Week 3 - What's for dinner?
I've had a stressful few days. I think that is when those fresh vegetables become both a blessing and a curse. They are a blessing because when you don't feel like eating anything, a bunch of fresh carrots (their slightly yellow hue making you wonder what exactly do they do to store bought carrots to make them go bright orange) and a pound of zucchini can be just what you need to get your appetite back.
On the other hand, when it's all you can do to get through the day, the need to clean and prep your veggies becomes the curse part of the equation. Hence, tonight's dinner is brought to you with a nice bottle of inexpensive Spanish wine from Chambers Street Wines.
Happily, that was my only additional purchase, as I toted home two full bags of this week's CSA share. I remembered I had some marinated chicken from Trader Joe's in my freezer. I quickly thought through my vegetable selection and decided steamed carrots and zucchini dressed with fresh chopped chives would be my side dish. Unless you count the wine as the side dish; I view that more as dessert.
Speaking of dessert, and on a side note: I mentioned last week that one of the keys to eating your share is to have a good set of items in the kitchen to go with your vegetables. I tend to shop at the green markets around the city whenever I am able for my non-vegetable needs. This past weekend was the first day for this year's New Amsterdam Market, which happily will go to a weekly market in the fall. In the meantime, this once a month market is a standing date on my calendar.
For those who are not familiar with the NAM, it's more like an outdoor Tapas than a true green market. This week's focus was bread, and I bought a baguette with green olives, but I tasted several other breads (tasting is famous at this market; you should definitely come with an empty stomach). I purchased several cheeses, some lamb and a jar of what might be the yummiest caramel ever (made from goat's milk!).
So, our dessert last night was Breyer's vanilla ice cream with goat's milk caramel drizzled on top.
Dinner is served!
Post script...
For me, one of the more difficult items to use from my share is lettuce. Unless you are a die-hard salad fan, going through a head or more of lettuce each week can be a challenge. Here's my secret: Add good cheese! I take my green and red lettuce (and/or the spinach from my share) and add really nice artisan cheese. I picked up some Cabot that crumbles nicely and puts some zing into my salad. I had a few Kalamata olives in the back of my fridge, which I accompanied with a bit of feta. If it's spinach, I usually take a slice of happy bacon and crumble it for a traditional spinach salad. Simply add a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and a touch of your favorite oil (olive or flax is best, imho) and lunch is served!
In addition to using up the lettuce, I find the cheese has an added benefit of helping me lose weight. A plain salad (even when dressed with onions, radishes, Italian parsley and other herbs) just doesn't satisfy. Add an ounce of crumbled cheese (or that slice of bacon) and then suddenly all those marvelous vegetables feel like a meal and not a side dish.
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