CSA Diary: Week Ten

What I Got:

• Cucumber
• Garlic
• Jalapeno Pepper
• Swiss Chard
  
• Tomatoes
• Watercress
• Yellow Squash

How I Used It:

• Polenta with Salsa: Topped Cath's super special polenta with tomato salsa from last week and fresh corn*. Yum!
  
• Cucumber: Sliced cucumber. Ate plain. Quite refreshing during these hot hot days.
• Swiss Chard Spaghetti, sans Spaghetti: Finely chopped yellow squash and garlic, sauteed, then added swiss chard until wilted. Added Morningstar Grillers, Newman's Own Marinara Sauce (both found at Target) until warm. Topped with mozzarella cheese.
• Swiss Cheese Sandwiches: White bread, mayo, Swiss cheese slices with sliced tomatoes and watercress.
  

*From the Clintonville Farmer's Market

CSA DIary: Week Nine

What I Got:

• Cucumber
• Green Chile Pepper
• Green Leaf Lettuce
• Green Pepper
  
• Onion
• Tomatillos
  
• Tomatoes
  
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Tomatillo Salsa: Boiled tomatillos until soft. Pureed in food processor. Diced green chile pepper, green pepper and onion. Minced garlic. Mixed together with lemon juice and cilantro. Ate with multigrain scoop tortilla chips.
  
• Tomato Salsa: Diced tomatoes, green chile pepper, green pepper and onion. Minced garlic clove. Mixed together with lemon juice and cilantro.
  
• Polenta with Yellow Squash & Cabbage: Sauteed onion, diced yellow squash and cabbage with two cloves garlic, salt and pepper until tender. Set aside. Sauteed Cath's super special polenta with olive oil until slightly crisp. Plated polenta and topped with yellow squash/cabbage, tomatoes and crumbled Morningstar bacon.
• Cucumber w/Dip: Sliced and ate with blue cheese dressing. Nothing fancy, but extremely refreshing on a 90+ degree day!
• Nuts & Such Salad: Tossed green leaf lettuce with tomatoes, cucumber, sliced almonds and blue cheese dressing.
  

CSA Diary: Week Eight

What I Got:

• Fennel
• Garlic
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Potato & Green Bean Stew: Sauteed onion* and garlic. Boiled sliced Yukon Gold potatoes (with skins) until soft. Drained, then added onion/garlic mix, 2 cups water, 2 Celifibr beef bouillon cubes**, sliced carrots*, diced zucchini and green beans*. Cooked until soft. Added peas*** and basil.
• Fennel Salad: Sliced fennel bulbs thin, then mixed with green grapes, dried figs, lemon juice and olive oil. Topped with Pecorino Romano cheese and slivered almonds.
• Almond & Cranberry Salad: Tossed green leaf lettuce & frisee with slivered almonds, dried cranberries and blue cheese dressing.
• Zucchini Muffins: Um, yeah, there's zucchini in it. Here's the recipe.
• Spaghettti without the Spaghetti: Morningstar Crumbles sauteed with kale and topped with Newman's Own marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

* From Clintonville Farmer's Market
**From Raisin Rack
***From Mandy's CSA, The Wayward Seed

CSA Diary: Week Seven

I got lazy this week and didn't cook very much. I blame the 95 degree weather and no air conditioning!



What I Got:

• Basil
• Cabbage
• Fennel
• Frisee (lettuce)
  
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Italian Sausage Scramble: Sauteed onion*, yellow squash, canned tomatoes, a bit of cabbage, Tofurky's Italian sausage and kale in a skillet. Topped with mozzarella cheese. (It's actually pepperjack in the above picture, which was just a tad too spicy.)
  
• Ramen Noodle Salad: Mixed lots of chopped cabbage with a package of crushed oriental-style ramen noodles. Mixed ramen noodle seasoning packet with olive oil and a bit of soy sauce to drizzle on top. Topped with some mixed nuts lying around the house.
• Frisee, Zucchini, Fennel & Basil: TBD
  

*From Clintonville Farmer's Market

Dishing It Up

I used to be a Cascade girl (pre-green), then switched to Seventh Generation's Automatic Dishwasher Detergent as my first eco-friendly alternative, but was never really happy with the results.

So, before the dish runs away with the spoon, I'll fork over some product advice: Ecover's Dishwasher Tablets rock.

Though I have never used dishwashing detergent in tablet form before, I'm quite pleased with the results! (I picked up my first box at Raisin Rack, but you can find it at Whole Foods as well.)

