the arugula files

Just One Bite, New Website Featuring Kid Friendly CSA Recipes

Feeding kids isn't that easy.  

I found that Josie became pickier as she grew closer to two, but I stuck with serving her a variety of foods, usually what we were eating, and now that she is three, I can see her slowly becoming less picky, I think.

So what helps?  What's the secret?  Talking to other Moms (and Dads).  That's it.  

Hearing about how they struggle too.  About what dishes have been a hit and what dishes totally bombed.  Knowing that some Moms feed their kids eggs for dinner too.  Figuring out different ways to cook broccoli because it's one of the only green vegetables your kid will eat.

I want to tell you about a little side project I've been working on with some Moms in my neighborhood.  It's a website called Just One Bite.  The website is a growing collection of about 80 recipes (you can submit your own here) made with seasonal ingredients from local farms.  There are also helpful tips for feeding kids healthy, whole foods.

These recipes have helped me figure out how to make dishes that include tomatoes, broccoli, and bok choy among other vegetables, that we all like as a family.

CSA Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative (and what I'm going to cook from it)

I've told you about my CSA before.  Here's my haul from Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative:

• sungold cherry tomatoes - Crystal Springs Farm
• sweet onions - Wrightsdale Acres
• new red potatoes - Bellview Organics
• green bell peppers - Twin Pines Organics
• red beets - Shady Hollow Organics
• orange carrots - chemical free - Shady Hollow Organics
• collard greens - swap box
• zucchini - swap box
• rosemary - herb share

I've been on the road for a bit.  Either at the beach eating Thrasher's french fries, or, shortly after, on a business trip ordering room service.  I'm looking forward to some fresh, healthy, home cooked meals!  I plan to make the following:

• quinoa stuffed green peppers
• summer borscht 
• chilled carrot soup
• zucchini ricotta gnocchi
• potato and onion frittata
• tomato and basil salad on garlic bread

 Sounds good, right?

Lavender

This season I'm trying out the herb share offered through my CSA.  So far, I've been pleased.  Basil, cilantro, thyme, lovage, stevia, and now, lavender, have made their way to my kitchen.  I turned the basil into pesto; the thyme I added to mushroom pizza, chicken and barley soup, and pasta.  Cilantro, that one was easy: Mexican food, including many dishes of guacamole.  Not sure what to do with it, I traded the lovage for rainbow swiss chard.  And I passed the stevia onto my neighbor, to sweeten her tea.  

Now back to the lavender.  It's too pretty to give away or swap. I have to admit that when I see lavender on a menu, I skip over the dish.  I don't really enjoy flowers in my dinner.

Asparagus

The farmer's are killing it with the big bunches of asparagus they deliver to my neighborhood each week.  Spring has been long and generous this year, though I'm sure it's about to end (or has it officially ended?).  Before it does, find some asparagus at your farmer's market.  

 

Spicy Ginger Beef and Bok Choy

Week night cooking is exhausting.  Totally exhausting.  I'm constantly searching for week night meals that meet the following criteria (1) short prep and cook time; (2) use some of my CSA veggies; (3) fresh, light, and healthy; (4) rely mostly on kitchen staples (no trip to the super market required) (5) tastes good.  I've been hitting my target with the book Good For You, Easy Healthy Recipes for Every Day.  This Spicy Ginger Beef and Bok Choy is a great example.

Crispy Roast Chicken and Root Vegetables

Much like that Jean Claude Van Damme video, this roast chicken will blow your mind.  

This was my first roast chicken and it was the easiest piece of meat I've ever cooked.  

How did I do it?  I followed most of Thomas Keller's instructions, taking the chicken out of the plastic, washing and patting it dry, and letting it sit in my refrigerator for a day in a half (this drys out the skin a bit).  I also brought the chicken to room temperature, leaving it on the counter for about 90 minutes before I roasted it.  Then I stuffed some garlic cloves, thyme, salt, and pepper into the cavity, tied the legs together (which was my lazy attempt to truss the chicken), patted it with some olive oil, doused it in fresh thyme and a little sea salt.  I chopped up some vegetables (leeks, turnips, purple potatoes ), drizzled them with olive oil and salt, and nested them around the chicken in a Lodge pan.  

Next I put it in the oven (which I had pre-heated at 475 degrees) for 25 minutes. I set an alarm. Tick-tock.  Tick-tock.  At 25 minutes, I lowered the temp to 400 degrees and then, forty-five minutes later, it was done.  I pulled it out of the oven and let it rest.  I did not baste it.  I did not move it.  I did nothing.

These "techniques," which require very little work, produced one of the best roast chickens I've ever tasted.  The chicken skin, infused with thyme and accessorized with sprinkles of sea salt, was crispy, fatty deliciousness.  Underneath that crispy skin, were hunks of juicy, white breast meat to eat a long side caramelized root vegetables.

Mind.  Blowing.  I'm sure the fact that this gorgeous chicken was from a local farm helps a bunch with the taste factor. 

Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative

I've told you about my CSA, mostly what I receive each week, but not much about where it comes from.  The Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative is a nonprofit made up of 75 farmers from across Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  A handful of organic farms contribute to my share each week.  I receive a half share, enough for a small family, for about $19 a week.  The share is delivered on Saturday to my neighbor's house, a few blocks away from mine.

 

CSA Week 25

 Here's my game plan for my CSA box.  As you can see, there are a lot of vegetables this week. It's sometimes hard to keep up, but if I develop a plan, do some prep on Sunday, and stick to my game plan we could easily eat all of this food.  That means no meals out and leftovers for lunch.  

Items most at risk of being "left behind"?  Well, the turnips, for sure, but I swapped those out for some poblano peppers.  I like poblano peppers much better than cubanelle's which are next in line for not getting cooked.  Any cubanelle pepper recipe ideas?