Gluten Free Lemon Hummus

Did you know Hummus (pronounced huh-miss), is the Arabic word for chickpea? An ancient dish and an integral part of Middle Eastern cuisine Hummus is enjoyed throughout the world. We added our Tuscan Herb Vegetable Seasoning with extra virgin, Tuscan extra virgin olive oil for a delicious, creamy gluten free dip. Add crunchy fresh veggies-carrots, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, or crispy gluten free crackers and enjoy! Serves 6-8

Simple Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Villa Graziella Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra for drizzling

• 1/2 teaspoon Villa Graziella Organic Tuscan Herb Vegetable Seasoning, plus extra to flavor

• 1-15 ounce can chickpea or garbanzo beans drained and rinsed

• ¼ cup Tahini paste, stirred well

• 2 fresh garlic cloves, chopped

• Juice of 2 medium lemons + extra to flavor

• ½ medium lemon zested

• Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Easy Directions:

1. Puree chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, tahini paste, and Tuscan herb vegetable seasonings in a blender or food processor on a low speed for 2 minutes. If hummus is too thick, add a bit of water for desired consistency.

2. Using a spatula scrape the sides to ensure ingredients are blended.

3. As the blender runs on low, slowly add olive oil and blend until silky smooth.

4. Using a spatula scrape the hummus into a bowl, drizzle olive oil on the top, garnish with parsley.

5. Serve immediately & enjoy!

Helpful Hints:

• Make ahead, cover in an airtight container and refrigerate.

• Spread hummus over flatbread or pita bread for sandwiches.

• Cover and refrigerate, use within 4-5 days.

To download this recipe click here

Inspirational recipe found here…https://www.acedarspoon.com/lemon-hummus/

Tried, Tasted & True

We try & taste every recipe we feature. We enjoy sharing recipes, from our families, home cooks or chefs. We sometimes adjust them and want you to have a healthy & delicious experience. So, try them, tweak them, and please tell us about it! Take a photo and tag us on Facebook and Instagram @villagraziellaorganic.

We love seeing your creations and welcome your feedback.

Grazie da Team VILLA GRAZIELLA ORGANIC!

Irregular weather and climate instability has become more regular, almost normal, impacting agriculture and our global food supply. For organic farmer and winemaker Luca Nesi, Earth Day is not just one day. It is a daily commitment to grow high quality, healthy fruit and restore the soil via R.A. Regenerative Agriculture.

What is R.A. and why is it more important than ever?

According to Terra Genesis International, RA farming principles and practices increase biodiversity, enrich soil, improve watershed, and enhance the ecosystem. Regenerative farming assists in countering the effects of climate change to maintain the overall health of agriculture.

R.A. practices protect soil, a precious and finite resource and our earth’s largest water filter. It contains more carbon than above ground plant and vegetables and regulates carbon dioxide discharge in our atmosphere. R.A. management strives to keep carbon stored in the soil as Soil Organic Carbon-SOC. Acting as buffer against harmful substances, SOC improves nutrition, builds hardiness, and promotes fertility in soil.

As a 24-year organic certified farmer and wine maker, Luca not only farms without chemicals or pesticides, but his work also includes building a nutrient rich, resilient, robust soil structure. After the fall harvest, Luca creates an ideal home for soil life by “feeding” it with compost and cover cropping via manure and minerals from natural sources such as artichokes, beet root, broad bean, clover, horse radish, lentils, ryegrass and sweet pea seedlings. Broken down and absorbed by organisms this fosters carbon rich, hearty soil. Measured surface raking aerates to ensure moisture is absorbed and soil can breathe. By trapping carbon in the dirt, soil is vigorous with deep root systems nourished and protected from diseases and pests. R.A. focus on healthy soil life and biology to produces phytonutrient rich crops. Resulting in clean, healthy, better tasting grapes and olives benefitting consumers and our environment!

