Wednesday, June 03, 2009

A Whole Lotta Green!

I’ve been eating lots of fresh greens, salads, and zucchini lately, so this post will be pictures of how I’ve been enjoying them.

My CSA box and trip to the farmers market 2 weeks ago was quite nice. Hooray for fresh, local foods!


Radishes, dill, cucumbers, flying saucer squash (very delicious), broccoli, romano beans (my fave), tomatoes.

Orange cauliflower, carrots, red and gold beets (yay for more beet greens!), swiss chard.

Zucchini, squash, and peaches.
Salads I’ve had:

Beet greens and sunflower sprouts


Mixed greens, radish sprouts, beets, and Green Smoothie Dressing (and a side of orange cauliflower)


Spiralized zucchini and radish sprouts with Green Smoothie Dressing (I just can’t eat store-bought dressing anymore!)




I ate quite a few raw spiralized zucchini salads. Then I decided that just because I spiralized them didn’t mean I had to eat them raw. So one evening I made a big pile of ribbons and then just gave them a quick sear. This was delicious with lots of saltfree seasoning on top.



I also cooked a big pile of squash and zucchini noodles. These I put in my wok with some onion, let the water release, then they just sort of steamed themselves and turned bright green and yellow. Wow, this was the most delicious simply prepared squash ever!



Another night I added some of the leftover noodles to a veggie curry.


I made another curry with the chard. (See end of post for explanation of curry cravings.) I put on a pot of red lentils for my sauce, and while they softened I prepped my chard. I had the loveliest striped stems!



This dish turned out quite nice, topped with some cold chopped tomatoes to balance out the heat.


Then I had to clean the stove where the lentils boiled over.




Gee, it’s weird what I take pictures of sometimes….

Spring is over here and now it’s just downright hot. I’ll be anxious to see what veggies survive the heat and arrive in my CSA box this weekend. I hope there will be lots of tomatoes, peppers, and chilies. That means I can make fresh salsa, and fresh salsa is great on everything!

So, do you know why spicy foods are craved and appropriate to eat in the summertime? Because they make you sweat and your sweat cools your body! And I don’t know about you, but I always crave ice cream after a spicy meal this time of year. Another appropriate way to cool the body down. I think I just figured out why I love summer.

32 comments:

snugglebunny said...

I wish I could do CSA, but it is way to expensive here in Tampa. When I lived in Lawrence, the local Community Mercantile did this and you could get a half box for $16 dollars a week (or so I remember). I guess that veggies from the store will have to do.

And I may just have to try that salad dressing of yours. But it may have to wait on a full size blender. Not sure it will work with the Magic Bullet.

Jes said...

What a beautiful CSA box! I love what you did with the the zucchinis, they're one of my fave summer veggies!

VeganView said...

Yummm, so delish looking. I loved all your fresh veggie cuisine ideas! Local produce is one more reason to love springtime

Andrea said...

I really miss our CSA box this year - first time in ages we haven't had one but we're moving and would only be here half the season. All your dishes look very healthy and inviting. I love the look of the flying saucer squash.

Oraphan said...

Your CSA box looks beautiful! I'm so impressed with how healthy you have been eating and all your dishes look really good. I'm now craving veggie salad and green dressing.

Alicia said...

I love summer too! And sunflower sprouts!

Anonymous said...

That's definitely the perfect CSA box! The flying saucer squashes lok too cute. Your post gives proof that one can never have too many vegetables.

Amy said...

It's icy cold and wetter than wet here right now! I'm so jealous of your glorious veggie box! There's nothing like that where I live :( (not that I've found anyway).

I love all your zucchini noodle creations and I can't believe I've somehow missed your dressing recipe before now! YUM! I've bookmarked it for future use because I can't make myself eat store bought dressings anymore either and it looks wonderful!

Anonymous said...

Do you have a special kind of vegetable spiral cutter? I'd love to try this.

Lisa -- Cravin' Veggies said...

I love those little squashes!! I've never seen them before...

Everything looks amazing. You are very lucky to have access to farmer's market produce most/all year. We are limited to just a few months in the summer. :o(

tavolini said...

mmm...spicy foods and ice cream are hard to beat! I have been on a curry kick recently, as well. It's just so versatile :)

Gina said...

I did the same thing with my zucchini! Was eating it raw, then realized...I *could* cook it! Yummy.

Vegan_Noodle said...

It's a great time of year for Texas produce!! I love how colorful and healthy all the dishes are that you made with your CSA veggies.

East Village Vegan said...

It's always fun to see what's in your CSA box. Cooking with fresh local ingredients makes meals taste so much better. Good for you!

Anonymous said...

Your CSA box just makes me giddy. I have some chard waiting for dinner preparation tonight. I love the heartiness of the stems.

Cleaning the stove is the worst part of cooking!

Hannah said...

What an incredible bounty of fresh veg! I seriously want to join a CSA... Maybe I should really look into it this year.

Morgan said...

Wow, look at all of the vitamins your body got!! Our taste buds are a lot alike :)

Yay for being a locavore!!

Bianca said...

Ha! I'd probably think I had to eat the zucchini raw too since it was spiralized. Good for you for thinking outside the box! The cooked zuke noodles look delicious.

Wheeler's Crew said...

Hooray for fresh veggies. They're the best. Your curry sounds really good too!

Monique a.k.a. Mo said...

Summer rules! And so does all this delicious food. Mmm.

Sheree' said...

CSA is great. DH is picking our box up today. I too can't wait for fresh tomatoes. Our little plants are too small just yet to produce. Everything looks so good!!!

My mom says it has been miserably hot down in Rosharon too!

jessy said...

i love your post, Diann! we’ve really been enjoying our greens, too – and i love that we’re not the only ones! fresh local foodz = my fav! man, i just love spring & summer so much! csa goodies all around! hooray! so that’s why i’ve been craving spice lately! too awesome! yay!

Ricki said...

Such great meals, and such beautiful food! Those raw veggies are works of art. And I love how you prepared the zucchini--I've never been a huge fan of zucchini, but I want to try those strips.

aTxVegn said...

Anonymous, I have the Joyce Chen Saladacco Spiral Slicer, which I got as a gift. Here's a link to see what it looks like:
http://www.amazon.com/Joyce-Chen-Saladacco-Spiral-Slicer/dp/B0000DDVYE

urban vegan said...

That sure is a lot. You eat so well.

I like the Jackson-Pollackesque photo of the curry splatters. You are, after all, an Austinite, right? You have an arty reputation to uphold.

allularpunk said...

what a bunch of lovely, healthy food! you've inspired me :)

miss v said...

i eat tons of spiralized zucchini in the summer. it's one of my favourite dishes!

Romina (La Cucina Vegan) said...

What a great selection of fresh fruits and veggies. I really want to try the spiral slicer. It makes the raw zucchini look delicious!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

That smoothie dressing is genius Diann and what a gorgeous round of meals.

Erin said...

All the greens and salad look so beautiful!

I'm not on board the "stop eating hot comforty foods in the summer" train. I think everything is still appropriate, if it's what you want. Maybe I should turn my oven on less...eh...

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