Seasonal Produce Menu Planning (Chard, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Potatoes, Leeks, Rutabaga, Oranges, Bay Leaves, Parsley, Baby Bok Choy.)

I love Community Supported Agriculture. I get great organic produce for my family at an affordable price and increases the variety of produce that I eat. This week's box includes: Chard, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Potatoes, Leeks, Rutabaga, Oranges, Bay Leaves, Parsley, Baby Bok Choy. Plus, I added 10 pounds of apples for $3.

Here's the menu items I'm planning.

1. Stir-fried Bok Choy & Chard (half of the chard) - I stir fry it with a little bit of ginger, garlic and a dash of soy sauce. It's so yummy (one of the few green things the toddler eats with me).

2. Lemon-marinated brussel sprouts (probably to pair with a roasted chicken which I will roast with herbs, lemon, garlic and bay leaf stuffed inside). This is the biggest question mark for me, but I'm excited to try this recipe. I will be using red onion instead of shallots and will be adding some pancetta. (Here's another brussel sprout recipe that looks good.)

3. Mayo-free slaw. I usually do this with shredded carrots, cabbage and cilantro using lemon juice and vinegar for the dressing. This will be served alongside the popular grilled turkey burgers with mushrooms that are such a hit at our house.


4. Swiss chard frittata - I made this last time we had chard and it was yummy. I referenced this recipe, but did not have any mushrooms, so I made it without and didn't miss them at all.

5. Potato Leek Soup - I've featured my potato leek soup in a past blog. It's really good. I think I'll be adding the rutabaga to it this time.

6. Carrot & Squash Soup - I love trying out different carrot soups. With this one, I'm going to use an acorn squash that I have instead of the summer squash.

7. With the carrots, I also plan on making carrot muffins or bread and carrot-oatmeal cookies. (Recipes will be posted soon).

8. White bean dip with parley and quinoa tabbouleh. (Will serve both with pita bread or pita chips and quinoa burgers, in place of falafel). I love making white bean dip using dried white beans. After simmering them in veggie broth until they are soft, I puree them in the food processor with olive oil and add the herb of choice, in this case the chopped parsley. It's simple, but really yummy. (Here's a good quinoa tabbouleh recipe - given that really good tomatoes can be hard to find this time of year, I might just not include tomatoes or might use sun-dried tomatoes instead.)

9. Finally, with my 10 pounds of apples, I shall try my hand at applesauce, apple butter and different apple baby food items. (Plus, my toddler will eat several of them as well as the oranges, so no menu planning needed for those).

So, as I make different items on the list, I'll post updates on the recipes and how they went, but thought I would share these plans in the spirit of posting ideas for seasonal produce.