Organic Harvest Box for June 7, 2012

When I picked up my box today, Tasha gave me the heads up that the spinach needs to be eaten first if you can.  It's also important to cut the tops off the radishes, which I did right after this photo.  And, I cut the tops off my carrots right before I took this picture (it makes them easier to fit in the frame) and then proceeded to leave them on the counter and didn't find them until I was mostly through putting everything away, hence no carrots in the photo..

Thank you very much if you took the time to complete the Survey Monkey.  Those of you who read the blog are in the minority, some people even emailed Tasha to say that they didn't know that the blog existed.  But the feedback about the blog itself seemed very positive.  I'm going to keep writing it for now, until Tasha tells me otherwise, and maybe can arrange for it to be emailed out as that seemed to be the preference.  I'm a bit of recipe junkie so I still love researching everything and sharing all my thoughts.

I wanted to update you with my uncle's eggplant recipe (that I couldn't quite remember last week) because it is so good.  I did have to call him again just to get it right.  Here goes: slice the eggplant into 1/4" slices, brush it with olive oil, grill it but not too long as it will get mushy.  After it's grilled, let it cool, and then slice it into thin strips.  Mix up some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped garlic, a bit of white wine and pepper.  Marinate the eggplant at least overnight, and it will keep for a few days.  Serve it on crackers or sliced baguette.  It would be good also as a salad topper or on a grilled sandwich.  

This week's list just screams salads.  With all the lovely fruit, the avocado, (which is a fruit as well technically) the butter lettuce and the spinach, I picture fancy salads.  I couldn't resist "googling" the combination of spinach, grapefruit, and avocado and came across a couple of great recipes, the two I would recommend are Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado (I'm a little addicted to quinoa since I bought the 1kg bag of it from Costco) and Grapefruit, Avocado and Spinach Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette - use the juice from an orange instead of the grapefruit to make the dressing.  And you could interchange spinach or the lettuce from this week's box in either recipe.  This recipe from www.skinnytaste.com for Avocado Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette also caught my eye to make use of the cucumbers, avocado, orange and lettuce.  Darn, wish I would've ordered extra avocados and extra grapefruit.  Hindsight is 20/20 right, or maybe I really need to be trying to write the blog on Monday nights when we get the first list so I can adjust my order on Tuesday!

I can't really remember when I started using more cremini mushrooms, they sort of feel like something new to me as I don't remember them being around when I was growing up but I also feel like I've been using them as long as I have been cooking for myself.  We tend to buy them over white mushrooms as they are a bit "meatier" and hold up better in cooking, however if I am using them raw, I do make sure to slice them pretty thin.  So as I was thinking about how I use creminis, I decided that I don't really know anything about them, or the nutritional importance of mushrooms in general.  For us, they are just necessary for a variety of things: pizza, stroganoff, mushroom barley soup - see below, and sauteed with onions for my husband any chance he gets, and I've never really thought about them too much.  So I did a bit of reading and was happy to find a lot of good information that supports what I already thought or do when it comes to mushrooms:

• Button mushrooms, creminis and portobellos are all the same type of mushroom but just differ based on their age.  Button mushrooms being the youngest and softest in texture, creminis are a little older with a darker flesh and a meatier consistency, and portobellos are the most aged with the darkest color and a full thick cap.
• Creminis have a bit of a fuller taste and do stand up better in cooking because of their meatier texture,
• "Mushrooms need a shower, not a bath" as stated in this story from The Kitchn.  I love this quote because it confirms what I've been doing for years.  I got tired of wiping mushrooms with a damp paper towel, went through too many paper towels which was a waste in my mind, and I started just running the mushrooms under a little water and wiping them with my hand.  
• Mushrooms can help the immune system, help protect against cardiovascular disease, have a significant source of conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) which can help with certain forms of breast cancer, and can potentially contain vitamin B12 depending on the type of mushroom (taken from www.whfoods.com),
• Mushrooms are best stored as soon as possible in the refrigerator or else they tend to lose their phytonutrients if left out in temperatures that are too warm.

