CSA Box: Eggplant, Peppers, Lemongrass, Greens, and Guava!

As it gets darker earlier, I decided to take this week's photos at the farm! Enjoy :o)

Eggplant were washed, pierced with a fork, and roasted until the outside was near black. I then cooled the eggplant and scooped out the middle to make a creamy spread with some roasted garlic.

The peppers were roasted and then added to some beans and rice for a flavorful dinner that doubled up as great lunch leftovers.

I made a syrup with the lemongrass and some fresh ginger and cane sugar. I have been adding the syrup to green tea in the afternoon for a tasty digestive aide.

The arugula braising mix was cooked up with the chard, beans and some quinoa and wrapped in steamed collard greens like burritos.

Kale chips!

 

A simple salad. Yum!

I just washed and sliced these babies in half and scooped out the middle for sweet desserts :o)

CSA: Beets, Chard, Bok Choy, Onions, Daikon, Tomatoes, Squash

 

This week has been crazy between local tournaments, national conventions, and academic musings. I can't believe I forgot to post! Here was my CSA box review for last week.

Beets

Rainbow Chard

Bok Choy

Red Torpedo Onions

Daikon Radishes

Yellow Pear Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Dumpling Squash

 

I cooked up the beet greens with the chard and boy choy and some garlic. The beets were chopped and cooked down with the tomatoes to make a chutney that I ate with grilled tempeh. I shredded the radish and enjoyed it prepared in a carrot-daikon drink that I read about in the Kind Diet. The onions and squash were roasted with a little bit of olive oil, sea salt, and crushed black pepper.

CSA Box: Tomatoes, Corn, Celeriac, Pumpkin, Beans. Bok Choy, Arugula, and Herbs

What a gorgeous bowl of fresh veg straight from the farm. Since I am at yet another tournament (really? me at a debate tournament?), this post will be short but full of flavor!

In the CSA delivery:
* Italian Flat Beans
* Dragon's Tounge Beans
* Celeriac
* Sugar Dots Corn
* Mixed bundle of fresh parsley and chives
* Arugula (not pictured)
* Pac Choi (Bok Choy)
* Sugar Pie Pumpkin (not pictured)
* Heirloom Tomatoes

I was only home for about 24 hours  after picking up this CSA delivery, before I headed off on my travels, so the first thing I did was toss the parsley into the dehydrator. Can't wait to use it later! I stored the pumpkin to enjoy upon returning home, where I then roasted it with the sage olive oil from previous weeks along with some salt, pepper, and diced onion. While I enjoyed some of the pumpkin fresh roasted, I also used it to make black bean and pumpkin burritos (just mash the pumpkin and beans, add some chili powder and a dash of hot sauce) which are now in my freezer.

The celeriac was enjoyed fresh the day of delivery chopped with a squeeze of lime while I prepped everything else. Well except one ear of corn which was also enjoyed fresh from the basket. The other ear of corn was roasted without anything added and enjoyed that evening for dinner. I sautéed the stems of the bok choy with a little bit or garlic and ginger and then tossed in the leaves. This was served over fresh brown rice with the corn as my side dish. A starchier meal than normal, but so full of fresh flavors!

I sliced the tomatoes in a thick cut and slow roasted them with a sprinkle of natural sugar on top. One tomato was served with a black bean burger for breakfast. The other became my airport snack in sandwich form. The beans, chives & arugula were stored until I returned and then were diced and added to a miso soup. They added a different texture and fullness to this soupy staple.

CSA Box: Eggplant, Tomato, Basil, Kale, Okra, Radish, Garlic, Arugula, Onion

This week my CSA box screamed BAKE ME. Maybe it was the small sample loaf of multi-grain bread from a local bakery, Bread and Bun, that was included this week. Or maybe it was the lack of vegan calzones in the freezer. Or perhaps it was just the dizzying array of fresh goodies in this week's box. In addition to the bread, this week included:

• Thai Basil
• Italian Eggplant
• Red Russian Garlic
• Arugula
• Red Russian Kale
• Long Red of Florence Torpedo Onions
• Okra
• Easter Egg Radishes
• An Heirloom Tomato
• A Slicing Tomato

First, I HAD to make kale chips. You knew that was happening. I am sure there are other ways to prepare kale, but with my busy life and my love of dehydrated kale, I couldn't see another use. Red Russian imparted a different flavor profile, a little less sweet than curly kale, but still very good!

