It was hot. The boys weren’t listening. It was a get in, get out kind of a pick up.
We received a little bit of lettuce mix, 6 ears of corn, 1 cantaloupe (!), 2 cucumbers, 1 quart of beefsteak tomatoes, 1 pint of Juliet tomatoes, 3 small Carmen peppers (red), 3 jalapeños, 1 quart of red potatoes, 1 large bunch of swiss chard, and more green beans.
As soon as I saw those jalapeños, I started craving guacamole. Too bad there was no cilantro in the share this week!
August 4, 2010
This week I made a delicious Roasted Squash & Goat Cheese Pasta Salad, Slow Cooker Ratatouille (perfect if you have an over-producing garden or get a lot of vegetables from a CSA), and Corn and Basil Cakes.
I also baked oatmeal cookies with Heath bits inside (Oatmeal Toffee Cookies) and thought they were OK. J. said they were like “oatmeal raisin cookies without the raisins,” which translates to mean “better than no cookies at all, but barely.” The boys liked them well enough, but they’re not a repeat recipe for us.
Monday: Pizza play date
Tuesday: Spicy Chicken with Cashews, rice, steamed sesame green beans
Wednesday: Pan-fried gnocchi and swiss chard with Parmesan cheese (bumped from last week)
Thursday: Grilled teriyaki-marinated skirt steak, farm share veggies (corn & greens?), dinner rolls
Friday: Kids are eating out/ leftovers for me and J.
Saturday: J. grills (grilled pizza?) plus farm share veggies
Sunday: Eat out
For more menu planning ideas, check out Laura at Organizing Junkie, and Jenna, who sponsors Mindful Menus, a menu-planning meme that aims “to inspire health through real food” at Chive Talkin’.
August 2, 2010
I made up this pasta salad based on the vegetables I received from our farm share this week (plus a grocery-store onion). I peeled the kabocha squash (though I have read that you can leave its thin skin on, and eat it once it’s cooked) and cut it into bite-sized pieces, then tossed it in a bit of olive oil and salt and roasted it at 415° F for about 45 minutes. Once the kabocha was in the oven, I cut up a medium onion, medium yellow squash, and two small zucchinis. They got the same treatment as the kabocha and went, on a separate pan, into the same oven for about a half hour. The vegetables need to be soft and starting to brown before you take them out of the oven.
While they’re roasting, cook up a pound of sturdy pasta (I used cavatappi, which is cork screw-shaped), and then drain it. Combine the pasta and roasted vegetables, and allow it cool for at least 15 minutes, tossing it occasionally. You can add a drizzle more of olive oil if it needs it. Then cut in small pieces of goat cheese, about 4 oz. in total. Use more if you love it, sub feta if you don’t. Serve room temperature or cold.
We brought this pasta salad to a barbecue today, and I thought it was terrific. Our hosts did as well. J. thought the cheese was too dry and gave it a “just OK.” This side dish reminded me of the Farro and Roasted Butternut Squash which I also adored, so it’s no surprise that I thought this thrown-together concoction was a winner.
August 1, 2010
I worked in the lobby shop of the Statler Hotel when I was in college — it was a small outpost of our campus store that sold some school paraphernalia, candy, newspapers, and what not. I loved the job because I got to interact with visitors to the campus, whether they were potential students, parents, or celebrities (I sold papers to B.B. King’s entourage and to Bill Maher himself) who often asked my opinion on what to see, where to eat, and how I liked Ithaca.
Since I worked through dinner, I brought my own food, and most often it was either kidney or black beans mixed with rice. (I suppose I could have only been a more stereotypically low-on-funds college student if I’d been eating ramen.) I always enjoyed this combination of foods, and making Mujadarra, with its mix of lentils and rice, took me back 15 years to those evenings where I crammed studying in between customers buying gum.
At the recommendation of Israeli reader Elinoar, I upped the cumin, using a full teaspoon rather than the recipe’s suggested quarter-teaspoon. (Elinoar also suggested I add a little turmeric, but I forgot to. I will do that next time.) I felt this level of spice was perfect. And the caramelized onions are so delicious and creamy from their long, slow cooking on the stove. Mujadarra is good warm or straight from the fridge, and is a perfect vegan meal on its own or as a side dish to grilled chicken.
August 1, 2010
It was a beautiful day, and we remembered to bring a little bread to feed the chickens. But much to the boys’ annoyance, there was nothing from our share that I was willing to sacrifice to the goats this week. They had to settle for grass.
We received a head of lettuce, 5 ears of corn, a bunch of swiss chard, green beans, a kabocha squash, 3 Mariachi peppers, 2 bell peppers, a pint of Golden Rave plum tomatoes, a small eggplant, 1 cucumber, 2 zucchini, and 1 yellow squash.
