Crop Share Box #8

What this Box Contained

Cucumbers, Italian Garlic, Summer Squash, Sweet Spanish Onions, Sweet Corn, Watermelon, Melons, Arugula, Edamame, Tomatoes, Red Grape Tomatoes, Orange or Red Ukraine Peppers, Roaster Peppers, Corn, Eggplant, Basil, Potatoes

Pictured Above

From Front Left to Right: Red Grape Tomatoes, Eggplant, Roaster Peppers, Potatoes, Basil

From Back Left to Right:  Edamame, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Arugula, Summer Squash, Orange Ukraine Pepper, Cantaloupe, Corn

New Recipes & Meals I Made

Crop Share Chopped Salad (side)
Rating: Sina: 4
Chopped Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, corn off the cob, chick peas, cucumbers and homemade mustard vinaigrette

Omelets for dinner

Swiss cheese, tomato, pepper, spinach and zucchini omelettes with a side of tomatoes with basil and cooked zucchini.

Jicama Cole Slaw and Fish Tacos (see bottom of post for recipe):
These are my favorite fish tacos. I got the idea of making a jicama cole slaw for the top of fish tacos from a restaurant in town called Chino Latinos. The roasted red pepper sauce is also a great touch. You can also add shredded lettuce or cheese to the tacos but we ate them with just the fish, jicama slaw and sauce. I'm disappointed at how they look in this picture because they taste much better than that! Also, I added cherry tomatoes to the slaw this time since I wanted to use them up.
Ratings: Sina: 4, Ryan: 4

Breakfast sandwiches with arugula, tomato, pecorino cheese and an egg on an English muffin. 

Potato and Swiss Chard Gratin

The original recipe is from Smitten kitchen and posted on my holiday blog from last year when we made it the correct way (with sweet potatoes). Since I had swiss chard in the garden and extra garlic and scallions I figured I'd make it with my crop share potatoes from the last box and this box

Ratings: Sina: 4 (delicious but not as good as when you make it with sweet potatoes)

Sina’s Fish Tacos (combining three recipes for the fish, sauce and slaw)

Baja Fish Tacos (Recipe from Baja Fish Tacos on myrecipes.com):

3-4 tbsp taco seasoning

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp orange juice

2 pounds tilapia or mahi-mahi

Flour or corn tortillas

Avocado slices

1 lime: wedged

Directions:

1. Combine first 2 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add fish; toss to coat.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; sautee 5 minutes or until fish is done

3. Warm tortillas according to package directions.

I then Served the fish tacos with the jicama slaw, avocados, sauce and have people add what they like.

Roasted Red Pepper and Cucumber Yogurt Sauce:

(Recipe from Mediterranean fish tacos courtesy Rachel ray, 2008)

2 roasted red peppers, patted dry

1 cup fat free yogurt

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ cucumber, peeled and grated

Directions: Combine red peppers and yogurt in food processor. Add cumin, 1 clove garlic, zest and juice of ½ lemon, cucumber and process until smooth, transfer to a bowl.

Add to the top of the fish tacos

Jicama Cole Slaw (Recipe from Jicama Slaw courtesy Emeril Lagasse):

1 cup fat free yogurt

3 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

1 tsp ground cumin1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

3 cups shredded or julienned jicama

½ bunch green onions, sliced thinly on the bias

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Directions: (great side with the fish tacos or you can put it on your tacos)

1. Combine the yogurt, lime juice, cider vinegar, sugar, cilantro, cumin, salt and peppers and whisk to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop

2. When ready to serve, combine the jicama, green onions, and red bell peppers in a large bowl and add the dressing. Toss gently but thoroughly to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve immediately 

Crop Share Box #7

It's definitely August. If you take a look back at Box #1 compared to Box #7 you will see the the amount of vegetables we've gotten has doubled and the varieties have expanded. Note, this is only half a crop share and a hard one to tell what we got as many things came with one so we each picked items out that we would use. 