My husband and I have a joke between us that if we get divorced, I get the cottage and he gets the Mushroom Barley Soup Recipe - it is a big favorite (taken from the Joy of Cooking):

3 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, sliced and tough stems removed

1/2 c. chopped shallots

3 tbsp. dry sherry or Madeira (or just red wine)

1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme

4 1/2 c. Beef Stock or Beef Broth

3/4 c. pearl barley

1/2 - 1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Heat the oil and butter in a soup pot over high heat.  Add the mushrooms and shallots, cook, stirring often until the mushrooms are wilted, about 5 min.  Add the sherry and thyme, and reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring and scraping off the bottom of the pot for about 5 more minutes.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the barley is tender, about 1 hour.  Serve garnished with chopped parsley or whole thyme leaves.

I am looking forward to more radishes in this week's box.  Like the carrots in the box, remember to trim off the greenery and store them in a perforated plastic bag in the fridge.  If your radishes get soft or mushy, you can try refreshing them in a bowl of ice water.  Radishes are a really great source of Vitamin C and can help combat urinary and kidney problems.  And although they taste spicy, they can actually help to freshen your breath.  My daughter and I tend to gobble up the radishes raw or sliced on salads and they don't last that long in our house.  Last time we got radishes I suggested a dish for sauteed radishes that was really good, but I found lost the spicy flavor of the radish, which is my favorite part.  A different way to cook the radishes that may retain a bit more of the flavor might be Roasted Radishes with Olive Vinaigrette.  And of course, since I am a bit stuck on salads this week, Watermelon, Cucumber and Radish Salad or Farmer's Salad which reminds me a lot of my grandmother's old creamy cucumber salad.

If you read this on Friday, sorry, no photo yet, as I don't have my box.  And the fact that you are reading and hopefully enjoying the blog does inspire me to continue to write it.  Enjoy.

Organic Harvest Box for March 29, 2012

I was a little intimidated with this week's list when I first saw it on Monday - fennel, chard, lemon.  Chard, I know that I love it but is it versatile?  Fennel is one of those veggies that is just a little strong for my kids so I think that I have only used it a handful of times.  And lemon, there are so many options but it is one of the last fruits to get used up from my harvest box.  However, the more I started looking around and linking from this recipe to that and pulling out favorites, I realized that this week is a snap - so many of these veggies go so well together in so many different food combinations.

It was a nice coincidence to see a lemon on the list as I had just read this great little piece on the Food52 website.  It was talking about the staple items in your fridge or grocery list, and they listed lemon as one of their staple items and how versatile a lemon is for salad dressings, stuffing a chicken with lemon, using the zest on pasta, in pancakes or crostini, squeezing the lemon into water or using the juice to keep apples/avocados from going brown.  I am going to challenge myself that the lemon will not be the last fruit used up this week.  This recipe for Zucchini Frites with Lemon Basil Mayonnaise caught my eye as the lemon mayo could be used for dipping a few different things - zucchini frites made from last week's zucchini if you have any left, sweet potato fries made from the yam, or fresh cut up carrots, celery and fennel.

The fennel was definitely the most challenging veggie for me this week as I have maybe only prepared fennel a couple of times in the past.  As I mentioned this to a co-worker, she said that she had a great Fennel and Orange Salad recipe which sounded perfect as both are in our box this week.  I had to try it out.  I didn't quite stick to the recipe as I added in some carrots and a radish from last week's box but I'm sure the original version is equally as good.  It tasted even better the next day as the flavors intensified.

Fennel and Orange Salad

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup wine or rice vinegar

1 tsp. French mustard

1 clove garlic, crushed

 1 tsp. honey

 salt and pepper

 1 tsp. orange zest

 1 Tbsp. orange juice

 3 Tbsps. raisins

 2 heads fennel, sliced

 3 oranges, segmented

 3 spring onions, sliced

 3 Tbsps. pecan halves (optional)

Segment the orange over a bowl in order to catch the juice for the dressing.  Mix up the dressing using the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey, salt, pepper, orange zest and orange juice.  Slice your fennel and green onions and toss together with the raisins, oranges, and pecans.  Toss with the dressing.  

