I’ve was an admitted slacker last week.  The beautiful weather coupled with a busy work week had me going basic in the kitchen;  mostly grilling the veggies from last weeks pickup, or even eating them raw. I froze some of the peppers for use in fajitas later on.  I will also admit that I threw some things out for the first time since we started the season. The okra was too much for me to deal with. Once I sliced one of them open, the physical appearance was enough to turn me off. Yes, I realize this entire experience is about giving veggies a chance, but okra is one that I really don’t have much interest in getting to know.  Since I only had 4 of them this week, I pitched them.   At u-pick this week, there wasn’t much left so I took that as a blessing in disguise and picked some peppers instead. 

Here we go again!

Left to right:

3/4 lb. arugula

1 head of cabbage

1 redleaf lettuce

1 other lettuce

1 bunch chard

1 eggplant

10ish U-pick hot peppers (jalapeño?)

1/2 lb. carrots

2 summer squash

2 zucchini

1 glacial tomato

1 other tomato

I have some ideas rolling for this weeks pickup.  I promise that I will share the recipes too! Blogging in the middle of the summer is tougher than I thought it would be, but I’m going to keep at it.

I took some pictures on my way out to the U-pick fields.  It’s a peaceful, but very BUSY piece of land.

Left to right:

1 bunch of basil

1 bunch of scallions (that are hard to see in this picture)

1 bunch swiss chard

1 bunch kale (which was used in the Crispy Kale Chips recipe)

1 mini cabbage

1/3 pound of mixed greens

1 green pepper

1 zucchini

1 summer squash

1 tomato

U-pick was Okra and Hot peppers. I’m a dunce and headed out into the row of peppers and picked two (yellow? green?) peppers before actually realizing my mistake. Oops.  I need to pay more attention at what I’m supposed to be picking!  I was to get 10 okra and 20 hot peppers, but there was just no way I was going to use all of that.  The fields were also extremely muddy after a few inches of rain earlier and I was in flip flops.  Oops again.  I need to come to the farm a bit more prepared next time!  I grabbed 4 okra and 2 hot peppers, along with my mistake peppers.

I have some rough plans for these items, but nothing is set in stone right now.  I have to be honest and say that the okra scares the you-know-what out of me. I did some research and found out that it’s a mucousy thing when you cut it open.  I’m not so sure right now, but I’m going to experiment anyway. I’m also kind of sick of scallions because I just don’t know what to do with them anymore. I feel like I’ve exhausted most of my options and they are kind of getting old. I’ll still eat them, though.  I’m excited about the peppers, zucchini and squash. Those are some of my old nemeses, but not anymore. I kind of like em’ these days!

In other news, while I was out in the fields I took a look around and there are some really cool things happening out there.  There were rows of peppers, lettuce, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers….tons and tons of goodness awaits me!! I know the rain/heat have been tough on the farm this year, but it was encouraging to see what was in store. It’s only week 7 which means we have 15 more weeks to go.

I’m off to go plan some meals before my grocery store trip tomorrow.  Have a safe and happy weekend!

Crispy Kale Chips.  You read that right.  I’m going to show you a way to make kale taste just a little bit better. No offense to that funny stalky green, but it just isn’t a favorite in most households, including this one. I don’t run out to buy most vegetables, let alone KALE.  With the past few bunches we have received I have either stir-fried the kale, mashed it into potatoes, or tried to sneak it in somewhere else. I just don’t eat it PLAIN.

I’ve made this recipe one other time, and I didn’t dry the leaves well enough. It was more like STEAMED kale. Someone posted this particular recipe on the CSA Yahoo! group and I thought I would give it a try again. Jaden at Steamy Kitchen, emphasizes the need to dry the leaves well, and to hold off on salting until they are done baking.  These 2 directions are the key to this recipe! I’m not going to post my pictures because Jaden’s are phenomenal compared to mine.  I will let her pictures lure you in. Click her link below and check it out!

Crispy Kale Chips via Steamy Kitchen

The biggest secret to getting the kale super-crisp is to dry them in a salad spinner. If there is moisture on the leaves, the kale will steam, not crisp. Also, do not salt the kale until after they have come out of the oven. If you salt beforehand, the salt will just cause the kale to release moisture…thus steaming instead of crisping. I’ve also found that the convection setting on my oven works really well too – I set the convection on 325F and bake for about 10-15 minutes. Have fun with this recipe, I sometimes mix the salt with Cajun or Creole seasoning.

4 giant handfuls of kale, torn into bite-sized pieces and tough stems removed (about 1/3 pound)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place the kale leaves into a salad spinner and spin all of the water out of the kale. Dump the water and repeat one or two times more just to make sure that the kale is extra dizzy and dry. Use a towel to blot any extra water on the leaves. Place the kale on the baking sheet.

