First Box of CSA

I received my first CSA box from Farm Fresh to You on Wednesday. After reading a ton of bad reviews on Yelp, and other sites, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the vegetables in the box. As soon as I get my new camera I'll be able to include some pics. For now here is what was in the box:

1.5 lbs small yellow potatoes
1 lb baby bok choy
1 bunch carrots (the sweetest carrots I have ever eaten)
1 bunch collard greens
1 bunch spinach
1 spaghetti squash
1 bunch green leaf lettuce
1 pound yellow onions
2 large leeks

Now that Christmas is over, and I understand the CSA routine, I will be able to prepare menus and recipes for what is coming in the box. For this week though I just threw the veggies into different combinations for the meals I made. For example one night I cut the potatos into quarters, mixed them together with the broccoli, some garlic, salt, and pepper and rosted them in the oven on high heat. I then sauted some onions, leeks, and garlic, added 1 box of veggie broth, some pasta and the roasted vegetables and let simmer. When the pasta was done so was the soup. I finished it off with some garlic olive oil and parmeasan cheese. It was yummy and so healthy. For the rest of the week I used the veggies in a smilar fashion just adding them to whatever I could. We easily went through the entire box in a week, when I was hoping it would last us two weeks. My next veggie box does not come until the 4th which is a long time to wait for veggies. I may need to tweak my order. This Wednesday I will receive a fruit box, I'll let you know how we do with that.

Until next time,
Lelia

Farm Fresh to You

I just joined an Organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and it will deliver right to my home. Veggies one week, fruit the next. I am going to try it for a month and see how the family likes it. Check in with me here everyday as I blog about what we get in our box and the meals I create with these ingredients. My first veggie box arrives on Wednesday, December 21 and my fruit box on Wednesday, December 28.

Check back soon,
Lelia

Super Easy Eggplant Mozzerella Sandwiches

Here is a super easy recipe that the kids will want you to make again and again. I count my husband in there too, as he asks me to make these all the time.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 box Trader Joe's Eggplant slices
4 slices low fat mozzarella cheese
4 multi grain rolls (large)

Pesto Sauce
1 small bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c pine nuts or walnuts or pecans
1 tsp lemon juice

Make the pesto sauce first by mixing all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Should be smooth and not chunky.
Put 1 tbsp of olive oil on baking sheet and spread evenly on the pan. Then lay your eggplant slices out on the baking sheet and put into a preheated 400 degree oven. Let the eggplant cook for approximately 10 minutes and then flip over the slices and let cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. You want the slices to be golden brown and crispy but don't let them burn. When they are done layer a couple slices of eggplant on one side of your lightly toasted bread. Put a piece of mozzarella cheese on top of the eggplant and keep the bread open while you either toast or microwave the sandwich JUST until the cheese melts. When done spread the pesto mixture on the side of the bread with nothing on it, then close the sandwich and serve. SO YUMMY!

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

I made this sweet potato soup last night and the whole family loved it. Remember to roast your sweet potatoes either the night before you want to make it, or the morning of the night you want to make it. That way you should be able to put it all together in about 40 minutes.

4 large sweet potatoes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 box veggie or chicken broth
1 can light coconut milk
1/2 onion chopped
1 tblsp olive oil
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garm masala
1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Wash and place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Poke each with a fork before placing in the oven to allow steam to escape. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 35 minutes.  Test with a fork to see if it feels done inside. Place your chopped onion and garlic into a dutch oven with the olive oil and cook until soft. Peel the sweet potatoes and add to the onion and garlic. Mash sweet potatoes gently with the back of your spoon. They don't need to be smooth. Add all the spices to this mixture. Slowly add the broth to the sweet potao mixture, stirring constantly to incorporate the broth. When the broth has been added completely, add the coconut milk next. Stir mixture and let cook,on low to medium, for about 15 minutes.
It's up to you how you do this next part, if you have an immersion blender, by all means use it to make the soup smooth and delicious. You may also use a blender, just be very careful that you don't spill the hot soup on yourself. Enjoy this warm, yummy soup!

Easy Breezy Quiche

I love a good quiche. If done right, it's simple and light and always satisfying. Make sure to cook until the egg is done and not soupy. Add a green salad and you have a great meal everyone will love!
      

