Week 11: pickup and pasta

This week's veggies are:
radishes
cherry tomatoes
tomatoes
broccoli
eggplant
cousa squash
poblanos

Over the weekend I made one of my favorite easy pasta dishes which I got from a friend with this week's broccoli:

Penne
Broccoli florets
Pine nuts, toasted
Olive oil
Minced garlic
Crushed pepper flakes
Grated/shredded Parmesan

Boil the water for pasta. Add pasta.

When the pasta is about 3 minutes to completion, add the broccoli to the water to cook the broccoli and pasta in one pot.

When it's all done, drain, then throw back in the pot.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts (in a pan or in the oven)

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, add the garlic to cook for a few minutes, add the red pepper flakes, then eventually the toasted pine nuts.

Scoop the oil/pepper/garlic/pine nut mixture into the broccoli/pasta mixture, stir add a bit of olive oil if needed, and stir in a handful of Parmesan.

Week 10: zucchini and potatoes

Sunday I finally got around to making these zucchini crisps, and they were all I'd hoped. I added a bit of shredded cheese to the top.

Tuesday night I had my sister over for dinner, and made some dijon dill marinated chicken in my grill pan along with more zucchini crisps (minus the extra cheese) and potato wedges with parsley and parmesan. This used up all of last week's and this week's potatoes, as well as the parsley. I rarely make three different parts to a meal, so I felt very accomplished. I ended up finishing the potatoes in the oven rather than the grill pan.

I also made a loaf of zucchini bread with the last of the zucchini.

Week 10: pickup, etc.

This week's pickup included:
-beets
-tatsoi
-parsley
-green peppers
-eggplant
-zucchini
-potatoes
-yellow tomatoes

I made the tatsoi Thursday night and ate it along side some leftover cheese pizza. I briefly boiled it and then dressed with ginger, soy sauce, sriracha, and rice vinegar using this recipe, (I left out the sugar) and it was refreshing and delicious. I will definitely try this again, and perhaps with different greens as well. I had never heard of tatsoi prior to this, and am very much a fan now.

On Friday for lunch I was eating with a friend and we finished up the rest of last week's cherry tomatoes, eating them halves with some fresh mozzarella, basil, and balsamic. On Friday night we ate some of the yellow tomatoes as a snack with a bit of salt. They are the perfect level of ripeness, and have an amazing gardeny flavor. We also enjoyed many pickles for snacks.

Saturday night I had a few folks for over for dinner and made a slightly less fried version of eggplant parmesan. I used some store-bought pasta sauce, and ended up leaving out the basil since I didn't have any on hand. I didn't need nearly as many breadcrumbs as Mario seemed to think I would because they weren't sticking very well. It still turned out delicious, though, and I will be making this again. I also used some of the parsley in a mushroom and parsley salad. It was very fresh and summery.

Today for lunch I brought the remaining tomatoes and green peppers, and the rest of the mushroom salad.

Week 9: grilling

As I mentioned at the end of my last post, I brought lots of veggies when I visited my family this weekend. We made kale chips, ate roasted beets with goat cheese and balsamic, and grilled the eggplant, summer squash, and cousa all to delicious effect. I also made several batched of pickles with the cucumbers, though we didn't have ideal jars and ended up using sugar jars - the kind with the little hole in the top to pour the sugar. I sliced up the last of the green peppers as an appetizer with ranch dip.

Yesterday I ate many of the cherry tomatoes as part of my lunch at work. There is nothing like a garden tomato.

Week 9: chili relleno

Our pick up this week included:
-beets
-kale
-potatoes
-cousa squash
-cucumbers
-eggplant
-poblano peppers
-cherry tomatoes

I was inspired by the poblanos and made chili relleno for dinner last night, and man was it good. Most recipes include frying, but this Rachel Ray one is a bit healthier and less messy. I need to get better at remembering to wear gloves when I'm handling hot peppers: under my thumb nails is still burning.

This weekend I am visiting family and planning to bring the beets and kale, and also the cousa, eggplant, and the last summer squash from last week for grilling.

