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 May 10, 2012

We arrived back from holidays on Saturday, one day late for getting our veggie order last week.  The fridge was bare so we went for groceries on Sunday morning - I was confused - what do you mean I have to decide which vegetables to get?  We are going to get the vegetables that are on the list that comes in my email, I don't have to decide, it's decided for me.  It was certainly odd having to make a whole vegetable and fruit list from scratch.  I did make it through the grocery experience and it reminded me to thank Tasha for making part of my grocery list for me each week.

When I picked up my box from Tasha on Thursday she mentioned a couple of substitutions, firstly, zucchini instead of cucumber this week.  She also mentioned that the strawberries might need to sit out of the fridge for a half hour or so prior to eating.

My eyes zeroed in on the cabbage in the list this week - it is truly my nemesis on the veggie list.  I don't dislike it, I just am not very creative, inventive or fun with my cabbage recipes.  That last cabbage recipe that I gave you in the April 12, 2012 post was a hit with my family - how can I top that?  For now, I probably can't top it.  However, one of my previous favorite recipes for cabbage was a recipe that my mom passed down to me for Chinese Hekka.  This link does not list the source, but I'm pretty sure that it is from Company's Coming.  I hadn't had this meal in years until I was talking to my mom about my challenges with using up the cabbages and she reminded me of this.  It is really easy, basic ingredients, the kids like it (always important for me) and is really good served over rice.  This time of year, using the cabbage for coleslaw would be great to have alongside a BBQ.  This recipe from the Tabasco site has a great looking dressing for coleslaw.  The bagged coleslaw can be substituted by using shredded or finely chopped cabbage and some grated carrot.  If I'm making coleslaw, I do prefer this recipe that we make almost every time that we have a crowd at the cottage for a long weekend, it will last a couple of days in the fridge:

Japanese Coleslaw 


1/2 head of medium cabbage, shredded or finely chopped
2 big handfuls of bean sprouts
2 c. of sliced mushrooms
1/4 c. sunflower seeds (preferably unsalted)
1 pack of ichiban noodles, broken up
2 c. chow mein noodles


Dressing:
Seasoning pack from the ichiban noodles
1/2 c. oil
4 tbsp. soya sauce
3 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper


Mix the cabbage, bean sprouts, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, and half each of the ichiban noodles and chow mein noodles together in a large bowl.  Mix all of the dressing ingredients together.  Pour 1/2 to 3/4 of the dressing on the salad.  Let the salad sit for 2-3 hours before serving.  Add the remaining ichiban and chow mein noodles to the salad just prior to serving and add remaining dressing if required.

Recently, we barbecued hamburgers and my husband made a fantastic burger topper of sauteed mushrooms and onions.  It's a really easy way to dress up your hamburger and the cremini mushrooms and yellow onions on this week's list would be great to use.

Put a bit of oil in a saute pan, add some minced garlic, and start heating on medium.  Slice the onions and add to the pan.  While the onions are starting to soften, slice the mushrooms and add to the pan.  Saute over medium heat until everything is softened.  If there is too much liquid then turn the heat up and cook a bit longer.  If you are serving it over meat, you can add a little bit of cream at the end to get it saucy.  Serve this over burgers, steaks, grilled chicken, over even toast.  

If you are having burgers, slice up the cucumber, trim the snap peas, and half the cherry tomatoes for a nice side to the burgers.

I didn't get to try the baby kale last time as we were leaving on holidays, but I'd be interested to know (use the comment link at the bottom of the post) if anyone tried the baby kale recipes from the April 26, 2012 post.  I am hoping to try the baby kale salad or actually making kale chips with this week's order.

I can't wait to see if this week's strawberries are as good as on Easter weekend.  I have rhubarb in my garden that is in good shape so I am going to use it alongside the strawberries in this Rude Barb's Strawbapple Crisp (anyone cooked out of Looneyspoons before?  All their recipe names are witty!).  It is a great crisp recipe and you can substitute the fruit for berries, pears, or peaches, as long as the amounts stay the same.  I can tell you that the peaches in this week's order will not make it into any cooking.  If they are as good as some that Tasha got in last week, I may just hide them from the rest of family and eat them fresh.