All of the parts of the fennel can be used in cooking, the stalks and greenery can be used to season dishes with the anise type flavor and the milder white bulb can be cooked or eaten raw.  The bulb is a good source of vitamin C and fibre.  Fennel is best stored in the crisper but eaten soon after purchase as it is said to lose it's flavor the longer it is kept, however if you find the fennel flavor too strong, then do leave it a few extra days to be more mild.  Fennel pairs well with so many of the items from this week's box such as lemon, orange, celery, carrot, spinach, and onion.  It can be used in some great recipes such as New Carrot and Fennel Soup with Watercress,  Spinach Salad with Vidalia Dressing or this simple Fennel and Celery Salad  If you have a bit of time, this Lemon and Onion Roasted Chicken will make use of your lemon, fennel, carrots, yam and onions.

I was really impressed to find out how healthy chard is.  Everything I read about it proclaimed its high levels of vitamins A, C, and K, iron, beta-carotene, and the phytonutrient betalain which is good as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detox agent.  Just one cup of chard provides over 700% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin K, over 200% of the recommended intake of Vitamin A, and half the recommended daily intake of Vitamin C.  To store chard, do not wash the leaves until ready to use, place it in a plastic storage bag and wrap the bag around the stems, squeezing out as much air as possible.  One of my favorite ways of preparing chard is quite simple, cut the leaves and stalks, boil in water, drain, toss with a little butter, salt and pepper, a squeeze of fresh lemon or a little bit of vinegar.  However, chard can also be used in almost any way that you enjoy spinach or kale.  I came across this great frittata recipe which will incorporate both your onions and your chard for a great weekend breakfast/brunch meal or a quick weeknight meatless dish.  Or from another of my favorite recipe sources, LCBO's Food and Drink magazine, the Spicy Greens would be a great way to use the chard as side dish.

I wasn't feeling very creative about what to do with the yam in this week's order.  I normally use yams at holiday meal times  but I don't happen to be hosting Easter dinner this year.  Or we often use them for homemade baked fries, but I remembered a recipe from an Ottawa Citizen article that is worth trying if you are still in the mood for a warming stew.  This recipe takes a little bit of prep but can then be put in the crockpot to be ready at then end of a busy day.  

Curried Lentil Stew
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry French lentils, soaked 2 hours or overnight, then drained

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with liquid

One 14-ounce can coconut milk

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, or water

2 large carrots, diced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 cup raisins

11/2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot, peeled)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

11/2 teaspoons salt, or less to taste

2 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped

To garnish (any or all):

Chopped fresh basil leaves, cilantro or parsley

Plain yogurt

Diced avocado

Green onion, chopped

Goat cheese, crumbled

1. In a frypan, heat olive oil and sauté onion and garlic. Transfer all ingredients (except spinach and garnishes) to slow cooker and cook on Low setting 7 to 8 hours, or until lentils and sweet potatoes are tender.

2. Before serving, fold in spinach. Garnish with your choice of any or all of the garnishes.

Source: The Red Apron


Lastly, just a few tips for the produce in this week's box - trim the green stalks off the carrots before putting them in the crisper and they will stay fresher longer, pat your lettuce dry and then wrap it in an absorbent paper towel and place it back in the bag, and keep your tomatoes unwashed and at room temperature and if you want them to ripen quicker place them in a paper bag with an apple.  Enjoy!

Organic Harvest Box for March 22, 2012

Welcome back to the Life Organic Blog!!  I am really excited to be writing the blog for Life Organics.  My family has been receiving the Basic Harvest Box for more than year and have enjoyed the variety of produce and the opportunities to try vegetables that I may never have picked up before.  So, I'm not new to Life Organics, but I am new to blogging, so would be happy to have any feedback about style, recipes, and content that you want to give.

Before I get into the ideas for this weeks produce, I wanted to mention that I bought a case of the Camino Fair Trade Organic Mango Juice (did you know they were featured on Episode 2 of The Big Decision on CBC) that Life Organics was offering the last couple of weeks, and my two kids have loved it.  I do recommend to cut the mango juice with water for little kids as it is almost like nectar and very tasty and rich.  This week I ordered a case of Tropical Juice and Limeade and can't wait to try both.  I'm thinking that the Limeade with a bit of tonic, club soda, or sparkling water would've been a great patio drink this week.

