Category Archives: locavore

Adventures in CSA (week 2): Beets, huh?

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OK, I’ll admit it: I’ve never been a huge fan of beets. As root vegetables go, it’s not one that I routinely gravitated towards. Potatoes, yes. Sweet potatoes, OH MY YES. Beets…? Well, not so much. BUT since part of the point of doing this CSA was to get myself branched out on the fruits and veggies that I eat, now’s as good a time as any to give beets another shot. So, when beets appeared in the CSA box this week, I said, “OK, time to make something with beets! Woo hoo!”

 

CSA week 2 box

Onions and apples and beets, oh my!

 

This week’s box contents:

  • Red skin potatoes
  • Butternut squash
  • Yellow onions
  • Macintosh apples
  • Asian pears
  • Beets
  • Scallions
  • Garlic
  • Kale
  • Lettuce

I haven’t yet figured out everything we’re going to do this week; plus, not everything needs to be used this week (or is fully ripe enough to use just yet). The squash is more likely to get cooked next week, after it’s had a chance to finish ripening. The potatoes are likely to be turned into rosemary-garlic fries again, and the kale is destined to be our first batch of kale chips (thanks to Daily Cynema for the recipe and to My Kinda Rain for inspiring her!). Don’t be surprised if the beets end up in the crock pot. Pretty much everything gets a go in the crock pot in this house, eventually.

Price comparison for the week 2 box will go up sometime on Monday, after I’ve had the chance to go to the store. Sunday, our usual grocery shopping day, DH and I will be walking a marathon (YES YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY) to raise $$ for the Jimmy Fund. So, cooking’s not super high on the priority list this weekend. That’s okay – it just gives me fodder for talking about what it takes to train to walk a marathon, assuming I’m able to make my way across the finish line Sunday under my own power. Wish me luck!

Tomato-Cucumber-Bean Salad

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The CSA box for week 1 gave us tomatoes and cucumbers. My first thought: why not make a salad? But, what else should I add…? Not having tons of time to make complex dishes or tons of stuff from scratch every day, making a simple salad like this helps out by providing a good salad that can be a side for lunch or dinner. Adding some beans gives it color – and more fiber (yeay!) – and helps me ignore the fact that I’d really like to add some feta. Since DH has not yet climbed on the feta bandwagon, I figured beans were the safer addition. His verdict: tasty win!

Tomato Cucumber Bean Salad

Pretty colors = Pretty tasty

 

Prep Time:  5-7 mins

Cooking Time: n/a

Serves: 4-6

 

Ingredients

1 large slicing or heirloom tomato, washed and chopped into small pieces

1 large cucumber, washed and chopped into small pieces

15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

2 Tb lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

 

Make it Happen

Stir to combine all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use either a few grinds of salt and pepper or a small amount, checking for taste as you go.

Easy-peasy French Fries

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Again, the CSA is getting me to think differently – which is a really good thing. It’s part of what I hoped would happen, that I’d branch out and try new foods. Now, it’s not like I’ve never EATEN fries and never MADE fries, but by “made” I can say that I had only ever heated up fries from a bag that came from a freezer. Until now.

To say that this recipe is easy would be an understatement. It’s stupid-easy. It’s “I can’t believe it took me this long to make my own fries” easy. You can make these plain or add your own topping, once the fries are done cooking. We chose to add rosemary and garlic powder to ours, and they were OMNOMNOM good. My next topping will likely be garlic – and I’ll list what needs to be done to make those, too.

Make sure to pick potatoes that are sized to your preferred length of fry. Ours were the CSA potatoes, which were on the small side. They made delightful fries, though I can imagine that people who revel in the longer fries might have wished for bigger ‘taters.

Updated on October 9, 2011 to add: Note that I recommend using olive oil. If you want your fries to have a more conventional taste, go with vegetable oil instead. After a lower-than-anticipated acceptance rate from the little people of the house, I made a small batch with vegetable oil instead. Presto-change-o…they love ’em!

Easy-Peasy Fries

OMNOMNOM FRIES OMNOMNOM

Prep Time: 15-20 mins

Cook Time: 35-40 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1-1/2 to 2 lbs red skin potatoes, washed

olive oil (or vegetable oil, for a more conventional taste)

salt

Make it Happen

1. Preheat your oven to 450F.

2. Slice the potatoes into strips about 1/2in thick. Cover in water and soak for 10 minutes.

3. Drain and dry the fries. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over top of the fries and toss to coat. Make sure that all of the fries are coated with a thin layer of oil.

4. Lay the fries out on a non-stick baking sheet, one layer thick and place in the oven once it’s preheated.

5. Cook the fries for 35-40 min, to desired crispness, turning them every 10 mins.

6. After you remove the fries from the oven. grind or shake a small amount of salt on them.

Alt endings…

Rosemary & garlic: sprinkle about 1 tsp dried rosemary and 1-1/2 to 2 tsp garlic powder on the fries; toss to coat.

Garlic: peel and mince 3 cloves of garlic; briefly heat (2 min) in about 1-2 Tb olive oil. Pour over the fries and toss to coat.