CSA Diary: Week Six

What I Got:

• Cabbage
• Garlic Scapes
• Kale
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Swiss Chard
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Zucchini & Swiss Chard Bulgar Mix: Sauteed onion*, garlic scapes, carrots*, zucchini and Swiss chard, then mixed with cooked bulgar. Then topped with shredded Parmesan and ranch dressing.
• Zucchini & Swiss Chard Omelet: Sauteed finely chopped green onions*, garlic scapes, zucchini, yellow squash and sugar snap peas with olive oil. Added eggs until cooked. Added Swiss chard until wilted. Seasoned with salt & pepper and topped with cheddar cheese, pepperjack cheese and canned tomatoes. (You may have noticed by now that I like canned tomatoes...)
  
• Ramen Noodle Salad: Mixed lots of chopped cabbage with a package of crushed oriental-style ramen noodles. Mixed ramen noodle seasoning packet with olive oil and a bit of soy sauce to drizzle on top. Would have added almonds if I had them.
• Kale: TBD
  

*From the Clintonville Farmer's Market

CSA Diary: Week Five

What I Got:

• Beets with Greens
• Cabbage
• Garlic Scapes
• Kale
• Mint
  
• Swiss Chard
• Sugar Snap Peas (not pictured, as I ate them immediately upon arrival)
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Taco Salad w/Bulgar: Sauteed grated zucchini & yellow squash with taco seasoning, minced onion & red pepper flakes. Added garlic scapes, kohlrabe greens and kale. Mixed in some canned tomatoes, Morningstar Grillers Crumbles and bulgar. Serve warm or cold.
• Chickpea & Greens Skillet Concoction: Sauteed garlic scapes, swiss chard and beet greens with olive oil. Tossed in artichoke hearts, chickpeas, canned tomatoes and Meadow Maid's feta cheese (from Worthington Farmer's Market). Added smoked sea salt (from Whole Foods) and oregano to taste.
• Cabbage Salad: Toss together chopped cabbage, mixed nuts, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Super simple and refreshing, but stay away if you don't like cabbage or nuts, because they are certainly not masked in this one!
• Beets: They make great presents.
  

CSA Diary: Week Four

What I Got:

• Garlic Scapes ♥ ♥ ♥
• Kohlrabe (with Greens)
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Swiss Chard

How I Used It:

• Faux-Italian Skillet Concoction: Sauteed garlic scapes and kohlrabe with pizza seasoning and minced onion until tender. Added kale and kohlrabe greens, then topped with canned tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
  
• Swiss Chard & Feta Quiche: Sauteed swiss chard and garlic scapes. Cooled and squeezed out excess water, then mixed with 6 room-temperature eggs, 2 cups unsweetened soy milk and 1/2 a brick of Meadow Maid's feta cheese. Poured mixture into pre-baked pie crust, then baked for 40 minutes at 350°F.
• Sugar Snap Peas: Easy. Dip peas in blue cheese dressing and devour.
  

CSA Diary: Week Three

What I Got:

• Spinach
• Escarole
• Green Leaf Lettuce (or Romaine?)
  
• Kale
• Field Greens

How I Used It:

• Spinach: Tossed in a salad with olive oil & red wine vinegar dressing, salty pepitas from Trader Joe's and dill cheddar curd from Blue Jacket Dairy.
• Spinach & Mint: Cooked up a box of Near East's Toasted Pine Nut Couscous, then mixed in half a can of pineapple and a bunch of chopped mint. Cooled to room temperature and served over a bed of spinach. (Thanks, Lynn for the idea!)
• Field Greens: Topped with cajun-seasoned peanuts and blue cheese dressing.
  
• Escarole: Sauteed with olive oil, minced onion and red pepper flakes. Tossed with spaghetti, artichoke hearts, a bit of mushroom broth and Meadow Maid's feta cheese (found at the Worthington Farmer's Market.)
• Kale: TBD
  

CSA Diary: Week Two

What I Got:

• Kale
• Green Onions
• Head Lettuce
• Bok Choy
  
• Spinach

How I Used It:

• Kale, Green Onions, Head Lettuce: Sauteed kale and green onions with olive oil. Added Morningstar Griller Crumbles, Simply Organic Southwest Taco Seasoning, red pepper flakes and canned tomatoes. Topped with shredded cheddar and head lettuce.
  
• Spinach: Tossed spinach with canned tomatoes, blue cheese dressing and cajun-seasoned peanuts.
• Head Lettuce: Tossed lettuce with canned tomatoes, blue cheese dressing and cajun-seasoned peanuts.
  
• Bok Choy & Green Onions: Sauteed green onions with olive oil, Tree of Life's firm tofu and San-J teriyaki sauce, then bok choy.
• Spinach: Microwaved leftover tofu, black beans, hominy, canned tomatoes, minced onion, red pepper flakes and taco seasoning. Topped with spinach and shredded cheddar cheese.
• Mint: Still TBD. Anyone have mint recipes that aren't drinks or desserts?