Friday, September 14, 2012

CSA Share Week 14

Whew!  Managed to use everything this week.  Today I made a double batch of salsa and that took care of a lot of Week 14 and Week 15 items already.  

The "bean" dip was so good we decided to make it again (so that we could eat more of it rather than just share it).   We tried the stir-fry again with greater success.  We found the tinier we dice the broccoli, the more readily the kids will eat it.  

The baked chicken is a staple at our house.  I can't usually handle multiple pots and pans on the stove and take care of the kids at the same time.  So one pot on the stove and something in the oven is the best method for me.  This chicken recipe is perfect.  I really can't ruin it (as long as I don't forget to set the timer).  I have wrecked some truly wonderful dishes because I had to step away to mediate and argument between children or someone needs help in the bathroom among other such incidents.  So I rely on dishes like this to make things go more smoothly.  

The season is winding down - the freezer is quickly filling up and my hands are showing some wear from all of the chopping and prepping.  I am sure that they don't compare to those hands that work day in and day out on the farm.  My husband and I truly appreciate it.  We hope to pay a visit to the farm very soon so that our children don't believe that the vegetables magically appear in a brown paper bag each week!


Week 14 Bounty:
Photo courtesy of Scotch Hill Farm, Broadhead, WI
Leaf lettuce mix
Broccoli

Tomatoes
Bright Lights Chard
Beans
Turnips 

Eggplant
Greens Mix
Bok Choi
Beets
Summer Squash
Bell and Hot Peppers





Meal #1: broccoli, bok choi
Stir-fry with Broccoli and Bok Choi
Bunch of broccoli, florets diced (I diced them quite finely and also used the leaves, but ground them in the Magic Bullet with some olive oil so the kids would eat them)

Bunch of bok choi, washed and chopped
1-2 tablespoon canola or olive oil
1 tablespoon diced garlic scapes
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce, to taste
2 large chicken breasts, but into bite-size pieces
Cashews
6 servings of cooked brown rice
Rinse the broccoli and trim the ends. Heat the oil in a preheated wok or skillet on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the finely chopped garlic. Stir-fry briefly until it is aromatic, then add the chicken. Cook until they appear fully cooked on outside, then add broccoli and salt. Stir-fry briefly, then add the soy sauce. Stir-fry for another minute and then add the cooked rice to mix and serve.

 
Meal #2: broccoli, tomato sauce, eggplant, squash

Broccoli Puree With Tomato Sauce
Pureed a bunch of broccoli (florets, leaves, and stems) mixed with some tomato sauce.
Poured over pasta and everyone devoured it.

Eggplant 
and Squash Fries
Cut eggplant and squash into fries, tossed with olive oil and seasonings and baked at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Even with the eggplant salt soak, these were all still soggy.  Prefer to do them pan-fried.

Baked Scallops
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 pounds bay scallops, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pour melted butter into a 2 quart oval casserole dish. Distribute butter and scallops evenly inside the dish. Combine the bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, parsley, minced garlic and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle this mixture over the scallops. Bake in preheated oven until scallops are firm, about 20 minutes. * Recipe from John Bragg at allrecipes.com


Meal #3: squash, turnips, beets
Squash Cous Cous
Whole Wheat Cous Cous
Frozen squash cubes from 2011 share
Nutmeg, clove, salt

Baked Chicken Breasts
In oven-safe glassware, we coat chicken breasts with olive oil and seasonings and bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on size) at 350 degrees.  They are perfect every time.

Turnips and Beets 
Diced and pan fried with seasoning.

Other Uses: tomatoes, peppers, bell pepper, onions, cilantro, leaf lettuce mix, greens mix


The Best Fresh Tomato Salsa
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons chopped fresh jalapeno pepper (I used 4 tsp of hot pepper from share)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Stir the tomatoes, green bell pepper, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Serve. * Recipe from Allrecipes.com by Cheryl Dressler
 

"Bean" Dip
1 cup cashews
2 cups green beans, cleaned and ends removed
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp oil (I used olive)
2 tsp onion powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
Dash cayenne pepper
Soak 1 cup cashews in water for 30 minutes. Drain most of liquid, but not all. Puree 1 cup soaked Cashews into a paste. Leave cashew paste in your food processor or blender and add the remaining ingredients. Puree everything together until well blended. * Recipe adapted from www.addictedtoveggies.com

Leaf Lettuce Mix 
and Greens Mix
Washed, pureed and frozen

Chard 

Washed, chopped and frozen

Extra Peppers 

Washed, diced and frozen

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for linking up to Snacktime Saturday! I love your photo of all your veggies. So colorful! How do you serve your bean dip? It sounds like a good way to sneak some more iron into the kiddo.

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  2. I can't believe you're still getting so much stuff in your CSA! What a great farm you've connected with!

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  3. Thanks, Margaux! It is really delicious with tortilla chips, cracker, on bread. toasted bread or bruschetta is my favorite. My kids like to dip, though, so chips or crackers for them. Leah, yes, they are an awesome farm. We still have four weeks left in the regular season share and they say it should be 8-10 varieties each week. then we finish with two winter shares (mostly root vegetables and winter greens). Somehow even with our sever drought they have still managed to deliver quite.

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