With gardening time upon us, the plant list from Belle Terre got me really interested in their products.  I am hoping to do a field trip to their greenhouse this weekend, if they'll have us.  I hope that I will be able to report back next week with photos and tips on how best to use their plants.

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 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.

Organic Harvest box for April 10, 2011

by Brie

Our box this week had four lovely small yams. I love yams for how versatile they are. You can throw them in chili or soup for added colour and flavour. My four year old's favorite way to eat them is baked with a little butter and brown sugar. She will happily eat them with a spoon! I have no problem with her eating two or three for dinner, as she has been known to do, because they are a good source of vitamins C and B, potassium, manganese and are low in saturated fat and sodium. Plus they taste good!

I was pleased to see some garlic in our box. I love garlic. I would be happy to just fry it up in some olive oil and eat it over pasta. But as a great cold cure, and we have a cold sneaking into the house right now, it will be the perfect base for roasted garlic and onion soup and mushroom soup with parsley and garlic. Those two soups are also a great way to use the bag of yellow onions and box of mushrooms we received this week.

Parsley is a herb that forms the basis of many popular dishes, like tabbouleh, lamb with persillade and gremolata. It can also be used, along with garlic, celery and onion in the Italian dish ossobuco alla milanese. Parsley is also widely recognised for its medicinal purposes in teas or when cooked in dishes. I am tempted to try crushing it and seeing if it is really an effective treatment for mosquito bites this summer!

Peppers and zucchinis make a great dinner combination. You could make a quick and easy zucchini and pepper pasta or, if you have more time, try stuffing zucchinis and peppers with turkey, parsley and onion.

I usually think of serving broccoli and cauliflower separately, like in broccoli risotto or cauliflower curry but they are also good combined together. Broccoli is a power food full of vitamins, minerals and protein and cauliflower isn't too far behind..They can be combined in dishes as simple as broccoli-cauliflower salad and broccoli and cauliflower pasta or served together in tandoori grilled broccoli and cauliflower kebabs.

The fruit we received this week, a grapefruit, a kiwi, pears and oranges are all a great source of Vitamin C. A bunch of yellow bananas were perfectly ripe and are great for snacking or trying flambed. The mango is a wonderful treat, and once you know how to cut it properly, easy to eat.  Fabulous to eat on their own, these fruit would make an excellent fruit salad tossed together or a sweet addition to a lettuce salad.

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 24th box: Staples. And a pineapple.

by Brie

The box this week was pretty exciting. A pineapple! A nice, big, fabulous pineapple. We will probably cut it up and eat it. But if you want you could bake it in one of my favorite desserts, pineapple upside down cake.

The box had some great basics and favorites. Like an avocado, which you could cut up and eat with salt or add to this black bean salad. Carrots would be great in spiced carrot muffins or this carrot pudding.

Warm food is perfect in this cold weather. I'm thinking an onion tart with the bag of yellow onions. Maybe served with roasted potatoes or potato puffs.

Broccoli with cheese sauce is popular in this house. It would also be great in a quiche, a feta and tortilla crust quiche or roasted in the oven. Mushrooms are so versatile, try frying them up or adding them to sauces, but they would also be wonderful in their pierogi recipe. That is how I am going to cook them. 

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.

First box. First blog post.

by Brie

I am very excited to be taking over blogging at the Life Organic Blog. Thanks Shannon for all the great recipe ideas you have shared here. I know I will be looking through the archives for suggestions!

I am even more excited with my first box (or Tupperware container) filled with fabulous organic fruit and vegetables. Its arrival late on Thursday couldn't have been better timed. By the end of the week we are running low on groceries and I am searching the freezer trying to remember what the brown thing in the glass container is. Now I have a fridge stocked full of fresh organic produce and I couldn't be happier.

As soon as I saw what was in the box I started wondering how to use everything. I don't have to think hard about the fruit. I predict that before I could ever get around to baking with the fruit it will be consumed by my two young kids. The pint of blueberries will disappear as soon as my four year old daughter gets home from school and we will eat the Granny Smith Apples, Anjou pears and bag of kiwis as snacks throughout the day. 

