Cooking and cooking and Cooking Away My CSA

I got a stunning amount of beautiful vegetables in my third Angelic Organics box, which I picked up on the 4th of July. Plenty of old favorites in there and some new goodies I'd never even seen before.

I'm talking about you, Mr. Kohlrabi:

In addition to that strange creature, my box included:

-- two heads of lettuce

-- green onions

-- garlic scapes

-- basil

-- parsley

-- radishes

-- turnips

-- beets

-- broccoli

-- cauliflower

-- cabbage

-- kale

-- Helvetican spinach (a.k.a young Swiss chard -- like peppery spinach)

-- zucchini

With such lovely produce, I decided I'd better kick my CSA cooking up a notch.

I've still been making "green" smoothies most mornings (though I've found that Helvetican spinach to be a bit too peppery for my taste in the smoothies). And I used up all of my kale making wonderfully crispy and addictive kale chips (see recipe below).

But I also made a great mixed-veggie hash (which was so pink from the beets, my husband was expecting corned beef). I also threw together a super-tasty pasta salad that I ate for lunch nearly all week. And I'm particularly proud of my "unstuffed" skillet cabbage rolls.

You can find all of the recipes below.

So, how are you "Cooking Away My CSA?" Join the group and let us know.

Kohlrabi-Beet Hash

Loosely adapted from "Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables"

Serves 2

1-2 medium kohlrabi bulbs, trimmed and grated

2 small beets, trimmed and grated

1 scallion, chopped (or 1/2 onion, chopped)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon bread crumbs (I used matzoh meal 'cause it was in the pantry)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

(Serve with eggs or a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream)

Grate the kohlrabi and wrap in a clean dish towel to squeeze out excess moisture. Put in a medium bowl, along with grated beets, chopped onion, beaten egg, bread crumbs, and salt and pepper. Using your fingers, mix gently until the mixture comes together.

Heat oil and butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Press the mixture into the pan, forming a thin layer. Cook until browned on one side, about 5 minutes. (Watch this closely; mine got a little charred.) Try to flip without breaking and cook another 5 minutes or so on the other side.

Cut in two pieces and serve.

Kale Chips

Pre-heat oven to 350. Pull bite-sized pieces of kale leaves off of the thick stem. Wash and dry well. Place in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp.

Clean-Out-the-CSA-Box Pasta Salad

Serves 4

Cook several servings of your favorite pasta.

Chop whatever veggies you've got around. I used radishes, turnips, zucchini, garlic scape. You could add wilted greens or anything else. You could roast your vegetables; I left mine raw.

Great dressing from Elle of Elle's New England Kitchen:

Combine 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons canola oil, 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Shake or mix well.

Combine pasta and vegetables, drizzle with dressing (you'll likely have some left over). Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, if you like.

I topped my bowl of pasta salad with a few kale chips, for extra crunch.

"Unstuffed" Skillet Cabbage Rolls

From Flour Girl

Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 head of cabbage, sliced into 1/2-inch ribbons

1 pound ground turkey

3 garlic scapes, chopped (or diced onion or green onion)

1 zucchini, shredded

16 ounces tomato sauce

1 can low-sodium chicken broth

Palmful of brown sugar

Juice of one lemon

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cups brown rice, cooked

Palmful of chopped parsley

Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage. Spread in single layer and cook, undisturbed, for several minutes until well-browned. Turn and brown other side. Remove cooked cabbage to a bowl.

Turn down heat to medium. Add ground turkey and scapes (or onions). Cook, stirring, to break up meat. Add shredded zucchini and cook until turkey is done.

Pour in tomato sauce, chicken broth, lemon juice and vinegar. Add brown sugar. Stir well. Increase heat and boil for about five minutes, until liquid thickens and reduces. Add rice, simmer about 10 minutes. Mix in parsley just before serving. Season to taste.