Not pictured was the sunchoke gnocchi and sautéed spinach we had (pictured here in Winter Week 15) and the many, many salads we made. We finally used up the last of the lettuce today so we only have a few red scallions rolling around the produce drawer. We’ve got to try to keep this pace up heading into the height of summer!
After a couple weeks of folks telling me our basket haul looked small, I think you’ll agree that we have an abundance this week, especially of leafy greens!
We’ll probably end up eating more salads than this, but I’m running low on ideas! Maybe taco salad with our leftovers or a deli drawer-clearing chef salad?
I turned these quinoa bowls into a salad, topped with pan fried tofu, cilantro, orange bell pepper, red scallions, and marinated kale with this delicious Thai peanut chili sauce. The marinated kale was also good on tacos for lunch later in the week.
Not to be forgotten – some bonus baked good content!
My favorite chocolate orange zucchini cake. Even though it looks like a ton of glaze, I only made half of what it called for. I also swapped in chocolate chips instead of the pecans and use orange juice instead of milk in the glaze!
Strawberry rhubarb scones with 1/2 cup strawberries and 1/2 cup rhubarb instead of using all rhubarb. I find these are plenty sweet enough without the glaze.
Lots of leftovers this week that I still need to use: one more zucchini, some strawberries, the whole head of green leaf lettuce (and some romaine from two weeks ago!), radishes, cucumbers, and a little more of the kale. We’ll eat the kohlrabi tonight, but I have a weekend full of meal planning ahead!
I’m planning to go out to eat more than normal this week (where normal means practically never!) so the meal list might seem a bit shorter than usual. You can assume every meal I’m eating at home that’s not on this list is some form of salad, in order to use up the head of lettuce leftover from last week and the enormous head we received this week!
I’m also thinking about making something with strawberry and rhubarb – maybe these scones?
Will we actually finish everything from the basket this week? Can we possibly eat enough salads to keep up with all the lettuce? Stay tuned to find out.
Back row: Lacinato Kale, two Green Zucchini, Red Radishes, Green Leaf Lettuce
Front row: White Kohlrabi, Strawberries, Garlic Scapes, Mini Greenhouse Cucumbers
I’ve seen a lot about kale chips – on the grocery store and on the internet. When I found a simple recipe to make them at home, I thought it might be a good way to get past my last kale experience. (Maybe I just made too many of these “kale mistakes“?!)
I came across the base recipe on Pinterest via Refinery29. It couldn’t be easier: start with some kale and 1/4 cup olive oil. Then, add seasoning, mix, and bake. I’ve outlined it below step by step with the full recipes at the very end.
First, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I needed two.
Wash the kale and dry it very well. I used lacinto kale, or dinosaur kale. Pictured is the kale in my salad spinner, but I found that I still needed to blot it with a towel to remove the moisture from the leaves.
Cut into large pieces, removing the stem where it is thick. I would cut the stem out of the top and middle pieces pictures below.
Combine olive oil with seasonings in a resealable plastic bag and mix. Add kale and shake to coat. Leaving some air in the bag makes it easier for the oil to coat all of the leaves.
Next, squeeze the air out, and really work the seasoning into the kale. This also helps break up lumps where you seasoning has not mixed well with the oil. Apparently, not massaging kale is one of the “kale mistakes“. Who knew it was such a diva?
Bake in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. I rotated the baking sheets halfway through the cook time, but you might not need to do that.
A delicious, healthy snack!
I find these store really well in plastic containers, but since they are thin and delicate, they tend to get squished and break apart in plastic bags.
Also, it still gets stuck in my teeth. Between the garlic and the immediate need for floss, it’s not a great workday snack for me, unfortunately.
I’m a big fancy of the idea that “less is more”. Why go to great lengths to make some extravagant dish when a simple, 3-5 ingredient recipe will taste great without the hassle? Especially while on vacation, this recipe for green romano beans with butter and onion fits that bill perfectly, a quick blanch, a toss with onions in oil and butter, and you’re on your way to a great side dish.
You’ll notice (okay, probably not) that this are not my normal cookwear. CSA in the City is on the road this week! There will be fewer posts than normal.
I used one mini purplette onion, finely diced, and then sautéed in oil.
The beans were blanched for 4-5 minutes, dunked in ice water, then tossed in the onions and oil with a bit of butter.
Finished product!
Easy, right? The full recipe is below. Continue reading
Starting in back left: Orange Carrots, Mini Purplette Onions , White Onions, Dinosaur Kale, Asian Cucumber, Yellow Straightneck Squash, Slicing Cucumbers, Cherries, Black Raspberries, Blueberries, Green Romano Beans.
Let’s be honest: I’m just going to straight up eat the cukes, carrots, and all that delicious, delicious fruit.
CSA in the Suburbs 