My plan for the lovely looking acorn squash is soup. Mmm, soup. It is perfect weather for soup. I am going to make this recipe, which will also let me use one of the crisp green apples, some shallots and a carrot. The rest of the carrots will be grated and made into carrot cake, topped with cream cheese icing of course, to share with friends this weekend. The carrots are so great looking I am sure my kids would eat them whole.

I am a bit of a purist when it comes to green beans. I like them steamed with some butter and salt. Simple but really my favorite.

The only difficult choice with this week's basket is what to do with a box of crimini mushrooms and spinach bunch. I am tempted to make a cheesy rice and spinach casserole or one of these great spinach recipes from around the world. Even a nice spinach salad with mushrooms and red onion would be nice. But I think I will make these mushroom and spinach calazones using our favorite homemade pizza dough recipe. This should make enough for dinner and have leftovers that can be frozen for lunches.

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 December 10 , 2010

 Here is our delicious Harvest Box for this week:

Green Beans!  Green beans are a delightful side dish to serve around the holidays, and are easy to incorporate into your Christmas dinner.  These green bean recipes are fast and easy to cook, delicious, and good for you.  Check out these  Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic or tasty Green Beans with Shallots .  You can also serve up Green Beans with Onion, or for a little extra *zing* try these Green Beans in Spicy Peanut Sauce. Pan-Fried Tofu with Garlic Green Beans is a good choice for vegetarians, and these Spicy Green Beans with Lime and Cilantro are a lovely accompaniment to an ethnic meal.

Garlic is another Harvest Box item that is wonderful to add to almost any dish over the holidays.  Despite what some may say, freshly chopped or diced garlic is far better than the jarred or powder varieties.  Nothing tastes as good as fresh garlic!  If you  have a whole head of garlic, then you haven't really lived until you experience true Roasted Garlic.  It's amazing, and there are so many uses for it.  For example, you can try this Roasted Garlic Hummus , or make a Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette.  Another huge favourite is Sourdough Garlic Bread, which makes a perfect pairing with hot soup or chowder on our cold winter evenings.  I came across this Ginger Garlic Paste which can be used in a variety of ways, and I stumbled upon this recipe for  Eggplant in Garlic Sauce, which is surely to be a big supper-time hit!


If you're looking for some interesting ways to work with your button mushrooms, you should give Michael's Best Button Mushrooms a go.  I promise you will not be disappointed.  Mushrooms are like green beans in that they are fast and easy and can be incorporated into so many types of meals.  Other fabulous ways to cook with mushrooms include these Herbed Butter Mushrooms with Mozzarella or Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Garlic. Looking for a little mushroom flare?  Impress your guests with Tofu and Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce or a Mushroom and Asparagus Risoto!

Organic Harvest Box for April 23, 2010

Here is a look at this week's Harvest Box from Life Organic in Ottawa:

Are you looking to ripen green bananas? A fast and easy way to do this is to put them in a brown bag with some apples - ethylene (a plant hormone that causes growth) causes the bananas to ripen more quickly and lose their green-ness!


Last week I used my cucumber to make this Tzatziki Sauce recipe I found. I really enjoyed it and used it all week as a dip for raw veggies, although I have to admit that my kids were not fans of it. I think it would taste lovely on chicken souvlaki or pork.

Tasha pointed me in the direction of these yummy Tangerine Muffins - it is great to use the peel in these muffins (extra healthy!) and especially good when your tangerines are organic! No fear of chemicals and pesticides ending up in your mid-afternoon snack.

I also found a number of this week's recipes on a new site that Tasha sent me - Dani Spies. Pop over and browse around - there are healthy and delicious recipes of all types, as well as a terrific section of baby and pureed foods for your wee ones. I think this California Scramble looks delicious and would be an energizing and healthy start to your morning. I'm hoping to try this Turkey and Avocado Super Sandwich one week day for lunch. I came across a couple new and funky alternatives for avocado - what do you think about this Grilled Avocado Recipe? Even stranger? Avocado Fries ?!! Not sure I could get excited about avocado fries, so if you do try this recipe, PLEASE let me know how it turns out!

Start slicing those mushrooms and get ready to toss them into this Sesame Kale with Mushrooms - a light and healthy side dish which would complement most meals. Or try this
Rachada Mushroom Salad for lunch. I also think these Marinated Mushrooms would be a perfect spring dinner accompaniment.

