CSA Week Sixteen

This week in my CSA I received:

-One leek
-Parsley
-Collard Greens
-Beets
-Radishes
-Sweet potatoes
-Green bell peppers
-Apples
-Bosc pears
-Eggs
-Wildflowers

The night before, my friend roasted the beets for a tasty beet salad with toasted walnuts and goat cheese.  Last night, I still had a few things left over from the week before, so I made eggplant, caramelized onion, and tomato pasta, and sprinkled it with the parsley.

If you are looking for a hearty soup with sweet potatoes, try this Sweet and Spicy Lentil Soup.  Swap out the swiss chard for collards, and add the leek in with part of the onion, and you got yourself a meal.

Want to try a delicious dessert?  Try this Apple Cake.  I made it last weekend, and besides the peeling and chopping, the recipe is pretty simple.  Plus, you can sneak it in for breakfast and not feel too guilty.

And if you are feeling ambitious this weekend, try this Butternut Squash Ravioli.  Not going to lie - it is time-consuming, but you do feel kind of proud at the end: I made homemade ravioli - ta da!

CSA Week Eleven

Okay, I am totally behind, blame it on Irene.  She really put a cramp in everyone's style this week.  Here what I got in my CSA this week:

-Red onion
-Hot peppers
-Green bell peppers
-Eggplant
-Carrots
-Corn
-Tomatoes
-Basil
-Watermelon
-Nectarines
-Peaches
-Eggs

CSA Week Nine

This week in my CSA I got more zucchini (ugh) and a ton of other stuff.  Here is what I got:

-Mesclun greens
-Green bell peppers
-Beets
-Eggplant (my arch nemesis)
-Basil
-Yellow squash
-Zucchini
-Cucumbers
-Cherry tomatoes
-Melon
-Watermelon
-White peaches
-Eggs
-Sunflowers

Feeling a little unmotivated this week, but made some tacos and pesto on Wednesday.  On Thursday, my friend made these stuffed peppers from Smitten Kitchen, which used up the rest of the tomatoes, peppers, and some zucchini.

Tonight, I am planning on making a zucchini tart, which uses the pesto I made and the zucchini!

I would love to make a watermelon salad with basil and feta, and maybe roast some beets.  Ugh, what to do with this eggplant?  I might make this roasted tomato and eggplant soup (to hide it)!

Check out my review on the Van Leeuwan Ice Cream Truck.

CSA Week Nineteen

I got so much food last week, that I had to cab it home.  Pounds after pounds of tomatoes, potatoes, and greens.  Here is what I got:
-Peppers
-Lettuce
-Arugula
-Baby bok choy
-Dill
-Green beans
-Potatoes
-Tomatoes
-Garlic
-Turnips
-Apples
-Seckel pears
-Bosc pears
-Plums
-Dozen eggs

Last year around this time I made Pear-Caramel Ice Cream.  Click here to check it out.

CSA Week Eleven

Hi!  Here is what I got from my CSA this week:

-Corn

-Cucumbers

-Zucchini

-Green Bell peppers

-Heirloom and Hot House tomatoes

-Carrots

-Garlic

-Basil

-Dozen Eggs

-White peaches

-Yellow peaches

-Nectarines

 

Last weekend, I had an impromptu pizza party.  The variety of vegetables this season are perfect for pizza making.  I also made this Lemony Zucchini Tart from Good Food, Good Wine, Bad Girl blog.  I could not find lemon fetish feta cheese, but replaced it with a regular feta, and it still turned out very tasty.  I definitely recommend trying it if you still have zucchini lying around.  It was a pretty quick, especially if you have a mandolin to slice up the zucchini and shallot.  

I am also planning on making this Nectarine Pizza with Fresh Basil from Alexandra's Kitchen today.  Click here for more homemade pizza.  Enjoy your Sunday!

Homemade Pizza

Ordering pizza is great to do when I am feeling lazy, but by the time the delivery man bikes his way over 10 blocks, the pizza is lukewarm and soggy. So I have recently gotten in the habit of making pizza myself. It is especially easy with House of Pasta pizza dough, which comes with two frozen balls of dough - enough to make two large pizzas. The only catch is you have to remember to thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator or thaw for 6 hours on the counter. The great thing about pizza is you can make it just how you want. You can control the thickness of the crust, the amount of cheese, and the toppings - plus it is cheaper at home.
Here are the ingredients for my Bell Pepper Pizza:
-1 ball of House of Pasta pizza dough, thawed
-1 can of tomato sauce (I use about half the can)
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
-2 artichoke hearts marinated in oil, chopped
-Pepperoncini peppers, chopped and stems removed
-Shredded Parmesan cheese, how ever much you like
-Red pepper flakes to taste
-Olive oil

To begin, thaw your dough in advance.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roll out dough to the thickness desired. Allow your dough to rest if you can't get it to the size you want, and then re-roll.
Place dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet or pizza pan. Oil top of dough, then spoon out tomato sauce in center of dough and add minced garlic and pepper flakes. Use back of a spoon to spread seasoned sauce.
Place bell peppers evenly across dough and add chopped artichoke hearts and pepperoncini peppers in open spaces.
Shred Parmesan and sprinkle over toppings.
Place in oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes (I do mine for 20). Let cool for a minute and then slice. I like to place my slices on a wire rack so the crust stays crisp. I think this pizza is better the next day when I place the slices directly on the middle rack in the oven and warm up for a few minutes. The crust gets even crispier. Enjoy.
Note: Follow the baking temperature and time based on what dough you use. Better yet, make your own dough if you have time.

Click here for a whole wheat pizza dough recipe.