Tags agriculture, food security, land-use emissions, regenerative agriculture, restore our earth

Sources:

https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2021/

https://greenamerica.org/restore-it

https://modernfarmer.com/

https://news.italianfood.net/category/common/laws-labels/

https://www.regenerateillinois.org/

https://regenorganic.org/

https://rodaleinstitute.org

http://www.terra-genesis.com

As we adjust to our “new normal”, the focus of 2021 Earth Day is Restore Our Earth™.

Since 1970, people in 180+ countries have committed to defend our Terra Madre-Mother Earth. Absolutely no effort is too small to make a difference to protect our valuable air, land, or water resources. Every day is an opportunity to participate; grow an organic container garden, plant milkweed to attract beneficial pollinators, use plant-based recipes in the kitchen, make ahead meal prep to avoid food waste or plogg-pick up trash while jogging.

Learn how to make a difference each day, visit https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-tips/ or https://www.earthday.org/take-action-now/ or https://www.earthday.org/actions/try-a-simple-act-of-green/

Simple Ingredients:

1/4 tsp of Villa Graziella Organic Tuscan Herb Meat Seasoning Blend

1 tbs of lemon juice

1/8th cup of Villa Graziella Organic Olio Nuovo

1 tsp of minced garlic

3 chicken tenderloins

Simple Directions:

◦ Prep your chicken first by patting it dry and then taking the tendon out. The best way to do this (as pictured) is to take a paper towel and hold the tendon and with your dominant hand take a fork and put the tendon between one of the prongs and pull your hand holding the tendon up while simultaneously pulling the fork down. This requires a bit of force so make sure you use the dominant hand!

◦ In a bowl add the chicken and all of your ingredients. No particular order is needed, just get them all in!

◦ Let this sit in the fridge for 20 min-an hour. Can leave overnight if you want the most flavor.

◦ Once it marinates, get a grilling pan on the stove (or use a grill) on medium high heat

◦ I prefer to use a little butter for extra flavor but these should be good to go in a non-stick pan or regular pan

◦ Once the butter melts, add the chicken and cook each side for 4-5 minutes flipping regularly to make sure the inside is evenly cooked.

◦ I liked to leave it on a bit longer to get some grill marks on them once the butter browns

◦ Once cooked through, remove from the stove and pair with a salad, greens or anything you like and enjoy!

To download this recipe click here

Tried, Tasted & True

We try & taste every recipe we feature. We enjoy sharing recipes, from our families, home cooks or chefs. We sometimes adjust them and want you to have a healthy & delicious experience. So, try them, tweak them, and please tell us about it! Take a photo and tag us on Facebook and Instagram @villagraziellaorganic.

We love seeing your creations and welcome your feedback.

Grazie da Team VILLA GRAZIELLA ORGANIC!

Our marketing intern Calli had the pleasure of sitting down with Justin Smith of @breadandboredom to ask him a few questions about his life and how he got to where he is with cooking. A big thank you to Justin for letting us into your world and answering our questions!

Calli: What is your favorite food memory growing up?

Justin: Ah that’s hard to say, I don’t have a specific memory or a favorite, but one that I appreciate the most that got me into cooking would be with my dad’s mother that let me help out in the kitchen and cut vegetables for salads and make barbeque sauce all the time when I was really young. I remember I was working at a food charity and they asked us when we learned to cook and I always go back to that when I would make barbeque sauce for my Bubby.

C: Who or what inspired you to study culinary science & hospitality in college?

J: Honestly, no one did. I liked cooking, my mom was terrible at cooking, so I wanted to do it. I had a hard time enjoying school so I figured if I was going to put myself into it I would find something I really enjoyed and this happened to be it. I was one of 12 kids in my class and I got lucky finding something.

C: Do you have any suggestions for a novice just learning to cook on their own?

J: Find one thing you really love to make and make all kinds of it. For me it was pasta. I realized I loved making it and I have now made every shape imaginable. Practice is key and if you find the one thing you really enjoy making you can try all different variations and get really good at it.

C: What has been your go-to dish to prepare during Covid-19?

J: I made a bunch of stir fries and vegetable stir-fries. I am a half vegetarian so I try not to eat much meat but I make a lot of Thai dishes and I love a good wok

C: Have you always baked bread & made your own pasta from scratch? Do you have a favorite pasta?

