Week 7

• Basil
• Bok choy
• Lettuce
• Napa cabbage
• Onions
• Yellow squash
• Zucchini

RECIPES
Steamed Napa rolls
- Napa cabbage
Farmer's Market Squash Saute
- Zucchini, yellow squash, basil
Spicy Beef with Shrimp & Bok Choy
- Bok choy

Week 6

The food is so beautiful!

• Basil
• Beets
• Carrots (alas, I am allergic to these, I miss eating carrots)
  
• Cucumber
• Garlic scapes
  
• Lettuce
• Radishes
• Sugar snap peas (I just eat these like carrots since I can't eat the carrots)
  

RECIPES:
Garlic Scape Pesto
- Garlic scapes
Roasted Beet Wedges
- Beets
Radish and Sesame Soy Noodle Salad
- Radishes, cucumber
Tzatziki Sauce
- Cucumber
Five-Spice Shrimp & Vegetable Packets
- Sugar snap peas
Otsu from "Super Natural Cooking" by Heidi Swanson (page 62)
- Cucumber
Garlic Scape Soup from "Super Natural Cooking" by Heidi Swanson (page 146)
- Garlic scapes
Big Rig Pasta (recipe below)
- Basil

Big Rig Pasta
My recreation of my favorite pasta dish from Oregano’s in Tucson, AZ.

1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)
2 cloves of chopped garlic
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup sliced fresh basil
1 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
1-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, deseeded and chopped (depends how spicy you want it!)
Salt to taste
1 cup heavy cream (or soy milk)
1 teaspoon adobo sauce
Fresh parmesan cheese

Heat butter/oil in skillet over med heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until onions are translucent. Add basil and tomatoes and cook 3-4 min. Add chipotle peppers and cook 3 more minutes. Add salt to taste. Transfer contents of skillet to food processor. Combine cream/soy milk with adobo sauce. Add to food processor and puree. Toss with rigatoni pasta and top with fresh parmesan cheese and fresh basil!

A delicious CSA dinner with bread from Uprise Bakery!

Week 5

• Beets
• Garlic scapes
  
• Radishes
• Romaine Lettuce

Look at these lovely beets - beautiful!

Garlic Scapes!

RECIPES
Roasted Beets and Sauteed Beet Greens
-beets
Roasted Beets 'n' Sweets
-beets

Week 4

• Asparagus
• Purple lettuce
• Green and curly lettuce
• Napa cabbage
• Pea sprouts
• Turnips
  

Apparently there is a bit of a lull in the growing/harvesting season this time of year but I still think we're eating pretty well and there are lots of things to look forward to that will be coming in the next few weeks!
RECIPES
Japanese Pizza
-cabbage, chives (from last week)
Pea Sprouts and Noodles Stir Fry
-Pea sprouts
Pancetta and Arugula Pasta
-Arugula (from last week)
Soba Noodle Salad with flank steak
-cabbage
Grilled Asparagus
-Asparagus

Pea sprouts and Noodles Stir Fry
Sesame oil
Garlic
Ginger
Crushed red pepper flakes
Soy sauce
Oyster sauce
Pinch of sugar
Chinese wheat noodles (I used udon)
Pea sprouts

Saute garlic and ginger in oil. Add red pepper flakes, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar to make a sauce. Add cooked noodles. Blanch pea sprouts in left over boiling noodle water for 30 seconds then add to noodles and stir. Thin sauce with noodle water as needed.

Pancetta and Arugula Pasta
(From "50 great pasta sauces" by Pamela Sheldon Johns)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for tossing pasta
4 ounces pancetta, diced
1 onion, diced
1 pound fresh or dried pasta
3 cups arugula
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. In medium saute pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the pancetta and onion until golden brown. 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and toss with the olive oil.
3. Add the arugula to the pancetta and cook over medium heat, stirring, just to wilt slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the pasta into a warmed serving bowl, toss with the arugula mixture, and serve at once.
Serves 4.

Soba Noodle Salad with Flank Steak
(From "Clean Eating" May/June 2009)
4 oz. soba noodles
1 lb flank steak
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup Napa cabbage, shredded
1 cup carrots, shredded (I left out the carrots since I'm allergic to them and they aren't in season right now anyways . . .)
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. Slice steak across the grain into strips (about 1/4 inch thick by 2 inches long). Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat and cook meat for 5 to 6 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle; drain, set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss together cooked noodles, cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts and cilantro; add steak strips.
4. Prepare dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients; pour over steak and toss gently. Let steak cool and, for best flavor, refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours before serving; salad can stay refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Strawberries!

I grew these myself!

Strawberry-Orange Muffins

Strawberry Popsicles
1 cup whole strawberries, tops removed
1/2 cup milk
Sugar or agave nectar to taste

1. Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth
2. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze
Makes about 4 popsicles

Week 3

• Arugula
• Chard
• Chives
• Lettuce mix
• Pea sprouts
• Spinach
  
• Strawberries
• Turnips

RECIPES:
Wild Fried Rice
-Pea sprouts
Apple and Walnut Salad
-Lettuce mix and arugula
Penne Rosa
-Spinach

I am planning to make the Garlicky Greens from week 1 with the chard again because it was delicious!

