Garlic - One of the Most Common Superfoods

This week’s Vegetable Box Feature: One of the most common Superfoods: Garlic

Did you know?

• There are 450 varieties of garlic.
• Garlic used to be called Russian penicillin & given to soldiers in WW2 as medicine.
• Garlic is one of the healthiest foods on earth. It contains many vitamins and minerals, including manganese, potassium, iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium, calcium, beta-carotene, and Vitamin C.
• Crushing or mincing garlic releases its full potential.
• Garlic was one of the first herbs to be cultivated. It was first domesticated in central Asia by ancient Indians, from where it spread out in 3rd millennia BC.
• April is National Garlic Month, it can be celebrated in both the kitchen and garden.
• Garlic is a natural mosquito repellant. What a great reason to eat more of it during the Summer!

Fun Fact:

• On average a person eats 2lbs of Garlic per year. With the average clove weighing about 3 grams, 2 lbs of garlic are over 300 cloves.
• If you’ve ever cut garlic, you’ve probably noticed the sticky residue the juice leaves on your hands. This actually works quite well as a bonding agent for small and delicate projects, like glass.

How to Store It:
Garlic will last a relatively long time no matter what. But for maximum shelf life, garlic prefers a fairly narrow range of specific conditions. The most crucial factor for storing garlic is temperature. And the best temperature for storing garlic is one that's cool, but not cold, and definitely not warm. The ideal temperature is around 15-18degrees Celsius. This typically means a cupboard, away from the stove, oven and any other heat sources (including sunlight) and one that's situated as close to the floor as possible. Keeping it dry (moisture is an enemy of garlic), ventilated (no bag is best) and whole also helps to extend its freshness.

Friendly Reminder to Pet Owners:
You must be careful when it comes to preparing garlic around pets. This is because it is naturally toxic to both cats and dogs. The same applies to onions, too!

How to Use It:
Garlic is a superstar ingredient that gives us a nutritional punch and adds wonderful flavour to many recipes. Garlic can be enjoyed both in raw and cooked forms. A delicious addition to soups, stews, casseroles, meat, fish or vegan dishes. It can be cooked by roasting, baking or stir frying it and did you know it can also be pickled?! When it comes to garlic, its hard to go wrong, so have fun experimenting with it in your cooking. Have you tried garlic ice cream yet?!

Recipes:

Vegan Garlic Chickpea Soup
Created By: The Clever Meal

This soup is not only super easy, but it’s also tasty and deliciously creamy.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp chili flakes
2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas
1 large potato, diced
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
salt & black pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Firstly, pour one of the cans of chickpeas with its liquid into a blender and purée until smooth.

2. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat, add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, or just until it's fragrant and smells good.
3. Add the puréed chickpeas, the second can of drained chickpeas, the cubed potato, paprika, rosemary, thyme, chili flakes, and some freshly cracked pepper and give a good stir. Add broth and stir again.
4. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and allow it to simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning according to your taste (and that depends mostly on the salt content of your broth, I added about ¼ tsp of salt).
6. Serve hot with freshly ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil if you wish, and don't skip crusty bread for dipping!

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower
Created by: Anna

This cauliflower can be served as a side dish or an appetizer along with a dipping sauce, like Ranch.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter melted
2 garlic cloves minced
1 cup Italian or plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 medium cauliflower head

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Remove all leaves from cauliflower head. Cut cauliflower into florets, all roughly the same size. You can slice the large florets in half, if needed.
3. Melt butter and in a small bowl. Add garlic and stir in.
4. Place breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese in another bowl.
5. Dip each cauliflower piece into butter first, then to breadcrumbs.
6. Place each breaded piece on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until you use up all cauliflower.
7. Roast cauliflower for 32 to 35 minutes, or until the breading is golden brown.

Roasted Garlic Dip
Created by:Renee Goerger

If you're a garlic addict, then you simply MUST make this Roasted Garlic Dip! With only a few ingredients, this amazing dip comes together in a flash and is ready to serve in minutes.

Ingredients:
2 heads of garlic
1 tsp olive oil divided
1 stick butter softened to room temperature (I use salted)
1 block 8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
½ teaspoon dried thyme
hot sauce to taste optional
¼ teaspoon black pepper
pinch salt

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cut the tops off 2 heads of garlic and wrap the base in a piece of aluminum foil and a little drizzle of olive oil.
3. Place the garlic packets in a preheated oven and roast for approximately 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cream cheese, roasted garlic, thyme, black pepper, salt, and hot sauce (optional) to taste, until smooth and creamy. *Note - to easily remove the roasted garlic from the skins, gently squeeze the entire bulb until the garlic cloves squeeze out.
5. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and serve immediately, or for more intense garlic flavor, cover and refrigerate for several hours.

This dip is best served at room temperature, so if chilling, take it out at least 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with crackers, assorted vegetables, pretzels, or on a spoon all by itself. Kidding… Not kidding.