I was happy to see an entire box of mandarin/clementine oranges this week! My kids absolutely adore eating these sweet little treats, and I often peel them for them and put them in a container in their lunch to take to school (not able to peel them on their own yet, they're both in kindergarten!). We can pretty easily go through an entire box just peeling and eating them, but for something different I may try this Baby Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Red Onion. Looks like a light, healthy lunch or even dinner, perhaps served with some chicken or fish. I'm also wondering about these Chicken Salad Pitas (with Mandarin Oranges) - I'm thinking they look pretty tasty and would be a refreshing change from our boring old peanut butter sandwiches.
I love yams so I'm going to tell you, once again, that my favourite recipe is still Roasted Mashed Potatoes and Yams. It's delicious, fairly easy to make, and a big family favourite here. For a couple different options, try Yams with Toasted Spice Rub or Crushed Yams with Steamed Spinach - with all that added spinach this has got to be jam packed with vitamins and nutrients! Another family-friendly recipe are these Sweet Potato Sticks - kids gobble them up. (Adults do too, for that matter!)
If you're looking for some healthier fare as part of your New Year Resolutions, take your cherry tomatoes and throw them into a delicious BLT Salad - there is not *that* much bacon in it, and you could cut back even more if you wanted to reduce the fat content. I also like the looks of this Grilled Balsamic Chicken and Tomato Salad and hope to add it to our menu one night this week.
Scared of that red, leafy vegetable peeking out from inside your Harvest Box? It's Red Chard and it is packed with nutrition - it's an excellent source of vitamins C, E and K, carotenes, chlorphyll, and fiber. Chard is also a good source of minerals like potassium, magnesium, and iron. Add to all this the benefits of B6, protein, calcium, thiamine, zinc, and folic acid and you really can't beat the health benefits of this leafy vegetable.
Some easy but tasty chard recipes to try are this Seared Red Chard from Rachael Ray and this Red Chard and Caramelized Onions.
I found this recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Smashed Potatoes and thought that my family might like it - although they are big broccoli eaters so I often just steam or boil the broccoli and toss on a little olive oil and salt and pepper.
Over Christmas a friend of mine lent me a couple Ina Garten cookbooks and I'm really enjoying them. I fell in love with a couple of her vegetable dish recipes, including this Mashed Yellow Turnips with Crispy Shallots. I only started cooking with shallots in the past year or so, and I love finding new ways to use them.
And what better way to use a whole slew of winter veggies together than in this recipe for Roasted Winter Vegetables??? Enjoy!
Roasted Winter Vegetables
by Ina Garten
(Copyright 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, All rights reserved)
by Ina Garten
(Copyright 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, All rights reserved)
1 pound carrots, peeled
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 small butternut squash, peeled and seeded (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and butternut squash in 1 to 1 1/4-inch cubes. All the vegetables will shrink while baking, so don't cut them too small.
Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss well. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.
Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.
Have a great week, and be sure to check back with us next week for more recipes and tips for your Harvest Box . . .
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