Tomatillos

Learn all about Tomatillos from: What's Cooking America.com

Use the Famous Cafe Rio Dressing from: Better in Bulk

What will you do with your Tomatillos?

Recipes for your BOX

For Broccoli, Potatoes & Green Onions

Broccoli Chowder

For Lettuce, Broccoli and Green Onions:

Crunchy Romaine Toss

For Broccoli:

Broccoli Salad

For Fruit:

Nectarine Blush

FruitY Fun Skewers

For Tomatillos:

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Tomatillo Chicken Stew

Share your favorite recipes of the week

New Food Blog to follow!

From Paige Nemrow:

Last night we tried a great new recipe! It was a salad that used ingredients from last weeks box that I was trying to use up: Spinach, Apples, Grilled Chicken and I substituted feta cheese for the gouda. My husband is not a big salad eater and he loved it! It can be found on this blog of a friend of mine in Utah.

http://www.abountifulkitchen.com/

Menu Planning

I know a few blog posts ago I said Menu Plan to keep your food lasting longer. I know we all Menu plan somehow. I go through many phases of menu planning, I have done monthly, weekly according to what's in my box. But since I've gotten back from my trip, all menu planning went out the door. SO I am determined to do it...DO IT!! so.....

I have gone through various different types of Menu Planning.
Here are some great links for Menu Plan Printouts:

Better Budgeting.com

Homeschool Curriculum for Life

Image above from - Project Girl

Or this cute one from - TangarangBlog

& My Favorite:
Organized Home.com
She has some great printouts & they are colorful & fun!!


How do you Menu Plan?

Recipes for your BOX

RECIPES for your BOX

*For your mushrooms, bell pepper & Onions :

MUSHROOM SAUCE

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/3 cup milk

Directions

1. In a sauce pan over medium heat cook the onions, green pepper, red pepper, mushrooms and butter until mushrooms are tender. Stir in the cream of chicken sup and milk. Cook until smooth.

*More recipes for Mushroom, onions & bell peppers:

Veggie Fajitas

Jay's Hearty Breakfast Skillet

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

*For Your Sweet Potato:

FRIED WHITE SWEET POTATO

1 white sweet potato, peeled and sliced thin

Canola oil for frying

Salt, optional

1. In a large skillet, pour about ½” of oil… heat it at medium-high heat.
2. While the oil heats up, prep the sweet potato… I peel it using a vegetable peeler because I am not too good peeling using a knife. The sweet potato will start to get dark after being exposed to the air a few seconds. Don’t worry, it’s normal and it will not change the texture or taste of the sweet potato.
3. After you’ve peeled and sliced the sweet potato and the oil is hot enough… start frying. The sweet potato will take a while to fry because of its moisture content… but with patience, it will cook on the inside and get crispy on the outside. The thinner you slice the potato, the faster they will cook and the crispier it will be. They should be golden brown, without any burned spots.
4. Drain them onto a plate with paper towel and sprinkle with some salt if you want… I usually do not salt them.

White and Sweet Potato Gratin

Nov 16, 2006 Stephanie Gallagher

• 3/4 cup crushed croutons
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1-1/4 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes (approximately 3 medium potatoes)
• 1/2 lb. sweet potato (approximately 1 large sweet potato)
• 1 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 1/4 cup half and half
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use a food processor to crush the croutons. Spray a 1.5 quart baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour 1/2 Tbsp olive oil over bottom of dish. Peel and slice potatoes into 1/8-inch thick slices.Read more at Suite101:

*Recipes for your granny smith apples:

Apples by the Fire

Super Duper Easy Apple Cake

Spiced Apples

What will you do with your box?

Recipes for your BOX

Here are some ideas for what came in your box. Click on the title & it will link to the recipe. MOST come from Allrecipes.com, its a GREAT site!

Peppercorn Ranch Pasta Recipe

Rustic Fall Philly Fruit Tart

Carrot Broccoli Casserole

Penne Primavera Recipe

Broccoli Slaw

Roasted Kabocha Pumpkin

TIPS for minimizing Waste of produce

Ok, so some of the past emails received has made me think about wasting food....so hence this BLOG POST!

I have done a bunch a research & some are things that we have been doing, to help minimize waste of produce:


#1 - SORT when you bring it home.
Choose items that may VERY ripe to eat FIRST. So they don't go bad in the fridge & then wasted. Remember to bring out the produce already in the fridge forward or out on the counter so you can remember to use it.


#2 - USE Green Bags to preserve produce, they are reusable & my fruits & veggies last almost 2-3 weeks at times. Use lunch brown sacks for Mushrooms.
Keep Potatoes & Onions in a cool area of the kitchen, cupboard or pantry.

#3 - MENU PLAN
Especially for veggies that you may not use everyday, set a day & meal that you will use them in.
SEARCH recipe sites for ideas to use for specific ingredients: allrecipes.com has a good one.
I will be posting a new blog post with recipe ideas for what was received in the box each week.

#4 Preserve Excess
If you find that you are using veggies, but have too many of certain veggies...preserve them!
FREEZING:
Bell Peppers & Onions - Chop & Freeze in ziplocs (great to pull them out from the freezer & pop them into your chili)
Mushrooms - Saute 1/2 as long as normal & freeze
Tomatoes - some prep work see: DEEP SOUTH DISHES
Corn on Cob: Husk, Blanch Corn, Cool, Bag & Freeze

#5 Keep a Food Waste Diary
Every time you throw away food, whether it's a banana peel or 3/4 of a lasagna, you write down what it was and why you tossed it. The diary helps you be mindful - do I really need to toss this, or can I take it for lunch tomorrow? But also, after a while you can see what you're wasting the most and try to curb your shopping habits. see: thekitchn.com for details.

NOW that I say all these things, hopefully I can stay on top of NOT wasting food.
Any PERSONAL tips, PLEASE post it!

Recipes for your F&V box of veggies 9/1/10

WHAT CAN YOU MAKE
with what's in your BOX?

WHAT CAN YOU MAKE WITH: Zucchini

Grilled Zucchini II

Ingredients

• 1 large zucchini
• 1/4 cup Italian-style salad dressing

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch slices. Toss in a bowl with Italian dressing.
2. Place on a hot grill and grill about 4 to 5 minutes or until nice grill marks appear and the zucchini is slightly limp. Serve and enjoy.

WHAT YOU CAN MAKE WITH : zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes

Crescent Beef Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the zucchini, onion and green pepper in oil until crisp-tender. Stir in the beef, tomato puree, oregano, salt and pepper; heat through.
2. Spread mashed potatoes in an 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Top with beef mixture; sprinkle with feta cheese.
3. Unroll crescent dough. Separate into four rectangles; arrange three rectangles over the casserole. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until top is browned. Roll remaining dough into two crescent rolls; bake for another use.

MAKE WITH: Nectarines, Peaches, Plums, Apples
*I change the fruit depending upon what I have, but the KIDS love this*

Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips

Ingredients

• 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
• 1 Nectarine peeled & diced
  
• 1 pound strawberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 
  
• 3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
• 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• butter flavored cooking spray
• 2 cups cinnamon sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

WHAT RECIPES WILL YOU MAKE WITH
WHAT'S IN YOUR BOX?