3. Drizzle olive oil over the kale leaves and use your hands to toss and coat the leaves. Bake in the oven for 12-20 minutes until leaves are crisp. Take a peek at the 12 minute mark – the timing all depends on how much olive oil you use. Just use a spatula or tongs to touch the leaves, if they are paper-thin crackly, the kale is done. If the leaves are still a bit soft, leave them in for another 2 minutes. Do not let the leaves turn brown (they’ll be burnt and bitter) Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and serve.

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They turned out perfectly crispy.  I salted them lightly and then took a bite. They were surprisingly good, but still….I just can’t….get into it.  I had a hamburger tonight, and I added some to the top of my burger instead. It was more tolerable that way   I think if I seasoned the kale with something else they would have been better.  My toddler on the other hand was all about these things. He ate 10 or more and probably could have eaten more. I do believe that this makes kale taste better than it does raw or even mashed into some potatoes.  Even still, my love affair hasn’t started with this one yet.  Maybe someday soon.

In the meantime, you should try this recipe if you haven’t already.  You might just find yourself hooked!

Since starting my weight loss journey in November, I have been relying on a free website called Sparkpeople to keep track of my calories.  Along with tons of diet tools, you also have access to message boards and recipes. I love the recipes section!! The Sparkpeople member responsible for this recipe is also an online personal trainer and someone that I have used as a sounding board in the past. I love Corinne and all of her awesome diet-friendly recipes, as well as all of her fantastic advice.

Power Chicken is packed with all sorts of good things and it makes wonderful leftovers!  It’s a very filling lunch or dinner, it’s kid-friendly and versatile too! My toddler loves it, as he can pick out the rice, beans, chicken and vegetables. I always end up making it with a different combination of vegetables–just use what you have available.  My husband likes to add soy sauce, but I find it’s perfect without it; especially if you season/marinate the chicken appropriately.

Here are the players in tonight’s dinner:

(onion, carrots, zucchini, squash, green pepper, broccoli, tomatoes)

(Note: I didn’t end up using the tomato.  Instead, my 2 year old munched on them as a part of his dinner)

Heat olive oil, diced red (or white in this case) onion, and minced garlic over med-high heat.

Add chicken breast and pan-sear.

In the meantime, I cooked the brown rice in my rice cooker and drained and rinsed the black beans.

Add chopped veggies to chicken. Let veggies soften and absorb flavors from the chicken.

Add black beans and cover with brown rice. Mix together over high heat and package for leftovers all week.

I had some for dinner, and then packaged up the rest! Delicious!

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Power Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2.5 cups Brown Rice

2 cups black beans (I use 1 can)

½ cup red onion (I use one medium, red or white onion)

2 cloves garlic

3 tbsp olive oil

½ cup red or yellow peppers

1 carrot

1 cup broccoli

1 cup zucchini

Heat olive oil, diced red onion, and minced garlic over med-high heat. Add chicken breast and pan-sear. I like to dice my chicken into chunks. (I season my chicken with salt and pepper after I have chunked it).
Cook brown rice with water or chicken-broth for added amino acids.
Heat black beans.
Add chopped veggies to chicken. Let veggies soften and absorb flavors from the chicken. Add black beans and cover with brown rice. Mix together over high heat and package for leftovers all week.

Number of Servings: 6

Week 6 brought me a great surprise! First fruits! That is, zucchini, summer squash, green pepper and tomatoes. Broccoli also made it’s debut, and I couldn’t be more excited!! It’s the middle of July and I expect from here on out that it’s only going to get better! 

Left to right:

1 bunch scallions

1 bunch kale

1 pound mixed greens

1 bunch swiss chard

1 bunch curly parsley

1/2 pound broccoli

1/2 pound carrots

2 small tomatoes

1 green pepper

2 zucchini

1 summer squash

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Week 6 brought me a great surprise! First fruits!  That is, zucchini, summer squash, green pepper and tomatoes. Broccoli also made it’s debut, and I couldn’t be more excited!! It’s the middle of July and I expect from here on out that it’s just going to get better!

Look at these beautiful greens!! We took the entire 1 pound bag and made a huge salad for a group dinner on Saturday night.  Red peppers, tomatoes, salad greens and red wine vinaigrette.  It was delicious! Our friends from Colorado were loving it! You don’t get greens like these in Colorado.

I have a lot to play with this week.  I’m excited to share a recipe that will include the broccoli, pepper, tomatoes, zucchini and squash.  Since there was no lettuce this week, and the greens are all gone, I’ll be using the chard as a salad substitute. (I already got started on the chard today!)  The kale is being made into a crispy recipe that I will also share later this week.  Yum yum yum!!