Monday, July 2, 2012

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.  




8 comments:

  1. That's a lot of beautiful produce! Have you thought of blending the red lettuce into smoothies? I really enjoy slicing cucumber and putting it in my water. It imparts a lot more fresh flavor than one would presume. Whenever I drink it that way, I feel like I'm at the spa. :)

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    1. Thanks for the thoughts, you are so sweet! I'm just not into blending lettuce into drinks, and I don't make that many blended drinks in general, so the opportunity doesn't really come up that often. Also, I am lukewarm about the taste of cucumber, but I may try it in water as you suggested and it might be good in a popsicle...I realize we all have things we don't like as much as others, but a CSA actually makes one feel guilty about them!

      All in all, after writing this post, I realize we've eaten probably 90 percent of everything, so really, we are doing well. It just feels like I'm not on top of it!

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  2. Those spaghetti cakes are mind-boggling and jaw-dropping- made all the better by the unexpected addition of matzoh meal!

    Note on the cucumbers: seed, puree, and add to lemonade. It sounds weird, but it's REALLY refreshing and not cucumbery. For added kick, splash in a little vodka.

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    1. Awwww, thanks, Abby! You can put matzoh meal in them, too, if you want!

      I am totally into your suggestion of spiked cucumber lemonade, I may actually try that!

      Thanks!

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  3. So, I ended up just cutting up the cucumber into sticks and eating it with my Walnut Cream Sauce as a dip, yum!

    And, I forgot to mention we also ate three quarts of strawberries (had to pick them ourselves, though!) and a pint of blueberries, the two fruit treats of weeks 1-5!

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  4. I wish I could help eat that lettuce! I love plain salads and could eat huge amount every day! hang in there....tomatoes are just around the corner!

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    1. Right? That would be great :-) But, I have a ton of tomatoes coming on here, too...uh oh! :-)) A problem that I don't mind, though, is too many tomatoes!

      We got FOUR, yes FOUR more heads of lettuce today, OMG!!

      XOXO

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  5. That is a wonderful cake idea! Thanks for sharing:-)

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