Yummy Yards CSA Box #5

Holy moly! I had no idea collard leaves were so big!

Had a rare hankering for Glico curry, so I used all the chopped collards with the broccoli and some mushrooms. Happened to have two packages of firm tofu in the freezer. Let them partially thaw, then pressed them with a cast iron pan full of heavy containers on a sloped cutting board. Cubed the tofu and added it near the end with some broccoli. I think the collards cooked for about 45 minutes. They were just right, soft but still a bit of a bite. Served it on rice. Plenty of left-overs.  Should do me until my next craving, about 10 years from now.

Made a honey-mustard wilted coleslaw with the cabbage, broccoli stems and tarragon, along with a few lonely carrots from the fridge and some chives I rescued from the garden of a house that was about to be demolished. It made a huge amount and it was a big hit with one friend who had 5 helpings of it.  Even still, I think I’ll be eating it all week, probably longer. Shred the cabbage, broccoli stems, and a few carrots. Add some chopped chives and fresh tarragon. In a pot heat up about 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard. Add about 3/4 cup oil. Pour over the veg to wilt it. Add salt. Note to self: a whole head of cabbage makes TOO MUCH coleslaw!

What a lovely yellow zucchini. Normally, when zucchinis are coming out the ying-yang, I like to stuff and bake them, but since there was only one, I cut it into chunks and tossed with some baby zucchini from my own garden, a hunk of feta cheese, a splash of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a handful of panko crumbs. It looked a little paltry, so I also threw in some celery to fill it out. Baked at 350 for about 40 minutes. Just a good, simple side dish that looks good, tastes good, yet won’t compete with the main event.

Made yet more kale chips. Here are some before and after pictures to show how much the kale shrinks. Actually, the pan was too crowded, and some of the kale was not quite crispy when the rest was done. Best to not let it overlap at all.

As for the lambs quarters and snap peas, I can’t  imagine they could be any tastier than simply sautéed in a wee bit of olive oil with sea salt and garlic. Maybe tomorrow, with a nice big salad and ginger jam jar dressing: take a nearly empty jar of ginger jam (something I’ve always got on the go), add rice vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper. Shake to free all the bits stuck to the side of the jar. Makes a very yummy salad dressing.

Yummy Yards CSA Box #3

Well, I got back from a week in Kelowna to find almost everything in box #2 GONE! Eaten! What was left: lavender, garlic scapes and kale, all still in fine shape. Picked up box #3 and went straight to the kitchen. Here’s how I celebrated box #3:

First, I amalgamated the kales, old and new, along with the few, sad leaves in my own garden to make some gorgeous kale chips. The only thing I have to add that hasn’t been said before about kale chips is to use a huge bowl to add very little olive oil (say, 2 tsp. max) and sort of gently massage it into the kale.  Shake on the sea salt while still in the bowl.  Transfer to baking sheet, then use the convection setting on the oven (about 325 degrees) and check frequently after 7 or 8 minutes. Crispy, and not too oily.

Used up last week’s garlic scapes and some left-over garlic butter in a mushroom dish which got stuffed into quesadillas. Just sautéed it all up, along with one of the sliced new onions, then baked it in folded flour tortillas with a little mozzarella until melted.

The broccoli, crunchier bits of the lettuce and the carrots (or as we call them, carrost): an amazingly effective little strategy for feeding fussy 9 year-old boys. When he is on the computer (5:45 exactly, for about an hour, or until dinner is ready) I stealthily and silently set a dinner plate heaped (and I mean heaped!) with raw veg just near the mouse. It always disappears. Sometimes I even refill it, and that will disappear, too.

The rest of the carrots and all the mint were made into a tasty slaw: shred carrots, chop mint, add a handful of raisins. Mix in a dollop of mayonnaise with some rice vinegar and olive oil, and a sprinkle of sea salt. Almost sparkly, it’s so refreshing.

Have been enjoying the cilantro and basil seedlings, which I finally planted into a container just at the bottom of the kitchen steps. Twice this week made a cucumber and cherry tomato salad with feta cheese, finished with white balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The first time I added shredded basil, the second time I used cilantro. Loved it both times. Had left-overs once, so served it again on the last of the salad greens.

Last night I cooked sliced mushrooms in butter with the rest of the new onions, and some cauliflower flowerets. Added a splash of balsamic vinegar, some parmesan cheese and the last of the cherry tomatoes, then mixed in some cooked pearl couscous  and other grain mix that I got at Costco. It was really yummy, but of course the kids wouldn’t touch it.

And I’ve decided I like lambs quarters even more than spinach. Especially good sautéed in olive oil, then drizzled with sesame oil. No squeaky teeth.

The fridge is now pretty much empty, just in time for box#4.