CSA Box and Weekly Meals #2

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Take a peek!  These are the delightful surprises I found in my CSA box this past week.  Unlike the last time, which was comprised mostly of greens, the intensely vibrant purple and orange hues took my breath away.  I love you, kale, spinach, and salad mix, but my fascination lies with the new kids in town.  Three veggies, I can assure you, I would not have purchased on my own are: celeriac (hello, aliens!), kohlrabi, and dill.

Let’s once again do a run down of how these ingredients were enjoyed.  Understand I did not take a picture of everything the Hungryman and I ate throughout the week, rather just the meals eaten at home.  I still have not completely owned up to the fact that I am a food blogger and that there’s no shame in jockeying for position, hovering over a table, or scurrying about for the best light to take that money shot of the food I’m about to devour in public.  On the other hand, if it means I get a free meal out of it, I’m willing to brave the stares and the occasional sneers ;).

Kale: I eat kale all.the.time.  So while I enjoyed it in salads, I also made kale chips to switch things up a bit.  I’ve made many different versions in the past, but this time, I simply tossed them with oil, cumin, curry powder, and a pinch of salt.  To entice the Hungryman to try them, I squirted on some sriracha.  He was not amused.  And so my mission of converting him into a kale-lover continues.  I also made a kale mango smoothie as a post-workout snack.

Beets: I love roasted beets.  Beet roots that is.  I find the greens to be bitter and too tough for my liking.  Although this orange, faro & beet salad, I thoroughly enjoyed.  Don’t even ask how the Hungryman feels about them (you think his feelings about kale are strong…).  However, the challenge I find myself in is to use up everything in the box.  I shall leave it at that as I’m planning on devoting an entire post to my newest creation.  Hint: Take a look at the bottom right picture.  If I get beets again in the next box, I’ve already decided that I’m going to make this Roasted golden beet and carrot soup.

Salad mix: Although it could’ve been easily overlooked due to all the other bold ingredients, I was incredibly thankful for its humble and indispensable presence.  We enjoyed a variety of salads that were thrown together with whatever we had on hand.  Case in point – the one with avocado, roasted kabocha, chicken, tomato, and balsamic vinaigrette.

Spinach: I was in desperate need of a comforting high-carb meal so I made these vegetarian lasagna roll-ups, minus the hatch chiles.

Dill: Whenever possible, I tried to incorporate this into dishes to add some extra vibrancy and tanginess.  It made its way into the dressing for the beet green salad and the celeriac and kohlrabi rösti, which we shall get into…RIGHT NOW!

You may be wondering, “what is a rösti?”  I would not have known what it was either if it weren’t for the creamy brownish, knobby “alien” with tendrils and the other vegetable from outer-space…the purple-colored sputnik.  When I opened my box, I just stared..and stared not knowing how to make the first move.  I scoured the web (Kitchn is always a great source), and there was an overwhelming approval of consuming celeriac and kohlrabi raw.  That was my starting point, and to be quite honest, I did not care for the taste.  I suppose the raw celeriac fared better if I must make a comparison.I didn’t know what to expect, but this celeriac and kohlrabi rösti recipe caught my attention, probably because I could knock out two of my CSA box veggies in one recipe and because it looked simple enough with all the ingredients I had on hand.  The most difficult part was literally sawing off the gnarly roots.

To my surprise, the batter held together well.  I, once again, coaxed the Hungryman into trying a morsel with copious amounts of sriracha (it was very.very spicy!  I don’t recommend squirting that much).  His first words were, “it tastes green.”  I didn’t know a color could have a flavor, but clearly it can according to the hubby.  I personally thought it had a bold celery flavor as well as an herbaceous freshness.  I also appreciated the crunchy bits throughout the fried cakes.

Enjoy this rösti with a side of rice or…this thought just came to me – how about stuffing them into pita pockets?  Shucks.  Why didn’t I think of this before?  Well, there’s always next time ;).  I may just double the recipe next time, as well, since I can’t see myself just buying one of each of the vegetables.  It’s amazing how much my hands can hold when I see something I like. 🙂

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