Since I had extra trays in the dehydrator, I decided to slice the heirloom tomato thin, lay it in a single layer on the tray, and sprinkle it with Italian seasoning. Now I also had herbed tomato chips! These were super yummy as an evening snack a plane trip.

I also fell back on another favorite. I made Okra Fries with the small bag of okra pods. To answer a question from last week, baking the okra in this method doesn't leave them super slimy. They are soft on the inside but crisp on the outside which I think helps.

It may not be a real "calzone" but I used a number of ingredients to make 8 vegan sandwich pockets which then were individually wrapped and frozen for quick lunches and dinners. Using the dough recipe from these pockets, I diced the eggplant, sprinkled it with salt and let it sit for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I sauteed the onions and garlic (which I had diced) in organic canola oil. I squeezed the excess liquid from the eggplant and added it to the pan. Then the slicing tomato was added along with the basil. I added nutritional yeast after cooking and filled the dough with the prepared mixture then baked according to the instructions.

The arugula and garlic was used in a cold barley salad. I cooked the barley with some of the garlic then tossed it with an unfiltered olive oil and lemon juice vinaigrette along with peas, cherry tomato quarters, and the arugula. The leftover arugula became a simple green salad that paired nicely with the pocket sandwiches.

The radishes and onion were so pretty, I had to make another salad! This one involved slicing the radishes, an onion, and an English cucumber thinly. I sprinkled them lightly with salt and then pressed the water out of them. I made another dressing with olive oil and red wine vine and some of the dried chili peppers from last week and tossed the vegetables in the dressing.

If I didn't enjoy making my own bread, I would definitely order more from Bread and Bun. This multigrain loaf became my afternoon snack for several days. I would slice a couple of thin slices off the bread and put creamy almond butter and Nutella on it. So tasty!

CSA Box: Squash, Turnips, Okra, Tomatoes, Corn, and more!

Produce picked fresh the day you pick it up from the farm. Who could imagine something better that delicious goodies you can see being grown and prepare that evening in your home! Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has been growing in popularity around the country. A CSA is when a local farm offers up limited "shares" of the harvest for sale to community members. I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to purchase a half-share at Full Circle Farms in Sunnyvale, Calif. After picking up my first week of produce, I posed a question to Twitter to see if anyone would be interested in how I am using my CSA box each week. You asked, and I delivered. This was my box for the week of October 11th.

This delivery included:

• Silver Queen Corn
• Red Russian Kale
• Oils of Paicines Organic Olive Oil Sample
• Yellow Borettana Onions
• Sage
• Mixed Peppers: Poblano, Hot Wax, Dried Cayenne
• Slicer Tomato
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Hakurei Turnips
• Sweet Dumpling Squash
• Okra

I knew I would be traveling for part of the week at a debate tournament. Which meant that I both wanted to ensure I used the produce before traveling but also wanted to bring some of these goodies with me on the plane.

Corn: I did a quick partial steam on the corn to set the milk. Once it cooled, I used the OXO Good Grips Corn Peeler I scored from IFBC, to shuck the kernels. I then dehydrated them and bagged them for use later this winter. Snuck a couple bites for a snack and it was sweet and country. Can't wait to throw them into a dish or just munch on them one afternoon!

Kale: This one was easy. Kale chips!

Olive Oil & Sage: I washed and left the sage leaves to dry between paper towels. I then sliced the sage leaves into ribbons and added it to the oil to infused. I should have sage oil soon!

Onions: Sliced thin, I added these to a homemade miso soup.

Mixed Peppers: Sliced and dried to spice up future recipes!

Slicer Tomato: Sliced and ate fresh by itself. Fresh local tomatoes are amazing!

Cherry Tomatoes: These were cut in half and tossed into the dehydrator. After drying, I had snacks for the plane.

Turnips: These were sliced super thin, tossed in a drizzle of organic canola oil and some sea salt and chili powder. Dried to make turnip chips for traveling.

Squash: Sliced and drizzled with coconut oil. Roasted. Yum.

Okra: Spicy Okra Fries to enjoy on my trip to the airport.

Hopefully this gave you some ideas! I look forward to sharing the bounty and how it is used each week. However, I would love your ideas. How would you have used the goodies in this week's CSA box?