What this box contained:

Green Top Carrots, Cucumbers, Broccoli, Italian Garlic, Summer Squash, Sweet Spanish Onions, Gold Potatoes, Italian Frying Peppers, Eggplant, Sweet Corn, Green Top Gold, Thai Basil, Tomatillos, Sesame Greens, Melons, Zucchini

Pictured above: 

From front left: Sesame Greens, Sweet Spanish Onions, Broccoli, Eggplant, Cucumber (yellow), Zucchini, Cucumber

From left on top row: Green Top Carrots, Italian Frying Pepper, Summer Squash

New Recipes:

Grilled Cabbage 

Directions: Cut cabbage into thick slices. Top with olive oil, salt, pepper and a generous amount of garlic powder. Place on tinfoil and grill for ~ 40 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with pecorino or parmesan cheese and serve

Ratings: Sina 4, Ryan 4

Crop Share Box # 4 and 6

If you're wondering why I haven't posted about my crop shares recently it's because we've been on the road. We left the day crop share box #5 arrived so that one was enjoyed by our neighbors. Here's the update and recipes from crop shares #4 (from June 23rd) and #6 (from July 21st). This months past box has been my favorite so far. We've almost used everything in it already! The vegetables were very versatile and easy to add to meals.

Crop Share Box #4

 

What this Box Contains:  mini romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, spinach, salad mix, sorrels, kohlrabi, sugar snap peas, broccoli raab, strawberries, iceberg lettuce, scallions, baby white turnips, garlic scapes (curly green in the front) and salad mix in the back

Pictured (from left): sorrels, kohlrabi, broccoli raab, strawberries, iceberg lettuce, scallions, baby white turnips, garlic scapes (curly green in the front) and salad mix in the back

Featured Item: Garlic Scapes
Garlic scapes are the long spirals that grow from garlic plants. The top portion of garlic bulbs. They have the same great flavor as garlic and can be used like a garlic scallion. Try adding chopped or diced garlic scapes to spreads, sauteed veggies or on top of pizza and scrambled eggs.

Recipes & Things I made from this Box:
Well sadly this box didn't have a lot of new or interesting recipes. The garlic scapes have been added to dishes here and there including egg salad, scrambled eggs, veggie burgers, salmon burgers and pizza. The strawberries were eaten raw immediately after receiving the box since they were so juicy and flavorful. Per usual the lettuce and salad mix were used for everyday side salads with dinner and for work. Lastly, and sadly, the kohlrabi and sorrels went bad while we were gone before we used them. :(

Tofu Stir Fry with Broccoli
-I started out by following a recipe from my Super Foods cookbook for this dinner but was short on a few main ingredients so I ended up whipping this up from the things I had on hand.
Ratings: Sina: 2, Ryan: 2 - nothing special but fine to eat for one evening

Crop Share #6 (my favorite so box so far)

What's This Box Contained (same as what's pictured)

Pictured (from left to right): arugula, summer squash, zucchini, rainbow chard, sweet Spanish onions, garlic bulb, cucumber, cauliflower, green & yellow beans, new red potatoes and green top carrots

Featured Item: Arugula
Arugula is a spicy salad green that has a peppery mustard flavor. It's great added into salad or on top of pizza, burgers, sandwiches (especially paninis), sauteed with vegetables or added to soup.

Recipes & Things I made from this Box (so far):
Salmon Burgers (adapted from Cooking Light) with Grilled Rosemary New Red Potatoes & Grilled Zucchini and Summer Squash
You can get the gist of these burgers from our high ratings (the highest yet). They were cooked perfectly with great flavor from the honey mustard sauce, onion arugula topping and in the burger patties themselves. I would suggest following the recipes guidelines to make sure you don't over cook them. Once your grill is heated to medium (ours was at 375) cook them for 3 minutes on each side.
Ratings: Ryan: 4.5 ,Sina: 4.5 ,My Mom: 5

Honey Dijon mustard & onion and arugula mix for topping the burgers



Salmon burger with grilled new red potatoes and grilled summer squash, zucchini & cauliflower

Salmon Burger Recipe: Adapted from Cooking Lights Salmon Burger Recipe 2011 
Ingredients:
-1 pound skinless salmon fillets (skin removed) and diced into 1 inch pieces
-2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
-2 Tbsp Grated lemon rind
-2 Tbsp Parsley, chopped
-1/4 cup diced bell peppers
-1/4 cup capers
-1 Tbsp diced garlic scape (you could use one garlic clove as well)
-1/2 tsp of salt
-1/4 tsp of ground black pepper
-1 Tbsp honey
-1 cup arugula, chopped
-1/2 cup diced scallions (from crop share box #4)
-1 tsp fresh lemon juice
-1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
-4 hamburger buns

