This Week's Delivery

Series: Produce Box, April 7, 2010 Delivery; Published Blog 2

"Eat all your vegetables" was the mantra going through my head while I used up the produce box delivered a week ago. My family in good humor has helped accomplished the task of eating their fair share of vegetables. Plus, I made sure each meal included a good selection of fruit and vegetables. On hand I had some carrots, lettuce, and chard.

I venture into this week's box with the hope to create new and exciting dishes. Also try to spread it out into two weeks of eating all the produce.

Here's what I got to plan around...

oranges

apples

lemons

zucchini

chard

beets

artichokes

2 big baskets of strawberries

sweet potatoes

cabbage

avocados

baby lettuce

head of lettuce

spring red onion

broccoli

Zucchini With Balsamic Caramelized Spring Red Onions

This dish was a simple creation that used a few items. I chopped up one spring red onion and let it cook in a skillet with olive oil. Next I added some chopped garlic. Let it cook a little about 1-2 minutes. Next I splashed about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Seasoned with pepper and salt.
Let it simmer to reduce the liquid. Next toss in about 1 cut zucchini.Let it cook for another 2 minutes. Remove while the zucchini is still crunchy. Sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese. Great for the summertime!

Salads and Fruit

A dinner salad can be added as a side to any meal. Its about selecting as many vegetables that can be added to it. I selected a few for this meal. I used baby lettuce, strawberries, fresh orange slices, and apples. I used a complimentary dressing such as Briana's poppy seed (or other varieties) to drizzle over it. It was be refreshing with homemade bread croutons.

Breakfast Food for Dinner?

I love to enjoy a hearty breakfast but some mornings I run out of time. So instead I will make it for dinner. Here's some meal ideas....

Hash browns
Start with 3 peeled potatoes. Dice them up.
Turn on a skillet to medium heat. Wait for the skillet to heat up and add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Potatoes love to soak in oil to become crispy. If the pan is too hot the potatoes will burn but if the pan is too low they will not brown. So find a combination in between.
The potatoes will take at least 20 minutes. At the end of cooking, I might turn up the fire to get that quick crispy potato that I love so much!
Season the potatoes with pepper, salt, and garlic powder.

Options:
Add a diced up onion while the potatoes are cooking.
Add a diced up apple while the potatoes are cooking.
Add bell peppers while the potatoes are cooking.

One thing I wouldn't suggest is cheese. Add it on after you remove the food from the pan.

Ham, Chard, and Scrambled Eggs

A cool tip I noticed was to use chard as a replacement for spinach.
I had some leftover ham and deli meat. I first heated my skillet and added the ham. As it is cooking, add the chard. Let it wilt down with the meat liquid. When its almost done cooking, pour in your beaten egg. Leave the heat on for 1 minute and turn off. The egg will finish cooking on its own from the leftover heat.

As I reflect upon my dinner, it was pulled together with a lot of vegetables. I didn't need to open any boxes or cans. Changing the way of eating from a world of convenience with prepared packaged food to simple down to earth ingredients takes effort. It is the constant push of what can I create today while the vegetables are still fresh... so I did a little meal planning to make sure it will turn out to be a great experience.
This week's will consist of the following meal ideas:

• Beet and Beef Stew
• Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
• Stir Fry
• Stuffed Artichokes