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!

Local Box Meal Plan: Oct. 3-7

Fall is finally here — apples have started to make an appearance in our Local Boxes. I’m so excited.

This week, we’re getting Gala apples; pears from Lightsey Farms; persimmon; Bibb lettuce from Bella Verdi; cucumbers, Thai eggplant and dragon tongue beans from Animal Farm, yellow onions, red potatoes and either patty pan squash or zucchini from Naegelin; basil from Montesino, grape tomatoes, peppers from Tecalote, and radish.

So I’m making:

Lunch:

• Chicken salad with apples and pecans
• Bibb lettuce salad with cucumber, tomatoes and radish

Appetizer:

• Balsamic-glazed pear and goat cheese crostini

Side Dishes:

• Steamed dragon tongue beans tossed with sauteed garlic and basil
• Herb-roasted potatoes

Dinners:

• Roasted patty pan squash and eggplant with herbed chick peas
• Ale-braised sausage with peppers and onions (for our Oktoberfest party!)

Dessert:

• Persimmon ice cream

I’ve been hearing folks say they’re not sure how else to use persimmons. You can use them in salads, in baking, or as a topping for a savory meat dish. Do you have any persimmon recipes you love?

Panzanella Salad

[Printable Recipe]

I had the best panzanella salad at Redd in Napa and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about panzanella since then! It’s a perfect summer salad that uses tomatoes and cucumbers at the height of ripeness.

If you’re planning on making this in the morning and taking it for lunch, don’t toss the bread with the rest of the salad. It’ll become soggy and laden with dressing, which isn’t quite what you’re going for!

Some people toast the bread, others rub it with garlic, there are so many variations. I just like it plain, but it’s great to play around.

These quantities are for a large, entree-sized portion for 1 person. Feel free to scale it up or down as necessary.

From Epicurious

Ingredients:

• 1/3 loaf day-old Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 large tomato, trimmed and each cut into wedges
• 1 sliced unwaxed cucumber
• 1/2 cup sliced red onion (I didn’t have red onion so I subbed a white one. Red is so much better.)
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. red-wine vinegar
• 10 fresh basil leaves, shredded
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl, gently toss the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the ingredient levels as necessary.

Verdict:
So many wonderful flavors and textures in one dish! The bite of the red wine vinegar is a perfect match for the sweetness of the ripe tomatoes. Though the ingredients are so simple, it packs a huge flavor punch. It’s also a good base recipe, so if you want to throw other things in there (e.g., artichoke hearts, garlic) or substitute anything (e.g., shallots for red onions), it’s really forgiving.

Local Box Meal Plan: Sept. 21-25

It’s cold and rainy outside, so this meal plan reflects the weather! Lots of soups, stews and stick-to-your ribs food. You know as soon as I get my Local Box on Thursday we’ll be in the 90s again. Oh well.

This week, we’re getting sweet corn, summer squash from Naegelin, southern peas from Animal Farm or Lightsey, purple eggplant, herb from Pure Luck, tomatoes from McCall Creek Farm, lettuce from Bluebonnet Hydroponics, pears from Lightsey, a variety of citrus from G&S Groves, green chiles and serranos from Lundgren, and pickling cucumbers or radish from My Father’s Farm.

So I’m making:

Appetizers:

• Panzanella with cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs (crossing fingers for cucumbers and basil!)
• Eggplant and squash caponata on bruschetta
• Green salad with pears, blue cheese and candied pecans

Dinner:

• White chicken chili with hot peppers and southern peas
• Corn chowder

I use citrus in so many of my dishes that I can’t think of anything I won’t use it in!

Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Cucumbers

[Printable Recipe]

I love pasta salads. They’re perfect for 2 people or big group gatherings, and they make great leftovers for lunch the next day. This one has an Asian spin and uses sesame oil and soy sauce to pack lots of flavor.

This recipe comes from Cooking Light, and as I’ve mentioned before, they don’t really like when food bloggers use their recipe on their websites. As such, I don’t use a ton of Cooking Light recipes. This one was too good to pass up though. You can head on over to the website for the full recipe.

My local grocery store didn’t have udon noodles, so I subbed whole grain thin spaghetti. It was nice, but I’d like to try this with udon also. We got a few nice cucumbers in our Greenling box this week, and this recipe was the perfect way to highlight their crunchy texture. Along with the cucumbers, I tossed the cooked pasta, grilled chicken slices, and chopped green onions in a sauce of toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, a bit of honey, soy sauce and grated ginger. After topping with peanuts, we were ready to eat.

Verdict:
While pasta salad is traditionally a side dish, this was a filling lunch for us. Whole wheat pasta is much heartier than pasta made with white flour, and the chicken provides some protein, so there’s not much else needed. The sauce is a light but really flavorful base for the pasta and veggies.

The only change I’d make in the future is toasting the peanuts before putting them on top of the noodles for another layer of flavors.

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: July 27-31

Greenling, you’re throwing me a curveball this week. Eggplant, okra AND figs? Lots of my favorite textures there. =/ Luckily, I’ve got a plan!

This week, we’re getting figs, blueberries from Berry Best, watermelon from Acadian, peaches from Cooper Orchards, baby leeks from Animal Farm, crimini mushrooms from Kitchen Pride, eggplant from Tecalote, okra from Acadian, sweet Italian peppers from Lundgren, cucumbers from Acadian, lettuce from Bluebonnet Hydroponics, and herbs from Tecalote. So here’s what I’m making:

Breakfast:

• Fig waffles
• Omelette with cheddar, leeks and mushrooms

Lunches:

• Baba ganoush (making it just like I make hummus, as David Lebovitz’s didn’t really do it for me) with pita chips
• Green salad with cucumbers and herbs

Side dish:

• Baked popcorn okra

Dinners:

• Goat stew with italian peppers and okra
• Bison steaks with a blueberry sauce

Dessert:

• Grilled peaches with French vanilla ice cream

Do you have any “problem” veggies that come in your CSA box?

