oatmeal with apple and pears (csa week 8)

if you've read the blog before, you've undoubtedly read more than one oatmeal rambling. i've become quite a fan of it for breakfast since i discovered trader joe's quick cook steel cut oats. what is it about steel cut oats exactly? their texture is just so much more satisfying than rolled oats. i'm thinking it's a mush factor. these ones just don't get as mushy. cook them in soymilk (rather than water) and you're really talking. so on my most recent csa pickup, i got all of these apples and pears. and sadly, didn't have the time on my hands to make a crisp or any other sort of baked good. the perfect solution seemed to be a quick stew for some morning oatmeal!

i threw a bit of salted butter in the bottom of a pot, then threw in chopped apples and pears, added some brown sugar and cinnamon, stirred, brought to a simmer and allowed it to cook until the fruit softened into a syrupy bath.

csa week 8

you know the drill.

1. the bounty

• 2 red peppers
• 1 eggplant
• 1 cabbage
• 1 bunch white icicle radishes
• 1 bunch mizuna
• 2 pounds purple potatoes
• 3 stalks edamame soybeans
• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 10 pears
• 10 apples
  

2. cost analysis (comparison costs courtesy of freshdirect except where otherwise indicated):

veggies:

• 2 red peppers: $5 (organic)
  
• 1 eggplant: $3 (organic)
  
• 1 cabbage: $5 (organic)
  
• 1 bunch white icicle radishes: $1 (organic not available)
  
• 1 bunch mizuna: $3 (organic not available)
  
• 2 pounds purple potatoes: $4 (based on organic yukons)
  
• 3 stalks edamame soybeans: $2 (a completely random guess)
  
• 1 medium spaghetti squash: $6 (organic)
  

= $25
actual csa cost per week = $22

fruit:

• 10 apples: $11 (organic)
  
• 10 pears: $10 (organic)
  

=$21
actual csa cost per week = $11.67

10 apples and 10 pears!!!! A pie just might be in my future...

csa notes (week 7)

just a couple of notes about the week because these were too good to pass up. remember when i said I would try not to just sautee my veggies with garlic and eat them? well, i lied.

farm fresh organic garlic, green beans and wax beans? i cooked thin slices of garlic in some olive oil, in a pan over low heat until the garlic started to get cooked and sweet (not browned). then i added the previously partially steamed beans (so that they only needed to sautee for a few minutes) into the pan and added some salt and pepper to taste. mmmmmm....seriously, this garlic is better than crack. not that i would know.

and look at my cute baby watermelon!

that's all. signing off with love and fresh produce.

rataouille (csa week 7)

what happens when you come home to 2 weeks worth of csa vegetables? if you're me, you make a mishmash veggie stew and dub it ratatouille. after perusing multiple recipes--ok wait, what actually happened was this: i furiously chopped veggies while crying out in panic to becky crocker who was on the couch. she looked up recipes online as i chopped, then i threw things randomly in a pot just prior to freaking out, "wait! what goes in first?!" and becky crocker of course, agreeably accommodated my chaos happening only inches away from her.

so what ended up happening was something like this: i sauteed the eggplant, then set it aside. sauteed the peppers and set them aside. sauteed the garlic and onions for a little bit, then added the tomatoes, covered and let them stew a little bit. and of course, vehemently salted as i went. then i threw everything in the pot together, turned down the heat and let it simmer. while simmering, i cursed myself for not having any basil. we went to the roof to check my mini earthbox garden of cherry tomatoes, zucchini and basil (yes, yes, wait for it), and becky crocker yelled at me for my obvious mistake of not realizing that I HAD BASIL ON THE ROOF. soooo, we picked some basil, ran back downstairs, threw the basil in, and let it all cook a little bit more (until i was so hungry i couldn't take it anymore.)


go go zo's "ratatouille"

• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 2 red peppers, diced
  
• 1 eggplant, cubed (no, i do not salt my eggplant. i just don't. and i don't peel it either...)
  
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• handful of basil, chopped
  
• a few cloves of garlic, minced
• salt
  
• olive oil

• in a large saucepan or dutch oven, sautee eggplant in some olive oil and remove from pan (not too much oil; it will absorb whatever you throw in there)
• in the same pan, sautee peppers in some olive oil and remove.
  
• add more olive oil, the onions and garlic. sautee over low heat until the onions slightly soften. add tomatoes. cover and let simmer until the tomatoes start to break down and release their juices.
• add the other vegetables and basil back to the pan, add salt and pepper to taste, cover, turn down the heat, and let simmer for as long as you can wait (no longer than 40 minutes).
• serve over pasta, toast, rice, eggs, or eat plain. some parmesan is nice here.
  

a note on summer (watermelon margaritas)

i love frozen treats but they are of course just a tad more enjoyable during summertime. now that we're post labor day and the weather here has taken a definite turn towards fall, i wanted to extend the feeling of the season a little longer.

visiting my family the other week, i failed to cook an actual meal but what did result might have been even better. the original plan was to make regular margaritas but as we started to notice an abundance of watermelon around the kitchen, an idea began to form:

watermelon margaritas

• blend pieces of watermelon and watermelon juice (i like the mixture a little pulpier rather then blended completely smooth).
• add simple syrup (see below) and fresh lime juice to taste.
• add ice and tequila. stir.
  

simple syrup

• combine 2 parts sugar to 1 part water in small saucepan.
  
• bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture slightly thickens.
  

csa week 7

1. the bounty

• 1 pint sungold cherry tomatoes
• 3 lbs tomaotes
• 3 frying peppers
• 3 small eggplant
• 1 quart green and wax beans
• 1 head garlic
  
• 1 cucumber
• 1 cantaloupe
  
• 1 small watermelon
  

2. cost analysis (comparison costs courtesy of freshdirect except where otherwise indicated):

veggies:

• 1 pint sungold cherry tomatoes: $5 (organic; csa's price estimate)
• 3 lbs tomaotes: $9 (organic)
  
• 3 frying peppers: $1.50 (organic; csa's price estimate)
  
• 3 small eggplant: $2.50 (organic)
  
• 1 quart green and wax beans: $3.50 (organic; csa's price estimate)
  
• 1 head garlic: $1 (organic)
  
• 1 cucumber: $2 (organic)
  

= $24.50
actual csa cost per week = $22

fruit:

• 1 cantaloupe: $4 (organic)
  
• 1 small watermelon: $4 (organic; estimate based on fresh direct availability)
  

=$8
actual csa cost per week = $11.67

more tomatoes!