Local Box 7/12/12 - Marmite "Roasties"

before i list this weeks bounty - i must post my amazing butternut squash soup i made from the last box. Seems weird to have a butternut in the summer but they are so delish who cares.

From my new cookbook "Quick & Easy Low-Cal Vegan Comfort Food" by Alicia C. Simpson i made Chipotle Butternut Squash Bisque - the Chipotle made it addicting, just spicy enough. Very simple healthy recipe !

Ok on to this week!

Purple Hull Peas
Muzina Microgreens
Sweet Peppers
Okra
Green Onions
Cantaloupe
Oranges
Zucchini
Red Potatoes

Peas i will just cook and eat as a side or mixed with a grain.  OR i may buy another butternut and make another soup recipe from that cookbook, there is a Black Eyed Pea soup recipe that uses butternut puree and i'm sure the Purple Hull Peas would sub perfectly

Mizuna Microgreens - i love microgreens added to my salads. They are very nutrient dense

Okra - roasted as usual, i really cannot stray from this recipe - Roasted Okra

Green Onions - probably in a salad

Sweet Peppers - i think i will saute or stir fry with the Zucchini and some onion for a simple veg side dish

the Red Potatoes i have have HAVE to make this recipe with Marmite. I love marmite, this just sounds so amazing Marmite Roasted Potatoes

I will probably keep the skin on as that's how i like em - gotta love the British "roasties"

delicious beans

Making the fresh pinto beans was so easy and so good - just boiled them with water and garlic like THIS RECIPE minus the bacon dripings

I did make the the saute also, onions, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and summer squash, with some fresh basil so simple and really good. I ate it actually in a tortilla with the beans. so good!

The sauteed turnip greens, amazing
The cantaloupe was the best i've ever had.

Tomato's & Squash for the Summer - Local Box 6/27/12

Hey, i've been remiss again! I missed a whole box so i will do a quick catch up and list this weeks box

Last box i got Okra which i discovered last year i love roasted eaten whole from this recipe - Roasted Okra
I also got this insane cucumber:

A summer squash that i roasted, some kale & collards which i honestly can't remember how i cooked, i think i sauteed them together and i do remember they were delicious.
How crazy that i can't remember what else i made!

Ok here is this weeks box:

Fresh Pinto Beans
Cherry Tomatoes
Turnip Greens
Cantaloupe
Summer Squash
White Mushroom
Oranges
Butternut Squash
1015 Onions
Live Basil Plant

I'm excited about the Pinto beans! I never make them from scratch i'm about to go have lunch with Christy Morgan who wrote Blissful Bites so i'm going to pick her brain on how best to cook them!

I did buy two new cookbooks this week tho so i want to use them.
Quick & Easy Low-Cal Vegan Comfort Foods by Alicia C. Simpson - has a recipe for Pinto Beans in Ancho Chili sauce, i want to try that and make nachos, yeah i have a nacho craving!

The other book i got is Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas - so I'm gonna start easy with her Simple Garlicky Greens recipe for the Turnip Greens

The box came with a recipe that i simply must make - Summer Squash Mushroom Skillet with Cherry Tomatoes- uses Onion & basil too.

PS. Christy has never made fresh Pinto Beans as in not dried, so I googled it and looky here - the Greenling blog itself came up! So here ya go http://www.greenling.com/blog/recipes/sidedish-recipe/how-to-cook-fresh-pinto-beans

Local Box 5/31/12 - Indian Cucumber!

this lovely box arrived on my birthday so it felt like a present! Here's the list

Cherry Tomatoes
Cream Peas
Peaches
Summer Squash
White Mushroom
Indian Cucumber
Kale
Green Onion
Beets

I just made a lil salad for dinner with spinach, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Onion and the interesting and very delicious Indian Cucumber - here is a picture, the left over part of the cucumber is to the left, it's short and fat and yellow.

Cream peas - i think i will make them without the tempeh bacon and just season them and eat with rice or something.

Peaches - mmmmm over cereal and in smoothies

Summer Squash - i think i will roast these

White Mushroom - salads or sauteed usually, maybe use with the summer squash on the grill...like a kebab - also found a yum sounding recipe in The Vegan Table by  Colleen Patrick-Goudreau for Mushroom Poppers, white mushrooms stuffed with vegan bacon & cream cheese, i need a party to go to so i can bring these!

