10/03/2013 CSA SHARE: What we got, what I took, & what I will do with it

HERE IS WHAT WE GOT AND WHAT I TOOK:

Baby Beets- 1 bun
Swiss Chard- 1 bun
Boston Lettuce- 2 heads(green or red)       Red Peppers
Tomatoes- mixed variety
Arugula- 1/2 lb. bag
Toscano Kale  – 1 bun
Long Red Peppers -3 pcs

The first major question I heard from other CSAers was “what happened to the beet greens”? Someone figured there was a CSA out there somewhere which had only beet greens and no beets!

With the Swiss Chard, it was me doing the “I will/I won’t” dance. In the end, I did come home with a bunch of chard – just not the bunch I had put in the trade box. What will I do with it?  I am not real sure just yet, but I am thinking wraps with the leaf halves and a ferment with the stems.

Beets?  I just haven’t decided  yet.  Thank heavens beets will stay in the refrigerator for a while, giving you time to think things over.

I ended up bringing home some arugula – I tried it on a sandwich but it was most unpleasant for me. I tried it in a marinated greens recipe, but it was grim.  Dehydrate it and grind it and add it to my super-greens jar?  Sounds like a plan.

At least half of the (sweet) red peppers I came home with will go into a hot ajvar. I know it. I have been radically protecting my Monday night event with New York Ferments, and I’m taking the ajvar with me.  This won’t be a traditional ajvar (you cannot keep me away from garlic – it will be in there, I will likely substitute chili powder for the red pepper needed, and I will probably feel the need to put some onion in it)

The kale? Ah! The kale! Kale cheeze and, probably kale chips!  I do love kale!

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06/27/13 CSA SHARE: What we got, what I will do with it, and miscellaneous comments

Here is what we got:
Fennel – 1 bun
Parsley – 1 bun
Red Romaine Lettuce – 1 hd
Green Boston Lettuce – 1 hd traded for kale
Toscano Kale – 1 bun
Baby Carrots – 1 bun
Garlic Scapes – 1 bun

I was kind of surprised because, when I went to trade two things from my box, I was told that there was a rule that each person could only trade one thing for one other thing. That was new to me – I’ve been a member of the CSA from the first year, and the rule has always been you put one thing in and you take one thing out, no limits. So…. I could not trade the lettuce *and* the romaine, and, once I had decided to trade the lettuce, I had to decide between taking the kale or the garlic scapes. I think that new plan is just plain mean, but I am not the people who are running the CSA, and they are they people who get to make the rules as they see fit. I do think that the rules should be published for all to know about, and I will post this thought on the CSA Facebook page (in case anybody watches that or cares what people think)
What will I do with all this?
I got about 4 fennel things (pieces? Fennel bulbs with stalks with some frilly leaf-like things), 1 little bunch of parsley, 1 hd of romaine, 2 bunches of kale, 1 bunch of carrots with greens, and 1 bunch of about 5 garlic scapes.
In addition, they let me take the carrot greens that some people had put into the compost pot.
I’m going to look into fermenting fennel – If I can’t find something interesting, then I’ll just chop it up and find a way to eat it with other vegetables (will let you know)
I will make dill garlic fermented carrots
The kale will go to kale chips – will describe the recipe once I decide
I will chop up the garlic scapes and use them as garlic for something.—maybe the fermented carrots (will let you know)
If I cannot bring myself to eat the romaine, I will dehydrate it along with the carrot greens and add it to my supergreen powder (I’ll let you know)
Things are tight here, right now. The CSA is about the only source of food I have, with my reduction in work hours. I am down about 20 lbs (down to 120 lbs @ 5’9”) living on what I get from the CSA, and what I can manage after my rent and utilities. So, I am svelte (and I do like the way clothes look on me), but wondering where I will go from here. (I’ll let you know more when I know more.)

CABIN FEVER DINING: What I made today post-Sandy

POST #848
With no public transportation on the day after Sandy, this week is definitely a stay-cation.  Worse, everything within walking distance is closed.  Cabin fever city!  Back to the kitchen!

This morning I got up and made some kale/cashew cheeze in my much beloved Cuisinart food processor (it has already outlasted each of the two economy food processors I had before) to go with the sunflower seed crackers I meant to eat later.