Looking for a healthy meal to add your zucchini to? I think you would enjoy this 5 Ingredient Snapper and Zucchini Dinner, or maybe these Squash and Zucchini Cakes? For simple and easy side dishes, try a fast Baked Zucchini or use your barbecue for this Roasted Zucchini. Looking for something to sink your teeth into at your afternoon tea time? Whip up a loaf of Zucchini Bread and wow your family and friends.

I found this fantastic recipe for your chard this week - Swiss Chard with Peppers and Garbanzos. This is not hard to make and is packed with healthy goodness.

Slice up this week's pineapple and make this spectacular Pineapple Flan. Or chop it up and serve this Sweet and Crispy Chicken Salad. My kids still love pineapple the old fashion way - sliced in rings and slurped up from their fingers!

I'll leave you with one last recipe to peruse for the week:

Curried Black Bean and Yam Skillet - Recipe adapted from danispies.com.

4 cups of yams, peeled and cubed
1 red onion, diced
1 zucchini, cubed
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bell pepper (any colour), diced
1 cup of cooked quinoa*
1-15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup veggie broth
1 Tbsp of curry powder
1 bunch of chard, stemmed and chopped
2 tsp of olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

*Quinoa is an ancient seed that was a staple of the Incas. Easy and quick to cook with a mild flavour it has a slightly crunchy texture. It's got a lot of the amino acid lysine providing a complete protein unlike many other cereal grains. Substitutes for this recipe include: couscous, rice or bulgur.

Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron pan or fry pan. Stir in the onions and cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the yams, garlic, curry powder, a good pinch of salt and half of the veggie broth, stir well to combined, cover and cook for about ten minutes or until your sweet potatoes are just about fork tender. You’ll need to stir it occasionally. Add the beans, quinoa, chard, zucchini and pepper and season with salt and pepper. Pour the remaining broth into the pan, cover and allow it to cook for another five minutes - until the greens are wilted and the beans are heated through.

Organic Harvest Box for March 5, 2010

The sun that has been shining in Ottawa the past few days is certainly paving the way for springtime and fresh and local organic food from the Ottawa area. Here is a look inside our organic Harvest Box for this week:


Blueberries!! Blueberries are super healthy and full of nutrition. They are widely known for their antioxidant capabilities and are ranked highest of all fruits and veggies for their ability to destroy free radicals. I guess you could call them the "superhero" of fruits! One of the best features of blueberries is how easy they are to include in recipes - just throw them into a fruit salad, a smoothie, a muffin recipe, and you're good to go! No peeling, pitting, coring necessary. Just wash and eat.

The BC Blueberry Council (a blueberry council?? how cool would that job be???) offers a list of fabulous recipes for blueberries, and I particularly liked their list of breakfast recipes. The Blueberry Stuffed French Toast is on my radar for an amazing weekend breakfast!

Wondering what that big turnip-looking root vegetable is in your harvest box?

It is a Celery Root or Celeriac. Celery root is a kind of celery grown as a root vegetable that tastes like celery and has a potato-like consistency. It is often mashed up or can be used raw, and grated in salads. I came across a few inspiring recipes for you. I'm planning on either trying this Celery Root and Potato Mash or even the Herb Grilled Chicken with Celery Root Puree, if I am a little more adventurous. And also take a look at the Celery Root Remoulade and Celery Root Salad - both look tasty and are not too difficult to prepare.

Now take a look at those delicious brown mushrooms. Crimini mushrooms are coffee-coloured and richer in flavour and nutrients than white button mushrooms. Try these tasty little mushrooms in an appetizing Maui Chicken or perhaps Marsala Chicken with Sage and Crimini Mushrooms. And for the vegetarians on our list, try your hand at these Red Lentil Burgers - they are packed full of nutrients and taste delicious too!

And, last but not least, grab those crispy green snow peas and toss them in a ,Shrimp and Snow Pea Salad , add them to a Spring Minestrone or dabble your dinner plate with this Pork and Pepper Stir Fry.

Have a wonderful week!! Check back in next week for more recipes . . .

Harvest Box for February 12, 2010

You may notice a four-legged creature peeking inside my Harvest Box for this week. He loves to get a look at what's in there, almost as much as we do.

