6/21/12 CSA SHARE: What they say we will get

POST #754

This is what they say we will get tomorrow:

Kohlrabi – 1 piece
Fennel – 1 piece
Carrots – 1 bunch
Cilantro – 1 bunch
Escarole – 1 head
Scallions – 1 bunch
Arugula – 1 bag
Green Romaine Lettuce – 1 head
Green Boston Lettuce – 1 head

Most people cook kohlrabi, but I slice it thin on a mandolin, and use it as a wrapper for raw vegan ravioli.  Some folks slice it thin, salt it, and then eat it like that. You can also slice it thin and make matchsticks of it, and throw it in salads. 

I chop up fennel and put it in whatever I am making. It gives a kind of licorice flavor to a salad.

Everything else will go to salad (you know me – not going to happen that often).  Since I’m getting so much salad-y kind of stuff, I expect I will again be experimenting with green smoothies (hear, here, I hate green smoothies, but I can buy some bananas and some apples and experiment with adding those to lettuce drinks.  I am committed to using all of these vegetables (especially since I am way broke, so, once again, this is all the fresh food I have — I have some canned things and dried things in the pantry, left over from last year)

If you are like me, do not try to put arugula in your smoothie (it tastes like dirty feet — okay, like dirty feet smell — I’ve never actually tasted it because the smell was so off-putting)    Arugula does tastes nice in salads, and it is also tasty mixed into sprouted quinoa, with other vegetables.

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NEW SALAD DRESSING: old standby recipe!

I have been using my cheddar cheez recipe lately as a salad dressing.  I first did it with arugula, but then, I started thinking that it is, basically, a creamy red bell pepper dressing with a cheesy flavor, so I have been watering it down for most salads lately.

RAW CHEDDAR CHEEZ DIP (or spread)

1 C cashews
1/3 red or orange bell pepper, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 t onion salt
1/2 t sea salt

Blend all ingredients together.

OPTIONAL:
Add 1 t chili powder

10-11-07 SHARE: What I Got

As usual, my box was a surprise! No surprise there!

Spinach ________________ 3 Tomatoes
Broccoli Qty:____________ 2 heads
Baby Bok Choi Qty:______ 4 pieces
Green Kale Qty:_________ 1 bunch
Red Leaf Lettuce Qty:____ 1 head
Red Batavian Lettuce ____ Qty: 1 head
White Salad Turnips______ Qty: 2 bunches
Red Radishes ___________ NO SUBSTITUTION!!!!
Long Red Peppers _______ Qty: 3 pieces

The kale is pretty, and the turnip greens are nice-looking. The broccoli looks good too. Whatever will I do with all this lettuce? At least it is the nice soft kind. I guess it is going to be another week of salad nights. I wonder if you can dehydrate lettuce? I will probably dehydrate some of the red peppers.

I got some apples and some pears, too. Yum. I think I will juice some and then dehydrate the rest.

10-11-07 SHARE: What They Promised

This is what they promised. 

Spinach                             Qty: 1 bunch
Broccoli                            Qty: 2 heads
Baby Bok Choi                Qty: 4 pieces
Green Kale                      Qty: 1 bunch
Red Leaf Lettuce            Qty: 1 head
Red Batavian Lettuce     Qty: 1 head
White Salad Turnips        Qty: 2 bunches
Red Radishes                  Qty: 1 bunch
Long Red Peppers           Qty: 3 pieces

DINNER TONIGHT

DINNER TONIGHT

Sorry no specific recipes. I just looked at what I had from the CSA tonight, and what I had left over from last week, with some almonds and dehydrated tomato slices (thanks to the 40 lbs of tomatoes last month!) I had on hand.

I chose:
red kale
several turnip leaves
an onion
a red bell pepper
two Roma tomatoes
1 med. small turnip
1 beet
arugula leaves
1 red lettuce leaf
1/4 clove garlic
@ 1 tomato worth of dried tomato slices, soaked
some almonds
Thai curry paste
sea salt
apple cider vinegar
extra virgin olive oil

I made massaged greens salad with the kale and turnip leaves (see recipe in recipes section), 1/4 onion, all sliced very thin, 1/4 bell pepper minced, a squirt of Thai green curry paste, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a dash of olive oil (extra virgin, of course).

