CSA Say What??

If you asked me what a CSA was 1 year ago I would have come up with some weird answer like "country sales advertising" or something similarly incorrect. Now I officially subscribe to not 1, but TWO CSAs. The first one is just a two month commitment that I was a little overwhelmed by and so asked a friend to split with me and am glad I did, because this is just my half:

Some of these things I had no idea what to do with and am SOOO thankful for the internet and veggie lovers everywhere who post recipes!

The first night I took everything home and stood back and decided what I wanted to tackle first. Turns out brussel sprouts were my husbands favorite veggie as a kid (who knew??) and I kinda wanted to get rid of the big stalk they were attached to (another who knew moment). 

BRUSSEL SPROUTS:

I made some roasted brussel sprouts by tossing them in organic olive oil with garlic powder and a little salt and baking at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes.

CRANBERRY: 

I had some shredded chicken in the fridge and decided to make a little chicken salad to go with the brussel sprouts so I mixed the chicken with some walnuts, homemade mayo, and a "cranberry sauce." 

I made the cranberry sauce by throwing some of the fresh organic cranberries in a small pot with a little water and raw organic honey and let it cook for a few minutes and it came out quite yummy!

(picture of my daughter's plate)

Sunday rolls around and I took a little break and let my husband take a crack at making something. He made kohlrabi fries. What's kohlrabi? A simple answer is a German turnip... thanks again internet!

Kohlrabi Fries:

Peel the kohlrabi and then cut into strips to look like fries. Next dip into flour (can add seasonings to flour) and fry in a pan with grape seed oil. 

Bok Choy:

To go along with the fries I made a simple bok choy stir fry with chicken and bok choy and low sodium soy sauce. 

This was our dinner. Not the best picture as we had already eaten most of our food and I ate the pretty fries first :)

Cranberry Juice:

I still had about 4 3/4 pounds of organic cranberries so I made some cranberry juice.

Place 2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries in a pot with about 6 cups water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Once berries have "popped" remove from heat and strain through a strainer lined with a paper towel. Do not squish the berries, but simply let them soak through on their own. 

Take the juice and place it bag in the pot with 1/2 cup sugar (I used coconut sugar since it is all I had, but it made the taste a little off from traditional cranberry juice) and simmer another 5 minutes. 

Monday Soup Day. 

Monday was a gorgeous day in Boston and after going out to brunch, playing in the park, dealing with some house issues, and eating lunch my baby girl decided to take a 3 hour nap. While she was sleeping my amazing husband took our toddler to the park again to take advantage of the weather and I made some soup.

Squash and Sun Dried Tomato Soup:

First, I carmalized 2 onions in about 3 tablespoons of butter. Next, I took 2 butternut squash and cooked them in the oven (cut in half and faced down on a pan with water for about an hour with the oven at 350). Blended a cup of organic sun dried tomatoes in olive oil (bought from Tropical Traditions) in my food processor and stirred it into my onion/butter mix. I then added 4 cups of chicken broth and let simmer for 30 minutes. Once thoroughly cooked I blended it and let cool to put into freezer bags for later consumption. 

Recipe adapted from The Healthy Home Economist

My toddler tried it and said, "It's Amazing!"

Coconut Curry Squash Soup:

The soup on the left is made with cooked blended acorn squash, a can of organic coconut milk, 3 tablesppons of curry powder, and 4 cups of chicken stock... yummy and simple. When we eat this I will add shredded chicken. 

Today, I have in my crock pot a

Carrot Parsnip Soup:

I cooked a chopped onion and a stick of butter together and threw it into the crock and then added: 

2 cups chicken stock

6 small parsnips peeled and cut

7 medium sized carrots cut

3 chopped garlic cloves 

I put my crock pot on high and it is still cooking 3 hours later. I think it will take about 6 hours all together and then I will blend the soup and freeze.

Not bad huh? In my fridge I still have: turnips, potatoes, purple cabbage, sweet potatoes, kale, 2 small onions, garlic, 

apples, leeks, and one or two other things that I am too tired to get up and go look at right now... 

What should I make next??