J: I have been making bread for about 5 years and pasta for about 7. I haven’t always made it from scratch always, but for as long as I’ve enjoyed cooking I have. My favorite pasta shape to make is gnocchi with a simple red sauce

C: How did your blog Bread &Boredom come about?

J: My father pushed me to start writing up my recipes and I follow a ton of food bloggers and I just liked writing down the recipes & I liked taking pictures of the food. I am god awful at it and I am color blind so any editing I do comes out green but my friends help me out now, but I really enjoyed writing down the recipes and taking pictures of whatever I made. I am bad at keeping up with it though.

C: Do you post more on your blog or Instagram?

J:  I try to post recipes, but I keep up with Instagram way more. All the recipes are on my blog and I am more active with casual every-day things on Instagram.  “

C: Are there any ingredients you always have on hand in your kitchen?

J : Olive oil, bananas, peanut butter, Pecorino Romano, tomatoes. I have never run out of any of that.

C: What is your favorite meal?

J: Oh man, that’s hard, but I love fish & chips.

Check out Justin’s instagram here and his blog here!

What to make for dinner on a busy weeknight? How about citrus chicken! Lemon, an onion, or shallot and our Tuscan herb meat seasoning blend make a zingy vinaigrette and delicious weeknight dinner. Enjoy in a sandwich with crusty bread or add to your favorite greens for next day lunch. 4-6 servings.

Easy Ingredients:

Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup Villa Graziella Organic extra virgin olive oil

• 3 tablespoons minced shallot-spring or white onion o.k. too

• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

• ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• ¼ teaspoon sea salt, Kosher ok too

Chicken:

• 3 tablespoons Villa Graziella Organic extra virgin olive oil

• 1 ½ teaspoons Villa Graziella Organic Tuscan herb seasoning blend for meat

• 4 (6-8 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1/3 cup unbleached flour

• 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt, Kosher ok too

• ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried parsley

Simple Directions:

1. Sauté minced shallot in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet until translucent but not brown, remove from heat, set skillet aside.

2. As shallot cooks, add lemon juice, lemon zest, orange zest, salt, pepper and olive oil to a bowl and combine, add cooked shallots, whisk and set aside.

3. Combine Tuscan herb seasoning blend, sea salt & pepper to a small bowl.

4. Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap on a cutting board. Using a meat pounder, gently pound the thickest part of the breast to ¾ inch thickness.

5. Springle Tuscan herb seasoning, salt & pepper mixture over both sides of the chicken.

6. Spread flour onto a large dinner plate, dredge each chicken breast through the flour, shaking off excess flour, transfer to a shallow dish.

7. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in skillet over medium heat, add chicken pieces to skillet until well browned, about 8 minutes per side, until meat thermometer registers 160°F.

8. Transfer slices to a serving dish, let rest for 5 minutes.

9. As chicken rests, whisk vinaigrette mixture and add to skillet over a low heat until vinaigrette begins to caramelize, about 2-4 minutes.

10. Slice chicken breasts diagonally, add vinaigrette mixture, top with parsley, serve & enjoy!

To download this recipe click here

Tried, Tasted & True

We try & taste every recipe we feature. We enjoy sharing recipes, from our families, home cooks or chefs. We sometimes adjust them and want you to have a healthy & delicious experience. So, try them, tweak them, and please tell us about it! Take a photo and tag us on Facebook and Instagram @villagraziellaorganic.

We love seeing your creations and welcome your feedback.

Grazie da Team VILLA GRAZIELLA ORGANIC!

April 1st is national Sourdough day, so we took the time to ask talented home chef Justin S. of @breadandboredom to create a sourdough recipe for us. A big thank you to him for the recipe and photos. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• Basic Pizza Sauce

  • three cloves of garlic, minced

  • one fourteen ounce can of whole tomatoes, preferably san marzano

  • one six ounce can of tomato paste

  • three tablespoons of Villa Graziella herb vegetable seasoning

  • two tablespoons of crushed red pepper

  • three tablespoons of sugar

  • two tablespoons of salt

Directions

1. Drain and pulse tomatoes until almost completely blended but still some small chunks. This can also be done by hand.

2. In a pan on medium high heat, simmer garlic in olive oil until cooked, about thirty seconds.

3. Add tomato paste to pan, mix around until smooth.

4. Add blended tomatoes and mix.

5. Add seasonings and mix.

6. Allow to simmer on low heat occasionally stirring for about ten minutes at least. Then leave on very low heat or covered to stay warm.

