This one from Smittn Kitchen. We were away at the beach last week so missed the late June box, but I’ve enjoyed the cucumber lemonade recipe I shared two weeks ago over and over again.
To make simple syrup, heat 1 tablespoon water with 2 tablespoons sugar, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves. Pour into cup or bowl and 1 tablespoon ice-cold water to cool it somewhat, then chill in the fridge until needed. Scale up as needed. Leftovers keep in fridge.
I ran into this idea for soba noodles and green beans and since that was a big bag of beans in the box, I’ll probably split them between crudité and this recipe that I found in the Washington Post. It’s also a recipe that lends itself to whatever you have in your pantry. For example, they suggested if you don’t have soba noodles, try another thin noodle, such as vermicelli rice noodles or angel hair pasta. And that sriracha could substitute for the chili-garlic sauce, or that you could just whatever hot sauce you have on hand. And finally, that any mild vinegar could substitute for the rice vinegar called for here.
I just found this recipe but didn’t make a note of the source. So sorry not to be giving it proper attribution.
I also ran into this recipe from Gourmet many years ago, Napa Cabbage Slaw with Radishes and Celery. We seem to be past having radishes in our box, but maybe you still have some of that celery from a few weeks ago. Anything crunchy would work. Cucumbers instead of radishes? And the dressing will work just as well on that bag of lettuce as it will in the slaw. The notes with that recipe are from Smitten Kitchen.
The dressing is a simple blend of buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, a touch of mayo, shallots, sugar, salt and pepper but the flavor is anything but. This is my new go-to creamy dressing. I am sure it would equally delicious with some crumbled blue cheese mixed in, if you’re into that kind of thing.
The dressing would be really great on an iceberg wedge or romaine hearts salad, or any kind of everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mega mixed bowl. Like your lunch tomorrow.
Recipe from Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything: Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition”
And then a recipe for beet burgers. And it also includes a recipe for quick pickled red onions. This one came from Nichole Dandrea-Russert of Purelyplanted.com. I’ve included a photo from her recipe. Read to the end for substitutes for ingredients you may not have on hand.
I have two new ideas for you this week. The first is for that bunch of mustard greens with this recipe for Salade Lyonnaise from Mark Bittman via the New York Times. It’s a simple salad that uses bitter greens – usually frisee or escarole – but I’m substituting those mustard greens. The warm dressing tenderizes the greens and the poached eggs are a perfect complement.
here’s an idea from Alexandracooks.com (one of my favorite recipe sources) for using both cabbage and kale (or chard). She adapted it from “Food 52 Vegan” by Gena Hamshaw. Almost seems like a waste to chop that pretty Savoy cabbage into pieces but … I was in South Carolina for the weekend and picked up “The Twenty Bag” for Harleston Towles. So now I have a South Carolina cabbage to go with my Georgia cabbage. The only thing they seem to be ahead of us with was their sweet onions. There were two huge onions in that bag. Can’t wait until the Riverview onions start arriving.
I love grains and greens with sweet dried fruit like raisins (or dates or even dried cranberries). Hope you’ll enjoy this, too.
Her notes about the recipe: So many vegetables could work here: cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, parsnips, carrots, squash, etc. If you are using kale and cabbage, slice the leaves relatively finely or at least try to make the vegetables you are roasting together be uniform in size so that they cook evenly. Freekeh is not something I’ve cooked with many times, but I happened to have a bag of it on hand, and I think I’ll be buying it more often. It cooks quickly and has a nice, chewy texture — it reminds me of bulgur. Freekeh is harvested when it’s young or “green” then roasted, which gives it a slightly smoky, nutty flavor. Use any grain in place of the freekeh: farro, wheat berry, quinoa, bulgur, etc. I’ve used both currants and golden raisins, but chopped dates would be nice, too — anything to add a touch of sweetness. Nuts would be a nice addition here.
I’m glad one more head of cauliflower showed up because I realize I wanted to do something with cauliflower rice. This is a recipe from Martha Stewart. I’m making this one because we have those sugar snap peas in our box today. At least, I think they’re sugar snap peas. They were definitely sweet – the peas were delicious – but the pods of the few I nibbled on were a little tough, so not quite “eat out of hand” but cut into 1/4-inch slices on the diagonal, they’ll be perfect in this dish in place of the frozen peas. And use some green onion instead of a yellow onion. (I’ve also been known to cut the cauliflower into rough florets and throw it in the food processor and pulse quickly to make tiny pieces when I just wasn’t in the mood to slice, slice, slice.)
I am also excited to see collards this week. If you don’t use your beet greens in the crispy beets recipe, how about adding them to the collards and making these Braised Greens Pancakes from Aluma Farm. Do you know Aluma Farm on the Westside Beltline? They put out a weekly e-blast with information about what’s available at their farmstand and occasionally provide recipes, like this one they adapted from Smitten Kitchen. It’s a valuable recipe because you can use any greens you have on hand. They cook the pancakes in a bit of oil. That’s delicious, but not necessary. I’ve made these on the griddle with just a brushing of oil or nonstick cooking spray to keep the pancakes from sticking. Served with a lemon-yogurt mixture, the result is a bit like spanakopita but without the fiddly rolling of things in phyllo. Definitely a win.