thoughtful consumption

Usually I report the contents of my CSA delivery within a couple of days, so this post is over a week late. Whoops. But the delay lets me describe what I really did with the produce instead of my sometimes out-sized hopes and dreams.

The final delivery of 2010

garlic, green onions, and hydroponic lettuce

I now have a bag and a half of green onions in my crisper. I’m pleased with how well they’re holding up; I’d thought they would get slimy quickly. We’ve loved them chopped in salads and added to pretty much any meal. Go, green onions!

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turnips and broccoli

The broccoli florets can be steamed a few minutes for a quick and delicious side dish. You can either steam the stems a little longer or save them for another meal. If they’re in good shape, don’t throw them out! The stems have just as much flavor as the florets if they’re cooked till tender (and not till mushy).

Here’s a trick for turnips: slice, brush with butter and salt, and put them in a 300 degree oven until they’re brown at the edges (maybe 30 minutes for thin slices). I was surprised at how good this was. The turnips got all melty-tasting and downright palatable. (more…)

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Last night, we had bok choy with raisins and walnuts and baked pumpkin.

Whenever I eat bok choy, I remember meeting Marcus Samuelsson, who proudly served collards mixed with bok choy. Chef Samuelsson suggested the addition of bok choy makes collards more pleasing for the collard-phobic. No dice. I choked mine down because I didn’t want him (or me) to look bad. Honestly, if salt pork can’t make collards palatable, what chance does bok choy have?

Bok choy by itself, however, is quite nice. (more…)

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We ate up Chef Bryan’s yummy bruschetta mix as pico de gallo with sour cream and toasted tortilla chips. The mix had that bright, fresh taste that makes pico such a treat.

My bowl of brusch-salsa is on the right. I blended it because I’m still such a baby about fresh tomatoes.

And we’re enjoying fromage blanc on muffins heated just a touch in the microwave.

It is unbelievably good. The slight tang of the fromage blanc complements the sweet muffins really well.

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This year, I’m baking Christmas with walnut-craisin biscotti. It’s the only thing I bake well enough to give as a gift.

The original recipe is Martha Stewart’s. My changes are

• spelt flour instead of whole-wheat,
• craisins instead of raisins,
• chopping up the walnut halves, and
• cutting the sugar to ¼ cup (or less)

Not too sweet and makes the best breakfast or afternoon snack.

So far, I’ve made four loaves worth. Well, five if you count the one I forgot to add the sugar to. I get to keep that one. It’s surprisingly good, and a little honey makes it perfect.

Four more loaves to go before Friday. Wish me luck!

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beautiful, slender carrots and lettuce

These carrots would be gorgeous steamed with butter and parsley. Or raw as snacks or in salad.

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green onions and Bordeaux spinach

The green onions smell so good and will be great in salads, stir fries, or grilled. Tomorrow or Friday at the latest, we’ll have a wilted spinach salad. I’ll cook some bacon and crumble it and then quickly sauté green onions in the grease. Then I’ll dump the bacon bits and onions in leftover salad dressing, heat it, and then pour it over the spinach. (more…)

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Defrosted a pound of local ground beef this week. Half of it went into tacos, and the other half, cottage pie.

Tacos

The lettuce and tomato from last week along with the locally made taco mix from a week or so before had me thinking tacos with ground beef.

Here’s our taco bar:

beef seasoned with taco spice mix, chopped tomatoes, caramelized onions, and lettuce

No sour cream 😦

The tortillas are from Kroger. They’re nutty and filling and better-tasting than most flour or corn tortillas. (more…)

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So glad to have produce even in this weather!

radishes, hakurei turnips, sweet potatoes, and apples

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cauliflower and Bordeaux spinach

I was never a fan of cauliflower until I started eating the local stuff. (more…)

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