Yay for produce co-ops! We decided to do Bountiful Baskets for the first time last week, just to try it out. It's super easy- I just signed up online and paid for the basket on Monday, and then drove down the street to the pick up spot and picked it up on Saturday. It's $15 for all of this good stuff, which would cost about ten bucks more if I were to buy it all at Sunflower Market. (A local farmers market store where I usually get our produce).
The produce changes in the baskets every week...just depends on what's in season and what families eat the most in general. There's always about 6 kinds of vegetables and 6 kinds of fruits, and the ones I was excited about in our basket was the asparagus and strawberries, not to mention all those cute little bananas that were gone in a few days! And those big things in the top left are called pummelos...which taste like sweet grapefruit. The thing I like is that it forces you to try new things and incorporate more veggies into meals and recipes.
I don't think I've ever bought or cooked asparagus before. So I had to find some good ways to cook it! For Sunday dinner a week ago, I decided to be brave and also attempt a pot roast. Also a first. And who did I turn to for cooking expertise? The Pioneer Woman, of course! The pot roast was first seasoned, seared and then cooked in the oven with onions (I didn't have carrots on hand) for a few hours and it turned out beautifully! She also gave me the recipe for creamy mashed potatoes on the side. (Go read her recipe on anything...she's hilarious. And makes everything look SO appetizing.) The asparagus was cooked in some olive oil in a skillet on the stove with salt, pepper, minced garlic and parmesan cheese. So. Good.
And last night, I decided to try another new meal and make parmesan chicken with pasta and asparagus on the side. I turned to my other favorite recipe source Allrecipes and made a super quick and yummy dinner of parmesan chicken, also a first. For the asparagus this time, I drizzled it with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper and baked in the oven at 425 for about 10 minutes (again thanks to Pioneer Woman). It was SO flavorful and crisp! Roasted is the way to go.
With some of the other produce, I've made broccoli and cauliflower cheesey soup, taco salad, Jake's making homemade pickles with the cucumbers, and apple pancakes. Considering we're still making our way through the last basket, I figure every 2 weeks is a good schedule for the co-op. Can't wait for this Saturday to see what comes next! Oh, and a special bonus at my last pickup was to see our nice Bishop there volunteering with a smile on his face. He said he loves this stuff, so it must be good!
2 comments:
I love when you post pictures of your meals and recipes. That's when I think, "Wow, Heather's an amazing little home-maker!" I never have time to experiment or even think about cooking anything real. Just a can of something or leftovers of something else, and I'm good to go. Next time I have a boy to impress I'll just bring him to your house. :) And roasted asparagus sounds tasty!
Wow! I love fresh produce. Good luck using up all that asparagus and all those bananas! You should REALLY look at my blog for baked asparagus. It's the only way to eat it, seriously. Or look it up online - lots of recipes, all about the same, though.
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