Later, I made a “surf and turf salad.”
I had some leftover torn-up kale from huge bunch I’d bought on Sunday, so I chopped it up a little more, added some soaked wakame seaweed, also chopped up, about 1/4 C chopped red bell pepper, 1/2  jalapeno, chopped, some freshly-ground black pepper, 1/2 galangal (don’t ask why, I have no idea), 2 chopped garlic cloves, about 1/2 C lentil sprouts, and about 1/4 C sunflower seed sprouts, then some apple cider vinegar and olive oil.  It didn’t seem like enough, so I took a heaping soup spoon of the kale/cashew cheeze and mixed it with water to make a creamy dressing which I poured over the top.  Yumm!

WHAT WE GOT & WHAT I AM DOING WITH IT

Here’s the breakdown from Thursday’s share

Kohlrabi – 1 pc    actually we got several pieces
Fennel – 1 pce       I traded for a big kohlrabi
Carrots – 1 bun     the carrots were kind of small. I put them through the juicer
Cilantro – 1 bun    a big bunch
Escarole – 1 hd      this was a large head
Scallions – 1 bun    traded for more cilantro
Arugula – 1 bag       we got choggia beets
Green Romaine Lettuce – 1 hd    traded for more beets
Green Boston Lettuce – 1 hd

I put the carrots through the juicer and got a small juice glass of carrot juice. I froze the pulp for use in something later.

I’ve made a couple of different versions of raw ravioli, using the large kohlrabi.  I cut it in half and sliced it with my thin slicer (looks like a vegetable peeler, but it’s very wide).  I put my cashew-kale pate and cilantro in the raviolis, and I also made the “chicken pate” recipe from Ani Phyo’s first book and put it in the wraps with some cilantro.

I used the escarole in some wraps with the cashew-kale pate, onion, tomato, cilantro, and lentil sprouts.   I also made a soup with lentil sprouts by dehydrating chopped up  escarole leaves to tender, then adding garlic, olive oil, a little sea salt (!) and black pepper, cilantro, and some red pepper flakes, and dehydrating for a few hours until it was warm.

Well, the lettuce has gone into salads, duh. I also threw some of it, along with some escarole, and an apple, into the blender for a smoothie.  Yuck.  I drank it anyway.  It’s good for me, right?

The beets, you ask?  My beet salad (beets into the food processor along with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, onions, and garlic – with some cilantro!).  I also made a “slaw” with some kohlrabi, beets, apple cider vinegar, onions, extra virgin olive oil, garlic,  and – yes! cilantro! — I put the kohlrabi in the food processor first, and ground it to almost apple sauce consistency, removed it, then put the beets and everything else in, then tossed all in a bowl — the idea was to have white color, but the beets in colored the kohlrabi anyway

My room-mate and I are tentatively back on a two-day meal share plan, so I am planning some fancy kohlrabi raviolo (not sure what will go in them yet), with a sauce of some sort – likely sun-dried tomatoes with something;  a lettuce, escarole, seaweed salad with lentil or sunflower sprouts and a vinaigrette of some sort. I might make the escarole soup again, as well – I liked it, and I will have enough time on Wednesday to do all of the dehydrating.

I’m glad to be back to a one day a week meal share because it gives me a chance to use up stuff I won’t eat all of by myself (I mean, I have been eating all of my share because I have no money to buy other food, but it sure would be nice to have a helping hand, and my room-mate loves salads.)

Of course, we do expect the appearance of sauerkraut somewhere in all of this.  I still have 1/2 qt jalapeno sauerkraut.  I’ll be making more sauerkraut by week end.

DINNER TONIGHT: Cashew/Kale Cheeze on Tomato Slices, Instant Kirby Pickle, Mexican Corn Salad

Here’s what is for dinner tonight:

CASHEW/KALE CHEEZE ON TOMATO SLICES
1 C cashews, soaked and rinsed
2 C kale, chopped fine
2 – 3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 C onion, chopped
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

In the food processor, process all to a fine consistency.

INSTANT KIRBY PICKLE
1 small kirby cucumber, thinly sliced
1 t minced onion
1 T raw apple cider vinegar
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Place in a tightly covered container and shake well. (Otherwise stir thoroughly to mix well.  Let set for 1/2 hour or more.

CORN SALAD
1 C corn kernels
1 T onion
3 T sweet red pepper
1 t cumin powder
1/4 t minced garlic
1/2 t raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 t olive oil

Toss to mix well

7/29/10 CSA SHARE: What we got, and what I took home

This is what I got in my box, and this is what I went home with:

Zucchini – 2 pcs
Red Onions – 2 pcs.…………1 hd. cabbage
Long Peppers – 2 pcs
Green Peppers 1 – 2 pcs
Yukon Gold Potatoes – 3 lbs
Parsley – 1 bun………………..1 bun. kale
Cucumber – 1 pc
Red Kale – 1 bun
Green Beans – .3 lb
Cabbage – 1 hd
Garlic – 2 hds

I would have traded the onions and the potatoes for more kale, but,  despite the fact that there was a lot of kale in the trade box, most of it was very holey, and I did not think that would make for luscious kale chips, so I only came away with two bunches, which I will do up tomorrow night.

