I'm stuck in a rut.
A cooking rut, that is. These farm share vegetables that keep coming back - I find that I am preparing them the same way, over and over again. I think this happens when I run out of time, and don't have time to be creative.
1. Stir Fry Leafy Greens with Garlic
My default thing to do with leafy greens from my farmshare is to stir-fry them. You can stir-fry almost anything with garlic and it will taste good - beet greens, radish greens, Swiss chard, kale - you name it. Oh, I did learn the hard way the collard greens take forever to cook, and a simple stir fry will NOT be sufficient.
Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy
I've been getting a lot of baby bok choy through my farm share lately. Baby bok choy is one of the Chinese vegetables that I almost invariably pick up whenever I go to Chinatown. I love how quickly it cooks, how great it tastes in a simple Chinese stir-fry, and how versatile it is. Not only does it work in Chinese cuisine, it's a simple, great side vegetable for a piece of steak or fish.
2. Make Chips!
If you get a reasonably starchy root vegetable, chances are you can make chips out of them. I've made all sorts of oven-baked chips: taro root, sunchokes, sweet potato, even kale "chips".
Oven Roasted Kale "Chips"
I love using up kale this way. First of all, the roasting gives the kale an excellent, deep caramelized roasted flavor that I love. Secondly, it reduces a whole bunch of kale into a rather manageable amount. Finally, it tastes really good, more like a snack than something that's actually healthy and chock full of vitamins!
3. Blend It Up Into a Soup
Root vegetables are great for blended soups. You can mix and match them, making all sorts of interesting combinations. Here are two classics:
Carrot Ginger Soup
I have been getting quite a few lovely rainbow colored carrots lately. Although I have usually just been snacking on them raw, here's a lovely healthy and flavorful soup that you can make with any kind of carrot.
Oven Roasted Beets and Sauteed Beet Greens
The moment I get beets from the farm share, I toss it together with some olive oil and salt, wrap it up in some foil, and roast it. It's so versatile afterwards. You can toss it with your favorite dressing (balsamic works great) and a strong cheese, such as feta, goat's cheese, or blue cheese. You can also reheat it and eat it as a side dish with meat. If you're hungry in the middle of the night, you can even just munch on it cold straight from the refrigerator!!
5. Make Spring Rolls!
Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Have an over-abundance of basil? Or mint? Or heck, even other herbs? Make Vietnamese spring rolls! This light, refreshing, cool appetizer is healthy and delicious. Works great as a light meal and is a crowd pleaser at potlucks and picnics.
6. Make a Chopped Salad
Tomato, Basil, Mozarella, and Corn Salad
Here's my twist on the traditional caprese salad. I love fresh corn and I really think it adds to most salads. By quickly making the corn in the microwave using this super easy method, you can whip this refreshing salad together in minutes. Again, a great way to use up that excess basil!
7. Make a Cold Marinated Salad (or make pickles!)
Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
I love this dish in the summertime. It's so refreshing, cool, and healthy. It works great as a starter or also as a side dish to some grilled meat. I will often serve it with several other Chinese dishes to be eaten with rice.
8. Try Sauteing your Root Vegetables!
Sauteed Beets and Radishes
Last week, when I really was short of time, I decided to thinly slice my radishes and beets. I sauteed them in a small amount of butter with some herbs, and they tasted fantastic. They really hit the spot, and it only took a few minutes to prepare. That's my kind of recipe.
So there you have it. Just a few of the ways in which I have been using up my farm share vegetables. I'm curious to try pickling something, or even making ice cream out of something, like beets! Stay tuned!
What are some ways that you have been using up your CSA Boxshare vegetables?
My default thing to do with leafy greens from my farmshare is to stir-fry them. You can stir-fry almost anything with garlic and it will taste good - beet greens, radish greens, Swiss chard, kale - you name it. Oh, I did learn the hard way the collard greens take forever to cook, and a simple stir fry will NOT be sufficient.
Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy
I've been getting a lot of baby bok choy through my farm share lately. Baby bok choy is one of the Chinese vegetables that I almost invariably pick up whenever I go to Chinatown. I love how quickly it cooks, how great it tastes in a simple Chinese stir-fry, and how versatile it is. Not only does it work in Chinese cuisine, it's a simple, great side vegetable for a piece of steak or fish.
2. Make Chips!
If you get a reasonably starchy root vegetable, chances are you can make chips out of them. I've made all sorts of oven-baked chips: taro root, sunchokes, sweet potato, even kale "chips".
