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?

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.

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?

Quick Local Box Pasta

This was far from haut-cuisine, but it hit the spot when we needed a quick lunch yesterday. While pasta cooked, I sautéed diced Local Box onion and eggplant in plenty of olive oil with salt, then added diced yellow squash, zuchhini, mushrooms, and bell pepper. I stirred in a half-can of tomato paste, then seasoned, tossed with pasta, topped with parmesan, and served it up! What to call it? We decided that if pasta primavera is made with spring vegetables, then this must be pasta autunno, naturally!

What did you eat out of the Local Box this weekend?

Report from Fearless Forager, week of 09.29.2008

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

• Bibb lettuce
• red bell peppers
• green beans
• Meyer lemons
• Key limes
• zucchini
• yellow squash
• eggplant
• sweet potatoes
• chili peppers
• red potatoes
• baby greens bouquet
• cherry tomatoes
• garlic chives
• crimini mushrooms
• basil

Report from Fearless Forager, week of 09.22.2008

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

• lettuce (assorted live, hydroponically grown)
• sorrel
• green beans
• Meyer lemons
• Key limes
• zucchini
• yellow squash
• eggplant
• sweet potatoes
• roasted chile peppers
• red potatoes
• assorted greens
• tomatoes
• crimini mushrooms
• basil

What did you make out of your Local Box this weekend?

Report from Fearless Forager, week of 09.15.2008

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

• green beans
• yellow squash
• 1015 yellow onions
• Italian parsley
• cucumbers, Italian and standard
• Meyer lemons
• Key limes
• zucchini
• lemongrass
• French sorrel
• eggplant
• red burgundy onions or crimini mushrooms
• chile peppers
• red potatoes
• tomatoes, slicing or cherry
• lettuce
• basil

What are you planning out of your Local Box this week?

Pot Pie – New, and Improved!

We tried a pot pie a while back and didn’t love it. But last week, we decided to give it another go with a recipe in the current issue of Gourmet.  YUM!  It was a good bit more work than the other, and we made a few substitutions. Our filling included Local Box pattypan squash, yellow squash, garlic chives, okra, and tomatoes.  The best part was the flavorful, texture-rich cornmeal crust. We ate the whole thing in only a couple of days!

Report from Fearless Forager, week of 08.18.2008

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

• butternut or acorn squash
• cucumber
• heirloom tomatoes
• cantaloupe
  
• yellow squash
• zucchini
• pattypan squash
• okra, mixed variety–red velvet, jade & clemson
• purple hull or black-eyed peas
• eggplant–purple or white
  
• onions–1015, yellow granix or red burgundy onion
• peppers–red bell, green bell, serrano, jalapeño
• red potatoes
• sweet potatoes

Local Box, 08.13.2008

Some inspiring new characters showed up in my Local Box today!  I’m planning to try a new pot pie recipe with the end of last week’s okra and this week’s yellow squash, garlic chives, and tomatoes. Later in the week, my husband wants to make soup from the lemony sorrel and another stir fry using the garlic chives, pattypan squash, peppers, crimini mushrooms, and Asian eggplant.  And that kabocha squash?  I’m not sure what I’ll do with that yet, but I’ll keep you posted!

How do you plan to eat out of your Local Box this week?