I made a pate with @ 1-1/2 C almonds, 2 Roma tomatoes, the dried tomato slices, 3/4 red bell pepper, 1/2 onion, 1/4 clove garlic, all ground fine in the food processor.

I made a beet/turnip/onion salad with the turnip, the beet, 1/4 onion, and @1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar. I processed everything fine in the food processor, to the consistency of apple sauce.

Because my room-mate is a foodie, and cares about presentation, I placed the greens neatly on the plate, put three arugula leaves on the plate and flattened two balls of the pate on top of them, and then put 1/2 of the red lettuce leaf on the plate and arranged an interesting drizzle of the beet/turnip/onion salad in the shape of the leaf. She ended up wrapping the pate in the arugula leaves, and the beet/turnip/onion salad in the lettuce. (I ended up copying her wraps, and I wrapped the greens with the pate)

You know… I did not stop to think about food combining tonight. I absolutely did not think about 80/10/10 (because I never do). I know I need some fat and protein, so there were the almonds and the oil (I did consciously think about that). This was a totally “intuitive” meal.

I feel okay, and I am really happy that I had a delicious meal. I do not feel any ill effects, and I am going to save the leftovers and eat them tomorrow at work. I really do not even feel that I need to be giving excuses, although I am, simply so you will not go saying “Oh, but you should have….” Let’s put it this way. I ate a good healthy meal. My body is happy, and I am not having any rash break-outs (that is how my body reacts to wrong eating). I am full, and I am looking forward to tomorrow, not to the next thing to eat.

10-04-07 CSA SHARE: WHAT I REALLY GOT: Surprise! Surprise!

Boo hoo!!!! there I was hoping for that delicious red kale again — and I was looking forward to broccoli…… oh well… this is a crap shoot, or, more positively, we could look at it as a “surprise party” every week. I’m glad I started writing here, because it is interesting, since I have started tracking, to see how many times they got my hopes up and then delivered something else. The something else, more often than not, stretches my creativity,and opens up new avenues and choices.

We are back to lettuce. Lots of it, again. I turned in one red lettuce for more arugula.

WHAT I EXPECTED/WHAT I GOT

Baby Arugula
Cherry Tomatoes
Broccoli Swiss chard (looks like I’m no expert)
Red Kale Collards
Red Beets…. huh? Is there any other color?
Red Leaf Lettuce
Batavian Lettuce
White Turnips
Baby Pumpkin

I also got three things of baby bok choi

Tonight will be grated beet and turnip mix, massaged kale (left over from last week, but still good), probably mixed with beet greens (I looked for kalamata olives, but did not see any at the market, so I will probably do these with sea salt — I was suprised to see, last week, that, with about 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, the greens practically “melted” (I had never tried adding salt, mainly because I do not use salt, and just have the one shaker-full for guests). I’ll probably make a nut pate with some of the dehydrated tomatoes, because I want some protein and some fat.

I will make my usual massaged kale salad with the collards and a little added onion. (This week, I did the kale with Thai curry paste, and it was a smash hit… I think it would be better with sesame oil, so I will look for some extra-virgin sesame oil, if there is such a thing— otherwise, I think it will be okay with olive oil)

I will also make some salads via Tomoko’s method of cutting the lettuce to shreds (even though this lettuce is so soft) to take to school for lunch on the weekend.)

Uh oh! Here comes Princess Pet Kitty! Must stop and bow to Her Petness’s demands or she will walk on the keyboard. Must sign off right away. Ahhh, but she is so beautiful and sweet and loving and friendly when I do her bidding. She even purrs for me, if I pet her on demand. How lucky I am to have her!

Cool Idea for Lettuce

    My room-mate served a lettuce salad that caught my attention this evening.  She cut the lettuce for the salad in very thin shreds or ribbons, not unlike the “tapenade” cut I do with the kale, collards, and other greens, for my massaged greens recipe.

I do not like to chew lettuce, but this was much easier to eat regular chopped or torn lettuce. 

Tune in to learn the answer to the Big Question:  Will PrettySmartOne become a lettuce eater?