Box 2: Jan 13

This week's box contained the following veggies/herbs:

Broccoli
Cauliflower (purple this week!)
Red and green lettuces
Cabbage
Beets
Parsley
Kohlrabi
Turnips
Carrots
Rainbow chard
Yellow multiplier onions
Sweet potatoes

(photo from http://www.jbgorganic.com/guide/)

So far, I've just used a little of the parsley to make ratatouille (adapted from this recipe).  I added in a container of sliced mushrooms and three different types of squash (yellow, calabaza, and zucchini).  I didn't have fresh or canned tomatoes, so I used a large can of tomato sauce, which worked fine.  Rather than slicing and layering all the veggies, then dumping sauce over the top, I chopped the eggplant, sliced everything else, and cooked it all a bit before dumping the sauce in and mixing it all together.  I baked at 350 until the cheese on top browned a bit (around 1/2 hour or so).

The votes:

I found I'm not much of an eggplant fan.  The texture creeps me out.  That being said, the dish itself was really good.  I froze the leftovers to serve over pasta at some point.  The huz liked it as well and complained he ate too much.

Weekend eats

Last night we made up a couple of ribeye steaks with roasted beets and potatoes and balsamic coleslaw.  This meal took care of our cabbage and our beets from the CSA box!

I've noted that I suck at remembering to take pictures of the foods before we eat them--perhaps a sign I should start cooking before we're starving...

The votes:

Loved the roasted beets!  I just scrubbed them up, cut off the greens and pointy root ends, tossed them on a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and salt/pepper.  Into a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes until they've softened.  Luscious!  Huz really liked them as well :)

The balsamic coleslaw was really good as well.  I didn't have carrots or poppy seeds, so I just left those things out.  I also didn't measure ingredients--just went by taste.  We both agreed we like this better than regular creamy coleslaws!


Tonight we had Gobi Aloo (cauliflower and potatoes) and Chana Masala (spicy chickpeas) with jasmine rice and naan.  I didn't have any garam masala, so I swapped out Penzey's rogan josh.  The sub worked just fine!  This meal used up the second head of cauliflower and the cilantro.

The votes:

We both really liked these dishes as well!  I added some seared stew beef to the gobi aloo (a concession to the huz's love of meat).  The chickpea recipe said spicy, but it wasn't hot at all.  Just had really good flavor.  Unfortunately, I overbaked the naan, so that was all crappy.  The rest is definitely a "do again" meal!

Behind already... tsk tsk tsk

Ok, since the last post, we've had Chicken stew with carrots and turnips and Cowboy beans.  Tonight we had New Orleans Pasta (supposed to be with chicken...  we had ours with chorizo and mushrooms).

The votes:

Chicken stew with carrots and turnips-- we both LOVED this one.  I used the carrots and turnips from our CSA box and they were fantastic!  Lots more flavor than the ones we get from the store.  It was the first time I've ever had turnips.  They reminded me of potatoes flavor-wise.  We ate it over couscous.  Huz ate the leftovers the next day.  Super luscious... I had to use ground cinnamon instead of a stick (didn't have any).  I also forgot to use our cilantro, which was a bummer...  Didn't do the almonds either....

Cowboy Beans--  This was a good meal.  Soupier than chili, but similar flavor.  I had mine with sour cream the first night and cheese the next day.  It was delicious both ways!  I erred on the side of caution with salt/Tabasco, so it was a bit bland straight from the pot.  Added a bit more of each and it was better.  Huz added plenty of Tabasco, but that's typical of pretty much anything I make.  Definitely something we'll be having again!  I used a pepper from the box.

New Orleans Pasta--  This one was just meh for me.  I think I would have liked it better without the chorizo.  Chicken would be really good in it.  I just wasn't thrilled with the texture/spices in the sauce the way I made it.  Huz loved it though!  We'll try it again another time, following the recipe carefully.  We used the green onions from the CSA box for this one.

Huz has also been eating salads made with the CSA box lettuce all week.  It's so nice and crisp, but still tender.  Definitely the best lettuce we've ever had!

At this point, we have 6 days til I pick up our next box of veggies and we're down to a head of cabbage, some broccoli, and a head of cauliflower.  Not too bad for a little over a week!  We'll definitely be able to eat everything we get without needing much extra from the store.

Chicken and cauliflower

Tonight we're having Roasted Garlic Cauliflower and Cranberry Drunken Chicken for dinner.  I couldn't find lime leaves, so we're ignoring the "lime leaf" part of that second recipe.  I also read the cauliflower recipe wrong, so used 3 cloves of garlic instead of 2 T.  (I always use a bit more garlic than things call for... I like it a lot.)  My head of cauliflower was a bit small though, so I may be ok.

Brussels sprout greens chips

So, I totally thought these were collard greens, so I looked for collard recipes and came across this.  I burnt the first batch terribly.  Like really bad.  Threw them out.  Started over with the next pan full.  Came awfully close to burning those too.  Apparently brussels sprout greens cook a LOT faster than collard greens would, as these were done in under 10 min.  Finally got the timing worked out and used a bit more cheese each time.  (I also brushed on oil, as I didn't have olive oil spray.)

The votes:
The huz didn't love these--he wouldn't replace his regular potato chips with them.  Described them as "nice, different, and I haven't ever eaten anything like them".  Do with that what you may...

Anyway, I liked these (especially the later batches that I didn't burn at all)...  A lot...  (I may or may not have eaten them all...)  (Possibly a little more on the may side of that...)  I didn't even get a picture of them. I thought they were that good.

Starting line-up

Ok, in our week 1 box:

2 heads of cauliflower
broccoli
2Anaheim peppers
rutabaga (giant, complete with belly button-ish divot)
beets
turnips
tomatoes
green onions
carrots
salad mix (lettuces)
Napa cabbage
oranges
cilantro
brussels sprout greens

All this should last around 2 weeks, with a few store-bought or frozen/canned veggies in the mix.  On the menu tonight:  something with beets and rutabaga, I think...  Maybe just the beets....  No idea what I'm doing with either one, so we'll see!

UPDATE:

Honey roasted rutabaga

1 large rutabaga, peeled (easier to do than I expected!  just use a veggie peeler)
3 T butter
3T honey (eyeball it)

Cut the rutabaga into spears (about 3/4" thick, 3-4 inches long).  Melt honey and butter together in a decent size sauce pan.  Toss the rutabaga pieces in the honey butter mixture to coat.  Transfer to a baking sheet (I oiled mine first) and bake at 450 until crispy around the edges and turning brown.  Stir every 10ish minutes.

The votes:

Well, I forgot to stir mine (except once about 20 min in when I sent the huz over and he did it)...  So they were a little burnt in places.  Overall we both liked it ok, but didn't think it was magnificent.  I may try this recipe again the next time we get a rutabaga, but wouldn't buy one just to make this.