Directions:
-Preheat grill to medium
-Put 1/2 salmon, 1 tbsp mustard and lemon rind into food processor, blend until smooth. Remove and put in a large bowl. Next, put the other 1/2 of the salmon in the food processor and pulse 6 times or until coarsely chopped. Add salmon to bowl and fold in parsley and next 5 ingredients. Divide mixture into 4 and gently shape into 1/2 inch thick patties
-Combine remaining 1 Tbsp mustard and honey in a small bowl. Set aside
-Combine arugula and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
-Coat a grill pan with cooking spray and place on the grill for 3 minutes. Turn patties and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until cooked to your preference.
-Place 1 patty on a bun and brush the honey/mustard mix on the top of the bun and top patty with arugula mix and serve.

Zucchini Bread: Cooking Light 2005
Follow the link above. My adaptations: 1/2 the oil (because I ran out), lime zest instead of lemon and 3 times the cinnamon. To top it off I sprinkled cinnamon crunch on the top (see this pictured below). For a very light bread it still had a lot of flavor from the zest and cinnamon.
Ratings: Sina: 3.5, Ryan: 3.5-4 (I think if you look at is as a light bread then a 4.5 but as a zucchini bread compared to high fat breads then a 3.5)

That's all for now. I still have the Swiss chard, green beans, carrots, cucumber and one onion to use this weekend!

Crop Share Box #3

Even though Box number 3 came three weeks ago I didn't post yet because I had one more dish to make with its contents. This box was filled with greens and very easy to use although during my excited state from getting more vegetables I ate the asparagus and used the rhubarb before I took the picture. Whoopsie. Once again a lot of random salads were made with this weeks share and aren't listed below. So far my favorite thing about this farm is that they send a lot of lettuce, spring mix and spinach with each box, which means I always have salad ingredients. 

What this box contained:
Romaine Lettuce, Saute Mix, Salad Mix, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Baby White Turnips (gave to our neighbors), Pea Vine, Potato Onion, Green Garlic and Bok Choi

Pictured Items from Left to Right:
Pea Vine, Bok Choi, Green Garlic, Romaine Lettuce
In bag in back: 1/2 Saute Mix, 1/2 Salad Mix
Things I forgot to picture: Asparagus and Rhubarb

New Recipes I made from this box:
Soba noodles, tofu and vegetable stir fry (Source: Power Foods Cookbook)
This dish was a 2 in 1 since it used my bok choi from this box and the broccoli from the box I picked up this week. A few downfalls came with this dish but were more related to my poor job buying the ingredients. First, I realized that I ate both the red peppers that I bought for this dish in salads this week. Then I remembered that I wasn't able to find buckwheat soba noodles or any soba noodles for that matter. Ours really turned out to be a "rice noodle, tofu and vegetable stir fry."
Ratings: Sina: 3, Ryan: 3 (we both agreed it needed more vegetables--ahem...the red peppers it called for-- but we liked the asian flavors)

Sauteed Greens with Potato Onions
I decided to saute the greens with diced potato onions and minced garlic in olive oil. I then sprinkled on salt, pepper and lemon juice.
Ratings: Sina: 3, Ryan: 2.5

Crop Share Box #2

I realize I have box #3 from our crop share and I haven't posted about box #2 yet. I just finished up the supplies from box #2 so I can share all my recipes. Most of the vegetables I added to our normal dishes and a lot of it was used for salads. I found the ingredients in this box more difficult to use than the veggies we received in our first box. The Hon Tsai Tai I ended up throwing away since it wilted before I figured out what to make with it.

What this Box Contained:

Spring salad mix, Garden herb pack for planting (basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, savory, parsley), spinach, red radishes, asparagus, rhubarb, Egyptian walking onions and green garlic. 

Pictured Items from Left to Right: 

BACK: Spring mix, Garden Herb pack, Spinach

FRONT: Red Radishes, Asparagus, Hon Tsai Tai , Green Garlic, Egyptian Walking Onions, Rhubarb

This picture was taken before I split the items with our neighbor so you can see what the size of a full share would look like. 

New Recipes I made from this Box:

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp  Recipes Source: Whole Living Magazine

Ratings Sina: 4.5, Ryan: 3.5 (he's a hard critic)

Comments: This recipe was super easy to make. It took me about 5 minutes to prep it and the rest of cook time was for baking. It was delicious: very fresh and not too sweet. 