Ingredients

• Sourdough (makes three eight-to-ten inch pizzas)

  • four hundred grams of flour, plus fifty for surface flouring

  • two hundred grams of sourdough starter

  • two hundred and fifty grams of water

  • thirteen grams of fine sea salt

  • seven grams of granulated sugar

  • two tablespoons of Villa Graziella olive oil

Directions

1. In a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, add water, sugar, and salt. Mix for a few seconds to max sure everything dissolves.

2. With the mixer on low, slowly add in flour and sourdough starter in batches. You may need to add a small amount of extra flour or water depending on your starter’s hydration level, but be careful not to make this dough overly tacky or overly dry.

3. Once everything is incorporated, allow the dough to be kneaded in the mixer for ten minutes. The dough should be smooth with a slight spring.

4. Using either the mixer bowl or a new bowl, round the dough and cover it with a wooden board or a damp towel. Here is where you can leave it in the fridge for twenty four hours or leave it at room temperature for six to eight hours if making that day.

5. After the first fermentation, remove the dough and cut into thirds, it should be about two hundred and seventy per portion. Roll the portions into a ball, taking the torn parts and tucking them underneath with the roll and pressing out the air, then rerolling against the counter. It should kind of look like the picture below. Place the three balls in a tray, making sure they are far enough apart to expand and not touch, and cover with a towel. Here you can do eight hours in the fridge or three hours at room temperature.

6. Preheat your oven to five hundred degrees for forty five minutes with the pizza stone in.

7. Once the dough is ready it is time to start shaping. This can be scary for people who have only used a roller to get their pizza flat and worry about the showy dough spin or not being able to get a solid circle. Let me ease your fears: pizza isn’t perfect. It’s messy, dough can be finicky, and shaping takes practice, but these instructions and pictures should help.

8. Take the dough, bottom/soft side facing up on the counter, and press the center in to make a well. Slowly push against the well’s edges to push the dough further and further out into a circle. Once it is about four or five inches wide, place both your hands in the center as fists and gentle bounce the pizza off your hands, this should force the weight of the edges of the dough to drop and expand farther. You can keep doing this method until it hits about eight to ten inches or you can grab the edges of the dough and spin them around vertically, also pulling on the weight to help it expand. Either way, you should get a decent circle. NO ROLLING!

9. NOTE: Here is the other home oven trick since most home ovens don’t go above five hundred degrees: Ten minutes before you put your pizza in, open your oven slightly for about twenty seconds so the internal thermometer sees a drop and then change it from bake to broil. This will allow the broiler to turn up to full blast, giving you more heat throughout the over as well as the broiling effect on top to get some great crunchy crust.

10. Now for the placement. If you don’t have a pizza peel, I recommend a well floured piece of cardboard or a rimless baking sheet. Place the pizza on your peel or peel replacement, top with sauce and toppings, drizzle with some Villa Graziella Olive Oil, and bake for eight to ten minutes.

11. Sprinkle some fresh basil, giardiniera, maybe some extra cheese, whatever you desire, slice it up and enjoy!

Visit Justin’s blog here for more recipes!

To download this recipe click here

Tried, Tasted & True

We try & taste every recipe we feature. We enjoy sharing recipes, from our families, home cooks or chefs. We sometimes adjust them and want you to have a healthy & delicious experience. So, try them, tweak them, and please tell us about it! Take a photo and tag us on Facebook and Instagram @villagraziellaorganic.

We love seeing your creations and welcome your feedback.

Grazie da Team VILLA GRAZIELLA ORGANIC!

Clean, Green, Natural and Organic-What is the Difference?

