CSA Box and Weekly Meals #4

Just when I was starting to get the hang of meal planning and cooking according to the contents of my awesome bi-weekly CSA box, I had to temporarily close our account. The reason being (*slight pause*) I'm leaving for Korea really soon! While I'm feeling a bit sad about parting with all these fresh, wonderful summertime veggies, I can hardly contain myself as I think about visiting my home country again. You can be sure that the Hungryman and I will be doing a lot of eating. Actually, that's all he talks about. I may be a bit biased here, but EVERYTHING tastes sinfully delicious in Korea! We will def be sharing photos of our adventure through Instagram and possibly vlogs! So be on the lookout! 😉

Our most recent box didn't contain as many leafy greens as the previous ones. Instead, we had summer squash (and lots of them!), green beans, cucumber, rutabaga…seriously, if it wasn't for the box, I'd just be eating lettuce, kale,and spinach all the time. I was happy to see basil again, as we truly enjoyed the Chicken Pesto Naan Pizza last time and still had a hankering for the aromatic herb.

So once again, here's a recap of how these ingredients were prepared and enjoyed:

Green beans and Potatoes: Green beans were trimmed and blanched, and the potatoes were roasted with some oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Remember to not over boil the beans, as all the nutrients will leach out. I usually cook them for about a minute or two, until the beans are slightly cooked and crisp (not tender). Actually, steaming is the best method, but I just followed the instructions from the recipe I adapted from this time around.

The green beans and potatoes were tossed in a lemon anchovy dressing along with some hard-boiled eggs and basil. You can find the full recipe here.

Basil and Summer Squash: Since I made pesto last time, I searched the web for unique ways (that I'd never tried before) of using the herb. As a result, I found basil oil. You basically boil the leaves, squeeze dry, and then puree in a blender along with olive oil, salt and pepper. You can already smell the aroma, can't you? Intoxicating! I then prepared a corn (still 6 ears for $1 at the store!) and squash salad, which I tossed in this basil oil. I also added tomatoes and feta cheese for a little more intrigue. I shall be sharing the recipe soon!

Speaking of squash, did you see how much I received? And fun ones too! I had never had pattypan squash before, so that was neat. There were days when I just sliced and enjoyed them with some hummus. A perfect snack! And still I had plenty to go around. So I made Katie's Zucchini and Oatmeal Bread. She is one of my fav food bloggers, and her recipes never disappoint! This is a good one, y'all.

Red onion: I absolutely adored these cute little bulbs. After seeing the monstrous ones that are sold at the store, these guys reminded me that bigger is not always better. To me, they were milder, not as astringent, and my breath did not smell as onion-y, or so I think anyway. I sliced, minced and tossed them into just about every dish I prepared. Only wish I had more. In that regard, I guess size does matter ;). They tasted great in my kale salads!

Cabbage: Fail. 🙁  I had every intention of making kimchi, but that did not happen. Laziness got the best of me, so please don't ask me what happened to it. La la la la la...I can't hear you..

Carrots and Cucumber: Half of the carrots and all of the cucumbers were used in my Vietnamese BBQ Shrimp Noodle Bowl. They def delivered crunchiness and freshness to the dish.

The rest of the carrots and the Turnips were roasted to make maple and balsamic roasted root vegetables. The recipe was inspired by my good blogging friend, Kari, who just recently moved to London. I'm continually inspired by her creativity and resourcefulness in the kitchen.

Maple and Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Author: Min | MJ and Hungryman

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• ▢ 3 medium turnips cleaned, peeled, and cut into 1 in pieces
• ▢ 4 medium carrots cleaned, peeled, and cut into 1 in pieces
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• ▢ 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cumin
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Combine vegetable pieces and chickpeas in a large bowl. Toss with oil. Spread on a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast in 375 F preheated oven for 45 minutes or until lightly browned and tender.
• In a mixing bowl, combine maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, ginger, cumin, salt and pepper.
• Toss with roasted vegetables and chickpeas as soon as they come out of the oven.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Bite-Sized Thoughts

Nutrition

Serving: 6g

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Tag me @KidFriendly.Meals today!

I know this is quite a lengthy post with tons of links (all of which I hope you will check out), but I hope it has inspired you in some way to check out your local farmer's market and support your hardworking farmers! I shall continue this series once I get back from my trip!

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 CSA Box #1

CSA Box #2

 CSA Box #3