Tex-Mex Salad

-Spring salad Mix topped with grilled seasoned chicken breasts, avocado, diced red peppers & tomatoes, canned no added salt black beans (drained and rinsed), canned no added salt corn (drained and rinsed) and topped with crumbled tortilla chips:

-Dressing: A mix of light sour cream, lime juice, avocado and taco seasoning (I didn't measure the ingredients)

Ratings: Sina: 3.5 (Ryan wasn't home for this meal. I had it with my friend Heather)

Fresh Egg Scrambles

Before I even write about this let me tell you about my egg scramble morning. My dear friend Brent came over for one of our routine brunch dates. We were really excited to do egg scrambles and diced red potatoes with herbs. We spent about an hour chopping everything before we turned on the oven to hear a constant DING, DING, DING noise. Even after hitting the off button multiple times it still kept coming back. So, we find the oven manual which tells us to turn the oven off. Not knowing how to turn a gas oven off we have to call my husband who's at a bachelor party and get step-by-step instructions from his very handy friend on turning the gas line off and unplugging the appliance.  We thought about going out for brunch at this point but we were too determined to cook since all our food was chopped and ready to go. So, what comes to my mind but to use the grill.  Of course that didn't go as planned either since  it wouldn't heat over 275 (I found out later the gas connection was kinked). Check out the picture below. All I can say is thank you for the Cheez-it's we bought on an impulse at the store since we had about 3 hours of waiting, cooking, stirring and more waiting before we had our slow cooked egg scrambles, which by the way were amazing. The slow cooking definitely paid off because these were the most fluffy tasting eggs I've ever had (although I can't say I plan to make more eggs on the grill anytime soon).

So what were in the scrambles: 

Egg scramble #1: Eggs whipped with skim milk and mixed with chopped green garlic & Egyptian walking onions then topped with sharp provolone cheese

Egg scramble #2: Eggs whipped with skim milk and chopped chives mixed in with leftover white cheese added at the end (not sure the type).  

Breakfast Potatoes: Diced red potatoes, chives, herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil. 

Rating: Sina: 5 (Ryan once again was gone for this meal)

Crop Share Box #1

This is the second year my husband and I have joined a crop share with our neighbors. We have a full share every other week package and our first box came last week. As a new addition to the blog I plan to share my journey cooking through all the unique vegetables that the boxes contain. I'll share what was in the box, new recipes I try with the vegetables and other information about the vegetables. To give you guys a better understanding of how the recipes tasted my husband I will also rank the taste of recipes. That way you can distinguish which may be worth trying. Our rating scale will be out of 5 stars.

• 5 stars: Mouthwatering, when can I have it again? Will definitely make again.
• 4 stars: Very good, a definite recipe to repeat.
• 3 stars: Tasted good but nothing special, would make a variation of it again.
• 2 stars: Something was missing but has potential to be fixed.
• 1 star: Not good, would never make it again. 

After the cold and wet spring I wasn't sure what I would find in my first box. With much anticipation my neighbor Greta and I went together to find our pick up location and vegetables. After splitting things with Greta here is what our share looked like. 

Crop Share Box #1 

What this box contained: 

Sunchokes, Parsnips, Ramps, Overwintered Spinach, Black Radishes, Sorrels, Chives, Watercress and Nettles

Pictured Items from left to right:

Ramp, Spinach & Watercress (in bag), Sorrels, Chives

Sunchokes and Black Parsnip in front of bag

New recipes I made from items in this box: 

Fried Sunchoke chips with Rosemary Salt Source: Epicurious (from Greta)

Rating: 4.5 stars from Sina, 4 from Ryan

Other Recipes I've made so far:
Potato salad with Chives Recipe edited from recipes my mom made as a kid and online recipes
-Baby Red Potatoes, boiled then cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used ~5 pounds)
-Chives, diced (~1/2 cup or to taste)
-Light Sour Cream (~1 cup)
-Salt and Pepper to taste (don't be bashful)
Rating: Sina: 3 stars,  Ryan  2 stars
I love potato salads with a sour cream base but I think I would add garlic and more pepper next time.

Pasta with Ramps and Sorrel

Combine the following ingredients:

-Pasta noodles, cooked

-Sorrel and Ramps -washed, chopped and sauteed

-Olive oil

-Crushed red pepper

-2 garlic cloves

-salt and pepper

Sina: 3 stars, Ryan: 3

Interested in joining a crop share. Check out Local Harvest for farms close to you.