Week 8: usual pesto

Last night I used the basil to make a more traditional pesto than I typically concoct. In addition to the basil, I added olive oil, walnuts, garlic, parmesan, salt, and pepper and blended it all in my mini food processor. I had some farfalle and small shells which each weren't really enough for a full meal, so I combined them. The result: an extremely fast and tasty dinner.

Week 8: spring onions and potatoes

I didn't even realize it until this morning, but I had a cooking triumph last night: I made an entire dinner without any recipe at all. Granted it was quite simple, but I still find it very exciting when I'm able to just cook without references.

I made roasted potatoes with herbs de provence finishing up last week's yukon gold potatoes, and using a few of this week's purple potatoes. This can hardly be called a recipe, but my method is to cut them into eights or so, depending on size, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and whatever spices I'm in the mood for. Last night was herbs de provence, but I often use cajun seasoning. I roast them at 425 for about 45-60 min. They always take longer than I anticipate...

I wanted something to go with the potatoes, but didn't feel like going to the store for chicken or similar and I remembered two hot italian chicken sausages in the freezer, so I ended up sauteing those along with the red spring onions. Once the sausages were cooked enough to hold up, I sliced them into disks. This was a tasty meal indeed. S. let out a disappointed sigh when he went to get seconds and found there weren't any to be had.

Week 8: pick up and hoisin eggplant

I forgot to post last week after our pick up! We received:

-red spring onions
-celery
-basil
-cucumbers
-summer squash
-japanese eggplant
-green peppers
-purple potatoes

Over the weekend I made still more pickles, this time cutting the cukes into quarters instead of eighths to make for a bulkier pickle. Still using the same brine, though I think this third time will be the final one before I refresh it.

Last night I made grilled japanese eggplant and summer squash with hoisin sauce from this recipe, and served it with baked marinated tofu and brown rice. The eggplant and summer squash was topped with some sliced spring onion greens. This was one of my favorite meals of the summer thus far. It was very easy, though the draining and marinating of the tofu took some time. I also got to use my new grill pan, which was excellent. I was worried it would be difficult to clean, but it was a piece of cake: non-stick is the way to go. I have a little of the hoisin left over, and I think I might grill up the second summer squash, the red spring onions, and the other two green peppers with it later this week.

I am also happy to have added rice to the list of things I can cook. I often feel like I skipped basic cooking skills, but I have now made delicious brown rice two tries in a row, and feel quite accomplished.

I am eating last week's carrots and this week's celery and some of the green peppers with ranch dip as part of my lunches this week.

Week 7: the trouble with purple cabbage

The trouble with purple cabbage is... that it is purple. And everything that one cooks in with it will also eventually be purple. This is not a huge problem, as it is still delicious, but we had quite a purple dinner last night. Since I love the other pasta and cabbage recipe so much, I decided to try out this one from Rachel Ray which also uses potatoes. It seemed a little wintery because of the potatoes, but delicious and I am excited for the leftovers for lunch.

Week 7: turnips and zucchini bread

Last night I had another go at the pureed turnip recipe I made a few weeks ago. Instead of shallots, I used my red spring onions. I also sauteed the turnip greens with this week's beet greens and some cajun seasoning (I would eat this on everything), and made some chicken in barbecue sauce. This all made for a well rounded dinner, and I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today.

I also made zucchini bread last night since this week's share included two zucchinis the size of baseball bats. (I am giving one to my sister.) I used almost a whole zucchini, and boy is it tasty. My sister gave me some whole nutmeg for Christmas, and I feel like it really makes a different in recipes like this. I am enjoying a slice as I type.

I hit another baking milestone yesterday: I bought the plastic tub of sugar since I've been going through the boxes so quickly. I think the next step will be a flour tin.

Week 7: more pickles and beets

Well, I can now state with certainty that the pickles were extremely tasty using the brine for the second time!

I also brought a salad using this week's beets to a barbecue on Saturday. It was well received, and I was glad to have some other people enjoy the beets. I had a few, but one person can only eat so many beets...

On Sunday I roasted some of last week's potatoes with cajun seasoning. Potatoes always take so much longer than I feel like they ought to. These could have stood to stay in the oven a bit longer than the 40 or so minutes I gave them, but I was really hungry.