Local Box Meal Plan: Oct. 26-30

The last okra of the year? Say it isn’t so! And I haven’t even made a stew in the slow-cooker yet. Now that it’s getting cooler, I think it’s about time.

This week, we’re getting bell peppers from My Father’s Farm or Walnut Creek, yellow/red onions and red potatoes from Naegelin, yellow/dragon tongue beans from Animal Farm, gala apples from Top of Texas, turnips, dill and red radishes from My Father’s Farm, Bibb lettuce from Bella Verdi, crimini mushrooms from Kitchen Pride, and okra from Walnut Creek.

So I’m making:

Lunch:

• Chicken salad with apples on Bibb lettuce

Dinners:

• Cheesesteaks with sauteed mushrooms, onions and peppers
• Slow-cooker beef stew with okra and tomatoes

Side Dishes:

• Turnip and radish greens with sauteed garlic
• Apple-turnip compote
• Mashed potatoes with buttermilk and dill
• Yellow beans with dill and quickly pickled onions

Local Box Meal Plan: Oct. 19-23

This week, we’re getting: Corno di Toro sweet peppers, bell peppers, an assortment of herbs, cucumber, Meyer lemon, gala apples, Thai eggplant, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and either baby bok choy or sweet potatoes, depending on your delivery day.

So I’m making:

Lunch:

• Eggplant croquettes in a pita with lettuce, sliced cucumber, and tzatziki

Dinner:

• Roasted turkey breast stuffed with lemon, garlic and herbs
• Grilled shrimp with Romesco sauce (a traditional Spanish sauce made with garlic, chiles, almonds, tomatoes and peppers)

Side Dish:

• Roasted sweet potato with shallots and sage

Dessert:

• Apple confit with vanilla ice cream

Plenty of produce that’s perfect for fall!

Ale-Braised Sausage and Peppers

This is definitely a crowd-pleaser, and perfect for a tailgate or Oktoberfest party. I actually doubled the veggies in the recipe and used all of the onions and peppers that came in our Local Box last week, since we had so many people over our house to celebrate Oktoberfest.

From Good Things Catered

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 lb. cooked sausages, such as kielbasa, sliced
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and sliced (I used green peppers, since that’s what came in our box.)
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, divided
• 12 oz. bottle of ale (I also used Sam Adams’ Oktoberfest)
• 1 1/2 c. low sodium chicken stock
• 3 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

• Warm the olive oil in a large pot.
• Add the sausages and cook, stirring and turning often, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the onion and bell pepper to the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and sauté until tender and golden, about 5 minutes.
• Add 2 Tbsp flour and cook, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Whisk in the ale until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.
• Add the thyme and broth, whisking to blend, and bring to a simmer.
• Return the sausages to the pot.
• Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the flavors are blended, about 15 minutes.
• Uncover and simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove the sausage, peppers, and onions and place on a serving platter.
• With the Dutch oven over medium high heat, whisk in 1 heaping Tbsp of flour, whisking constantly until thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
• Pour thickened sauce over sausages and serve immediately with mashed potatoes (I didn’t, since we ate these as hot hors d’oeuvres).

Verdict:
These were the first hors d’oeuvres to go at the party! It was definitely a hit. Next time I make these, I probably won’t thicken the broth and pour it top — it was a little too heavy on the gravy. I’ll also drain out some (not all though!) of the fat from the sausage before sautéeing the peppers and onions. But this was a crowd-pleaser!

Local Box Meal Plan: Sept. 28-Oct. 2

This week, we’re getting okra from Bradshaw Farms, summer squash, onions and red potatoes from Naegelin, bell peppers from My Father’s Farm, elephant garlic, portabello mushrooms from Kitchen Pride, tomatoes from McCall Creek Farm, herb from Pure Luck, pears from Lightsey, lettuce from Bluebonnet Hydroponics and green Meyer lemons from G&S Groves.

So I’m making:

Side Dishes:

• Grilled Portobello and tomato tart with herbs
• Summer squash and potato gratin

Condiments (no idea what else I would call this?):

• Pickled okra — I had the best pickled okra at the Pearl Farmer’s Market this weekend and I was inspired to make my own.

Desserts:

• Pear-ginger sorbet
• Lemon chiffon cake

I’ll use the lettuce and bell peppers to put on my wraps for lunch, and the garlic and onion while making dinner.

Steak Salad with Blue Cheese and Shallots

[Printable Recipe]

It’s the middle of September, and I’m craving things like squash, sweaters and changing leaves. Unfortunately for me, it’s still unbearably hot out — way too hot for a hot meal. Salads are one of our go-to meals during the summer, and luckily for us, last week’s Greenling box was stocked with veggies perfect for salad.

Loaded with veggies, a light vinaigrette and a hearty blue cheese rounds out a perfect steak salad.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
For the steak:

• 1 lb. flank steak
• 3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• Few grinds of pepper

Lettuce and other salad veggies (we got some beautiful green bell peppers and radishes in our box, along with a big head of Bibb lettuce). Thinly sliced shallots are great with the steak, as are blue cheese crumbles.

For the vinaigrette:

• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. dijon mustard (I like the whole-grain mustard)
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Few grinds of pepper

Directions:

• Whisk together the soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, ground ginger and pepper in a bowl. Add the flank steak, trimmed of excess fat, and marinate for 15-30 minutes.
• While the steak is marinating, prepare the salad.
• Whisk the ingredients for the vinaigrette together and set aside.
• Grill the steak over high heat for ~4 minutes per side (for medium-rare steak), then let rest for 3 minutes.
• Toss the salad in the vinaigrette, then slice the steak against the grain and serve.

I made the first cut, then realized that I was cutting it the wrong way (with the grain). Oh well. I’m a do-do.