When I originally looked at the list for this week's selection all I could think about was grilling, BBQ-ing, and fresh summer salads given our fantastic weather.  Looking at the forecast for the weekend and next week I think that I might still be in the mood for some soups and casseroles.  Tasha and I have had radish discussions over the last couple of weeks, how best to keep them  (trim the leaves, wrap in plastic and refrigerate), what to do when they get soft (immerse them in ice water for an hour before serving), and how to eat them.  I use the Joy of Cooking (Rombauer, Rombauer Becker, and Becker) to look up all sorts of cooking information and was interested to read that radishes were considered an appetite stimulant and that the French had a custom of starting the day with a handful of radishes, eaten with sweet butter.  In our house, we mostly eat our radishes raw, a bright addition to a vegetable tray, or sliced thinly into a salad, but I was interested to find a variety of cooked radish recipes such as, Sauteed Radishes with Watercress or Roasted Radishes. Certainly with the baby lettuce or spinach in this week's box, I think the radishes would be a great addition to your favorite salad recipe.

The other items in the box all inspire a variety of meal ideas.  Our fruit always gets eaten as it is and we've been ordering extra navel oranges because we are finding them so juicy and tasty right now.  The apples could be used for a Baked Apple dessert.  The potatoes could be roasted on the BBQ, boiled, or mashed but for us will probably get used in Leek and Potato Soup, with our leeks from last week.   To take advantage of the early BBQ season I think that we will roast the green beans on the grill (you could add the zucchini with them) in some tin foil with some olive oil, garlic and seasoning.  Or you could do a French Bean Salad with Tarragon and Green Peppercorn from one of my new favorite food websites, Food52.

Lastly, I was happy to see both peppers and zucchini on the list so that I could use it in one of our favorite, kid friendly, regular supper recipes, Chickpea Curry, served over rice or thin egg noodles.

Chickpea Curry 
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped or minced
1/2 c. chopped onion
oil
1/2 c. each red or yellow or green pepper, chopped
1/2 c. zucchini, chopped
1 tbsp. each of cumin, ground coriander, and curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1 c. canned diced tomatoes, drained
3 c. chickpeas
1 can coconut milk


Saute on med-high heat, onion, garlic and ginger in oil until onions are soft.  Add peppers and zucchini and cook until soft (5-7 min).  Add spices and salt and cook for 2-3 min stirring frequently.  Add coconut milk, diced tomatoes, and chickpeas.  Bring to a boil, turn down heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 min.  


I hope you enjoy my recipes and meal ideas, and I would love to see you comment with your ideas.  Enjoy!

Weekly recipe ideas for Thursday June 23, 2011

by Brie

Fresh local strawberries are a sign of summer. We like to eat strawberries right from the basket, washing and coring them as we go. For dessert, nothing beats cut up strawberries piled up high on biscuits. Try either this classic or whole wheat version of strawberry shortcake (and when you run out of strawberries top them with any other seasonal fruit).

Grapefruit and oranges are both popular citrus fruit for eating and juicing. Low in calories and high in vitamin C, both are great options for mealtime or snacks. Try juicing the grapefruit and oranges for a yummy breakfast drink or tossing them together for a lunchtime salad.

Rainbow chard gets its name from its colourful stems which can range in colour from white to yellow to red. Easily substituted in recipes for other greens, like spinach or kale, Swiss chard is great served in lasagna or with quinoa and mushrooms. It would also be tasty in this chicken with Swiss chard, lemon and rosemary dish or in a snap pea and beef stir-fry.

Jewel yams are members of the sweet potato family and as such are a high source of beta carotene. Jewel yams make great additions to chili and soups. You could also serve it with mushrooms and quinoa or in a potato salad.

Sugar snap peas are a perfect ingredient to add to a stir fry. They can be tossed with shrimp, chicken or tofu. My favorite way to eat them is roasted!

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.

