Organic Harvest Box July 5, 2012

It's Thursday evening, I've travelled the Ontario countryside today for work, Brockville and then along the St. Lawrence to Gananoque, and up to Westport and then back to the city.  Hence, no veggie box yet.  I'm looking at the list of ingredients and can't wait to see everything tomorrow.  All I can think is green, green, fresh, green veggies, the kale, the choi, lettuce, basil, more scapes, pears and the green onions.  Most of our vegetables are getting eaten raw this time of year.  And I'm not sure why I even considered any recipes for my peaches or nectarines last week - the kids gobbled them up by Sunday.  I don't doubt that the same will happen this week.

Everything on the list this week (maybe cauliflower excluded) can be used in salad.  And given our heat and the forecast for the coming days - anything that doesn't require cooking is a blessing.  Add some grilled chicken, a can of tuna, or some chickpeas to your salad to make it a meal.  My favorite dressings for salads are homemade.  I have both a salad dressing making bottle (one of those home party companies that list their ingredients down the side for each different dressing) or my tried and true Tupperware Gravy Shaker.  To either I add some olive oil to start (try a nut oil for different flavor), then some vinegar (balsamic, cider, red wine) or fresh squeezed lemon juice, or grapefruit juice, then some seasonings, fresh chopped herbs, maple syrup, garlic, mustard, poppy seeds, or finely chopped onion, a pinch of salt to bring all the flavors together and then shake it up and place in the fridge until you are ready to use it.  You can put it in a jam jar with a sealer top and it should keep for a few days at least.  

My kale chips - they were a bit overdone

I started searching some recipes for red kale specifically and came across so many things that sound delicious.  Again, if I wrote this earlier in the week, I would know to order extras!  I really love how kale turns out in a salad when you massage the dressing into it - like in this very simple Red Kale, Raisin and Toasted Almond Salad and it's topped with Manchego cheese, one of my favorites.  I also love the idea of using the kale chopped up in an omelette, frittata, or Red Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares (you could try substituting the green onions from the box).  The most interesting recipe I found for red kale this week is by far this Bacon Wrapped Red Kale recipe from the Preserving the Soul food blog.

Bacon Wrapped Russian Red Kale
 
1 Head of Kale - Halved or Quartered (depending on size)
1-2 pieces of bacon (depending on your love for bacon)
Handful of fresh thyme
Oil Oil
Balsamic Vinegar 

Halve one Kale. In a mortar, mash up the oil and thyme, drizzle it on the leafs then wrap it in bacon. Drizzle the balsamic and put it in the oven at 375 for, approximately 25-30 minutes or so.

I don't feel very innovative with pak choi - all I do is stir fry it.  If it was winter I would undoubtedly put it into a Chinese noodle soup but not right now.  There are so many different recipes for pak choi or bok choy that it's hard to choose just a few to post.  You might be better off to just pick your favorite stir fry recipe and add your pak choi to that.  This week you could also use small cauliflower florets, garlic scapes cut into 1-2" pieces, and the green onions to fill out the stir fry.  Add some chicken, pork, fish or tofu for some protein and then whip up an Easy Stir Fry Sauce.  I've come across two different sites that have great tips and some easy straight forward stir fry sauces.  First this Super Easy Stir Fry Guide from allrecipes.com walks through the steps of making stir fry and this post on www.fortysomething.ca gives a great list of 15 easy sauces to put on a stir fry.  However, if you want one recipe from start to finish try this Honey Chicken with Pak Choi.

If your cherry tomatoes don't just get eaten as snacks they would go well in this Chickpea and Cherry Tomato Salad.  Or if you have the air conditioner running and don't mind doing a bit of cooking at the stove, Jamie Oliver's recipe for Simple Summer Spaghetti is a great option for the cherry tomatoes and basil, you could substitute the garlic scapes for the garlic, and add some green onion as well.


We are off on holidays starting this weekend and heading to the cottage.  That means that I might actually get to cook all these things that I research each week.  And it also means that I don't have an internet connection and won't be able to post this coming week.  Enjoy.

