Just to get you caught up, here's what was in the Week 5 and 6 boxes
Week 5
1 lb carrots
1 head purple cabbage
1 head broccoli
1 lb kale
1 bunch onions
1/2 lb salad mix
1.5 lbs squash and zuchinni
1 bunch swiss chard
1 bunch mint
Week 6
1 bunch carrots
1 lb squash
1 lb collards
1 bunch beets
1/2 lb broccoli
1 bunch onions
1 lb zucchini
1 lb kale
1 head savoy cabbage
choice of cherry tomatoes, slicing tomatoes or snap peas (I chose cherry tomatoes)
So, what's been going on? Well, the past two weeks I've been working with a group to hire a bunch of new advisors at the college, so that's taken up a bit of time, and means I've been eating out more than usual (ie lunches at work). I've also been to a couple of high school graduations, and done a barbecue for one of those (and am headed to one I'm not catering tonight!). We're also doing some renovations at our house so we've been busy getting ready for that. And it was our 22nd wedding anniversary so we had a lovely dinner out at 1618 Seafood Grille which was really awesome, but moved no produce out of our house. There's only so much salad I can eat for breakfast....
So this post is going to be kind of a catch-all of stuff I've made using things from the boxes over the past few weeks.
Barbecue
For the barbecue, I made collards from the box, as well as two different kinds of slaw using cabbage and squash casserole to use up the various squashes and onions. The collards I detailed here.
One of the slaws I made was a barbecue slaw, which is something folks usually use as a topping on a barbecue pork sandwich rather than something you'd eat separately. It's not much of a recipe, just chop cabbage pretty finely (I used a food processor) and mix in some barbecue sauce until it looks right (lightly dressed basically). I use this barbecue sauce usually, a Lexington style tomato-y vinegar blend. I used the purple cabbage which is not something I've seen before. Should have taken a picture!
The other slaw I made is called Sweet and Sour Slaw which is cabbage dressed in a slightly spicy peanut sauce. I got the recipe a million years ago from a friend in Oregon (Stacey, if you're reading this I think it was Craig!) and that million is also about equal to the number of times I've been asked for the recipe. So here you are:
Sweet and Sour Slaw
Dressing:
1/3 cup rice vinegar or cider vinegar (I always have used rice)
1/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
3 tbs light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp sesame oil
Salad:
7-8 cups (about 1.25 lbs) shredded green cabbage (I did use green this time!)
red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped (I usually manage this by putting them in a plastic bag and bashing with a rolling pin a few times).
1. In a large bowl (big enough to hold all the cabbage, whisk together the dressing ingredients until they are well mixed (you can also do this in a blender but then it's another thing to wash!)
2. About 1 hour before serving, add the cabbage, about 2 cups at a time to the dressing, tossing after each addition. Once all the cabbage has been added and tossed, stir in the pepper flakes (I usually use about 1/4 tsp). Cover the bowl and chill the salad for about an hour, tossing every now and then.
3. At serving time, add the peanuts and toss. Serve!
4. Accept compliments and hand out recipe generously.
Other new stuff I've made over the last week or so
5 Ingredient Italian Sausage and Kale Baked Ziti
Man, that website is annoying, but this was a pretty good recipe. Some changes I made- I used turkey italian sausage and penne instead of ziti. Here's my ingredient lineup:
Verdict? A little dry but not bad. Probably should cook the pasta a little longer since there's not much moisture in the casserole for it to absorb (unlike a tomato sauce based casserole).
That sweet and sour slaw recipe came from Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet. Since I own that cookbook (one of my first, from 1990), I suspect I gave you that recipe! I still make it from time to time, and people still love it!
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