These parfaits are perfect for breakfast, or even a delicious dessert. To assemble parfaits, layer a clear, tall glass with your favorite P6 yogurt (mixed with honey if preferred), honey-sweetened lemon curd, and honey granola.

Honey-sweetened Lemon Curd

4 Tbsp. unsalted Rochdale butter, cut into small pieces

cup Beez Kneez honey

4 large Schultz egg yolks

2 large Schultz eggs

cup fresh lemon juice (about 6–8 lemons)

1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest

In a medium bowl, cream butter and honey until fluffy. Beat in eggs slowly. Pour in the lemon juice and pour mixture into medium-sized, saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture has thickened and becomes jelly-like, about 5–7 minutes. Make sure to pull the pan off the stove before it gets to a rolling boil. It’s done when the curd sticks to the back of the spoon. Immediately remove from heat and stir in lemon zest. Cool and store in the refrigerator.

Honey Granola

2 cups Whole Grain Milling rolled oats

½ cup Equal Exchange nuts, chopped

¼ cup Bergin Fruit & Nut Co. sunflower seeds

3 Tbsp. Beez Kneez honey

2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

½ tsp. vanilla extract 1 large pinch sea salt

Preheat oven to 300º F. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and use your hands to mix well and toss to coat. Spread mixture in a thin layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until lightly toasted. Cool before serving or storing.

The month of March is a time where we see a juxtaposition of fresh, spring vegetables coming from California and Mexico and winter storage crops available from local farms. A perfect pairing of spring and winter crops can be enjoyed with the following recipe; Creamy Asparagus Soup. It’s vegan; the cream comes from one of my favorite potatoes, the German Butterball. We are still getting these golden spuds locally from Driftless Organics in Wisconsin, where Josh and Noah Engle are selling a large bounty of stored potatoes harvested in the fall. Organic asparagus is in season in Mexico and California and we are selling it at the lowest prices I have seen in all my years as Produce Buyer. I would definitely sauté some asparagus to have alongside the soup. In fact, I ate a pound of asparagus last night, simply sautéed in butter with salt and pepper.

Asparagus contains anti-inflammatory phytonutrients as well as anti-oxidants. It contains significant amounts of inulin, fiber and B-vitamins. Inulin is a pre-biotic which helps with digestive issues and inulin also promotes healthy blood sugar levels. Inulin can be found in other foods such as artichokes, bananas, garlic, leeks, onions and sunchokes.
Speaking of sunchokes, I hear the C-op Creamery Café will be featuring overwintered sunchokes from a local farm on their upcoming new Evening menu. Overwintered vegetables have been left in the field during the frozen months and dug in the spring when the ground thaws. Overwintered produce is another great example of the winter to spring transition. Keep an eye out for overwintered parsnips and sunchokes in our stores this spring!

Creamy Asparagus Soup

1 ½ lbs. asparagus spears, trimmed
1 ½ Tbs. olive oil
1 ½ cups finely chopped shallots (about 10)
½ lb. boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
Coarsely ground black pepper for garnish

1. Reserve 8 spears of asparagus for garnish. Cut remaining asparagus stalks into 1-inch pieces.

2. In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add potatoes, cut-up asparagus and 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add bouillon and 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in wide, deep pot of lightly salted boiling water, blanch reserved asparagus spears until just tender, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove spears to colander and rinse under cold running water, drain well and set aside.

4. In food processor or blender, process soup in batches until smooth and creamy. Return to pot and add freshly ground pepper to taste and lemon juice. Adjust salt to taste. Garnish with asparagus spears and ground black pepper. Serve hot.

Recipe courtesy of Vegetarian Times

How to Make Natural Egg-Dyes

Ingredients:

Any number of hollowed white eggs
One pot per color of dye
1 Tbsp. white vinegar per cup of strained dye liquid (optional)
Bowls or egg cartons for drying dyed eggs
Paper towels

Don’t be too precious about this process. It’s meant to be fun for you and your kids, so proportions aren’t exact and don’t need to be.

1. Hallow…desired amount of white eggs

Start by gently washing the eggs with soap and water. Take a pin and delicately push it into one end of the egg making a whole about the size of an eraser. Stick the pin in the hole and wiggle it around to break the yolk. Next, make a pin size hole on the opposite end. Finally, empty the contents of the egg into a bowl and reserve in the refrigerator for up to two days. We like to use the egg innards in this two-ingredient pancake recipe.

2. Shop …for the veggies and other items that you’ll use for creating your dyes.

Some of these items can be gathered over the days running up to your egg-dying extravaganza.

• Red cabbage (blue, almost-indigo dye)
• Red onion skins (lavender or red)
• Yellow onion skins (orange or gold)
• Ground or cut turmeric (yellow)
• Red Zinger tea bags (lavender)
• Beets (pink; more of a brownish red the longer you leave eggs in this dye)

Err on the side of more veggie matter rather than less when creating your dyes.

You can use juices and beverages for dying, too.

• Grape juice
• Cooking wine or old red wine
• Leftover coffee
• Juice from pickled beets

Rule of thumb: If you’d freak out upon spilling a certain liquid on a white shirt, then it’s going to make a decent dye. These ingredients may be mixed in any combination for some great effect, too. We encourage you to experiment and see what you come up with!