Weekly recipe ideas for Thursday, June 16th

by Brie

Fruit, like plums and pears, do make great snacks but they make even better additions to dinner. On a hot night try making a plum chicken salad or roasted plum and spinach salad. And as a side dish caramelized carrots and pears sounds delicious!

 



Green beans are a great side dish to serve with dinner. From the simple, serving them either steamed or roasted, to the more creative, honey cashew green beans or sweet and spicy green beans, they make a great accompaniment to most meals. Green beans can also be served in the main meal, like this green bean masala or this green bean mushroom casserole.

Green onions (also known as scallions) are milder then most other onions. They can be cooked or used raw as a garnish. Add them to sesame orzo with charred scallions or stir-fried tofu. For a lovely dinner make honey glazed pork with scallions and carrots or chicken with rice, broccoli and scallions.   

Spinach is a favorite salad ingredient. If you are wanting to try out some new salad recipes consider cranberry spinach salad or honey curry spinach salad. Our spinach will be chopped up and added to some phylo to make a spinach pie.  

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.

Weekly recipe ideas for Thursday, June 9th, 2011

by Brie

When I opened my box this week I was the most excited to see a bunch of cilantro. That's right, cilantro. Cilantro is one of my favorite herbs because of its zingy flavour and its versatility. You can use it in a tomato salsa or curried carrots or kale and mushroom enchiladas. Cilantro is actually the leaves and stems of the Coriander plant. While I also like to cook with powdered coriander and dried coriander seeds, nothing beats fresh cilantro.

Kale is from the cabbage family. High in vitamins and minerals, kale is full of antioxidants. Kale is a common vegetable in Europe, historically and in the present day, and you will find many regional dishes make use of kale. Like Ireland's colcannon, Portugal's caldo verde and Germany's gruenkohl. A great way to cook kale is to steam it, letting you preserve the vegetable's nutrients.

Mini peppers are a small hybrid of sweet peppers.Their size makes them great as a stuffed appetizer, like in this shrimp and artichoke recipe or this turkey sausage recipe. They are also great oven roasted and served over lettuce in a salad.

Carrots are root vegetables that come in a variety of colours, most commonly orange. Carrots are a perfect addition to salads, a favorite meal in our house during the warm weather. From the classic carrot salad to a Korean-Russian carrot salad to spicy Moroccan carrot salad, the possibilities with carrots are endless! For those that prefer soups over salads, try this cashew and carrot soup.

As for the avocado in this week's box. Sure you could throw it in a carrot salad or make some bruschetta with celery, but even better is this recipe for oatmeal chocolate chips cookies (with avocado). Yum.

This week's box had some great summer fruit.The peaches and raspberries will make great lunch or afternoon snacks on this hot days.

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, May 19th

by Brie

We got a bag of apples and a bag of oranges in this week's box. Oranges and apples get eaten pretty quickly at our house. They are both great and easy on the go snacks. For dinner time try cutting the fruit and adding them to a Greek fruit salad or make a beet, orange and apple salad.

Blueberries are a great source of antioxidants and Vitamin C.They are also full of fibre, iron, potassium, calcium, B vitamins and vitamin E. Blueberries are great to eat on their own, sprinkled over granola or on top of ice cream for dessert. For something different try combining the blueberries and avocado (high in health-promoting fats and potassium) from this week's box in a salsa or smoothie.

If you are a fan of eating raw carrots (whose orange colour comes from beta-carotene) try eating them with a creamy crimini mushroom dip or fiesta broccoli dip. Or, instead, make the carrots into a dip like this roasted carrot dip. I will be grating my carrots and turning them into some delicious carrot fritters.

Broccoli and mushrooms are two great and versatile vegetables for cooking with. From a stirfy to a cheesy broccoli and mushroom fritatta to pizza, broccoli and mushrooms are a great combination.

We also received some lovely baby lettuce mix in our box. This lettuce is perfect to eat in a salad with any of the other vegetables or fruit from this week's box. A large salad, maybe even with a blueberry salad dressing, is a great dinner on a hot spring night.

