CSA Box: What I Got, What I Made

This past week I picked up my first CSA (community supported agriculture) box, which I'm sharing with my friend, Kim, who's received it for months already. I like vegetables, but have been pretty limited in using them and usually go for the trusty, steamed broccoli as a side to mostly anything I make that consists of meat and potatoes, which is about 80 percent of the food I cook for my husband and I. We're Midwesterners, what can I say?

Enter the CSA box from Be Wise Ranch and its bounty of fresh produce. What will I do with: 

• Baby Bok Choy
• Chard
• Satsumas (had to look this one up)
• Avocado
• Carrots
• Apples
• Green Beans
• Beets
• Butternut Squash
• Dates
• Lemons
• Spring Mix
• Zucchini
• Radishes

So far, I've used a less than half the items. The zucchini I used to make zucchini bread, kind of a cheat, since I'm baking it into something and not eating it in its natural form, but rather, shredded and mixed with wonderful things like sugar, butter and nuts. The bread turned out well, but the consistency lumpier than I anticipated and different than zucchinis breads of my past. 

This isn't too much of a surprise since my baking skills aren't that great. I messed up sugar cookies a few weeks ago. The kind where you just add egg and oil to the mix. They all melted into one, large sugary cookie, which I covered with frosting and tasted incredible. 

I think this is due to my problem with patience and exact measurements. I am an oven peeker to see if things are done cooking and I eye measurements and toss them in as I go. No nos in the world of baking, I guess.

I topped the spring mix with a dressing I made of balsamic vinegar, onion, pepper, lemon (also from the box!) and oil drizzled in. I added in random stuff like artichoke hearts and satsumas (oranges from the box), all which turned out pretty tasty. 

Finally, I made bacon-wrapped dates because how else are you supposed to eat them? 

Let me know if you have recipe ideas for what I can do with the rest of the ingredients!

New Recipe Resolution: Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

In the days when I used to eat at Olive Garden, I always ordered either the Ravioli di Portobello or the Chicken Con Broccoli. Then, for whatever reason, I didn't order alfredo-based sauces anymore for a long time. They were too heavy. And when reheating leftovers, the amount of oil that had separated out was kind of eye opening.

Well, I decided to give it another whirl. At home. Since one of my 2015 goals is to make one new recipe a week, I figured that Chicken Broccoli Alfredo would be easy and tasty, and it was!

I used: 

- 1 package of uncooked chicken already cut up in small, thin strips
- 1 package of uncooked broccoli
- 1 package of penne noodles
- 1 jar of Alfredo sauce

Four ingredients! Woo! I sauteed the chicken in a little bit of oil and added salt, pepper, and garlic salt for added flavor since chicken is so bland. I steamed all the broccoli and boiled the penne. Once everything was cooked, I drained the noodles, then added the broccoli and chicken to the pot. 

Finally, I poured the Alfredo sauce over everything and mixed well. I filled up the sauce jar halfway with water and put the lid back on, shook it up, and poured in the pot to get every last drop out. My mom taught me that trick when cooking with jarred sauces. Top with parmesan cheese and serve with garlic bread. 

Bonus of making this meal: Although I could have made my own sauce, the kind I used only had 4.5 grams of fat per serving, so I was able to make the pasta broccoli heavy and light on sauce. Just like I wanted it.

Mikey told me it was excellent! Then again, he says that about everything I cook. Smart man. His only request for next time: use bowtie pasta. 

As you can tell, I'm a fan of the quick and easy recipes that aren't too expensive. The whole meal came to about $15 for two people with leftovers. Later on in the year, I will try to attempt to be more ambitious with recipes that contain more than four ingredients, but in the meantime, it feels good just to be cooking at home.

Bonus kinda-sorta recipe: I enhanced my leftover rice and veggies from the other night by heating them up and adding a perfectly fried egg on top, soy sauce, then doused it all with sriracha. Everything is better with that stuff.

I'm learning to use what's in the fridge and cabinets, which isn't much, but it's helping me get creative and planning out the exact groceries I need when shopping. So far, so good. 

Enjoy the eats!