Organic Harvest Box for May 31, 2012

It just might be a soup weekend again, given that I have to close the windows in the house as it is getting too cold!!  I picked up my box today and the small coloured peppers are just about gone as they were my lunch when I was late for an appointment this afternoon.  Then I could barely keep them on the table to get the photo before little fingers were grabbing at them and just eating them raw.  I really shouldn't say too much because about a dozen blueberries snuck their way into my mouth pre-photo shoot as well.  I took the tomatoes out of their packaging in order to set up the photo and if the other ones are like mine, it would be best not to keep them in the packaging too long as they are ready to eat.

I am excited about the eggplant this week.  I didn't write about the eggplant last time as it was a late substitution so all week I've been thinking about it and what to write about.  There is this recipe that my uncle made when we were visiting him in Edmonton last year.  I tried messaging him and voice mailing him and he still hasn't gotten back to me - so I am going to do my best to wing it with the recipe because it is delicious.  Some quick tips first:

• To store the eggplant,wrap it in a paper towel or the paper it came in, 
• Place it in a plastic bag with holes and/or in the veggie crisper, 
• Eggplant shouldn't be left for more than about 4 days in the refrigerator as then it starts to get bitter,
• Try to use the eggplant as soon as possible for best flavor and results.  

My uncle would slice the eggplant, brush it with some olive oil and then grill it until soft.  He then cut it into strips and marinated it in . . .this is where I get stuck - I'm sure it was olive oil, garlic, some salt, and . . .whatever else was in there made it absolutely delicious served on crackers or sliced baguette or your favorite crispy bread.  (I'm sure he'll call me back sometime and I'll be able to fill you in.)  This Calabrian recipe for Melanzane Arrostite (Marinated Eggplant with Olive Oil, Garlic and Mint) looks delicious and very similar to my uncle's eggplant.  I also came across this recipe for Spicy Grilled Eggplant that I think would be very tasty and the slices could be used on a sandwich for a meal.  The eggplant could be roasted with the coloured peppers (stove or grill) with some olive oil, chopped and then added to some chopped tomatoes and fresh herbs to make a bruschetta.

The baby bok choy looks fantastic, so fresh and full, but make sure to give them a good wash when you are ready to use them.  Bok choy is a member of the cabbage family and apparently has some of the highest anti-oxidant levels compared to other veggies in the cabbage family.  It is also a great source of Vitamins A and C, fibre, folic acid, and calcium.  It can be stored in the veggie crisper for up to a week.  Chinese cabbage of any variety usually ends up in a stir fry at our house, and it's easy to use but a bit time consuming to do it right.  The stems take a bit longer to cook than the leaves so I often end up taking a little extra time when slicing the bok choy in order to put the stems in to cook before the leaves.  You might have to go get some shitake mushrooms, as the most appealing recipes that I found for baby bok choy included shitakes.  And coincidentally, all my favorite recipes for bok choy are from LCBO's Food and Drink (my vast collection sits in the bookcase next to me as I type each week).  Four different ideas for bok choy:

• Cold Noodle Salad
• House Noodles with Chicken - use the peppers as well in this one
• Steamed Chicken Breasts with Aspargus, Baby Bok Choy and Shitake Mushrooms 
• Bok Choy Stir Fry - for an easy side dish

I do get a bit wordy doing this but I have so many yummy food ideas all the time for all these veggies.  I don't ever get to cooking all of them, but I daydream about all of the fantastic recipes that I would have endless to make - and they would all turn out delicious of course.  Bear with me for two more things. Number 1 - cauliflower - my absolute favorite way to eat it is to toss the florets with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, roast it in the oven at 400F for 20 min or so.  While it is cooking, mix up some cream or preferably creme fraiche, a bit of dijon mustard, and a small squeeze of lemon juice.  When the cauliflower is done cooking, toss it with the sauce.  

Number 2 and last thing for this week - field cucumbers - I know I had one witty post about uses for cucumber, but I have to admit, they are lunch box fare in general for us.  Cukes are so good just sliced up on their own, or with just a dash of salt to curb that craving for a salty snack that it's hard to make a point of "cooking" with them.  I do have one recipe that I use regularly that makes great use of the cucumbers - Gingery Pork and Cucumber Pitas.  My mom found it in Real Simple magazine and every time I make it, my husband and I say to ourselves, "why don't we make this more often?"  It's so easy, and so good and now I feel like I've given you a real recipe for cucumbers.

Thursday, May 12th box

by Brie

Our box this week was filled with some great looking produce. I can’t wait to get cooking because I know the produce is going to taste as good as it looks!