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, 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, May 5th: Salads and more

by Brie

I have never cooked with radishes, although I have eaten them in salads (one of their more common uses).
Radishes are a very low calorie root vegetable that are also a good source of anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber. Seeing them in my box this week, I feel challenged and want to use them in some great tasting recipes. Like this radish and spinach salad or this lettuce and radish salad. They will also be great combined with the garlic and lemon from this week's box in a seared tuna and radish salad with lemon vinaigrette. If you like to eat radishes raw try serving them with flavored salts and butters or make radish butter and serve it on toast.

With the weather getting warmer (hopefully!) salads are a great, easy to prepare meal choice. In this week's box we received both spinach and leaf lettuce. With the spinach try adding some of the fruit from this week's box and make an orange glazed beef and spinach salad or spinach shrimp and cantaloupe salad. The red oak leaf lettuce is perfect for this cheese and red grape salad or pear salad. And if you have any lettuce, cucumber, peppers or tomatoes left try adding them to this falafel burger recipe.

Cantaloupes are a great fat free snack that are also cholesterol free and high in vitamin A and C. Firm cantaloupes should be left on the counter at room temperature for a few days until the fruit feels softer. Once cut the cantaloupe should be wrapped and stored in the fridge. But, really, the best thing to do is to eat it fresh!

A cantaloupe can be cut into slices or cubes and eaten anytime of day. Served with some yogurt and crushed walnuts it would make a tasty breakfast! Great in smoothies and ice cream, it can also take centre stage in a chilled soup.

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, April 14th: Cooking with collard greens and rutabaga

by Brie

This week's box offered some great fruit for snacking, like a bag of Pink Lady apples, navel oranges and Bartlett pears. The fruit would also be lovely tossed with the lettuce, cucumber and avocado we got. Maybe in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing for a fabulous spring salad.

Avocados and mangoes also make for a great salad combination. You could also serve them together with pork chops or salmon. Add a tomato and some black beans and you have a southwestern tasty meal-sized salad! Avocados are a great fruit for snacking or in dishes due to their high potassium content (they have more than bananas!) and are also rich in vitamin B, E and K.

I have come to love all forms of greens, like kale, spinach and Swiss chard but I'm not as familiar with collard greens. Considered a staple vegetable in the Southern United States, where it is often served with ham, it can also be substituted for other greens in your favorite recipe. Spanakopita with collard greens maybe? Collard greens would be great served with the potatoes that came in the box this week or in a lentil soup.

Rutabagas are a turnip cousin. Low in calories, they are also a good source of Vitamin C , folacin and fibre. Often served as a side dish, they can easily be prepared as a mash similar to mashed potatoes. Rutabagas can also be roasted and boiled. You could even try them in smashed potato and parsnips or stew.

Potatoes are such a versatile, and tasty, vegetable. Full of vitamins and minerals, the potatoes in our box this week would taste great baked with zucchini and peppers or in a cold potato and cucumber soup.

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 17th box: Meals from around the world

by Brie

I love opening up our box and imagining all of the meals we could make with the produce inside. It's like looking at an empty canvas. The hard part comes when I have to narrow down all the choices.

The bag of beets and crimini mushrooms are going to be part of a Ukrainian meal we are making for a weekend dinner party. I tried making homemade pierogies once before and they turned out great. This time I am going to make them with a potato and mushroom filling. The beets are going to be turned into borscht, with a little help from the big bag of celery from our box.

(I am trying to find new recipe ideas for beets. I thought this beet cake with cream cheese icing looked good. Do you have any yummy beet recipes to share?)

The broccoli and leaf lettuce are going to form the basis of two Thai meals. I am thinking of a broccoli and tofu stirfry served with noodles, although I still haven't decided on a sweet ginger sauce or peanut sauce. I love lettuce wraps because there are so many filling options. I love these soba noodles and vegetable lettuce wraps with hosin and chili sauce and curried chickpeas an quinoa recipes.

Finally, the spinach and basil are going to be used to make an Italian meal. I am still deciding between a spinach-walnut pesto and a warm spinach-basil sauce.

This week's box had bananas, blueberries and navel oranges. All great fruit to be eaten for snacks or as dessert!

