Week Eight of 2014

The game at pick up was to get the craziest looking eggplant.

We got...

Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Cantaloupe, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Green Beans, Head Lettuce, Onions, Potatoes, Salad Mix, Scallions, Serrano Peppers, Small Tomatoes, Zucchini

Peaches

My ideas...

Bell Peppers, Onions, and Tomatoes – Chicken Scaloppine with Peperonata

Broccoli  - Sesame Broccoli

This recipe suggests steaming the broccoli.  I may roast it to get a bit of crunch and char to deepen the flavor.

Cantaloupe, Cucumber, and Serrano Peppers – Spicy Cantaloupe Cucumber Salad

Eggplant, Onions, and Tomatoes – Vegetarian Aubergine Tagine

No Tagine?  I’ll be making this in a dutch oven.

Green Beans – Green Beans with Lime

Easy side dish!

Head Lettuce, Salad Mix, Scallions, Tomato, Cucumber – First week of the season that the whole salad will be from the CSA share!  YEAH!!!

Potatoes – Lemon Caper Parmesan Potato Bites

Zucchini and Tomatoes – Silky Pappardelle and ZucchiniRibbons

Review of Week Seven of 2014

Here are some dishes I made this week...

Chorizo Rice Skillet – This dish used the bell peppers, onions, and scallions.

This dish came together so quickly.  The idea of sautéing some vegetables, combining with ground meat or sausage, and adding rice to simmer could be used to create several different flavor profiles.

Tingly Chicken and Green Noodle Bowl – This dish used chard, cucumber, and scallions.

This was delicious!

I thought this would be true to it’s tingly name with both Szechuan peppercorns and Sriracha, but I didn’t find it to have much of a bite.  Next time I would sprinkle the peppercorns on top of the dish and add more Sriracha to the ground chicken.

Grilled Eggplant Bahn Mi Sandwiches - This dish used eggplant, carrots, and cucumber from the CSA.

I made these to take to dinner at the pool.  They can be prepared ahead of time. 

Indian Zucchini and Summer Squash – This dish used onions, zucchini and summer squash.

I made this Zucchini Paneer recipe, but did not add the paneer.  It made for a nice side dish.

Indonesian Vegetable Salad – This dish used carrots, green beans, bell pepper, and cucumber from the CSA.

This is a cold salad good for dinner on a hot summer night.  There is only boiling water for blanching some of the veggies to make any heat in the kitchen. 

The recipe says this salad is often served with crunchy shrimp crackers.  I did not have a crunchy cracker option and it would have rounded out the dish.  

Week Seven of 2014

We got...

Bell Peppers, Chard, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Green Beans, Head Lettuce, Onions, Poblano Peppers, Scallions, Summer Squash, Zucchini, Dill

Peaches

My ideas...

Bell Pepper, Onions, and Scallions – Chorizo Rice Skillet

Chard, Cucumber, and Scallions – Tingly Chicken and GreensNoodle Bowl

Yes!  This will be tingly with Szechuan Peppercorns and Sriracha, but I’m sure you could cut back on the spiciness. 

Eggplant and Bell Pepper – Eggplant Sloppy Joes

A nice Meatless Monday option.

Green Beans – Grilled Green Beans

Poblano and Corn – Grilled Cheesy Cannellini StuffedPoblanos

Zucchini and Dill – Pine Nut and Raisin Zucchini Toppers

Week Five of 2014

Week Five of 2014

We got...

Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cucumber, Head Lettuce, Kale, Onions, Salad Mix, Scallions, Summer Squash, Zucchini, Basil

Strawberries

My ideas...

Broccoli, Onions, Scallions – Five Spice Orange Beef andBroccoli

Use the whole recipe for a complete meal or just do the broccoli as a side dish.

Cabbage, Scallions – Hoisin Glazed Pork Mu Shu Casserole

Carrots, Cucumbers – Cucumber and Shaved Carrot Salad

Kale – Kale and Chicken Scaloppine Caesar

Summer Squash and Zucchini – Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia withSquash Salad

Zucchini – Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Basil – Pesto to Freeze

I’ll freeze the pesto in ice cube trays.  The blocks of pesto come in handy throughout the year for soups and other recipes.

CSA Staycation

The kids are away visiting family and we have been having a great time checking out lots of local eateries and barely cooking.  What then to do with the wonderful items in our CSA?

Here is what I did with many of the items we got...

Broccoli – I froze it.  Trim, boil 3 minutes and then submerge in ice water.  Drain and freeze.

Here are great guidelines for freezing many different vegetables.

Freezing Vegetables

Chard & Beet Greens – Braised in Tomato Sauce, then frozen

I will eat these with pasta or rice for lunch.

Braised Greens

Summer Squash & Zucchini – shredded and froze

I’ll use this later in soups or quick breads.  Follow this link for other great ideas for shredded squash.

Zucchini & Squash ideas

Parsley & Basil – froze

Frozen herbs are great for pasta and soup recipes.

Freezing Herbs

Grilled Beets and Kohlrabi

The farm newsletter a couple of weeks ago had a suggestion for Grilled Kohlrabi.  I used this recipe as a guide.

Grilled Kohlrabi

I thought I’d try it with beets too.  It was a great side dish.

Grilled Beets and Kohlrabi

1 Kohlrabi, peeled

1 bunch Beets, peeled

olive oil

salt & pepper

1-2 Garlic Scapes

Basil – rough chop

Boil Kohlrabi and Beets until tender (45 minutes).  Let cool.  Slice.

Mix olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and basil.  Once Kohlrabi and Beets are sliced allow them to marinate in oil mixture.  Grill up to 5 minutes per side on medium heat.

Week Four of 2014

Later in the summer the farm will not be able to provide basil, so they potted basil for us to grow and have for use all summer.

We got...

Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Chard, Cucumber, Head Lettuce, Salad Mix, Scallions, Snow Peas, Summer Squash,  Zucchini, Basil, Parsley, Basil Pots

My ideas...

Beets and Basil – Golden Beet Pasta with Basil-Almond Pesto

This recipe calls for Golden Beets, but I’m sure the striated Chioggia Beet would look great in this dish.

Broccoli – Sweet Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli

Cabbage – Cabbage Slaw with Tangy Mustard Dressing

We needed a slaw for the July 4^th Holiday!

Chard and Parsley – Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli

I have some wonton wrappers I need to use so I’m going to replace the spinach with chard and try this recipe.

Cucumber – Shaved Cucumber Salad

Snow Peas – Seared Scallops with Snap Peas and Pancetta

I’m going to try the snow peas as a substitution for the snap peas.

Summer Squash and/or Zucchini – Chickpea and VegetableTagine