Verdict:
Nice, light meal for the dog days of summer. Flank steak is perfect for salads because you don’t need to gnaw at it to chew it, even when it’s rare like mine is (okay, mine is really rare. Don’t hate.). This marinade has strong flavors that stand up well to the other strong flavors in the salad, like the radishes, shallots, dijon, and blue cheese.

Local Box Meal Plan: Sept. 14-18

I’m back! I’ve got loads to share about my trip, but in the meantime, I’ll tide you over with my plan for our Greenling Local Box this week.

This week, we’re getting pickling cucumbers, yellow squash and yellow onion from Naegelin, green Meyer lemons from G&S Groves, green peppers, portabello caps from Kitchen Pride, sweet corn, okra from Bradshaw Farm, herb/basil from Pure Luck, Bibb lettuce from Bella Verdi, tomatoes from McCall Creek Farm, and Texas pears from Lightsey.

I’m making:

Breakfast:

• Omelette with sauteed green peppers and portabellos

Side dishes:

• Grilled sweet corn with herb compound butter

Dinner:

• Creole okra with yellow onion and yellow squash (recipe to come in the Greenling box)
• Grilled sirloin and blue cheese Bibb lettuce salad with cucumbers
• Cold sesame noodle chicken salad with cucumbers

Dessert:

• Meyer lemon granitas with a candied Meyer lemon peel garnish
• Pear and almond tart

Meyer lemons are sweeter than normal lemons, so they’re great to use in desserts. How are you using yours?

Local Box Meal Plan: August 24-28

In our box this week, we’re getting blueberries from Berry Best, canary melon from Tecalote, basil from Montesino, herbs from Tecalote, limes from G&S Groves, lettuce from Bluebonnet Hydroponics, squash blossoms from Montesino, bell peppers from Tecalote or My Father’s Farm, eggplant from Tecalote, summer squash from Naegelin, baby leeks from Animal Farm, and garlic from Montesino.

We’re traveling to a wedding this weekend, so I’m trying to use up as many of the perishable items quickly.

For the morning before we travel, I’ll make a hearty fritatta with baby leeks, squash blossoms and herbs. I’ll also make grilled veggie sandwiches (made with grilled eggplant, summer squash, and bell peppers) spread with basil pesto to take on the plane.

When we get back, I’ll use the canary melon and limes to make agua fresca (probably add some ginger to cut through the sweetness) and a blueberry clafoutis.

In my neverending quest to cook lettuce, I found this recipe for lettuce soup. Seems a bit strange, but looks easy and tasty. Seems pretty healthy also!

Grilled Pizzas

Grilled pizzas are the closest you’re going to get to a wood stove at home, so it’s surprising that more people don’t grill their pizzas. Bobby Flay recently did an entire episode on grilled pizzas, and it’s no wonder — there are so many different combinations of things to put on there.

My husband likes to stay conservative with his, whereas I like to pile on the veggies. When the tomatoes are really ripe, we’ll forgo sauce and just use tomato slices. It turns out a bit more like flatbread than a normal pizza this way.

For the dough, I use the same recipe I blogged here. It’s quick and has a good texture for grilling (gets a bit crispier, rather than chewy). When you roll it out, brush canola oil on one side and put the pizza oiled-side down on a medium-hot grill. While it’s cooking, brush canola oil on the other side and flip the pizza after ~5 minutes of cooking. Add your toppings to the cooked side (which is now facing up) and cook for ~3 minutes on that side.

As you can see, I pile mine up with whatever veggies I can get. I used tomatoes and peppers from our Greenling delivery, plus criminis and red onions from the Pearl farmers market and mozzerella, olives and cilantro from the grocery store.

My husband went a bit simpler with his: sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, a few red onions here and there, and mozzerella.

What do you put on your pizza? Are you more like me and throw on everything you can, or are more like my husband and use more discretion in your topping selections?

Local Box Meal Plan for June 15-19

Great news — we’ve successfully moved! And I now have 2 very important things: a much bigger kitchen and a grill. You’ll see that our meal plan this week reflects my excitement over the grill!

This week, we’re getting: blueberries (Berry Best), cucumber (Buena Tierra), green bell pepper (Buena Tierra), green beans (Animal Farm), yellow squash (Naegelin), leeks (Acadian), sweet corn (Acadian), red potatoes (Guinea Hill), peaches (Caskey), shallots (Lundgren Farms), and chard or kale (Naegelin).

So:

Breakfast:

• “Green” smoothie with bananas, blueberries, and chard or kale (google “green smoothie” for an explanation of what it is. I’ve never had one before, but it sounds great!)

Dinner:

• Whole-wheat penne with leek pesto and a crispy leek garnish
• Calabasita with sweet corn and yellow squash

Sides:

• Grilled green beans tossed with sauteed shallots
• Grilled red potato coins
• Cucumber-green pepper salsa

Dessert:

• Grilled peaches with blue cheese and honey

Anyone tried a green smoothie before? What do you think?

Local Box, 10.22.2008

Welcome, fall! I unloaded my Local Box today and couldn’t resist biting into an apple… which led to an impromptu apple galette. (More on that later – after it comes out of the oven and has its edibility scrutinized!) I’m happy to continue stocking up on onions and butternut squash and potatoes, though Key limes are beginning to get an okra-like reputation in my home. I’m planning on roasting some zucchini later today. We’ll use that as a side and adornment for pizza or pasta later in the week – if it doesn’t get eaten right off the cooling rack. And with all those bell peppers, I’m looking for a recipe for a raw bell-pepper salad. Has anyone seen or eaten such a thing? Finally, speaking of peppers, the tiny pumpkin-shaped ones (top-right of the left white bowl) are adorable! I can’t wait to see what they taste like.