The debate around clean, natural, and organic food and increasingly wine continues. Many wine brands feature gauzy images of carefree, pretty people day drinking in euro-chic settings or basking in the sun. Product descriptions include “close to natural as possible”, “full of natural goodness”, “free of unnecessary extras” or “wholly oriented around maximizing quality and environmental sustainability”. Many are not sure what these mean and asked how natural brands compare to Villa GraziellaOrganic. While we do not know specific vineyard or manufacturing practices by other companies and by no means claim to be experts, wewould like to clarify statements as they pertain to our wines.

Natural Is the Same as Organic

Natural is widely used and interpreted in many ways. Also labeled as green, pure, true, not-refined, not treated, unpasteurized or unprocessed. Natural wines can be made without using chemicals, additives or using industrial procedures. However, there are no official accreditation requirements or certification standards for natural wine equivalent to organic certified or the legally accepted definition-wine made with organic grapes.

Depending on a specific country’s certification requirements, organic quality wine is made using grapes with low intervention or minimum manipulation. There are defined protocols including restricted chemical fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers. In the cellar: acidifiers, additives, flavor agents, processed tannins and sugars are prohibited. Specific technological processes: micro-oxygenation to speed up aging, synthetic yeasts are not allowed. While farmers often use organic growing methods and wine makers use low intervention methods, many do not apply for organic qualification because of the complex process, 4-year time frame and yearly substantial financial investment.

Clean, Slow Crafted and Sustainably Made Are Standards for Clean Wine

While these statements are enticing, they are absent of legitimate protocols or requirements for how grapes are grown, or wine is produced. The legal standard for organic certification is by the United States Department of Agriculture-USDA or reciprocal International certifying entity. The label will indicate the seal of the certifying regulatory entity of origin and operator code.

Villa Graziella wines are certified by Istituto Certificazione EticaAmbientale-ICEA. The Italian Environmental & Ethical Certification Institute. The regulatory agency assures the traceability of all the raw materials, prohibits any use of genetically modified organisms, chemical pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers. It tests and certifies the entire supply chain: from planting to harvest, crush to aging and bottling. ICEA requires certification for each new vintage, their seal and our operator code are located on the back of our wine bottle.

We all want healthier, more sustainable systems producing food, and wine. Industry-farmers, winemakers, importers, distributors, educators, and merchants collectively work extremely hard to offer a quality product in an honest and transparent manner. Together with our partners, our mission is to offer great tasting food and wine, that is good for us and better for our environment.

Skip chips or wings and choose a crispy, crunchy bruschetta for delicious game day eats! Bruschetta pronounced broo-skeh-tah, (sche sounds like a K), originated from the verb “brusciare” to burn in Italian. We used author, journalist, and authentic Tuscan chef Faith Willinger’s version for a winning combination using fresh kale, cannellini beans & our Tuscan Herb Veggie Seasoning Blend. Prepare the topping ahead, add to toasted bread just before serving at room temperature. Serves 8-10.

Simple Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Villa Graziella Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra for drizzling

• 1/2 teaspoon Villa Graziella Organic Tuscan Herb Vegetable Seasoning, plus extra to flavor

• 1-pound fresh Tuscan kale, washed & dried, curly, dinosaur or lacinato ok too

• 1 15 ounces can cannellini beans rinsed, or 1 ½ cups cooked white beans

• 2 small fresh garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 baguette loaf country Italian or French bread, in ½ inch slices

• 1 tablespoon sea salt, Kosher ok too

• ½ teaspoon each sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

Easy Directions:

1. Place a large pot of water over medium high heat to boil.

2. Remove kale leaves off the stalks, add the leaves and 1 tablespoon of sea salt to boiling water.

3. Cook until tender about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Drain kale in a colander and rinse with cold water.

5. Drain thoroughly, squeezing kale with your hands to remove most but not all the moisture.

6. Puree half the kale with ¼ cup of olive oil and garlic to a smooth, stiff paste, add to a large bowl.

7. Coarsely chop the remaining kale and add to the bowl of kale paste.

8. Combine ½ cup of the kale paste with white beans in another large bowl, add Tuscan seasoning blend, sea salt & pepper, stir and set aside and keep at room temperature so flavors blend.