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 10th: soup and other food

by Brie

It is the middle of February and that seems like the perfect time for soup. Lots of soup. When I opened my food box this week all I could see was soup. Beets are perfect for borscht. Cabbage mixed with garlic is a great soup for a cold day. I love the bright green of cream of broccoli soup. Curried carrot soup would go perfect with the lettuce wraps I am going to make with the romaine lettuce in the box. And cream of mushroom soup is one of my favorites. 

(If you are planning a week of soup like I am, try making my favorite homemade whole wheat bread recipe. I have yet to make a bad loaf!) 

For anyone who wants to make some food that doesn't get pureed, how about using the shredded cabbage for some fresh coleslaw, fried cabbage or cabbage noodles (I think I will try the last one and see if I can get my kids to eat it!). The beets would be great roasted with ginger or in a marinated salad. Mushrooms are always good in risotto (this recipe uses a slow cooker), gravy or dressed up in a mushroom tart.

I'll also be making a few non-soup dishes this week. Like our now favorite zucchini phyllo pie (did I mention my four year old ate three servings last time) and my favorite chili recipe with some yams thrown in.

A big bag of beautiful looking apples arrived in our box. The kids have already started eating their way through the apples, but I am tempted to set some aside for an apple pie or apple tart. If you have some time try making a batch of apple butter. We cooked some up in the fall and it was great served on toast, yogurt or pancakes.

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 September 3, 2010

It's been a quiet summer here on the Life Organic Blog, mostly because I have been away or busy for most of the summer. I'm hoping to get weekly recipes and tips moving again, because I figure it's almost time for fall, and back to school and work for many. Who can't use a few extra tips???

This week's Harvest Box looks fantastic - full of local, organic produce at its best this time of year. We'll be back next week with photos, I ran into some technical difficulties this week.

Red Leaf Lettuce - I love it. For some reason, this is by far my favourite type of lettuce. I love it squished into a thick sandwich, exploding from a giant bowl of salad, or used as a garnish with a delicious fall meal. I serve a green salad with red leaf lettuce almost every night with dinner. I came across this fabulous resource with great tips on how to refrigerate red leaf lettuce , so be sure to check it out! It's very helpful. Also be sure to take a look at this Red Leaf Lettuce Salad. If you're looking for something for the more discerning palate, try this Leaf Lettuce Salad with Goat Cheese Stuffed Pears. Other tasty salad choices include this Red Leaf, Pear, and Walnut Salad or Martha Stewart's Red Leaf Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes. And don't forget that there is really nothing simpler and tastier than a basic leaf lettuce salad with local cucumbers or tomatoes and a little olive oil on top!

Sometimes I am looking for something a little different to try with my chard. I came across this Pasta with Swiss Chard recipe and am looking forward to trying it. Be sure to check out this website with detailed info on Coloured Chards, including storage and uses, plus a delicious recipe for Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese Galette. It looks absolutely delicious!

If you're a real foodie, check out this recipe for Grilled Madras Razor Clams with Sautéed Rainbow Chard and Cornish New Potatoes - now that would be impressive to serve for dinner one night. Coloured chard can be served quickly and easily, and doesn't need to be "fancy" to taste great. Try this Swiss Chard with Raisins and Pine Nuts or Curried Rainbow Swiss Chard - they are fast and delicious, and full of nutritional value.

I am sometimes at a loss for what to do with an eggplant - and nothing beats a local, organic eggplant! I enjoy them cooked a variety of ways, but I find my children usually have issues with the texture. What about a good ole' Grilled Eggplant Panini - it makes a healthy lunch or even a nice light dinner with a salad. Barbecue season is still in full swing, so why not try this Grilled Eggplant with Korean Barbecue Sauce? This Curried Eggplant, Lentil, and Quinoa Burgers with Onion-Pepper Relish also promises not to disappoint. Prefer it baked? Give this Oven-Baked Breaded Eggplant a go and watch everyone gobble it up. And, last but not least, check out this recipe for Broiled Summer Eggplant - which includes three very important eggplant rules that you don't want to miss (including whether or not to refrigerate eggplant - I certainly didn't know I wasn't supposed to keep it in the fridge!).