CSA (our) week 5: August 13th, 2009

Week 5
1. Eggplant (Japanese)-1 lb
2. Lettuce - 1 head
3. Cucumber - 1 lb
4. Cabbage, Green - 1 head
5. Squash, Summer - 1 lb
6. Beans: Dragon Tongue 1 lb
7. Leeks - 1 bunch

This week, again, our lettuce went to waste. I really have to be better about that. Does anyone have ideas on how to keep lettuce fresh? Mine always wilts within 36 hours of getting it home.

The cucumbers were used as an appetizer with ricotta cheese on top.
Slice the cucumbers 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with salt. Top with Ricotta cheese and fresh ground pepper. I thought it came together pretty well. Sean really enjoyed them with my leek dip (recipe to follow).

The squash was used in a similar recipe to last (with mixed vegetables in a tomato sauce) this is really a go to dinner for me. It's satisfying and can be made with pretty much any vegetable combination.

The cabbage I used to make what I'm going to call my
"not just for rabbits cabbage combination"


Yes, I'm all cheese.

So, anyway, eat cabbage because it's great for you, it's extremely filling, filled with vitamins and good for your digestive system, although it can be difficult to process. Get ready for some stink bombs. Was that inappropriate?

You will need: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 onion, 2 carrots, 1/2 head of cabbage, 3 cups vegetable stock, 1 bay leaf, 1 can chick peas.
You will also need 2 tablespoons olive oil, the 2nd 1/2 of that onion and 1/2 lb potatoes. The smaller the potatoes are the better.

Start by cleaning and slicing the potatoes into 1/4 inch pieces. Thinly slice 1/2 of your onion.
In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil with salt and pepper. Toss in potatoes and onion and coat thoroughly. Lay potatoes and onions on a cookie sheet.
Another option is to spray your pan with cooking spray, lay out your potato and onion slices. Spray the top of your potato and onions with cooking spray and sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder and I like to spice it up with a little red pepper. If you have any hearty fresh herbs they would also work well, chili powder, curry powder, etc.
Cook in oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until crispy and browned.

Cut the other 1/2 of the onion and the carrots into bite size pieces and sauté in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Cut cabbage into wedges and place in pot to sauté for 5 minutes. Flip cabbage and sauté on the other open edge for another 5 minutes. Then add 1 can of drained and rinsed chick peas, 3 cups of vegetable stock and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook until cabbage is tender.