9. Brush both sides of bread with olive oil, place on the grill top or preheated oven at 300°F.

10. Turn slices over when brown, heat other side.

11. Remove toasted bread from heat, spoon kale paste & bean mixture over each slice, season to taste and drizzle with olive oil.

12. Serve immediately & enjoy with your favorite Villa Graziella Organic wine!

Helpful Hints:

• Avoid soggy Bruschetta and spoon topping right before serving.

• Make ahead prepare kale paste (Steps 1-7), cover with a thin layer of olive oil, cover & refrigerate up to 1 week.

• Spoon remaining topping over grilled chicken for a gluten free version.

• Toss remaining spread with your favorite short shaped cooked pasta.

• Use remaining kale and discarded kale stalks in a smoothie or soups.

• Cover and refrigerate topping, use within three days.

Find the inspirational recipe here www.eatingwell.com

To download this recipe click here

Tried, Tasted & True

We try & taste every recipe we feature. We enjoy sharing recipes, from our families, home cooks or chefs. We sometimes adjust them and want you to have a healthy & delicious experience. So, try them, tweak them, and please tell us about it! Take a photo and tag us on Facebook and Instagram @villagraziellaorganic.

We love seeing your creations and welcome your feedback.

Grazie da Team VILLA GRAZIELLA ORGANIC!

The ultimate comfort food, meatloaf is a perennial favorite with several versions. Swap pork with turkey, add rolled oats, sautéed mushrooms even sliced olives. Make ahead for a delicious weeknight dinner, enjoy in a sandwich with crusty bread for next day lunch. Makes 12 slices.

Easy Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon Villa Graziella Organic extra virgin olive oil

• 2 teaspoons Villa Graziella Tuscan herb seasoning blend for meat

• 1 pound each ground chuck & ground pork, substitute turkey for pork

• 6 slices of bacon-optional

• 1 small yellow onion chopped-red or white ok too

• 1 small green pepper chopped-red or yellow ok too

• 1 fresh garlic clove minced

• ½ cup dry panko, bread crumbs or rolled oats

• 2 fresh room temperature eggs, lightly beaten, if possible organic

• 1/3 cup milk, skim or whole, if possible organic

• 2 tablespoons each ketchup & Worcestershire sauce

• 1 ½ teaspoons each barbecue sauce & Dijon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, Kosher ok too

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Simple directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, double line a roasting or sheet pan with parchment paper, brush with olive oil, set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, add pepper & onion sauté over medium heat until pepper is soft, onion is translucent about 5 minutes. Add garlic & cook 3-5 minutes, garlic and onion should not turn brown, set aside to cool.

3. Remove meat from refrigerator, set aside.

4. In a large bowl, combine milk, eggs, ketchup & Worcestershire sauce. Add bread crumbs, Tuscan herb seasoning salt & pepper to bowl and stir.

5. Add meat, cooked garlic, pepper & onion, mix well with your hands.

6. Shape ingredients into a loaf on roasting pan or cookie sheet, leave 1-1½ inches of space around the edges to allow air to circulate and fat to run off.

7. Mix barbecue sauce and Dijon mustard, brush the top & sides with mixture. Arrange or weave bacon strips across loaf.

8. Cover with foil, place on center rack, bake for 1 hour, remove from oven, use a baster to soak up fat & oil. Return to oven without foil, bake additional 30 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 165°F.

9. Remove from oven, allow to rest 10 minutes for a moist meatloaf.

10. Slice serve & enjoy!

To download this recipe click here

Tried, Tasted & True

We try & taste every recipe we feature. We enjoy sharing recipes, from our families, home cooks or chefs. We sometimes adjust them and want you to have a healthy & delicious experience. So, try them, tweak them, and please tell us about it! Take a photo and tag us on Facebook and Instagram @villagraziellaorganic.

We love seeing your creations and welcome your feedback.

Grazie da Team VILLA GRAZIELLA ORGANIC!