What I Made – Week 18

September 7, 2019September 7, 2019 / CSA in the City / 4 Comments

This was another big week of home cooking for me, although looking back, the recipes seem repetitive. It’s so easy to reach for rice when I’m looking for a fast meal! The plan is to move away from the stir fry and curry next week, but I can’t argue that these recipes didn’t suit my ingredients so perfectly!

This is sweet and sour tempeh, from a recipe that originally calls for chicken. I didn’t have the snow peas the original recipe calls for, but this was still good. (I pick the pineapple out of mine, though!)

More stir fry, this time with chicken, cabbage, bok choy and my favorite easy stir fry sauce. Stir fry like this is the go-to way to use up bok choy.

Elk flank steak with peppers and smashed blue potatoes would really be a perfect July 4 theme meal with the red, white, and blue vibes going on. Instead of serving it as the main dish, I think I would have liked the steak and peppers better on a soft Italian roll with some provolone melted on top.

I used to the last of my green bell peppers in this Creole fish curry. I used a teaspoon and a half of hot curry powder, and it was quite spicy! I’d go half hot and half regular curry powder next time.

I love this recipe for barbacoa using elk! It the probably the most tender way I have found to cook it. To turn it into fajitas, we topped it with cheese, avocado, and slices of pepper and onion sautéed in a pan with some oil, salt, and salsa seasoning.

What I’ve Planned – Week 18

September 3, 2019September 3, 2019 / CSA in the City / Leave a comment

This Labor Day weekend involved a lot of chores for us: staining the deck, doing yard work, and drying or canning our bounty of fruits and veggies (including the peaches, tomatoes, and jalapeños we got this week!).

I also shredded and froze the last of our summer squash, and made a curried corn soup to freeze so we can enjoy its bright flavors in the depths of winter!

In addition to a few recipes I didn’t get around to last week, here’s what I’ve planned for the week ahead.

Flank steak with red peppers and twice baked blue potatoes

Elk barbacoa and grilled peppers and onions

Chicken, bok choy and cabbage stir fry (with my go to stir fry sauce)

Beet and wheat berry salad

Smoked ribs and roasted potatoes

What I Got – Week 18

September 2, 2019August 31, 2019 / CSA in the City / Leave a comment

Clockwise from left: Jalapeño Peppers, All Blue Potatoes, Yellow Peaches, Baby Green Bok Choy, Red Tomatoes, Concord Grapes, Purple Garlic, Red Beets, Carmen Peppers, Yellow Doll Watermelon, Red Onions

What I Made: Mini Spinach Lasagna

March 13, 2015March 12, 2015 / CSA in the City / Leave a comment

I had some filling leftover from the Malabar Spinach Tortellini that didn’t fit into the pasta dough I made, and decided to bake it into a lasagna! You could always make the filling by itself and make a lasagna to share, I suppose, but the personal size is awfully cute.

Pick an ovenproof container that fits your ingredients. Layer filling, noodles, filling, cheese, and repeat. Since the size is small and everything’s been cooked except your noodles, you can cut the cooking time a bit. Bake covered with foil for about 20 minutes, then uncovered for about 10. So easy!

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What I Made: Malabar Spinach Tortellini

March 12, 2015March 12, 2015 / CSA in the City / Leave a comment

Every week, before I pick up my CSA delivery, I get an email with a list of what to expect in that week’s box. Many weeks, this sends me running for Google to figure out just what exactly these mystery vegetables are.

For instance, did you know that Malabar spinach is not actually spinach but is instead an edible vine with leaves that taste a lot like spinach? True, the texture is a bit tougher when the larger leaves are raw, but when cooked, it makes a nice substitute.

I was ambitious with this recipe and made my own pasta! If you are not a crazy person, you can buy pre-made dough, usually in the “natural foods” section of the store.

The recipe looks intense, but it really doesn’t call for any complicated techniques. One of the huge upsides is that once made, the pasta can be frozen. To cook, just boil it until they float.

This is served with a super simple sauce of oil, butter, garlic, walnuts, pine nuts, and parsley, but it looks extra fancy.

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What I Made: Barley Salad with Fennel and Radish

February 25, 2015February 23, 2015 / CSA in the City / Leave a comment

There is no greater endorsement for this recipe than to say that I liked it so much, I made it for Thanksgiving. I don’t normally stray too far from the basics, especially for traditional holiday meals, but I cannot get enough of the combination of chewy barley, rich roasted fennel, the sharp bite of radishes and the briny olives all covered in a herbed, tangy citrus vinaigrette. I made this twice, and I am certain I will make it again. YUM

Fennel is thinly sliced, tossed with olive oil, and roasted in the oven. Barley is cooked, then spread out onto the baking dish with the fennel to absorb all the flavor. Then, the mixture is tossed with sliced radishes, quartered oil-cured olives (you only need a little, so I bought mine from the olive bar at the grocery story!), and chopped dill. The vinaigrette is an easy combination of olive oil, orange juice, lime juice, shallot, and dill. Serve room temperature in a bowl or on a platter, topped with additional radishes, olives, and dill, and served with extra vinaigrette on the side.

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What I Made: Gingered Green Beans

February 23, 2015February 22, 2015 / CSA in the City / Leave a comment

While my tried and true green bean recipe serves me quite well, I wanted to try a new flavor combination. These gingered green beans have a little bit of a kick, but I didn’t find them too spicy. I wasn’t overly impressed by the flavor, but it is difficult to replace my favorite after all.

This recipe is no more complicated than the first. Blanch the green beans, then cook garlic until fragrant in a skillet with olive oil. Next, add ginger and red pepper flakes, then beans and cook until beans are tender. Try it, I’d be interested to know what you think!