Oven Roasted Kale "Chips"
I love using up kale this way. First of all, the roasting gives the kale an excellent, deep caramelized roasted flavor that I love. Secondly, it reduces a whole bunch of kale into a rather manageable amount. Finally, it tastes really good, more like a snack than something that's actually healthy and chock full of vitamins!
3. Blend It Up Into a Soup
Root vegetables are great for blended soups. You can mix and match them, making all sorts of interesting combinations. Here are two classics:
Carrot Ginger Soup
I have been getting quite a few lovely rainbow colored carrots lately. Although I have usually just been snacking on them raw, here's a lovely healthy and flavorful soup that you can make with any kind of carrot.
This recipe will probably become much more useful when fall rolls around. The great thing about fall root vegetables is that you can blend any combination of them together to make a lovely soup. The general rules are pretty simple: aromatic + root vegetables + broth + blender. Play around and see what you create!
4. Oven Roast Your Root Vegetables
My default way of preparing farm share root vegetables when I don't have much time to think is to roast them all together with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. It never fails, and you can refrigerate them for use later.
I have been getting fennel bulbs in my farm share lately, and yet I have not done anything with them yet. Roasted fennel bulb is beautifully sweet, mild, and does not really taste like licorice. It pairs nicely with other root vegetables, such as carrots and parsnips (which have also been appearing in my farm share!).
Oven Roasted Beets and Sauteed Beet Greens
The moment I get beets from the farm share, I toss it together with some olive oil and salt, wrap it up in some foil, and roast it. It's so versatile afterwards. You can toss it with your favorite dressing (balsamic works great) and a strong cheese, such as feta, goat's cheese, or blue cheese. You can also reheat it and eat it as a side dish with meat. If you're hungry in the middle of the night, you can even just munch on it cold straight from the refrigerator!!
5. Make Spring Rolls!
Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Have an over-abundance of basil? Or mint? Or heck, even other herbs? Make Vietnamese spring rolls! This light, refreshing, cool appetizer is healthy and delicious. Works great as a light meal and is a crowd pleaser at potlucks and picnics.
6. Make a Chopped Salad
Tomato, Basil, Mozarella, and Corn Salad
Here's my twist on the traditional caprese salad. I love fresh corn and I really think it adds to most salads. By quickly making the corn in the microwave using this super easy method, you can whip this refreshing salad together in minutes. Again, a great way to use up that excess basil!
7. Make a Cold Marinated Salad (or make pickles!)
Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
I love this dish in the summertime. It's so refreshing, cool, and healthy. It works great as a starter or also as a side dish to some grilled meat. I will often serve it with several other Chinese dishes to be eaten with rice.
8. Try Sauteing your Root Vegetables!
Sauteed Beets and Radishes
Last week, when I really was short of time, I decided to thinly slice my radishes and beets. I sauteed them in a small amount of butter with some herbs, and they tasted fantastic. They really hit the spot, and it only took a few minutes to prepare. That's my kind of recipe.
So there you have it. Just a few of the ways in which I have been using up my farm share vegetables. I'm curious to try pickling something, or even making ice cream out of something, like beets! Stay tuned!
What are some ways that you have been using up your CSA Boxshare vegetables?
You can add any of the vegetables to a frittata, or put them on top of a pizza!! I've been getting a lot of squash which is great for both those options.
ReplyDeleteOr you can give them away to friends/family :D
I like Catherine's idea - send those extra veggies my way! =) Salad is my usual go-to idea with fresh vegetables. In addition to ice cream, you can make red velvet cake with the beets!
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog-thanks! Have you been to Yoma in Allston? Delicious Burmese-one of the best restaurants in the area!
ReplyDeleteHi Rammayers,
ReplyDeleteNo, I have not been to Yoma. In fact, I know very little about Burmese food. Thanks for the recommendation!
really??? you can make red velvet cake with beets? I love that idea! So much more natural. Have you tried it?
ReplyDeleteOoh, I really like the frittata idea, actually. I don't have a pizza stone, so I'm not sure how good my homemade pizza would be. I've never tried making it!
ReplyDeleteI think your plating technique is beautiful and I love your seasonal fare. I recently took a trip to an organic farm and couldn't get enough of what she was growing. One thing you have got to try is lemon verbana water. Very easy; steep lemon verbana leaves in small amount of hot water for 10 minutes and then fill the rest of the pitcher with cold water and refrigerate.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
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