CSA Box This Week

This week in our CSA box: parsley, basil, pepper, onions, eggplant, beets, chard, beans and 2 types of lettuce!

We picked up a few extras again this week:


mushrooms, more beets & beans!

creamy potato kale soup.

It is still hot this time of year, but I have been in the mood for soups as the cooler evenings and rain pass through. I like kale - but my husband has the same comment every time I make it, no matter what the recipe. Uh, kale? So I decided to use kale in a soup so that it imparts its flavor and goodness without that thick chewy texture. Kale and potatoes are a good match and we recently got 20 pounds of organic potatoes from a local farmer, so we were set! The flavor of this soup is awesome. Rich, creamy, and the green chili paste gives it a little bite. I have amounts listed, but as with all soup feel free to improvise and make it your own. Makes cooking more fun.

::creamy potato kale soup::

ingredients::
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 cups stock (I used beef)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp sea salt
1 sheet kombu
1 Tbsp green curry paste
pepper to taste
2 cups fresh milk or cream
5 medium potatoes chopped (boiling or less starchy potato is best)
4 cups chopped kale

directions::
In a large pot sauté the onion and garlic in the coconut oil. When tender add the stock, potatoes, salt, and kombu. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes or so until potatoes are soft. Reduce heat again to simmer/low. Add the curry paste and kale, stirring kale into liquid. Cover again and let simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit a few minutes. Remove the kombu sheet. Add the milk and a few cranks of fresh pepper. Use an immersion blender and blend until creamy and smooth (you can also ladle into a food processor and smooth a batch at a time until all is creamy). Serve warm. I grated some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top.



ingredient tip::

"Kale is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese. It is also a very good source of dietary fiber, copper, calcium, vitamin B6 and potassium."

i love beets.

I love beets. I grate them raw for salads or slaw. They are great in soup, with stir fry, sautéed with other root veggies, or juiced for breakfast. But my favorite way to prepare beets is baking. It brings out their natural sweetness.

To prepare, I scrub the beets, cut them in half and put them in a baking pan. After a drizzle with olive oil and sea salt I bake them at 350ºF or so for about 45 minutes to an hour (depends on how big the beets are) until tender. Once cool the outer skin easily peels off. Serve warm with another drizzle of good olive oil and some fresh thyme. So good!


beets::

"Beets are an excellent source of the B vitamin, folate, and a very good source of manganese and potassium. Beets are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. They also contain powerful nutrient compounds that help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer."

glazed ginger carrots

I love carrots. My husband - not so much. So if I want to eat carrots often, I need to play around with recipes and find ways to make them even more tasty. I juice them for sauces, use them in soups and stews, bake them to make crispy fries, and of course cook them as a side dish. This version turned out so good - had to post the recipe. If you have a big family double the recipe!

glazed ginger carrots

4 carrots, sliced into 3/4" pieces
1-2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
1" chunk of fresh ginger, peeled/chopped
1 Tbsp maple syrup (brown sugar would be fine too)
2 tsp butter
dash sea salt
grated pickled ginger for garnish


Heat coconut oil in skillet on med-high. Add the garlic and ginger, let cook for 1 minute or so to infuse the oil. Remove the garlic and ginger. Add carrots into hot oil/skillet. Add a dash of sea salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip over. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add maple syrup and turn down heat. Let it sit on the stove for a few minutes so that the maple syrup cooks down a bit. Turn off heat. Add butter. Stir.

Spoon on plate - you don't need the extra sauce from the pan...but make sure those carrots are coated/glazed when serving. I added a few pieces of grated pickled ginger to the top. SO GOOD!


ingredient tip::
Carrots have lots of good stuff in them. Antioxidant compounds, pro-vitamin A carotenes, and much more.

"Carrots are by far one of the richest source of carotenoids-just one cup provides 16,679 IUs of beta-carotene and 3,432 REs (retinol equivalents), or roughly 686.3% the RDA for vitamin A."