I did trade the onions for another head of cabbage. (I am in sauerkraut mode this week – the first batch will be ready tomorrow night — and I want to try some new flavors, so small heads like I got will be perfect for small jars of flavored sauerkraut.

I have sent a message to the farm asking about the green peppers.  I do trust my farm, but aren’t we told that green peppers are unripe? (The farm knows about me, i.e., I am a raw vegan and I write about them and talk about raw food issues, so I am looking forward to their answer — will relay it here as soon as it comes through-– I have asked them to tell me, if in fact *green* is the ripe color of these peppers, what the actual *name* of the peppers is)

7/15/10 CSA SHARE: What they say we will get

Here is what the farm newsletter says we will get this week:

Zucchini – 5-7 pcs
Scallions – 1 bun
Swiss Chard – 1 bun
Corn- 4 pcs
Basil – 1 bun
Cucumber- 1 pc
Toscano Kale – 1 bun
Romaine lettuce – 1 bun
Broccoli – 3 pcs

The fruit share is up in the air.  It will be a happy surprise

I think that I will make zucchini chips this time – I’m a bit backed up on the zucchini.  I think I will make them with the kale chip sauce, and also I may try a new idea I have in mind.

I made kale chips with all the kale I got last time, and then I turned around and ate about 3 bunches worth of kale chips in 3 days.  (I figure that, with the cashew/red bell pepper/lemon coating, surely that must have been at least dinner).  I will probably use some of the kale this time to make kale/cashew stuffed tomatoes

4 ears of corn isn’t enough to do corn chips, so I will probably make my “mexican corn” (I eyeball the ingredient amounts)

• Corn, removed from the cob
• Red bell pepper, chopped fine
• Onion, chopped fine
• Lemon juice  to taste (yes, folks, you are seeing me include lemon juice in a “plate recipe — I do use lemon juice in cheezes and sometimes in crackers, and when I do the Master Cleanse, but no one will ever be able to accuse me of being a great friend of lemon juice)
• black pepper to taste
• sea salt to taste (I don’t use it, but you might)

I just combine everything, toss it, and serve.

KALE/CASHEW STUFFED TOMATOES – Dinner Tonight

The centerpiece for dinner tonight is going to be kale/cashew-stuffed tomatoes.  This is a recipe that I have made three times already — it was a hit with my room-mate from Day One!   (I am surprised that I haven’t posted it yet, but… better late than never!)   Here it is:

CASHEW/KALE PATE STUFFED TOMATOES
based on a recipe found at naturallivingcuisine.com

2 lg heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes, washed, tops cut off, and center carved out (save for salad or for topping the tomato extravaganza
1 C cashews, soaked and rinsed
2 C kale, chopped fine
2 – 3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 C onion, chopped
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 C fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Sprinkle inside of tomatoes with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Thoroughly combine remaining ingredients in the food processor and process fine.
Stuff tomatoes with cashew-kale blend.
Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired..

NOTE:You can make this up to 24 hrs. in advance – place in a covered container, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Remove from the refrigerator 1 hr. before serving.

The first time I made this, I used one heirloom tomato (they are very large), and I ended up cutting it in half, because we just don’t eat food that heavy in one meal.  The second time, I got an “ugly tomato” — that is what it was called at the market  – it looked pretty much like an heirloom, was cheaper,  and was even larger than an heirloom!  I still cut it in half.  Today,  I just got two beefsteaks, because they were very red.)

When I have made this before,  I have come up with extra kale/cashew pate.  Because I am unreliable when it comes to serving leftovers, I always form patties or balls (depending on what is left-over) and dehydrate them for later. I refrigerate the dehydrated patties or balls for later in the week — this works out well for me, since I work on weekends, and would rather not have to think about what to put in the lunch box.

If you have the choice  between heirlooms and beefsteaks, or other tomatoes,  the heirlooms are actually easier to work with, because their walls tend to be thicker, and the interior is easier to cut out, and less juice tends to pool in the bottom of the hollowed out tomato (in my experience).  If an heirloom is  too large for one serving for you,  you can cut it in half and either share the other half or refrigerate for the next day.