Friday, September 21, 2012

CSA Share Week 15

Wow!  Only five more weeks left.  We got a little creative this week.  The result made for some wonderfully delicious meals.  Everything was great, but my favorite was definitely the Caprese and "Bruschetta."  Perhaps I am partial due to their Italian flair, but they made a fun, flavor-filled meal.

The Hermit Cookies were a particular surprise.  I wanted to make cookies and thought - why not try to add in a vegetable?  They were scrumptious and the kids loved them. I didn't adjust the recipe for the added liquid, so the cookies were nearly like a bread/bar consistency.  Next time I will adjust the ingredients accordingly.

The large tomatoes and peppers I used combined with last week's share and made salsa on delivery day.  The beans I also combined with last week's beans and made that yummy dip.  I was so far ahead that we ended up with no leftovers, with the exception of a lonely eggplant that will be combined with the three new eggplants we received yesterday!


Photos courtesy of Scotch Hill Farm, Broadhead, WI

Week 15 Bounty: 
Leaf lettuce mix
Spicy Greens mix
Arugula 
Tomatoes
Melon
Beans
Basil
Eggplant
Okra
Bok Choi
Cilantro
Summer Squash

Peppers



Meal #1: Juliet and Sungold tomatoes, basil 
Caprese (cah-PRAY-zay)
Cut up larger tomatoes, kept cherry sized tomatoes whole. Tossed with basil and fresh mozzarella.

Naan "Bruschetta"
Whole wheat naan (from Trader Joe's) toasted lightly in the oven at 375 with buratta (also from Trader Joe's), prosciutto and walnuts. Buratta is fresh cheese made from mozzarella and cream. This is an easy version of my favorite bruschetta in Italia.

Okra with Bacon
Slice into stars and fry in hot bacon grease or olive oil. Season to taste with garlic, salt & pepper or crumbled bacon. * Recipe from Scotch Hill Farm.

Meal #2: bok choi, green onions, ginger 
Enjoyed this scrumptious dish with wild rice.
Salmon and Bok Choi
3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil (didn't have, so we substituted some olive oil)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound baby bok choy or bok choy
4 (6-ounce) sustainable salmon fillets
1/4 cup diagonally cut green onions
Preheat broiler. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Coarsely chop bok choy leaves, and arrange on one end of a jelly-roll pan. Coarsely chop bok choy stems and arrange in a single layer on opposite end of jelly-roll pan. Place salmon, skin side down, in a single layer on top of leafy greens. Pour half of soy sauce mixture evenly over salmon; pour remaining half evenly over bok choy stems. Broil for 5 minutes; stir stems. Broil an additional 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Arrange 1/3 cup bok choy on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 fillet and 1 tablespoon green onions. * Recipe from Cooking Light at myrecipes.com

Meal #3: greens, arugula
Enjoyed the greens and nuggets with a pumpkin risotto package that we brought back from Italia.  It was a great dinner all together.  I love pumpkin risotto, but my homemade recipe is actually better than this was, so I am really looking forward to making it from scratch.
Spicy Greens with Warm Balsamic Dressing
We used the spicy greens and arugula for this recipe.
1 bunch arugula, cleaned, trimmed and chopped
1 head radicchio, chopped
2 cups chopped escarole, 1/2 head
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, cracked
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Arrange greens on a large platter. Heat oil and garlic in a small pan over moderate heat. Simmer garlic in oil to infuse the flavor. Remove the garlic from the oil and transfer it to a small bowl. Wipe the pan and return to heat. Add balsamic vinegar . Raise heat to high and reduce vinegar by 1/2, 30 seconds. Stream oil into saucepan and whisk to combine with vinegar. Drizzle dressing over the salad and season the greens with salt and pepper. * Recipe from Rachel Ray at food.com


Baked Chicken Nuggets
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2-inch sized pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter in a bowl or dish for dipping. Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the well-coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. * Recipe from Teresa at allrecipes.com



Other Uses: melon, cilantro, squash
Melon 
Balled and tossed with blueberries

Cilantro
Washed, chopped and frozen on jelly roll pan, then transferred to freezer bag.

Hermit Cookies
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup squash, pureed
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup raisins, currants, etc (I used dark chocolate chips)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
Oil a cookie sheet; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Beat till combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in the egg, milk, squash and vanilla till combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven 10 minutes or till edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Makes 36 cookies. * Recipe from Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book

1 comment:

  1. I like seeing your whole breakdown. Our garden was kind of a bust this year so I think we might do a CSA next year. Thanks for linking up to Snacktime Saturday.

    ReplyDelete