Cauliflower, which is low in fat and high in dietary fiber and vitamin C, is a versatile vegetable to cook with. From soups to salads to curries, it can be chopped up and tossed into pies or stews. It can even be used as a substitute for rice. Combining cauliflower with the beets that also came in this week’s box results in some great sounding recipes, like spice roasted cauliflower with beet emulsion and beet and cauliflower latkes.

Beets have been recognized to contain nutrients that help protect against heart disease and certain cancers, especially colon cancer. They also contain folic acid, which is great for pregnant women. I think that I love beets best for their colour. They are such a deep and vibrant red. Every time I see them in our box I resolve to make a beet cake! If only for the red colour of the cake. Try adding beets to some of the other produce in your box and serve roasted beet and apple salad or roasted beets, broccoli and spinach quinoa. This beet stew with lamb meatballs would make a great dish for a dinner party!

Broccoli and zucchini, despite their difference, are easy to interchange between dishes. Both are great for stirfrys and fritters and soups. Try using the zucchini in this vegetable chowder and the broccoli in this blue cheese and chargrilled pear soup. The only thing I think zucchini is better at then broccoli is baking. So if you feel like baking make some zucchini bread, or better yet some chocolate chip orange zucchini bread.

Our box this week also contained some tomatoes, arugula and lettuce, perfect for a summer salad. Maybe with a nice Asian ginger salad dressing. And for snacking or light desserts, the box contained a bunch of bananas. Gala apples, Valencia oranges and Bartlett pears.

These are some of the ideas on my menu plan this week. What are you cooking?

Brie loves eating food and is learning to love cooking food. She also blogs about motherhood at Capital Mom and about Ottawa with kids at Kids in the Capital.

Thursday, March 10th: Making muffins and roasting vegetables

by Brie

Our box this week arrived after dinner and the kids had to open it as soon as we dragged it into the house. They they had to sit and eat half the strawberries. I managed to snag one for myself and it was good!




Some anjou pears arrived in the box which means I will be making my favorite spiced anjou pear bread. This bread recipe has been one of my best discoveries and is perfect for taking visiting. It also got me thinking about how I could bake with the grapefruit. Grapefruit muffins anyone? And because we go through muffins like crazy in this house I am also going to turn the big bag of carrots into spiced carrot muffins. I like to make the mini muffins and freeze some to be pulled out when needed for snacks.

There were two greens in the box this week, Swiss chard and spinach. I am going to cook the chard with chick peas and fresh tomatoes and serve it with quinoa but you could also try a chard and goat cheese pizza or spicy Thai vegetable soup. I am going to try making these spinach brownies. The spinach would also be tasty in this curried lentil and spinach soup.

Whenever I see little potatoes in my box I always want to sprinkle them with some sea salt and roast them. Yum. You can't go wrong with roasted potatoes. I have the same urge with yams, but cut as fries. But they would also be great baked and served with cream cheese. The beautiful cauliflower will end up being roasted with sea salt and thrown into my favorite soup recipe. For something different you could try a cauliflower cheese pie or cauliflower curry.

This is what's on my menu plan this week. What are you cooking?

Brie loves eating food and is learning to love cooking food. She also blogs about motherhood at Capital Mom and about Ottawa with kids at Kids in the Capital.

Thursday, February 3rd box: Baking with fruit and roasting vegetables

I have been looking forward to our food box all week! And knowing what was coming just made me more excited.

There was a lot of fruit in this week's box, which is great because we love to eat fruit, but after making an amazing Anjou pear bread recipe last week I am tempted to hide the fruit away and not let anyone eat it. I may just save it all for baking! The navel oranges would be great for this orange yogurt phyllo pastry dessert, bananas foster are my idea of a treat, I could eat this grapefruit pudding cake with a spoon and if the pear bread doesn't interest you how about some pear cake. If you want to get more creative with the fruit you could try orange, lemon and grapefruit marmalade (perfect for using both the oranges and grapefruits), fennel and orange salad (don't you love it when a recipe lets you use two items from your box) or even, wait for it, creamy banana lettuce salad.