We’re taking the corn to a barbecue today, and I made the yellow squash, zucchini, and kabocha squash into a pasta salad. I roasted all those vegetables, plus an onion, with a little olive oil and salt, and then tossed them with cavatappi (a corkscrew-shaped noodle) and goat cheese. Seasoned again with a little more sea salt. We also made a salad yesterday with the lettuce, a bell pepper, tomatoes, and cucumber. With the Slow Cooker Ratatouille cooked earlier this week, we’ve pretty much finished the share already, except for the green beans.
August 1, 2010
This was a super-easy, quick slaw that was surprisingly delicious. I thinly sliced a small green cabbage, and tossed it with a chopped bunch of scallions and a couple of shaved (with a vegetable peeler) carrots. For the dressing, I combined a squirt of sriracha sauce with some honey, apple cider vinegar, and fresh lemon juice. (I just splashed them together in a bowl without measuring, and adjusted the quantities to taste.) You can season with salt and pepper, as well.
Toss the cabbage mixture with the dressing and let it sit at room temperature for a least 15 minutes, so the cabbage can soften slightly. The spicy sriracha is a good contrast to the cool, crisp cabbage. Definitely a nice change from the sesame oil-based slaws I have been making recently.
July 27, 2010
I’ve combined sauteed swiss chard and onions, Gruyere, and eggs before, in fritatta form. I don’t love swiss chard as a side dish, but folded into eggs (or mashed potatoes) I do like its flavor a lot (it is similar to spinach). I used the same ingredients for the quiche, but the flaky pie crust makes the already-yummy filling into a real treat of a summer dinner.
I used frozen Oronoque Orchards deep dish pie crusts, which are pretty decent but include a small amount of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, including cottonseed. Not that pie crust is a healthy thing to eat anyway, but I do try to avoid cottonseed oil in particular. I noticed whole wheat pie crusts in Mrs. Green’s the last time I was there, so I will have to check the ingredients on those brands as a possible alternative.
I love this quiche cold, straight from the fridge. I baked two of them, and then froze one for an easy meal another day.
July 27, 2010
My sister got married on Sunday! When I think about the wedding, I see smiling faces everywhere — it was that type of day, where everyone is thrilled to be celebrating the union of two people they love.
Needless to say, I was busy getting ready for the big day last week. I did, however, get to make a nice Spicy Cabbage Slaw, Kalyn’s Mujadarra, and even a couple of swiss chard quiches. I’ll be posting those recipes tonight or tomorrow.
Monday: Corn and Basil Cakes, cheese, salad
Tuesday: Leftover Corn and Basil Cakes, leftover (frozen) smoked brisket, cucumber salad
Wednesday: Swiss chard & gnocchi with Parmesan, steamed green beans
Thursday: Slow Cooker Ratatouille, pasta, fresh mozzarella or ricotta
Friday: Grilled bone-in chicken pieces, challah, farm share veggies
Saturday: Order in or go out
Sunday: J. grills meat + veg
For more menu planning ideas, check out Laura at Organizing Junkie, and Jenna, who sponsors Mindful Menus, a menu-planning meme that aims “to inspire health through real food” at Chive Talkin’.
July 27, 2010
I’m sliding this one in right under the wire, as I’m about to pick up Week 8 tomorrow…
We received 2 green bell peppers, 2 onions, 3 cucumbers, 1 tiny eggplant, a bunch of fingerling carrots (I made that term up, but I like it!), 5 ears of corn, a small handful of basil, green beans, lettuce mix, 1 small yellow squash, and 2 small zucchini.
The peppers tasted watery to me, but not bitter. The corn was absolutely fantastic, as in previous years. I can’t help but eat some of it raw, sliced off the cobs. I wound up cooking the corn and basil up into Corn and Basil Cakes, which were good — the fresh corn is barely cooked and remains the highlight of the pancake, its sweetness nicely contrasted by the bite of ground pepper. I would make my Corn, Avocado, & Tomato Salad next time, though.
July 27, 2010
We have a busy schedule this week, and instead of a day-by-day plan I just have some general ideas of what I’ll be cooking.
I baked two quiches (with sauteed swiss chard and Gruyere) tonight; one I’ll freeze and the other will be served cold with a Asian cabbage slaw on Tuesday night, after the pool. We’ll have pasta salad with a side of sliced cucumbers another night. And I hope to get a chance to try out turkey burgers on the grill, now that I know I can turn it on successfully! Otherwise there will be a little more Annie’s mac and cheese and eating out this week than usual — the boys’ favorite kind of meal plan!
July 19, 2010
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I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two boys, ages 4 and 6, and husband. Trying to feed my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 