Week #4 box includes: head of green leaf lettuce, radishes, swiss chard, yellow squash, zucchini, bag of lettuce mix, spring onions, spinach, cauliflower (most got this, some got broccoli instead), tomatoes, bunch of beets.
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Most weeks I direct you to grassfedcow.com for the many, many recipes there and the storage tips we’ve accumulated over the years. So … please do go there and look around if you are need of inspiration.
But this week I’m in the mood for new ideas. Maybe you are, too.
Let’s think about those beets. Stella Dillard of Dandelion Food & Goods always has great ideas. This week her “Serious Salad” is pickled beets, broccoli, white beans and a caper-almond vinaigrette. Our beet page has lots of beet recipes including two for pickled beets. Try one of those, then roast your broccoli (if that’s what you got), add a can of white beans, and try one of the vinaigrettes from the lettuce page, adding some capers to whichever one you choose.
I am delighted with cauliflower in this week’s box (maybe you got broccoli?) because it might be my new favorite vegetable. So versatile.
Down below is the recipe for Cauliflower Couscous Salad from Alexandracooks.com. I don’t know who first realized that cauliflower could be chopped up like rice or like couscous, but they were brilliant. Alexandra Stoddard took inspiration for this recipe from “Six Seasons” by Joshua McFadden. Love this salad and … no cooking (except toasting the almonds, which you could skip)!
And a double gift to have both Swiss chard and beets in the same box. They are relatives, so cut those beet greens off and use them with the chard in the recipe for Swiss Chard Dip with Garlic, Yogurt and Dill down below, recipe courtesy of the New York Times. Love the easy way to wilt greens in that recipe.
Both those recipes will use up some of your pretty green onions.
Speaking of the green onions – one more idea, Scallion Oil from “Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table” by Mai Pham. Chop whatever green onions you have left and put them in a saucepan with a neutral oil – vegetable, canola, sunflower, grapeseed, whatever you keep on hand. Turn heat onto your very lowest setting and cook until scallions have wilted and the oil turns bright green. Do not let the green onions turn brown at all. Remove from heat, add a pinch of sugar and salt, and you’re through. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and use in vinaigrettes and to garnish noodles and rice.
Cauliflower Couscous Salad with Almonds, Herbs, and Cherries
1/2 to 3/4 cup dried tart cherries or dried cranberries
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sliced almonds
1 head cauliflower
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
2 teaspoons sumac
1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes
4 to 6 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 to 1 cup rough chopped parsley
1/2 cup small, fresh mint leaves
Put the dried cherries and vinegar in a small bowl and leave to plump for at least 30 minutes.
Place the almonds in a large skillet over low heat. I like to toast the almonds very slowly while I’m assembling the salad. If necessary, I’ll crank up the heat at the end to give them more color.
Break or chop the cauliflower into small florets or pieces. Pulse the cauliflower in the food processor in two batches until you have small pieces: the goal is to create dry, crumbly cauliflower bits that resemble couscous.
Transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Add the sumac, dried chile flakes, the scallions, and the cherries with their soaking vinegar. Toss to mix well.
Taste and adjust the salt, chile flakes, and vinegar until the cauliflower is highly seasoned and well balanced. Finally, add the olive oil, almonds, parsley, and mint and toss well. Taste again and adjust to taste with more seasons, oil or vinegar. Serve cool or at room temperature.
Swiss Chard Dip with Garlic, Yogurt and Dill
10 ounces Swiss chard (and beet greens)
3/4 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chopped dill
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Put chard in a colander in sink. Pour boiling water over the leaves to wilt. Let cool completely, then use your hands to squeeze out all the water. Coarsely chop and set aside.
In a blender or food processor, combine scallions, yogurt, cream cheese, dill, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, zest, cumin, salt and pepper. Drizzle in olive oil and blend until smooth. Scape mixture into a bowl and stir in Swiss chard. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Will keep up to 4 days. Before serving, add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice.