Local Box Meal Plan: Dec. 7-11

Now that I’m back, I can’t wait to start getting Greenling boxes again! I’ve supplemented with veggies from the Pearl Farmer’s Market, but there’s something to be said for local produce on your doorstep.

What I like about local, seasonal produce is how it seems like what you’re “supposed” to eat is what’s available. The first night of Hanukkah is on Friday, and this week we’re getting potatoes and onions (the key ingredients in latkes) and apples (for applesauce). Maybe it’s a coincidence, but I’d like to think otherwise.

This week, we’re getting red potatoes and yellow onions from Naegelin, sweet Italian peppers from Lundgren, apples from Top of Texas, beets and icicle radish from My Father’s Farm, cucumbers from Home Sweet Farm, Bibb lettuce from Bella Verdi, Louisiana scallions from Acadian Family Farm, rainbow baby carrots from Animal Farm, and Hachiya persimmons from Indian Hill.

For Hanukkah dinner on Friday, I’m making:

• Brisket with baby carrots
• Latkes with red potatoes and yellow onions (I’ve been sworn to secrecy so I can’t share my family’s recipe, but I’m sure googling will produce lots of recipes for you to try!)
• Applesauce
• Bibb lettuce salad with cucumbers, scallions and radishes

For the rest of the week, I’m making:

• Arugula salad with roasted beets and goat cheese
• Stuffed pepper casserole
• Persimmon bread (if the persimmons aren’t ripe enough, I’ll store them in a paper bag on the counter for a few days. They need to be quite ripe for baking.)

If anyone saw Top Chef last week, Kevin made what looked like a very cool puree from the carrot tops, so I’m going to try my hand at something like that under a panseared fish. Don’t want to waste good produce!

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

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!

Corn Pudding

[Printable Recipe]

With all of the rain and chilly weather we have had recently, I wanted to make corn chowder when I found out we were getting corn in our Greenling box. But by the time my box was delivered later in the week, temperatures were back in the 90s again. Greenling had included a recipe for corn pudding in the box though, and as I’m always looking for new Southern dishes, I thought I’d give it a try.

Recipe from Greenling

Ingredients:

• Pam spray
• 1-1/2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 c. corn kernels (I had 4 ears of corn.)
• 1 c. milk (I used non-fat, it was fine.)
• 1/4 c. cornmeal
• 1 egg, plus 2 egg whites
• 1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (I omitted this.)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a casserole dish with Pam spray, then set aside.
• Heat the olive oil over medium-high, then saute the onion, garlic and bell pepper, adding salt and pepper to taste.
• After about 2 minutes, add the corn kernels and continue to saute.
• In another skillet, heat the milk over medium heat. When the milk is barely simmering, stir in the cornmeal and whisk about 2-3 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat, then add salt and pepper to taste.
• Whisk the eggs and egg whites together, then slowly whisk them into the cornmeal mixture (I tempered them so as not to end up with scrambled eggs.)
• Stir the eggs-cornmeal mixture into the onion-corn mixture, then add 1 c. of the cheese and stir together.
• Pour into the casserole dish and top with the remaining 1/2 c. cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until the casserole is firm and the cheese is bubbly.

I served this with cornflake chicken, a recipe from Cory’s mom. Pound boneless chicken breasts until even and thin, dredge in ranch dressing (I use low-fat, and I sometimes do half ranch and half buttermilk), then dredge in cornflake crumbs and bake at 375 degrees for 22 minutes.

Verdict:
Such a simple and quick side dish that really highlights the sweet flavor of the corn. Make sure you bake this in an 8×8″ dish, not a 9×13″ baking dish (as I did!).

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?

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.

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: Aug. 31-Sept. 4

I’m a little late with the meal planning post today — sorry!

In our Greenling boxes this week, we’re getting summer squash, yellow onion and red potatoes from Naegelin, basil and lettuce from Bluebonnet Hydroponics, crimini mushrooms from Kitchen Pride, microgreens from Bella Verdi, red long beans from Animal Farm, jalapenos and serranos from Lundgren, okra from Bradshaw or Arnold Farms, and black-eyed or purple hull peas and Texas pears from Lightsey Farms.

So I’m making:

Condiments:

• Hot pepper jelly (this is great on top of cream cheese at parties!)

Dinners:

• Stir-fry with mushrooms and long beans
• Black-eyed pea curry
• Grilled salmon in lettuce leaves with a sesame-dressed microgreens salad
• Potato and squash gratin with basil

Side Dish:

• Kutchi Bhindi (sweet and sour okra)

Dessert:

• Champagne-poached pears

I’ve never seen Chinese long beans before, let alone cooked with them. How are you using them?

Chicken Sausage Squash Boats

[Printable Recipe]

I have an unhealthy obsession with sausage (Exhibit A: here). It really is unhealthy, which is why I rarely have it, and when I do, I usually use chicken or turkey sausage. We’ve been getting plenty of summer squash in our Greenling boxes, and while slicing and grilling them or eating them on kabobs is great, this was a welcome change.

The recipe made a ton of filling, and even after I filled 8 zucchini boats, I still had plenty left over.