Local Box Meal Plan for July 20-24

Sorry for the brief hiatus in weekly Local Box meal plans, folks. Between our vacation last week and it being a lazy summer, we haven’t needed a meal plan for the last few weeks. But I’m back with a few new ideas!

This week, we’re getting figs, red potatoes from Naegelin, jalapenos from Lundgren, blueberries from Berry Best, Middle Eastern cucumbers from Acadian, mixed onions, purple hull peas from Animal Farm, peaches from Cooper Orchards, mixed peppers from Lundgren, tomatoes, basil from My Father’s Farm or Tecalote, and hydroponic lettuce from Bella Verde.

So I’m making:

Breakfast:

• Eggs with garlicky skillet potatoes and onions (my husband’s actually making this one, as he made up this recipe himself!)

Lunch:

• Chopped grilled chicken on a salad of lettuce, chopped basil, cucumber, tomatoes, and peppers

Side Dishes:

• Purple hull peas (made how Branny makes her lentils) with pepper-spiked cornbread
• Stuffed jalapenos (you know, the ones with the cream cheese and bacon? We’ll take these over to a friend’s BBQ this weekend.)

Dessert:

• Fig ice cream
• Grilled peach and blueberry cobbler (yep, a cobbler made in foil right on the grill!)

Figs are a bit hard for me because I don’t care for them too much (blasphemy — I know! It’s the seeds. Too many seeds.), so I have to make them as palatable as possible. I’m thinking ice cream is the best way to do this.

How are you using your Greenling box this week?

Kosher Dill Pickles

We got pickling cucumbers in our Greenling delivery last week, and though I love eating them plain, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to make pickles!

I scaled the recipe way down to accommodate our 4 cucumbers. Cut into spears, all 4 fit perfectly in a Claussen pickle jar.

Adapted from David Lebovitz, plus a variety of other sources for the pickling spices

Ingredients:
For the pickles:

• 4 c. water
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. coarse kosher salt
• 4 pickling cucumbers, scrubbed and cut into spears
• 4 garlic cloves, peels removed and lightly crushed (I made mine extra garlicky!)
• 1/2 Tbsp. pickling spice (recipe to follow)
• 2 bay leaves
• Bunch of dill

For the pickling spice (you don’t need all of this for the recipe above):

• 1 Tbsp. mustard seed
• 1 Tbsp. whole allspice
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. mace
• 1 small bay leaf, broken up
• 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick, cracked in small pieces

Directions:

• Sterilize a glass jar either by adding it to a pot of boiling water or sending it through the dishwaster.
• Heat 1 c. of water with the salt in a saucepan until the salt is dissolved, then add the rest of the water to the pan.
• Add the cucumber spears to the jar. They should be tightly packed. Add the garlic cloves, pickling spice, bay leaves, and dill around the cucumber spears, then pour the hot salt water over the cucumbers.
• Loosely cover the jar with the lid or a piece of cheesecloth tied around the mouth of the jar and store in a cool, dark place for 3-6 days (mine took only 3 days).
• Put in the refrigerator when they have reached your optimal level of sourness.

Before:

3 days later:

Verdict:
They taste like pickles! Lots of dill, lots of garlic and a nice sour tang to finish. I was surprised at how crunchy they were, but might be a testament to the fact that I started with really fresh and crunchy cucumbers anyway.

Barbecue Side Dishes

We had some friends over for a barbecue this weekend, and these 2 salads rounded out the meal. Both can be outside for extended periods of time (the potato salad isn’t mayo-based), so it’s perfect for your 4th of July barbecue this weekend.

Potato Salad with Dijon, Red Onion, and Herbs
I love potato salad, but the ones that are mayo-based are always so heavy. This one packs so much flavor from the dijon and white wine vinegar, so the heavy dressing isn’t necessary.

I used the lemon basil from our Greenling box this weekend, but I’ve also used flat-leaf parsley when I’ve made this before.

Adapted from NY Times

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. dijon mustard
• 2 finely minced garlic cloves
• Pinch of salt
• 2/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large red potatoes
• 1/3. c. finely minced red onion
• 4 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley or basil
• 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

• Remove the potatoes’ skin, if you like (I don’t). Cut the potatoes into small chunks. Boil for 10-12 minutes. Set aside.
• Whisk together the white wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Gradually add the extra-virgin olive oil. Set aside.
• Blend the flat-leaf parsley and red onion. Set aside.
• Thirty minutes before serving, pour the dressing over the potatoes and add the red onion/parsley mixture. Let the flavors marinate together, then top with goat cheese right before serving.

Verdict:
The salad is light, but very flavorful. The white wine vinegar and dijon give it a nice bite, and the goat cheese gives it a creamy mouthfeel. The parsley really brightens up the whole dish.

Macaroni Salad
This recipe is a remnant of my childhood when one of my favorite meals was pasta with italian dressing. Same concept, plus veggies.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. cooked short pasta
• ~1/2 c. Italian dressing
• Variety of veggies. I used a cucumber, a patty pan squash, a summer squash, and a pint of Juliette tomatoes, all of which came from our Greenling box this week. You could grill or roast them if you like, but raw is fine also.

Directions:

• Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat. Serve at room-temperature.

Verdict:
A completely different direction from the potato salad, this is a much simpler dish that really highlights the freshness of the veggies. It’s so quick to prepare and can be made a few hours in advance if you’re strapped for time.