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch cayenne or paprika
• 2 to 3 cups broccoli
• 4 ozs grated swiss cheese
• 2 tblsps chopped basil
• 3/4 diced ham

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk the half-and-half, eggs and yolks in large glass measuring cup. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, cayenne or parika to taste. Spread half the broccoli and ham evenly in the pan, top with about half the cheese; repeat with remaining filling and cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the fillings. Top with more herbs or cheese as desired. Bake until the quiche is just set in the center, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a rack before serving.

Spicy Sweet Salmon with Asparagus and red potatoes

This is a Cooking Light recipe that my family loves and I have been using it for quite some time. I do subscribe to Cooking Light and I have found the magazine to be hit and miss for me. This one though is a keeper. If you are feeding it to the kids watch out for the pepper powders in this dish. It may be too hot for them. Simply reduce the powders to about a 1/4 of what is listed here and you may want to add a bit more paprika (smoked paprika would be good too) and brown sugar. Experiment and have fun! The recipe for the red potatoes follows.

Sweet and Spicy Salmon

• 2  teaspoons  paprika
• 1  teaspoon  chili powder
• 1  teaspoon  ground ancho chile powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/2  teaspoon  brown sugar
• 1  teaspoon  sea or kosher salt
• 4  (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• Cooking spray
• 1  teaspoon  maple syrup

Preparation

Prepare grill, heating to medium.
Combine first 5 ingredients. Sprinkle fish with salt; rub with paprika mixture. Place fish on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 7 minutes. Drizzle fish with syrup; grill 1 minute or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Red Potatoes

1 to 2 pounds small red potatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tblsps olive oil
2 tblsps chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oven to 400. Combine first 4 ingredients until potatoes are completely coated. Lay out potatoes evenly on a large sheet pan. Place in the preheated oven. Watch potatoes and using a large spoon, turn them every 10 minutes for about 40 minutes. The potatoes should be crispy and taste done on the inside, but not burnt. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top and return to the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. The kids will love these! The asparagus can be cooked in the microwave or on the stovetop with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Enjoy these yummy dishes! Have a happy (and safe) Halloween!

Sick

Good Evening All,

I'm sorry to have been away so much this week. I was down with a cold and then my son got the same thing so things have been a little crazy around here. I know all you Mom's can relate. I'm trying to get back on track this week though. I can tell you that I made some delicious mocha chocolate cupcakes and took them to the office for our Halloween party and I think people really liked them. I had a little trouble with the frosting because I really wanted a whipped cream frosting and found it's not a good idea to make whipped cream frosting the night before. The whipped cream separated in the refrigerator and it took some doing to get it right again. Moral of the story is don't refrigerate whipped cream frosting!

Also, I am back on my Jillian Michael's program this week so I will be fixing things that correspond to this way of eating. This is not a diet it's a way of life program and I don't know why I ever fall off the wagon. I always feel 100% better when I'm on her program. It's an organic food plan and I strongly encourage those who are interested in losing weight and feeling better to pluck down the money and try her online program.

Here are the menus for the week:

Sunday-Maple glazed salmon, red potatoes, asparagus (we never got to this last week)
Monday-Ham, Broccoli and Swiss cheese crust less quiche (we never got to this either)
Tuesday-Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
Wednesday-Chicken Kebabs and cucumber salad
Thursday-Leftovers
Friday-Eggplant and Mozzarella Sandwiches with pesto
Saturday-Leftovers

Grocery List
paprika
chili powder
ground ancho chili powder
ground cumin
brown sugar
salt
4 organic salmon fillets
1  teaspoon  maple syrup
1 pound red potatoes
olive oil
2 heads garlic
rosemary
Parmesan cheese
1 to 2 pounds fresh organic asparagus

2 cups whole milk

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

Pinch cayenne or paprika

3/4 cup lean ham or Canadian bacon

3/4 cup Swiss cheese

4 sweet potatoes

1 cup maple syrup

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

garm masala

smoked paprika

4 cups veggie or chicken broth

Brown onion

turmeric
cayenne pepper
lemon

Greek plain yogurt
18 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 12 boneless, skinless breasts

Italian parsley

fresh basil

sliced mozzarella cheese

Trader Joe's eggplant slices

Fresh multi grain rolls

walnuts or pine nuts

That's the list for this week. I'll put up the recipe for the Salmon tomorrow afternoon. Have a restful Sunday!