Friday, July 12, 2013

CSA 2013 Week 5

Week 5 Bounty:
Image from Scotch Hill Farm, Broadhead, WI

snow peas
radishes and radish tops
chard
cucumber
leaf lettuce mix
turnips
onions
herbs (Italian basil and oregano)








Our freezer was all cleaned out of proteins this week, so we had more than our typical one-a-week vegetarian meal.  But they were all wonderfully delicious!  Somehow even with the crazy holiday week that we had we still have kept up with the vegetables.  We have yet to preserve anything.

Meal 1 (turnips, radishes, Asian greens, carrots, onions)
These vegetables and chicken were a fabulous combination!  Best of all we were able to share them grilling out with friends.  


Glazed Root Vegetables
4 cups chopped root vegetables (I used turnips, radishes and carrots)
Small bunch of early onions
4 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 Tbsp curry powder
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 bunch of Asian greens, finely chopped.  
Combine turnips, radishes, carrots, coconut oil, maple syrup, and curry in a skillet. Rest lid on top of pan at an angle, do not cover it firmly. Simmer over medium heat until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 20 minutes. Add asian greens and cook thoroughly, a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Espresso Cumin Chicken
1 cup dark-brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup ground espresso-roast coffee
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper

4 boneless chicken breasts
Marinated for a few hours before grilling in tin foil.

Meal 2 (chard, radish/turnip greens, lettuce mix, basil, oregano)
This is a house favorite.  I always love to throw in whatever green things we have.  It started out as a family recipe for spinach lasagna, but now I love to see what vegetables I can all sneak in.  I love adding diced carrots or other root vegetables. 

Veggie Lasagna
15 oz ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
1.5 c. shredded mozzarella
1 egg, beaten
Bunch of chard, radish/turnip greens, lettuce mix
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano & basil (I used fresh so it is 1/2 Tbsp. each)

1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 jar (15.5 oz) spaghetti sauce 
1 c. water (I did not use this as my homemade sauce is very watery)
Rinsed greens and gently steamed them in a covered pot with a bit of water.  In a large bowl, mix ricotta, 1 c. mozzarella, egg, greens, salt, pepper, oregano and nutmeg. In a greased 13" x 9" x 2" pan layer 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce and 1/3 of noodles and 1/2 of cheese mixture. Repeat three layers . Top with remaining noodles and sauce and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella on top. Pour water around edges and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr 15 min. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.  (Note: I was on a tight schedule and tried it on convection, baked covered at 325 degrees convection for 55 minutes.  It worked perfectly.)

Meal 3 (snow peas, goat cheese)

This was a good summer dish.  We left the goat cheese on the side, as we didn't know what the kids would think of it.  They weren't fans of the cheese, but they loved the meal.  


Quinoa with Chickpeas and Snow Peas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoons sea salt
2 cups quinoa
1.5 cups snow peas
1 lemon
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
Cook quinoa and set aside to cool. While quinoa cooks, drizzle olive oil and lightly sauté asparagus and sugar snap peas. When the quinoa, asparagus, sugar snap peas have cooled combine all ingredients and add the chickpeas, lemon juice, parsley and chives. Mix and sprinkle the goat cheese. Salt to taste. *Recipe adapted from sacramentostreet.com


Cucumber - the kids and I had for a snack.  It made it all the more exciting, because we recently saw My Neighbor Totoro.  The little girl in the film eats a cucumber whole, so that made it cool.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

CSA 2013 Week 4

Week 4 Bounty:
Image from Scotch Hill Farm, Broadhead, WI

leaf lettuce mix
radishes
hakurai turnips
snow peas
asian greens
garlic scapes
broccoli
goat cheese





I had no idea that I was so far behind in posting already. The birthday/holiday week threw me off completely. I am realizing now that we never made a complete meal all week (except for the birthday party, but that is not worth posting here!). We traveled a bit and were at a few engagements where we only needed to supply sides.


Salad (leaf lettuce mix)
Homemade Dressing (Week 1)
Lettuce
Chia seeds
Walnuts

Side (broccoli, garlic scapes, onions)
Chopped broccoli in the Ninja blender.  Added coconut oil, curry powder, cayenne pepper, ginger, garlic scapes, onions, soy sauce, salt.  Cooked in a fry pan.

Side 2 (snow peas)
Rinsed and prepped snow peas.  Heated olive oil in fry pan and added snow peas.  Cooked until nicely green.  Tossed with Sala Roma - our favorite seasoning mix from Italia.  The kids ate these like they were candy!  I love it when we find a way to serve them vegetables and have them eat like that!

*Radishes, turnips, asian greens and goat cheese were used in the following week.

The only thing worth sharing from the 6 year old birthday party is the Pokemon Pikachu Fruit Salad (pineapple, strawberries, mulberries):



Monday, July 1, 2013

CSA 2013 Week 3

Week 3 Bounty:

Image from Scotch Hill Farm, Broadhead, WI
Valentine Romaine Lettuce
Bibb lettuce
Bright lights chard
Radishes
Bok Choi
Garlic scapes
Early onions
Leaf lettuce mix






Last week was a very experimental, throw-it-together week.  We have a lot going on planning a 6 year old birthday party that we are doing all homemade.  Both of these main dishes were very easy to throw in a pan and cook quickly.  And both were delicious things that we will surely try again.  I found recipes and then changed them drastically to match what I had around the kitchen.

Meal 1 (chard, radishes, radish greens)
Spiced Vegetables and Salmon on Naan
Diced radishes
Chopped chard stems and leaves separately
Chopped radish greens
3 salmon filets
6 pieces of naan
Spices - I used a generous amount of garam masala and salt
Coconut oil
Cook salmon to taste separately (I actually cheated this time and used a pack of precooked salmon in oil that we keep on hand to throw in salads. I added this with the greens.)  Heat the coconut oil in frying pan at medium heat.  Add radishes and cook them until nearly done.  Add chard stems and cook for a few minutes.  Then add greens/leaves, spices and salmon.  

Meal 2 (bok choi, onions, garlic scapes)
"Chili" Stir Fry 
Bunch of bok choi, chopped
Bunch of early onions, diced
Garlic scapes, diced
Can of black beans
Vegetable oil
Cumin
Chili powder
Salt
Sugar
Add vegetable oil to frying pan on medium heat.  Add the bok choi, onions and garlic. Once onions are translucent, add beans and spices.  Cook till warmed.  Serve over rice.


Side Dish (romaine lettuce, bibb lettuce, leaf lettuce)
Shared as salad at family gathering with shredded carrots and bacon pieces on top.