Indian Cucumber, in the salad! there is another one left, i love cucumber and vinegar so i may make a Cucumber & Cherry Tomato salad of sorts, very summery and fresh

Kale - not sure - kale salad, smoothies, and/or my usual Nice Ass Greens - or actually the box came with a good looking recipe for Cream Pea and Kale stew - it

Green Onion - salad or sauted with the mushrooms

Beets - i probably will roast these - it's too good to not! but i just found a recipe in The Vegan Table by  Colleen Patrick-Goudreau for beet and sweet potato pizza, omg. It's kind of labor intensive so i can't promise anything!

cooking gets kind of basic in the summer!

fennel & potatoes rule

i think the best thing i made this week was the fennel and potatoes! I didn't get fingerling potatoes like the recipe, i got blue & yellow small potatoes, it was so  so delish and unique tasting.

I did indeed finally make the coleslaw and it was divine, the agave toasted pistachios made this dish!.it made so much i really need to not make it unless i'm going somewhere i can take it

I also made the cream peas with tempeh bacon, it was pretty good, tasty and salty and I would do it again.

the radishes i sliced and ate on a piece of toast with wholefoods mock chick salad, it added a lovely sharp spice to it.

this is a watermelon peach smoothie i made with the peaches, just cut up watermelon, peach and a banana, amazing

Peachy keen

I love peach season love love love - i know i should or could make a great recipe with them but they are so delicious i can't help eating them fresh!

This box had peaches & grapefruit - i love grapefruit too but i get bored of them a little so for breakfast today i put peach AND grapfruit in my cereal, weird i know the grapefruit but i got the idea from the Engine 2 Diet - Rip's Big Bowl uses it and when if first tried that it was amazingly good. So the pic above is my own mini version : Shredded Spoonfuls, Ikea Muesli, Almond Milk, Peach, Grapefruit & strawberries.

so here is the Local Box list for 5/17/12

Cherry Tomatoes
Peaches
Cream Peas
White Mushrooms
Cabbage
Basil
Fennel
Radishes
Orange
Grapefruit

Cherry Tomatoes - in my salads, and i'm going to roast some because i crave them!
Peaches - yum

Cream Peas - i know this recipe has bacon but i'm gonna try it with tempeh bacon to see how it turns out, can't be bad! Southern Cream Peas and (tempeh)bacon

Mushrooms - i love mushrooms so i tend to put these in salads raw or a quick sautee with spinach and onions for a taco.

Cabbage - i still never made coleslaw, i just keep feeding it to Drizzle the guinea pig or using some in salads or taco toppings - i'm DETERMINED Vegan Coleslaw NOW

Basil - i'm so easily influenced, i overheard someone describing some exotic smoothie with pineapple and celery and basil so i want that now.  The box came with a simple cherry tomato and basil recipe that sounds good and summery....

Fennel - omg to this recipe! Fingerling Potatoes & Fennel

Radishes - they are the cool black radishes - i already fed the greens to Drizzle - he's a lucky guinea pig, organic local produce :)
I may roast them which i love or there is this Black Radish and Grapefruit salad that could use the other grapefruit!
I also love the idea of Radish sandwiches - here are two one is simple Radish & Butter open face Sandwich simple and fresh  - the other Green Pea, Avocado & Radish Sandwich - what???? yum

i said snow peas NOT snoopys!

many many years ago i saw a comic strip of a waiter holding a tray of miniautre snoopys - and the customer at the table was saying "i said snow peas not snoopys" so i think of that whenever i eat snow peas!


i had fun with the bag of snow peas - seemed like they lasted forever - first i made the Thai style Tofu & Snow Peas over rice vermicelli - it was so amazing i kind of can't believe i made it myself - restaurant worthy.

One night i didn't feel like cooking and i had these packets of "healthy" ramen noodles so i added snow peas to the noodles as they cooked. it was good

here are the roasted beets & carrots again on a salad, so amazing, i had some left over and i just ate them cold out of the left over container

In between local box weeks last week i got the Vegan Meal Kit #2 box from Greenling - OMG these are so so worth it. 5 meals for 2.pre chopped up and prepped, with a little cookbook with directions. so easy. makes me feel accomoplished and together - i've been so busy lately, it helps a lot.  My kids won't eat most of it so i either share with my next door neighbor or have left overs and it lasts forever.  I totally forgot to take pictures but here is what was in box #2

Roasted Vegetable Sandwiches & Cole Slaw
BBQ Tempeh & red bean tacos (this was my FAVE)
Pasta with Eggplant Arrabiata
Vegan Minestrone with spinach salad
Ginger Garlic Stir Fry