes from White Mountain Farm

NM grown / NM made. We raise money to purchase these foods from local farmers and food producers as a concrete way to invest in our local food system and get delicious, fresh, local food to our ReFresh families. Keep an eye out for these local farms and food businesses when you do your food shopping. ReFresh boxes will always include local food items.

Thank You!

Special thanks to all of the farmers and food producers working so hard to feed our communities; our partner organizations who helped to recruit ReFresh families: Centro Savila, Crossroads for Women, SWOP, Supportive Housing Coalition, Street Food Institute, Together for Brothers, Mandy’s Farm, New Mexico Asian Family Center, Working Classroom, and YES Housing; to the staff, volunteers, donors, and ReFresh families who make the program work, and to our partners at MoGro Mobile Grocery, who pack these beautiful ReFresh bags each week for us, and who do so much important work connecting communities to healthy food throughout New Mexico. There would be no ReFresh program without all of you – we love our partners!

– All of us at Three Sisters Kitchen

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