3. Chop …your veggies and prepare your dyes.

We found that chopping fine, but not too fine, worked best. We used roughly 4 cups veggie matter for 4–6 cups water. Drop the veggies into the water and bring to a boil, turn heat down to low and simmer, covered, for 15–30 minutes. The dye is ready when it reaches a hue a few shades darker than you want for your egg. Finish by adding white vinegar right after simmering.

4. Pop …your eggs in the dye.

Strain the veggie matter out and set your hollowed eggs in the dye for several hours (or even over night). This will result in clean, crisp colors. After removing eggs from the dye, try draping wet onion skins over the eggs for an hour or two to take advantage of the onion skins’ cool patterns. Red cabbage would work as well.

You can experiment also with different amounts of vinegar, too. More vinegar will leave a thick film on the eggs that you can leave on and let dry, making them look gnarly and wonderful. Or you can rub the film away with a paper towel to find interesting patterns beneath, as the veggies and vinegar will soak into different parts of the egg. Dry your eggs in bowls or eggs cartons over night.

In past years, the Twin Cities Area Food Co-ops have participated in the Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign, a program of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches that provides funds, food and educational materials to more than 300 food shelves across the state. Last year the Minnesota food co-ops that participated together raised a total of 126,489.19 lbs./dollars for food shelves across the state, making it the third most successful corporate campaign in the state!

This year campaign’s collaborative efforts include food co-ops throughout the state of Minnesota. This means that co-ops across the state will be running similar campaigns for their communities, and the food drive will make an even bigger impact on Minnesotans!

All donations made at any of Seward Co-op’s locations will go to this month’s SEED recipient: the Brian Coyle Food Shelf. Brian Coyle Community Center’s Basic Needs program offers a choice model food shelf, healthy cultural cooking classes, free produce giveaways, monthly senior NAPS food program, and is working toward expanding its community garden on site. Funding will support the purchase of fresh produce, dairy, whole grains and culturally-specific foods for the food shelf.

Spring, the season of new beginnings is on the way, and that calls for celebration. Soon, the scent of cherry blossoms and blooming tulips will fill the air, and the days will start to get a little longer. Everything will transform from brown to green before we know it. Farmers and gardeners are already starting to chatter about planting seeds, and there’s a local buzz about farmer’s markets and CSA opportunities. However you choose to honor spring, we have everything you need for a bountiful one!

Produce: Green-top carrots and asparagus make a great accompaniment to any feast. Spring lilies, azalea trees, and hydrangeas make great centerpieces and are another way to bring the outdoors in. We also have a vast selection of vegetable and flower seeds for starting seedlings indoors!

Cheese: Gruyere, the perfect melting cheese is on sale for $12.99/lb. (reg. $17.99/lb.) through 3/29. Add it to home-made quiches, potatoes, or have it in fondue!

Deli: Our Deli makes an assortment of quiches daily, stop in early for the best selection! Prices range from $8.89/lb.–9.59/lb.

Grocery: We have an abundance of candy ranging from jelly beans to chocolate, just waiting to be tucked into a basket! We also offer frozen pastry crusts sure to make a foolproof foundation for a quick quiche!

Home & Gifts: Wooden Eggs craft kits with Natural Earth paint are an excellent vegan alternative for “egg” dyeing, stop in to pick one up soon because these won’t last long!

Meat & Seafood: Looking to try something different at this year’s Spring Feast? Roast a whole Wild Acres duck now only $4.99/lb. through 3/29!

Saturday, March 26: Look for special demos throughout the stores featuring Spring celebration-inspired items.

Maytag Dairy Farms is expanding its voluntary recall of Maytag blue cheese wedges, wheels and crumbles because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Between Nov. 24, 2015 and Feb. 28, 2016 Seward Co-op may have sold products with lot numbers affected by this recall at both the Franklin and Friendship stores. See list below.

If you purchased any of the above products at Seward Co-op between Nov. 24, 2015 and Feb. 28, 2016, recalled products will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk. Questions may be directed to Seward Co-op’s Franklin store at 612.338.2465 or Friendship store at 612.230.5595.

Jack and the Green Sprouts is issuing a voluntary recall of its Alfalfa Sprouts and Alfalfa Onion Sprouts out of caution due to illness that is unofficially linked to the sprouts. All tests done for contamination have come back negative. There are no known contaminations. Between Feb. 1, 2016 and Feb. 25, 2016, Seward Co-op sold products affected by this recall at both the Franklin and Friendship stores.

Jack and the Green Sprouts Alfalfa Sprouts – 5 oz. ($1.49/ea.)
UPC: 76324719891

Jack and the Green Sprouts Alfalfa Onion Sprouts – 5 oz. ($1.49/ea.)
UPC: 76324719594

If you purchased the above product at Seward Co-op between Feb. 1, 2016 and Feb. 25, 2016, recalled products will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk. Questions may be directed to Seward Co-op’s Franklin store at 612.338.2465 or Friendship store at 612.230.5595.

Jack and the Green Sprouts is issuing a voluntary recall of its Alfalfa seeds out of caution due to illness that is unofficially linked to the seeds. All tests done for contamination have come back negative. There are no known contaminations. Between Nov. 27 2015-Feb 25 2016, Seward Co-op sold product affected by this recall at both the Franklin and Friendship stores.

Jack and the Green Sprouts Alfalfa Seeds – bulk item ($17.49/lb.)
PLU: 2604

If you purchased the above product at Seward Co-op between Nov. 27 2015-Feb 25 2016, recalled products will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desk. Questions may be directed to Seward Co-op’s Franklin store at 612.338.2465 or Friendship store at 612.230.5595.