What to do with CSA this week: 8/28/10

CSA? Is it really you!!? I’m so thrilled to see you again!!

After being in North Carolina for two weeks of pickups (thanks to lovely friends and neighbors for covering for me) I finally got to go back and pick up my CSA again.

• Tomatoes – Chopping for taco salad
  
• Hot Peppers – Chopping for taco salad and including in beans and rice
  
• Parsnips – Roasted with thyme
  
• Melon – Eat with mint from my garden
  
• Corn – On the cob for kids, included in cornbread, corn salsa
  
• Peaches – Eating, freezing
  
• Plums – Eating, making a plum cake from the Hayday Market Cookbook – will let you know how it turns out.
  

What to do with CSA this week: 8/7/10

I was lucky enough to not only get my regular CSA share this week, but also about 13 home grown tomatoes generously donated by my mom.

• Tomatoes – Salsa, bruschetta, sliced on burgers, BLTs, in Mac & Cheese, and sauce. I’m having a tomato party this week.
• Onions – Pantry, as always, but also in salsa and on burgers
  
• Carrots – Going to experiment with my summer squash fritter recipe to see if I can add some carrots to this as well…
  
• Cantaloupe – Cut into chunks and eaten with mint from my garden
  
• Zuke – I know I keep doing the same thing with these guys (fritattas and fritters), but they’re sooo delicious.
  
• Peaches – These have worked out so deliciously in my post workout smoothies, I’m going to keep peeling and freezing these as long as we get them
  
• Blackberries – These, sorry to say, did not survive the trip home. Ate them all on the way. They were delicious.
  

What to do with CSA this week: 7/31/10

I can’t believe that July is already gone! Hello August. And hello to big quantities of fruit in the freezer for those cold fall days when I am sad for summer.

• Corn – I’ll let the kids eat two of these off the cob, then use the other two for corn chowder
• Onions – Pantry!
  
• Cucumber – Side dish of cucmber salad
  
• Summer squash – Adding this to some linguine for dinner
• Zukes – Making two loaves of bread with this, to slice and freeze for future breakfasts
  
• Peaches – Freeze for smoothies or pies
• Plums – These are so sweet and delicious. I’ll be snacking on them all week. I wish I had more time, I’d make some kind of fancy tart with them.
  

What to do with CSA this week: 7/10/10

Last week, I was in St Lous visiting family, but my handsome hubs picked up CSA for me. I already ate all the chard, apricots, and blueberries from last week. I still have some beets though, so I’m including them in this list. And can I just say for the record that I absolutely LOVE my farm, Wayward Seed? I can. I do.

Here’s what we got this week:

• Beets (from last week) – Boiling, slicing and eating with goat cheese and thyme. (Roasting in the oven is better, but I’m out of foil!)
• Carrots (some cool looking white ones) – peeling, cutting into sticks for snacking.
• Swiss Chard – I feel another fritatta in your future, chard. But I bet you could also use this instead of spinach in Palak Paneer.
• Crook neck squash – Sauteed with garlic and onions, then topped with Romano.
• Peaches (first of the season!) – Ripen in brown bags, eat for snacks. If I can’t eat them all while they’re still good, I’ll freeze them for smoothies.
• Blueberries – Eat for snack. I’m trying to watch what I’m eating (beach in T minus 5 weeks people), but if you’re very good, I share Marion Cunningham’s FABULOUS recipe for crumble topping which is to die for with these blueberries. And with the aforementioned peaches.

Blueberry Peach Smoothie

Another good smoothie combo.

Blueberry Peach Smoothie

• 1 cup frozen sliced peaches
• 3/4 C blueberry juice (I like RW Knudsen Blueberry Nectar)
  
• 1/2 C water
• a half a thumb sized piece of fresh ginger (optional)
• 1 scoop protein powder (I’ve switched to whey – soy wasn’t agreeing with me)
• 2 T plain yogurt

Puree all in a blender.

Quinoa Peach Cereal

I don’t know why I don’t cook peaches more often. They taste like old time cobbler. Perfect comfort food. This morning I combined them with quinoa, nuts, and raisins to make a helathy breakfast option. You could make a giant batch of this at the beginning of the week, and heat up an individual sized portion each morning to save time.

Quinoa Peach Cereal

• 1/4 quinoa
• 1 cup frozen, sliced peaches
• 1/4 cup raw almonds
• 2 T golden raisins
• 1 T honey

Put quinoa, peaches, raisins, and honey into a sauce pan with a little over 1/2 C of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a dry skillet. Top the quinoa with the almonds and enjoy.

Of course you can substitute any other grain (oatmeal, brown rice, cous cous, etc), and any other fruit, nut, or sweetener. Just adjust your cooking time accordingly. And I know it seems a little over the top to toast almonds fresh for this, but indulge me. Freshly toasted nuts are SOOOO good and easy and, well, nutty. Toast your own nuts and you won’t go back. (Does that sound somehow inappropriate?)