From Simply Recipes

Ingredients:

• 8 medium-sized summer squash
• 2 tsp. olive oil (I reduced the amount of oil from the original recipe.)
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c. chopped mushrooms (I used the other half of the portobello leftover from the chicken lettuce wraps)
• 1 lb. chicken sausage
• 2 Tbsp. dry white wine
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese (the original recipe called for 3/4 c., but it seemed like a bit much.)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ~1/2 tsp. salt and a few grinds of pepper (I also reduced the amount of salt and pepper since the original recipe called for ground turkey, not turkey sausage [which already has salt, pepper and spices added].)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the inside and reserve half of the squash innards. Set the squash halves in a baking pan with 1/4″ of water in the bottom (the water will help the squash cook more evenly).
• Over medium-high heat, saute the onion and garlic with ~1/4 salt in 1 tsp. olive oil for about 3 minutes, until they get soft.
• Add the reserved squash innards and mushrooms and saute for another 2 minutes.
• Remove the mushroom-onion mixture from the pan and add another 1 tsp. olive oil. Crumble the chicken sausage into the pan and saute until browned (~5 minutes). After it’s browned, add the mushroom-onion mixture back into the pan and toss together. Add the wine, tomatoes and basil, as well as the other ~1/4 salt and few grinds of pepper, and let cook for a minute or so more.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the egg and parmesan.
• Fill the squash halves with the sausage mixture and bake for ~40 minutes until browned.

Verdict:
This meal was unexpectedly light, even with the sausage, most likely due to all of the veggies and fresh herbs. The squash was tender but not mushy and the sausage was crunchy on the outside. The flavors were fresh and vibrant, even for a comfort food meal!

My tomatoes were pretty ripe and there was a bit more liquid in the pan than I expected, so I let it reduce for a few minutes before finishing with the egg and parmesan. Glad I reduced the amounts of salt and oil in this recipe — I didn’t miss either.

Local Box Cooking Class at Thai Fresh

Yesterday we traveled up to Austin to attend a Greenling local box cooking class at Thai Fresh. The premise was simple: we would learn how to use the ingredients in our local box to prepare a few recipes. I had never cooked Thai food before (scratch that — I made a terrible Pad Krapao Mu a few months ago), so I was excited for the opportunity to learn a few new techniques and meet some great people!

Ever the good host, Mason started off by offering us a choice of the Parducci Zinfandel or Pinot Grigio. Parducci is located in Mendocino, California and is the first carbon-neutral winery in the US.

Cory and I both particularly enjoyed the Zinfandel. It wasn’t as tannic as other Zins I’ve had, which really let the fruitiness come through.

Mason then showed us what was in this week’s local box. Can’t wait for those beautiful portobellos!

Here’s a fun fact: whereas typical grocery stores waste 30% of their produce, Greenling only wastes 3%! And that just ends up in the compost pile.

Next — onto the cooking!

You can tell how excited Jam, one of the owners and chef at Thai Fresh, is to be cooking and eating locally. She shared lots of great tips about traditional Thai ingredients and substitutions, and about cooking in general.

We started with her recipe for Som Tum, or shredded papaya salad. Instead of papaya, however, Jam used the peaches, blueberries and figs that came in this week’s Local Box. It’s basically a fruit salad that’s dressed in a spicy savory vinaigrette. This was a really versatile recipe that can be used with any firm, not-too-juicy fruit or vegetable. Jam suggested spaghetti squash, and she’s also made it with carrots and rhubarb. I really liked the juxtaposition of the oh-so-sweet figs with the spicy chilies. Jam uses dried shrimp and fish sauce in the recipe, which I questioned at first, but it really makes the salad much more complex. Jam said during the lesson, “If you think something’s missing, it’s probably fish sauce!” It just adds a certain something. Jam also uses palm sugar in this recipe. It apparently has a lower glycemic index than agave nectar.

Did I mention that this was a hands-on cooking class? She put us to work!

Next we started the yellow curry. Much like Indian yellow curry, Thai yellow curry is traditionally made with onions and potatoes, but instead of the dry spices used in Indian curries, Thai curries always use fresh herbs and spices. Instead of the dried tumeric and curry powder used in traditional Indian curry, Jam used a container of paste that was made up of different herbs and spices. She brought out her huge mortar and pestle and regaled us of stories of making curry paste by hand when she was little.

The curry starts by frying the curry paste in the coconut milk:

Then the chicken is simmered in the liquid for about 30 minutes, and midway through the cooking time, the potatoes and onions are also added. We used bone-in chicken last night, but boneless chicken would be much quicker.

While the chicken was cooking, we whipped up a double-batch of tofu pad thai. Anyone who knows me know that tofu and I don’t get along well, but Jam told us of a place in Austin (next to the MT supermarket, for locals) that makes fresh tofu. It’s apparently much better than the packaged stuff and it’s all she uses at Thai Fresh now. And let me tell you, it wasn’t too bad!

I always thought that pad thai was one of those dishes that is insanely hard to make, so much so that you should only order it from a truck (those from Carnegie Mellon know what I’m talking about!) or from a restaurant. I was *so* wrong. It’s so quick and easy!

Jam had already soaked the noodles for us, so we started by sauteeing some shallot and scrambling 4 eggs with it:

Tell me that’s not the biggest pot you’ve ever seen!

Then gradually added the fried tofu and some chili flakes, then the noodles, and douse them in the pad thai sauce. When the noodles are coated, add the bean sprouts and baby leeks and you’re done! Good thing too, because the curry was just about ready also.

Time to eat!

We left with full bellies and new appreciation for both Thai cuisine and our weekly Local Box. If you’re in Austin and get a chance, I highly recommend you check out Thai Fresh!