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 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!

Thursday May 26th

by Brie

The first thing I wanted to do when I opened my box this week was to eat the blueberries I found inside. Blueberries will keep 10 to 14 days after they are picked, and these blueberries look perfect for eating! Make sure you wash the berries just before using to prevent them from becoming mushy. The berries can also be frozen, without washing them to keep their skins tough, and then rinsed and drained right before serving.

Local Ontario asparagus is in season and I was happy to find some in my box. After growing up eating over-cooked asparagus, I have come to love this vegetable now that I know how to cook it properly. Asparagus really is perfect cooked and served on its own, maybe even with a bit of lemon juice, but it is also a versatile vegetable to add to dishes. You can bake it, add it to a goat cheese quesadia or put it in a vegetable handroll. And don't forget that while asparagus tastes great, it is also high in folic acid and low in calories.

In the box were also some Quebec red potatoes and Lebanese cucumbers. Toss in the local coloured radishes and you have the makings of a perfect summer salad. Add the snow peas from this week's box to the potatoes and try a curried salad. Or if you prefer, make a cold cucumber potato soup on a hot spring night. Potatoes are also excellent served, as always, fried up for breakfast.

We eat broccoli often at our house. I have steamed it, roasted it, added it to salads and eaten it in stir-frys. Looking for something different to do with broccoli I found this savory broccoli cupcake recipe. I am smitten and plan to make it as soon as possible. Do you have any new and different broccoli recipe suggestions?

Ripe peaches make great snacks. Peaches are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and a great source of Vitamin C. Now that Spring is here and the BBQ season has started you may want to try making balsamic-marinated pork chops and grilled peaches or grilled peaches with blue cheese and walnuts for dinner. For dessert make some maple-grilled peaches.
Our box this week also held bananas, chives and an orange pepper.

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.

Organic Harvest Box for June 12, 2010

Take a peek at your Organic Harvest box this week! Looks delicious . . .

Don't you just love fresh cantaloupe? This type of melon is extremely nutrient-packed, yet has very few calories. It is highly concentrated with beta-carotene, folic acid, potassium, vitamin C, as well as dietary fibre. It is also one of the very few fruits that has a high level of vitamin B complex, B1 (thiamine), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), and B6 (pyridoxine). Cantaloupe is rich in anti-oxidants that help prevent cancer and heart disease.

So, what better reason to grab a knife and start slicing your melon in half?

Melon can can be enjoyed simply, with very few additional ingredients needed to enjoy it's luscious flavour, as in this Melon with White Wine recipe. Cantaloupe is a superb addition to salads, and I suggest trying this Cucumber Cantaloupe Salad and or this Cantaloupe Salad (which uses the actual cantaloupe body for the bowl!).

If you fancy something sweet, then why not fire up your barbecue and try Grilled Cantaloupe with Honey Ginger Blueberry Sauce? It looks divine! A sure winner to serve after a light grilled dinner. Or try these Crepes with Proscuitto, Brie and Cantaloupe - a fantastic idea for a brunch or late weekend breakfast. And these Cantaloupe Ice Pops? A success with my kids - an icy cold and healthy treat for summer!

How do you like to eat your green beans? Some of my favourite choices are just using them as a simple side dish to one of our main meals - like Sesame Green Beans or Green Beans with Almonds - both are fast, easy, and tasty! Green beans lend themselves well to salads too, and I found a few this week that had me drooling. What about a Green Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad, a Fresh Bean Salad, or this Fennel and Radish Salad ? But what had me drooling most of all this week was this recipe for Green Beans with Goat Cheese, Cranberries, and Bacon - hard to disagree that bacon would be a wonderful addition to green beans!

I have not personally ever been a fan of radishes. So, I am always on the hunt for recipes that incorporate radishes in fun and innovative ways - but that they TASTE good. Since I love snap peas, I am thinking of trying these Sugar Snap Peas with Radishes. And I am even open to giving this Roasted Radish with Soy Sauce and Roasted Sesame Seeds a whirl. I like the looks of this East-Meets-West Chicken Tostada Salad, as well as these Mixed Greens and Radish Salad with Feta Cheese. Hoping to try one of them this week!

Any suggestions, feedback, or recipes you would like to share are always welcome!! Enjoy your week.