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?

Kale: It’s Not Just for Cooking Anymore

We love kale. But until recently, we’ve always cooked it. I like to saute it and mix it with polenta. My husband adores roasted kale “chips.” For Christmas breakfast, he baked it into a strata.

But a shortage of traditional salad greens prompted us to dress it and serve it raw recently.  Kale salad, it turns out, is the latest addition to our leafy repertoire. We’ve been eating it with a light vinaigrette, but I imagine any dressing would work.

How have you eaten your Local Box kale this week?

Local Box Lookout, week of 03.16.2009

Here’s what to expect in next week’s Local Box. Haven’t ordered one yet? There’s still time. You can still order next week’s Local Box through Saturday and later, depending on your zip code. Click here to check it out!

• Chioggia beets
• spinach
• cilantro
• green shallots
• kale
• cabbage
• strawberries
• oranges
• Swiss chard
• crimini mushrooms
• herbs

Local Box Lookout, week of 03.09.2009

Here’s what to expect in next week’s Local Box:

• baby carrots
• red-leaf lettuce
• cilantro
• green shallots
• kale
• collards
• strawberries
• grapefruit
• baby arugula
• yellow onions
• herbs
• avocado

If you haven’t already, you can still order next week’s Local Box through Saturday and later, depending on your zip code. Click here to check it out!

Bulghur Bowls

Do I need a more appetizing name for this dish? It’s my latest favorite quickie: Heat up a little olive oil or butter in a sautée pan. Add garlic or onions. Add rinsed (but not spun) and torn greens – collards, spinach, arugula, kale, or whatever else you’ve got. After greens are wilted, sprinkle bulghur over them and salt. Cover and reduce heat to low for 10 minutes or so – long enough to steam the bulghur. Season as desired. I like soy sauce on mine, and chiles are nice, too. I thought my husband was crazy when he whipped out the salad dressing for his bulghur bowl the other night, but he insists it was an inspired choice.

What are your go-to tricks for eating – FAST – out of the Local Box?

Local Box Lookout, week of 03.02.2009

Here’s the lookout for Local Boxes next week:

• spinach
• lettuce
• cilantro
• green shallots
• kale
• turnips
• green cauliflower
• oranges
• kohlrabi
• radishes
• Swiss chard
• avocado

Remember, you can still order this week’s Local Box through Saturday and later, depending on your zip code. Click here to check it out!

Local Box Lookout, week of 02.23.2009

Here’s what the folks at Greenling have planned for this week’s Local Box. Remember, you can still order this week’s Local Box through Saturday and later, depending on your zip code. Click here to check it out!

• spinach
• lettuce
• radishes
• green onion
• kale and collard bundles
• sweet potatoes
• carrots
• grapefruit
• kohlrabi
• mustard greens

Local Box, 01.14.2009

With greens to make side dishes or entrées in their own right and herbs and onions to spice things up, this week’s Local Box has it all. I sautéed some snipped sage in butter, then added capers and mixed with pasta for a quick lunch today. That luxuriant head of lettuce will be a great side to a winter omelet for a quick and easy dinner, and my hubby’s already talking about roasting the Russian kale.

How will you eat out of your Local Box this week?

Local Box Lookout, week of 01.12.2009

Here’s what to look for in this week’s Local Box:

• lettuce
• shallots
• turnips
• green cabbage
• cilantro
• carrots
• tomatoes
• arugula/spinach mix
• yellow onion
• herbs
• red Russian kale
• bagged baby lettuce

Local-Box Lookout, week of 01.05.2009

Here’s the preliminary list for this week’s Local Boxes:

• bibb lettuce
• green onion
• radish
  
• cherry tomatoes
  
• cilantro
  
• Meyer lemons
  
• grapefruit
  
• tangerines
• curly kale
• bag baby lettuce