Maybe it is the cold and snow, but all I want to do is roast some vegetables. I will be making my favorite roasted cauliflower soup (which doesn't have to be vegan if you use cream or milk), but I was also tempted by roasted cauliflower with cumin and coriander or even the spicy cauliflower recipe. The snap peas from this weeks box are going to tossed into this sesame maple roasted tofu recipe, although they would also be good cooked with ginger or lemon. I am also going to make the campfire potatoes (in the oven not the BBQ), but the potatoes would also be lovely in a scalloped potato and fennel recipe or a kale potato puree.

I have decided to try some different recipes with the zucchini and Swiss chard. I am hoping the kids will like either the cheddar zucchini fritters or cheesy broiled zucchini. I am going to make a rainbow chard pie for dinner with friends this weekend, but I am sure it would be just as good cooked up with garlic and lemon or with roasted beets.

This is what's on my menu plan this week. What are you cooking?

Brie loves eating food and is learning to love cooking food. She also blogs about motherhood at Capital Mom and about Ottawa with kids at Kids in the Capital.

Organic Harvest Box for November 19, 2010

Here is a colourful and bright organic Harvest Box for a cold Fall day in November:

Kale - a form of cabbage - is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties.  It is also has anti-inflammatory properties.  Is is high in beta carotene, Vitamin K, Vitamin C and calcium. And if all that's not enough to sell you on this leafy veggie, how about the fact that it is believed to be full of anti-cancer chemicals as well?  That's what I thought.  Now go grab that head of kale and get busy cooking!

Kale is lovely in salads, and a delicious one to try is this Kale Salad with Blood Orange and Lemon.  It is also a perfect vegetable to serve cooked, like in this Pasta with Black Kale, Carmelized Onions and Parsnip or Polenta with White Beans and Black Kale. And it is also pretty fantastic in soups, and I recommend trying this delightful Butternut Squash, White Beans and Black Kale Soup or a rich Bacon, Tomato, and Kale Soup.

Finished cooking all that kale?  Then grab that head of cauliflower and serve up a piping hot bowl of Roasted Cauliflower and Poblano Pepper Soup. And while we're talking roasted cauliflower, why not try this Oven-Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Lemon from the culinary expert himself, Emeril Lagasse?  I also like to cook cauliflower with a little Indian flavour, and I came across a few interesting recipes this week.  I love the look of this Cauliflower Sabzi, as well as this simple Curried Cauliflower. And although I had to google "Panch Phoran" because I didn't know what it was (and I eat a lot of Indian food), I'm convinced I'm going to make this Cauliflower Dal with Panch Phoran this week if I get a chance.  A final dish I located on my search was this Pasta with Spicy Cauliflower Sauce- perfect for a light weeknight meal.

Green peppers - versatile and easy to cook in just about anything. Throw them on top of your favourite dough and make yourself a Green Pepper Pizza. Got some chicken lying around?  Toss your peppers into this Shredded Chicken with Green Pepper. Prefer steak?  No problem if you're ready to whip up a Green Pepper Steak.  Other yummy dishes include Green Pepper Masala and Green Pepper Chili - both easy but extremely tasty. And be sure to check out this Green Pepper and Tomato Salad from Rachael Ray as it will leave you coming back for more.

Until next week . . . enjoy your organic cooking!

 

 

Organic Harvest Box for October 1, 2010

Another beautiful Fall organic Harvest Box this week! Full of delicious goodness . . .


Earlier this week Tasha passed on some great recipes for your mustard greens, so be sure to check them out.

And what about that gorgeous head of cabbage? For something with a little flare, why not try this Spiced Red Cabbage? Cabbage lends itself beautifully to salads and slaws, and both this Red Cabbage Salad and Crispy Red Cabbage Salad are definite winners. I also like this Red Cabbage Tomato Slaw. A chilly fall night begs for Red Cabbage Soup, especially nice this time of year. And this Red Cabbage, Green Bean, and Pasta Salad with Yogurt Dressing offers up something a little different. Are you a fan of Pickled Cabbage? Try this recipe out and let us know what you think of it!

Let's talk leeks! I've grown more and more fond of leeks over the past few years, as I have branched out and tried new and tasty recipes. Leeks, part of the onion family, have a mild onion taste but are less bitter than scallions. The part of the leeks that are edible are the bundle of leaf sheaths known as the stem or stalk. After they are cleaned (very carefully!) they can be chopped and added to a variety of recipes.

