After a week of vacation at a beach house with cooking knives that made slicing a ripe banana back-breaking work, I'm happy to be home in my own kitchen. And, since I brought home a few souvenir extra pounds courtesy of nightly cocktails and a delicious little treat known as shrimp bombs (shrimp stuffed with pepper jack cheese, wrapped in prosciutto, then fried), I immediately sat down to create this week's meal plan with an eye on the lighter side of things. Because our CSA is in a partnership with my husband's place of business, we were able to pick up Friday's bag today instead of getting another week's worth of vacation credits. Here is what I received:
-1 quart of yogurt
-1 lb nitrate free bacon
-1.5 lbs Roma tomatoes
-1 head leaf lettuce (this was not in very good shape and immediately went to the compost pile)
-3 lbs red new potatoes
-1 bunch candy cane beets
-1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes
-1.5 lbs peaches
-1 cantaloupe
-8 oz piece of farmstead Gouda cheese
-1 quart hot Hungarian peppers
-1 lb dragon tongue beans
-1/2 lb Swiss chard
-1 head of broccoli
I was also supposed to receive a watermelon, however, it seemed to go missing in the cafeteria cooler over the weekend. My husband has an email into the organizers of the partnership, and we'll likely get an extra item next week. I actually designed a couple of meals around the watermelon, so I went and picked some up at the grocery store anyway.
Monday: Grilled Halloumi & Watermelon Salad, sauteed Dragon Tongue Beans
Tuesday: New Potatoes with Swiss Chard & Fried Egg
Wednesday: B.L.T., Broccoli Salad
Thursday: Strawberry Melon Gazpacho, Grilled Chicken (Thanks for the gazpacho suggestion, Rachel!)
I'm not sure what I plan to do with the beets and Hungarian peppers yet, but I remember a recipe in Bon Appetit recently for a beet slaw, so maybe I'll try it with Thursday's meal. The hot peppers could be used on a pizza or in a quesadilla for lunch, or possibly pickled? The potatoes are beautiful, and there are a lot, so I'm thinking I might try a smoked potato salad over the weekend with the leftovers from Tuesday. I'm thinking of mixing the yogurt with some vanilla bean for flavor and pairing it with some grilled peaches, if the peaches make it through the day, or I'm considering using the yogurt to make blueberry smoothie ice pops.
As I mentioned briefly, Fresh Fork offers vacation credits so you don't miss out on an entire week's worth of items. When you can't pick up your bag, you notify Fresh Fork and they allow you to choose additional items for a future week. I'm hoping I get to choose my items for pick up next week, just before Labor Day weekend, and I'm definitely hoping I get to add some of the grass-fed ground beef we've been getting this summer. It is one of my favorite items of the CSA package, and I often find myself craving it. In fact, I'm so spoiled by this beef that I can't seem to enjoy a "regular" burger as much as I once did! Other items I would be happy to add to my list are any of the cheeses, especially the Siberian Night from Mayfield Creamery, or the heirloom tortilla chips.
I can't believe fall is approaching so quickly, but I'm ready for cooler evenings and fall produce. I tend to cook very seasonally, so I look forward to shifts in the weather. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but there are certain dishes I simply won't make in the summertime, just as I won't make a caprese salad in the winter. For me, Fall means the return of soups and chowders, pasta with red sauce, and oven roasted vegetables. Of course, ask me how I feel some time in January and I just might be singing a different tune.
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