Apple and Walnut Salad
Salad mix
Arugula
Green apple, chopped
Candied walnuts
Feta cheese
Balsamic vinaigrette

Penne Rosa
(this is my attempt to copy a recipe from Noodles & Co. - I think it's easier to eat more spinach when it's wilted, and we have LOTS of spinach to eat)

1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
Crushed red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1 cup heavy cream (or soy milk)
Spinach
Feta cheese
Penne pasta

Heat butter/oil in skillet over med heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes and crushed red pepper flakes and cook 3-4 min. Add salt to taste. Transfer contents of skillet to food processor. Add cream to food processor and puree. Wilt spinach. Combine sauce, spinach and penne. Top with feta cheese

How to Roast Beets (From the NYTimes)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Cut the greens away from the beets, leaving about 1/4 inch of stems.
Scrub the beets and place in a baking dish (or lidded ovenproof casserole dish).
Add 1/4 inch of water to the dish. Cover tightly. Place in the oven and roast small beets (three ounces or less) for 30 to 40 minutes, medium beets (four to six ounces) for 40 to 45 minutes, and large beets (eight ounces or more) for 50 to 60 minutes.
They’re done when they’re easily penetrated with the tip of a knife.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the covered baking dish.
Cut away the ends and slip off the skins.
Roasted beets are wonderful on their own or simply dressed with a vinaigrette, and they will keep for five days in a covered bowl in the refrigerator. Best not to peel them until you plan to eat them.

Week 2

• Asparagus
• Basil
• Bibb lettuce
• Bok choy
• Salad mix
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Turnips
  

Recipes:
Strawberry spinach salad
-spinach, strawberries
Lettuce wraps
-bibb lettuce, radishes
Chicken fried rice with bok choy
-bok choy
Asparagus stir fry
- asparagus, spinach, basil
Straw and hay fettuccine (Recipe to follow)
-asparagus, spinach

Straw and Hay Fettuccine Tangle
with Spring Asparagus Puree
From: "Super Natural Cooking" by Heidi Swanson

1 bunch asparagus spears, trimmed and halved crosswise
3 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for topping
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
4 ounces dried spinach fettuccine, or 6 ounces fresh
4 ounces dried egg fettuccine, or 6 ounces fresh

Bring 2 pots of water to a rolling boil, one large and one medium. You'll use the large one to cook the pasta and the medium one to blanch the asparagus.

To make the asparagus puree, salt the asparagus water and drop the spears into the pot. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, or until the spears are bright green and barely tender. Drain and transfer to a food processor (preferably) or a blender. Add the spinach, garlic, the 1 cup Parmesan, and 3/4 cup of the pine nuts. Puree and, with the motor running, drizzle in the 1/4 cup of olive oil until a paste forms. It should be the loose consistency of a pesto; if too thick, thin it with a bit of the pasta water. Add the lemon juice and salt, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

Salt the pasta water well and cook the pasta until just tender; you'll need less time for fresh pasta, more time for dried. Drain and toss immediately with 1 cup of the asparagus puree, stirring in more afterward depending on how heavily coated you like your pasta. Serve sprinkled with the remaining 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, a dusting of Parmesean, and a quick drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Serves 4-6

Week 1

First delivery of the season!

• Radishes
• Lettuce mix
• Spinach
• Pea sprouts
• Chard

Recipes:

Garlic Soba Noodles
-radishes and spinach
Garlicky Greens
-chard
Radish Top Soup
-radishes and radish greens

Welcome to my CSA Recipe Journal!

This is my collection of seasonal recipes that use the ingredients I receive from my CSA!

My Food Philosophy:
There is no "good" food or "bad" food. Food should not be associated with guilt. Food is not "sinful" or "evil." I don't want to hear about food "going straight to your hips" or how you will "redeem" yourself from eating something "evil" by running on a treadmill for so many minutes. I also don't want to hear food described as "low-cal", "low fat", "fat melting", etc. I think it is unhealthy to think of only calories, body image, and guilt when eating. This leads to disordered thinking and disordered eating. Instead, when I eat food I want to be thankful to God for providing the food, be amazed by the miracle of how food grows, appreciate the farmers who grew and raised it, enjoy the process of preparing it, savor the taste of it, know that it is nourishing my body and celebrate the joy of sharing a meal with family and friends. I try to make my meals around fruits, vegetables, truly whole grains, and protein. I think it is important to eat a variety of foods and to try new foods, but I am also a fervent believer in the importance of how a food is grown, harvested and prepared to make it palatable and enjoyable. I believe food should be whole, local, seasonal, organic and homemade whenever possible (especially when it comes to meat and dairy!). This is the philosophy underlying my selection of the recipes found here - so go forth and enjoy healthy eating with joy!

(Also find recipes by ingredient)