Week 15 Box

I neglected to pick up the box from the person I share with last week, so you might have noticed that there was no post for what was in the box.  I still had produce from the week before, though, so it was nice to use that up before getting new.  This week, though, I have the box all to myself so I'm going to have to work hard to use up all the stuff.  Fingers crossed.

• Swiss chard
• Kale
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Garlic
• Zucchini
• Green beans
• Tomatoes
• Thyme

Week 11 Box

The city I live in flooded pretty badly this last week, so there has been a lot of distractions around here.  I was actually surprised that our box came on time and full this week.  At the moment, we have all the roads open here and have no restrictions on using water--earlier this week we were limiting to a bare minimum--but we are still boiling everything used for washing dishes and in or on food.  Hopefully it's all over soon.

• Swiss chard
• Kale
• Green beans (from the CSA and my mom)
• Zucchini
• Cucumbers
• Okra
• Jalapeno pepper
• Leeks
• Savory

Marinaded Steak Kabobs

I feel that it is a development to mention here that my city is currently flooded and our water is limited in access and under a boil alert.  Luckily I had planned a dinner that was low on dishes.  Anything using a grill or the oven with no dishes will probably be very popular in my house for like a week or so, until the boil ordinance is lifted.

Serves 4

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary (1 full sprig)
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper
Salt
2/3 cup dry red wine
1 1/2-2 lbs beef roast, cut into large cubes
1 red onion, cut into large pieces
1 green pepper, cut into large pieces
1 zucchini, sliced
8 oz baby bella mushrooms

1. In medium bowl, mix garlic and rosemary.  Add worchestershire sauce, oil, salt and black pepper.  Mix well and add wine.  Stir in meat chunks well, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
2. On skewers, thread meat chunks and vegetables in desired pattern.  Once skewers are threaded and bowl of meat is empty, brush remaining marinade over kabobs.
3. Over hot flame, cook kabobs until browned.  Vegetables should be still crunchy and the meat about medium well.  Remove from skewers to serve.

Week 10 Box

I've been sick the past few days, so you might notice that the entries have less of a description of what the food tastes like.  Mostly I have been tasting metallic, so I don't really feel comfortable talking about how things taste.  The vegetables in the box this week look really good, though.

• Potatoes
• Onions
• Okra
• Zucchini
• Grape tomatoes (those are from my bushes)
• Sage
• Basil

Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

I bought a bulk package of beef this weekend and decided that stirfry sounded good again for dinner.  There weren't many vegetables that could be included in the CSA box this week, so the broccoli for this came from the store.  I tried a different way of making the sauce this time, which seemed to help the meat a lot.  (Two things that will make this recipe a lot easier are a good chef's knife and grater that can finely mince your garlic and ginger.  For the chef's knife, I like one that is a single piece of stainless steel and a very thin blade.  A knife similar to the one that I have can be found here: Chicago Cutlery Insignia Steel 8-Inch Chef's Knife.  A grater like the one used for this recipe is invaluable in any kitchen.  It can mince garlic and zest a lemon with speed and cleanliness, then be cleaned by the dishwasher; it can be found here: Microplane Fine Grater).

Serves 3-4

1 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
1 lb sirloin tip steak
1/2 cup beef broth
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon oil
3/4 lb broccoli flourets, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 yellow zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
Rice, for serving (I use brown rice)

1. In the bottom of a medium bowl mix together soy sauce, tablespoon oil, tablespoon honey, 2 cloves garlic, and teaspoon ginger. Whisk together marinade until combined.  With a thin sharp knife, trim the steak.  Slice steak thinly against the grain and at an angle; the knife should slice at about a 45-degree angle to the cutting board.  Place cut steak pieces in marinade and stir.  The steak should sit in this marinade for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.  During this time you can chop your vegetables and prepare your sauce.
2. In measuring cup combine beef broth, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon honey.  Set aside.
3. Remove marinaded beef from refrigerator.  Drain beef very well, discarding liquids. Toss marinaded beef with cornstarch.
4. Heat tablespoon oil in wok or large skillet.  Stir fry beef in hot oil until outside is browned.  Toss broccoli and zucchini into wok with beef.  Stir fry mixture until vegetables are bright but still very crisp.  Pour beef broth sauce over vegetables and beef in wok.  Cook and stir until sauce is thick, about 2 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Week 7 Box

The root vegetables are starting to show up in my box now.  Weird thing is that a lot of the root vegetables, like beets, that were in this box showed up in June last week.  The box here might seem sort of herb-heavy, but that's because those actually came from my mom's garden.  The herbs will likely be featured in a number of recipes this week.  Pesto has already been made.

• Cabbage (purple)
• Kale
• Swiss chard
• Beets
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Zucchini
• Green beans
• Oregano
• Basil
• Italian flat-leaf parsley
• Rosemary

Grill Zucchini

Vegetables cooked on the grill just taste better, to me.  This recipe doesn't call for the zucchini to be cooked directly on the grill, but rather indirectly so it basically steams.  The accompanying onions have a nice caramelized taste, though.  Notice that there are no grill heat settings on these instructions.  I have a charcoal grill and it is all that I have ever grilled with, so heat settings for this would be difficult.  Whatever your meat is cooking at should be fine.

Serves 2
Oil or nonstick cooking spray
1-2 thin slices onion
1 small zucchini or yellow squash, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1/2 tablespoon cold butter, cut into small pieces
Dash salt and ground black pepper

1. Place a rectangle of aluminum foil on a flat work surface.  Brush with oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Arrange onion rings on foil.  Top onion with zucchini or squash.  Sprinkle zucchini with cold butter, then salt and pepper.  Bring up sides of foil and seal around zucchini.
2. Grill foil package over direct heat for about 5 minutes, then move to cooler part of the grill for another 2-3 minutes.  Remove foil package from grill to a heatproof surface.  Empty grill package onto serving platter, drizzling any juices over vegetables, and serve hot.

Week 6 Box

More summer vegetables are appearing now in the box, which I appreciate.  I was especially excited to see the herb of the week, since it's an easy one to use up quickly.

• Garlic
• Onions
• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Potatoes
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
• Beets
• Basil