I'm looking forward to cooking up those delicious mushrooms this week. A great recipe to try in which you can really enjoy the simple flavour of mushrooms is Best Button Mushrooms - easy and a great side dish for most main meals. For something lighter, try combining this week's spinach and mushrooms in the same bowl with a Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing. And this Pasta with Savoury Walnut and Mushroom Sauce promises a rich and tasty weeknight meal.

Since I'm still looking for new and exciting ways to use avocado, I'm going to make these Quick Chicken Tostadas for my family this week. It looks simple and yet tasty, so I'm hoping it's something everyone will like. Another great choice is this California Cobb Club Sandwich - doesn't that look absolutely amazing? We are huge fans of avocado in a sandwich and this one is pretty spectacular.

I found a great vegetarian meal in these Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas - pretty easy to make, too, and packed with nutrients and good stuff. For some warmth on a cold February night, put your spinach in this White Bean Soup and enjoy a bowlful of something tasty.

I've mentioned before that I often serve broccoli with shrimp because my kids love it and all three of them eat it. Well I stumbled upon this recipe for Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp which is a bit different than mine, and I am definitely trying it out this week. It looks fabulous. I also came across this Chicken Broccoli Parmesan which is touted as a "quick and easy recipe for busy families". So, if you've got one (a busy family, that is!) be sure to give this one a try.

Enjoy your week!

Harvest Box for January 29, 2010

Look at this week's luscious harvest box!! This is really winter in Ottawa these days (my toes are blue to prove it), so be sure to try and bring your harvest box inside as soon as it arrives so your produce doesn't freeze. Doesn't take long when it's -30 outside!


We are big avocado lovers so I always find myself smiling when I see the bumpy-round surface of an avocado inside my harvest box. A family favourite is to slice up an avocado and add to some fresh crusty bread with a couple slices of tomato and cheese. Smear on a little may and freshly ground pepper, and you've got yourself a perfect little sandwich!

I also really like the looks of this Crunchy Avocado Salad and hope to try it out one day this week. For the sushi lovers (of which I am one, although I have not yet forayed into the world of sushi-making), I suggest using both your avocado and mango together in this delicious sounding
Crab, Avocado and Mango Roll. And although my tried and true avocado sandwich has gotten us through the years, it may truly have met its match in this week's Fried Egg and Avocado Sandwich. Doesn't that sound divine? Please let me know if you give it a try - I am dying to know if it tastes as good as it looks!

I offered a few simple ways to incorporate mango into a main meal last week, and I stumbled upon a couple other great recipes I wanted to share. I've learned that beef and mango are a great combo (proved to me with last week's Beef and Mango Wraps) and so I am hoping to give this Stir-Fried Beef with Mango a whirl in my kitchen this week. And for anyone interested in a non-beef option, why not try this Broiled Salmon with Avocado Mango Salsa. Sounds fabulous.

While I enjoy eggplant, my husband and three children are a bit more finicky when it comes to the deep purple vegetable. They don't like the texture, and they don't like the bitter taste. They have not favoured eggplant parmigiana when I made it in the past. So I found this Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad and wonder if grilling the eggplant will make the texture softer and easier for them to tolerate. (Plus, they love goat cheese!) Other choices if you're stumped for how to use your eggplant include this Eggplant Gratin and Lemon Rice and Eggplant-Chick Pea Curry. I really want to try the curry recipe, as so far I've really enjoyed all the Rachael Ray recipes I've made.

Mushrooms are easy to incorporate into so many meals - we throw them into stir fries, add them to omelets, chuck them on top of salads. But the for nights you feel like taking that extra step . . . serve your friends and family this Mushroom Risotto. It wont' disappoint! Baked Mushroom Linguine also makes a delicious vegetarian dinner, and you can't beat the health benefits of
Smothered Mushrooms and Kale - full of nutrients, and tasty too.

I noticed this recipe for King Pao Beef includes an option for baby bok choi, and it looks absolutely delicious.

And I know I've shared this before, but I really do recommend you try throwing your broccoli into a pasta dish. My kids adore Pasta with Shrimp and Broccoli and always ask for seconds. I am hoping to try Ina Garten's Broccoli with Bow Ties for one of our week night meals in February.

Enjoy your week and your produce - and stay warm!