Farm Fresh

beets, cabbage, carrots, leeks, mushrooms, parsnips, winter squash, turnips

What’s for Dinner?

People are always asking me, ‘What the heck do you get in your CSA in the winter?!?” Well, surely I’ve mentioned the wonderful winter fruit that arrives each week! SO many varieties of tasty local apples and pears. These are not what I plan my dinners around, certainly, but sure do make a nice fruit salad at breakfast, a perfect snack, and an every-day lunch box treat. The apples and pears are also a regular dinner-time additions to my salads. And PIES! But the mainstay CSA delivery is lots and lots of those gorgeous veggies – sometimes a little less kale and a little more cabbage or chard; sometimes a little less beets and a little more parsnips or celeriac. But the great thing is, we never feel like we’re eating the same thing over and over again. Even with regular dinners like “pizza night” or “sammie night”, the veggie combinations and preparations are endless.

I’m declaring it “use what you have week” at our house, noticing a trend in the difficulty level of opening and closing my freezer and pantry. I uncovered lots of frozen turkey, a result of my “I didn’t cook Thanksgiving dinner but I must still make a turkey” burst. And my pantry is truly over-stocked, with the tried-and-true staples, as well as some fancy pants straight-from-the-docks-of-Garibaldi canned seafood. I’ll liven things up with inspiration from the New Seasons Market Flyer, tossing a dash of zesty citrus into each dinner…a little bit of a de-winterizer in these cold, dark January days.

Friday – old school pizza, tv trays, movie

old town’s dragon lady (mushrooms, leeks, etc.)
beet, avocado, and citrus salad (Alice Waters, Chez Panisse)

Saturday – south of the border 

turkey and green chili enchiladas (America’s Test Kitchen)
tri color slaw with lime dressing (The Kitchn)

blood orange margaritas (Deb Perleman, Smitten Kitchen)

Sunday  – goin’ retro

tuna noodle casserole (Simply Recipes)
beet, lemon, and gorgonzola salad (Bon Appetit)

blood orange olive oil cake (Smitten Kitchen)

Monday – the 10 minute meal

crispy black bean tacos with zesty cabbage slaw (Deb Perelman, The Smitten Kitchen)

Tuesday – chili & cornbread + lime

jalapeno cornbread with honey lime butter (The Comfort of Cooking)
turkey chipotle chili (New Seasons Market)

Wednesday – cabbage & curry

green curry chicken & cabbage with lime  (BBC Good Food)
white rice

Thursday – sammie night

roasted beet, goat cheese, & citrus panini (Williams Sonoma)
roasted delicata squash rings (Culinary Society)

More Menu Musings…