Wednesday, August 28, 2013

CSA 2013 Week 12

*Image from Scotch Hill Farm, Broadhead, WI
Week 12 Bounty:

Beautiful Swiss chard
Small tomatoes
Large tomatoes
Melon
Beans
Squash
Large pepper
Small pepper
Broccoli
Cucumber
Corn




I never realized that I hadn't posted last week, so now here is this week one day early.  Our vegetable drawer is empty and we have barely taken up any room in the freezer yet.  We have been mostly staying on top of things and using recipes chock full of vegetables.  

Meal #1 (eggplant, squash, onion, garlic, tomato)
Tunisian Vegetable Ragout with Quinoa
We cut the raisins and threw it all in the crockpot on high for four hours.  Delicious!1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2- to 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, halved and sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 cinnamon stick
1 -2 teaspoons harissa or chili sauce (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, canned
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup vegetable broth
8 cherry tomatoes, halved (or 1 large tomato, coarsely chopped)
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth, fatfree
1 clove garlic, minced
Cover a large plate with unbleached coffee filters. (4 cone-shaped filters fit a dinner plate perfectly.) Toss the eggplant in a bowl with a little salt, and arrange it on top of the filters. Microwave for about 8 minutes, while proceeding with the rest of the recipe. (Note: You can skip this step and sauté the eggplant along with the onion. Allow additional cooking time as needed to fully cook eggplant.) 
Sauté the onion in a large non-stick pot until it begins to brown, adding a little water if necessary to prevent sticking. Add the garlic, and cook for another minute. Add all spices, including cinnamon stick, and stir for another minute. Add the zucchini, canned tomatoes, chickpeas, raisins, and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add the eggplant and cherry tomatoes. Cover and cook on low while quinoa is cooking.
Heat a medium-sized nonstick pot. Add the rinsed quinoa, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes until the quinoa is fairly dry. Add the vegetable broth and garlic, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Cook until quinoa absorbs all of the water, about 15 minutes. (If quinoa is tender and doesn’t seem to absorb all the water, remove the cover and turn up the heat for a few minutes.)
Remove cinnamon stick. Spread a bed of quinoa on each plate and top with ragout.  * Recipe from fatfreevegan.com

Meal #2 (broccoli)
Roasted Broccoli
This is one of the kids favorite vegetables.  They particularly like the leaves because they are like kale chips.  We served with pan-fried diced fingerling potatoes and emu sausages.  See Week 11.

Sides (chard, green beans, garlic, cucumbers, tomato, bell pepper, onion, parsley, cilantro, dill, melon, corn)
Fruit and Veggie Shake
We used a handful or two of mixed chard, lots of fruit (anything we have on hand: watermelon, cantalope, pineapple, apricot, kiwi, mulberries). Add a little whole fruit juice and coconut water and blend. Occasionally I add yogurt.

"Bean" Dip

This dip is simply delightful.  We enjoy it with crackers and some red wine.
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

Cucumber Salsa

This is really good.  I have one child who loves the Freezer Salsa and one who loves cucumbers, so this seems to satisfy them both!
2 medium cucumbers, peeled,seeded,chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded,minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a medium bowl stir together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. Serve with tortilla chips. (I actually tossed it all in the Ninja (peeled and seeded) and with the touch of a button, it was done) * Recipe from Kaarin at food.com


Melon was enjoyed as a snack and the corn was cooked and frozen as in Week 11.

CSA 2013 Week 11


Week 11  Bounty:
Sweet corn

Chard
Cucumbers
Cherry tomatoes 
Garlic
Broccoli 
Tomatoes
Bell pepper
Eggplant
* Photo from Scotch Hill Farm, Broadhead, WI









Meal #1 (garlic, chard, tomato)
Parmigiano Reggiano Baked Eggs with Swiss Chard
Butter for greasing
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, sliced
4 cups packed thinly sliced Swiss chard leaves, or other hearty green leaves, all tough stems or ribs removed (I still used stems, just cooked them for a bit before adding leaves)
3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
1 small tomato, halved, seeds removed, flesh diced, divided
4 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350°F and generously butter 4 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add Swiss chard; cover the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until chard is tender, 8 to 10 minutes; add a few tablespoons water if the skillet begins to dry out. Remove from the heat and pour off any excess liquid. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano Reggiano and half the tomato. Spoon the mixture evenly into the ramekins. Break an egg into each ramekin and sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano Reggiano. Pile remaining tomato around eggs and season generously with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake until egg whites are almost completely set, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving. * Recipe from wholefoods.com

Meal # 2 (broccoli)
Roasted Broccoli 
Served with hot dogs and buttered pasta
1 head broccoli
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. 
Peel the outer layer of the broccoli stalks. Cut the broccoli lengthwise keeping the stalk and broccoli florets intact. (The long broccoli spears should resemble trees.) Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to coat and roast until nicely caramelized, about 15 minutes. Turn broccoli over and sprinkle with grated the Parmesan. Cook until the Parmesan melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and serve immediately. * Recipe from Melissa d'Arabian at food.com


Side (tomato, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, hot pepper)
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


Other (corn)
Sweet corn
Cobs of corn, husked and cleaned.  Wet a paper towel, and wring out. Wrap the ear of corn in the moist towel, and place on a dinner plate. Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes per ear. Carefully remove paper towel, and enjoy! The kids tummies have had enough corn lately, so I cut it off of the cobs and threw it in ziplocs and froze.  * Recipe from allrecipes.com

The cucumbers were eaten sliced with lunches and the eggplant was saved for next week.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

CSA 2013 Week 10

Week 10 Bounty:
Spring treat corn
Onions
Beaver dam peppers (mildly hot)
Black jalepeños
Bell pepper
Cabbage
Cucumbers (H19, Long, or Silver Whites)
Melons
Basil
Tomatoes
Cutting celery
Okra
*Photo from Scotch Hill Farm, Broadhead, WI




I am once again way behind. We were out of town for 9 days, staying at a lake cabin with six other family members. I took much of our share with us and froze what I quickly could before we left. However, I sadly had our first losses of the year. I don't think that I had any last year. I really hate to waste a thing. We lost the okra and cabbage because we just didn't use it quickly enough. Those are two of my favorites, so it is even more disappointing. But our menu on vacation was mostly on the grill and these vegetables never fit with the meals. 


Meal #1 (corn)
We grilled our burgers on the campfire and they were delicious! We did not have a pot large enough for the corn and tried a new method someone recommended of microwaving the corn. It turned out quite well.

Grilled Burgers
Corn on the Cob 

Cobs of corn, husked and cleanedWet a paper towel, and wring out. Wrap the ear of corn in the moist towel, and place on a dinner plate. Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes per ear. Carefully remove paper towel, and enjoy! * Recipe from allrecipes.com


Meal #2 (bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini)
This was a hit that even the kids loved.  Healthy and fun!

Shish Kabobs
Bell peppers 
Onions 
Mushrooms
Zucchini
Shrimp
Chicken
Chopped everything, filled kabobs and grilled.

Meal #3 (tomatoes, basil, sage, thyme, tarragon)
This was just upon returning from vacation and we received our Week 11 share from the neighbors who graciously picked it up for us.  So we combined the Week 10 and 11 tomatoes to make enough sauce to freeze.
Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Salmon
Sauteed garlic, added wine and reduced. Steamed tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, basil, sage, thyme, tarragon, salt, pepper. Blended with an immersion blender in saucepan.  Served over pasta and cooked salmon.

Sides (melon, cucumber)
Melon 
Cucumber 
Both were eaten with lunches

Other (celery, peppers)
Celery, chopped and frozen
Beaver dam peppers and black jalapenos leftover