The Confessional: Box #5 and Spaghetti Cakes

This is totally how I feel right now.

I had a serious problem making it through my produce box this week, and another box is coming tomorrow (a day early because the 4th of July falls on Wednesday, my regular pick up day!).  Uh oh.

Guys, I am really in trouble.  Here was my CSA box from Wed.6/27/12 (Box #5):

Fresh Onions, Swiss chard, Collards, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Beets w/ greens, Basil (yes!) and of course, Red Lettuce.  We ate the onions, zucchini, beets, basil and maybe half a head of lettuce.

I'm just not good at dealing with this lettuce. I still had I think 2-3 heads left from last week...I'm great at arugula or baby spinach which can all be used multiple ways: raw, cooked, in pastas, on pizza, in veggie burgers, etc. but this red lettuce is really stumping me.  Besides in salads and on sandwiches, I'm at a loss.  We don't eat a lot of straight-up salads around here, so it's really been tough.  

 Onions (any allium, really) are used up easily in my house.

  

Swiss Chard (an issue now since my own is up!), collards, zucchini (only two this time) and basil.

OK, so, now, to be totally honest, here is what I have left (including stuff from past weeks!)

Full disclosure: the bag behind is Swiss Chard + Beet Greens (we've gotten both of these for 4 weeks in a row, I think, so we are really a little weary of them at this point), cabbage from week #3 (still fine, I just haven't gotten around to wanting slaw, and I haven't wanted cooked cabbage), cukes (again, we aren't big salad people), the bag in front is collards (two weeks worth), and three cooked beets (which we did eat tonight, so they are gone, thank goodness!).  Don't forget, I have like four heads of lettuce in the fridge, too! 

And, I had my regular leftovers to contend with, such as leftover batter from the zucchini/tofu fritters, cooked spaghetti (just plain, since my son insists on that sometimes), and some scapes, and one scallion.  Told ya, full disclosure!

So, I made Spaghetti Cakes.  I just chopped up the cooked spaghetti and added everything I could think of. basil, scapes, zucchini fritter mixture, organic tomato paste, nutritional yeast, even chopped up beet greens & swiss chard!  

Basil, scapes, zucchini fritter mixture, 

Tomato paste, nutritional yeast, olive oil,  

Some chopped beet greens & Swiss chard 

When flipping delicate cakes like this, run your spatula all the way around them and all the way under them first to loosen any sticking points.  Then, slide the cake up all the way onto your spatula, lift, and carefully but adroitly, flip. 

And a little matzoh meal on the outside to help keep them together.  

Saved (sort of) by Spaghetti Cakes.  

So, what's the score so far from Weeks 1-5? We ate: Hakurei Turnips, Spinach, Scapes, Beets, Radishes, Zucchini, Leeks, Scallions, Onions, Broccoli, three rounds of Swiss Chard & Beet Greens and some Basil.  We didn't eat or get around to eating: Bok Choy (1), Swiss Chard (1), collards (2), cabbage (1), cukes (2), and, of COURSE, several heads of lettuce. That's not too bad, considering I just counted, and we have gotten 18 heads of red leaf lettuce in the last five weeks. OMG.

Deep breath.  Another box tomorrow.  And who knows how many more days of 95+ degree weather.  Maybe I can convert into a very enthusiastic salad person!  Here's to hoping.