Every week we'll send you snapshots of veggies in your share. You can always find more recipes and storage info on our
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Mesclun: Baby greens! You'll find baby lettuce, mustard, kale, and mizuna, plus spinach for this week's mesclun! All greens are pre-washed and ready to eat. Unopened, this bag will last for at least a week or 10 days. Opened, it will start to deteriorate after a few days.
Arugula: is also known as Rocket or Roquette. It's a popular and versatile green that can be eaten raw, but also holds up well in the saute pan. It has a peppery, mustardy flavor and is great on sandwiches, pizza, or eggs to give them pep - or enjoy in or as a salad for a whole new experience! Arugula and red beets are a winning combination; as a salad, use the arugula as your base with diced roasted (or boiled) beets, sprinkled with toasted walnuts and a little cheese. It does well with a quick wilt and added to pastas, frittatas, or calzones, or as stand-in for lettuce on an Italian-inspired sub. It is delicious when prepared simply in a saute pan with olive oil, sprinkled with coarse salt and pepper.
European Cucumber: This variety of cucumber is different from other slicing cucumbers in that it has a softer flesh (no need to peel) and doesn't have any seeds. Ideally they like to be kept at about 50 degrees or they may go soft in a couple days. But you can keep them bagged and toss them in the crisper drawer; they'll keep a few days longer than that. They make a great snack for kids' lunches, a nice topping for salads, or can be delightful on their own as a salad - add some vinegar, a little oil, salt, and pepper and you're ready to go. Herbs make a nice addition or try a little diced onion. You can also make this salad with a variation using mayonnaise or sour cream. I like to make in the morning and eat at lunch, this way the cukes have time to marinate in the yummy dressing.
Brassica bunches: The brassica bunch in your share is a mix of baby red Russian and green kales, mustard greens, and baby pac choi/ tatsoi. You can eat it raw/ fresh as a salad or you can cook it up and mix it into any number of dishes - eggs, pasta, casseroles, soups, or enjoy sauteed with garlic and olive oil, maybe a little miso at the end, for a side dish.
Menu Planning Tip: Beets are going out this week! These are beautiful dark red beets that will stain your hands as you prepare them - and will tint everything pink if you combine with other veggies or grains. This is also OUR LAST WEEK OF BEETS! We're out of beets after this week! Savor them as it will be another month or so before we have beets again!
Beets can be eaten cooked or raw. Grated beets make a fabulous addition to salads and slaws. Tip: Grate some early in the week and place them in a container and then spinkle them into salads all week. Or, roast or boil them and eat throughout the week in different forms. Roasted beets are extra delicious as the roasting caramelizes the sugar in the beets. Cube beets and roast them, in the oven with a drizzle of oil at 400F until they are tender and just browning to the edges. The skin can be rubbed off or you can peel it. Or you could make a soup with them.
Beets and arugula are an excellent combination! Or try eating your roasted beets over your mixed greens. Beets also go nicely with goat cheese or blue cheese and walnuts. You could try making a dressing of poppy seeds, olive oil, yellow onion, honey, white wine vinegar, water, sea salt, and ground pepper. Below are some more recipes.
Featured Recipes
Twice-Cooked Beets in Chianti Glaze
The wine glaze both balances the natural sweetness of the beets and intensifies the savory beet flavor. This dish and perhaps some smashed new potatoes would make a fine meal with a roast chicken or other fowl. From the October 2003 Bon Appetit. Makes 6 servings
8 2 1/2-inch-diameter beets, trimmed, scrubbed
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium leeks or a bunch of small (white and pale green parts only), trimmed, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
2 cups Chianti or other dry red wine
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss beets with 2 tablespoons oil in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Roast beets uncovered until tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour. Cool beets slightly, then slip off peel. Cut beets into quarters.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and saute until translucent and tender, about 12 minutes. Add beets to skillet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute 5 minutes. Add Chianti and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until wine almost evaporates and glaze coats beets, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.
Bake them in foil packets and moisten them with the savory juice that accumulates inside as they bake.
Chocolate Beet Cake
It's a sure-fire way to get your kids to eat their beets!
2 c pureed cooked beets
1/2 c chocolate chops
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/2 c (1 stick) butter
1 c sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven 350F. Grease a bundt pan.
Steam 5 or 6 beets until tender, peel and puree until quite smooth. Set aside.
In a sauce pan, melt chocolate, cocoa, and butter together until just smooth. Using a mixer, beat eggs until light yellow and very foamy. Slowly beat in sugar until very fluffy and pale yellow. Combine beets, vanilla, and chocolate. Whisk flour, soda, and salt. Fold into eggs in this order: 1/3 chocolate beets, 1/2 flour, alternating until all is incorporated. Use a light quick hand with a rubber spatula, cutting down into the center and scooping up towards the outer edge of the bowl. Combine well, but don't over mix.
Pour into greased pan and bake until a skewer comes out clean from the center; at least 35 minutes, up to 50. Watch carefully after 35 minutes. Cool on a rack, then loosen the center with a knife and turn out onto a plate.
Drizzle with ganache:
Over a double boiler heat 2/3 c milk or cream to a bare simmer. Add 5 oz bittersweet chocolate. Stir to melt, adding more milk or chocolate to get a smooth pourable consistency.
Warm Goat Cheese, Beet and Arugula Sandwiches
Adapted from Gourmet December 1999.
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 beets, boiled until soft, peeled and sliced
8 (1/2-inch-thick) bread slices from a round country loaf
6 ounces soft mild goat cheese, softened
4 very thin slices red onion, rings separated
16 large arugula leaves
Preheat broiler. Whisk together vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, then whisk in 2 tablespoons oil. Toss beets with vinaigrette.
Arrange bread on a large baking sheet and brush tops with remaining tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper and broil 6 inches from heat 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until edges are golden. Remove 4 slices from oven. Turn remaining 4 slices over on baking sheet and spread thickly with goat cheese. Broil 1 minute more and transfer to plates. Top goat cheese with drained beets, onion, arugula, and remaining bread, toasted sides up.
Slivered Veggie and Soba Salad with Maple Tofu
I came across this recipe from a cookbook called The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon, healthy "bowl" recipes. A lot of this can be done in advance and can be adjusted depending on what veggies you have available and/or like to eat together.
14 oz extra-firm tofu
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp maple syrup
3 oz soba noodles
1 bell pepper (or try your frozen sweet peppers)
3 carrots, peeled
1 English cucumber
1 bu cilantro, coarsley chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish
1 large avocado
Dressing
1 Tbsp yellow miso past
1 piece of fresh ginger, peeled & grated
1 tsp honey
Zest and juice of 2 limes
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
Drain tofu and press out the excess liquid between layers of a folded clean dishcloth. In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Chop the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes and add them to the hot pan. Saute gently until the edges begin to brown. Add the soy sauce, maple syrup, and ground pepper. Stire and cook for 6-8 mins longer, until the edges are crisp. Set aside.
Cook the noodles until al dente, rinse with cold water, and drain. Seed and slice pepper. Make long strips from the carrot and cucumber. Put the noodles and veggies into large mixing bowl.
For the dressing, whisk together the miso, ginger, honey, lime zest and juice, sesame oil, and Sriracha. This can be done up to 2 days in advance and kept covered in the fridge.
When ready to serve, pour the dressing over the veggies and noodles, add the chopped cialntro, and toss to coat. Top the bowl with the green onions, sesame seeds, and tofu. Serve each portion with a quarter of an avocado.
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