For example, who could resist this Leek, Ricotta and Lemon Flatbread? Or a Leek and Thyme Tart? Both of these would be perfect for lunch or alongside a hearty soup or stew at dinner. I have tried Roasted Leeks a few times, and they were delicious. And, I found this dish with Fried Leeks with Sweet and Sour Red Pepper and thought it looked quite interesting. Also on my radar was this Leek Pasta - another I have not tried but am interested in tasting.

Leeks are fabulous in soups . . . especially something like this Summer Squash and Leek Puree. But if you're a regular reader of mine, you'll know my family's personal favourite is Potato Leek Soup not the healthiest option, but so rich and delicious a small bowl is like a little taste of heaven! I haven't served it to anyone who didn't fall in love with it - and I make it often.

Moving on to cauliflower. I posted last winter about my success with Simple Roasted Cauliflower, and we still choose that recipe most of the time. Summer picnics and barbecues are a great time to try out this Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad - it packs well and tastes delicious a few hours later. I think these Cauliflower Pakoras with Cilantro Mint Sauce would be a big hit in my house, and I'm also anxious to try Garlicky Braised Cauliflower with Capers. Another healthy choice is this Spring Frittata with Cauliflower and Green Beans. And for those conscious of their weight or trying to cut back on carbs, dishes like these Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower and Green Onion Mash are wonderful alternatives to a heavier, potato-based side dish. And, yes, they really taste amazing!

Enjoy your week . . . and happy tasting!

Simple Roasted Cauliflower

A friend suggested I try this simple, tasty method of cooking cauliflower. It's incredibly easy and takes no time at all - and tastes delicious.

Cut your cauliflower (I added some broccolette too) up and put it on a baking sheet - toss with olive oil, a little lemon juice, salt and pepper. Garlic or any spices you have on hand would add extra flavour.

Bake in your oven for about 25 minutes, remove and delight your taste buds with this amazing and crunchy vegetable dish. This is simple enough to serve with almost any main dish, and guess what? Kids like it!! Two of my three little ones ate it . . . and it doesn't really get any better than that.

Harvest Box for January 15, 2010

Doesn't the arrival of your Harvest Box just brighten up a cold and chilly day for you??? Thinking of all that potential deliciousness . . .


This week inside your Harvest Box you'll find a head of cauliflower. Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C, possessing a very high nutritional density.
Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed or eaten raw. When cooking, the outer leaves and thick stalks are removed, leaving only the florets.

Cauliflower is absolutely delicious in a curry - if you get a chance, why not try this Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry - nutritious and filling at the same time for a meatless dish. This Cauliflower Casserole also looks tasty and I think this Cauliflower Lentil Rice Bake would make a great weeknight meal. Like traditional comfort food, only healthier! I'm trying to find more ways to get my three kids to eat spinach. It's so darn good for them but they are just not big salad-lovers. I'm thinking serving this Spinach Bacon Quiche to them would certainly change their minds. We are (embarrassingly) big bacon fans so I'm hoping this quiche will have a little "zing" to it.

(Any time a recipe calls for frozen spinach, you can almost always replace it with fresh. I do it on a regular basis and it always tastes great!)

I like the sound of this Beef and Spinach Lasagna - the ingredients (and the photo) lead me to believe it is pretty yummy. I like the combo of beef and spinach together, as again, I think I can convince my kids to eat it. For the veg lovers out there, why not try a traditional Spinach Lasagna with white sauce? Not too difficult to make and a definite crowd pleaser or Sunday night favourite.

Take your bright, sunny yellow lemon and put it to good use in a scrumptious dish of Lemon Chicken. I've made lots of lemon chicken in my time, but this recipe I have yet to try and am anxious to do so. It looks fantastic. Got a hankering for pasta?? Get moving on this Peppered Lemon Chicken Pasta and show your family and friends how simple can taste fantastic.

Although there are not green beans in the box this week, I did come across a new food blog with interesting recipes on it that I wanted to share. I pulled this Roasted Shrimp with Green Beans from there and am hoping to get a chance to make it soon. Our family adores shrimp and with the added nutrition in the green beans, I don't think you can go wrong.

For more recipes on a specific food, check out our labels on the right hand column of this blog - click on each link to be rerouted to recipes for each food item.

Have a great week and enjoy!