Produce basket round-up

What's in the basket?

  
   We've joined a produce co-op run by a couple of homeschool moms in our area, and this week was our first pick up week--we get a laundry basket full of produce each week straight from the Farmer's Market.  This week we got corn, carrots, cucumbers, red bell peppers, green kale, spinach, jalapenos, a beefy tomato, garlic, squash, potatoes, oranges, limes, and grapes.  (I am facing the reality that our garden will not sustain us for the winter!)

   I cooked kale for the first time by sauteeing it with olive oil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar.  My oldest liked it, I found it to be okay, but not my favorite thing, and the peewees wouldn't even taste it.  My husband likes greens but didn't like the kale.  I made corn on the cob and mashed potatoes to go with some bbq chicken, and the kids have been eating oranges and muching on peeled carrots (these carrots are really big, and the peeling is a bit bitter.) 

    Last night I made veggie pizza with some of the spinach on top (delish! with a little cracked pepper added too.)  This weekend, I'm going to make salsa with some of the jalapenos, cilantro, lime, and the tomato, and I'm going to roast and freeze the rest of the jalapenos.  I'm also making philly cheese steaks this weekend with some of the red bell peppers--the rest of them I'll slice and freeze to use in *fajitas.  The rest of the spinach will be used in a salad topped with some of my garden pear tomatoes and this:

Hidden Valley® Spinach Salad Kit
Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing, cranberry-almond clusters and toasted, salted sunflower seeds.

   One of our favorite side dishes is sauteed veggies, and I'll slice some carrots and squash and sautee it with olive oil and a little parsley from the garden one night.  I am looking forward to incorporating more veggies and variety into our meals, and I love the challenge of trying to use up what we get.



*My San Antonio Fajitas

Slice boneless chicken into thin strips (I use about 3 breasts to serve 5 people)
Slice one bell pepper into strips (any color)
Slice one large tomato
Slice one large sweet onion

Throw everything in a large pan and drizzle generously with olive oil.  Sprinkle all over with fajita seasoning (I use Bolner's Fiesta Brand, salt-free kind.  Since we can't get it locally where we live now, I order it from them.)    Cook over medium-high heat until veggies start to carmelize and meat is thoroughly cooked.  Keep stirring and scraping so veggies don't stick to pan.  Serve with warm flour or corn tortilla, grated cheese, refried beans, and chips & salsa or guacamole.  I learned how to make this when we lived in San Antonio, and the nice thing about it, besides it being delicious and easy, is that you can vary the recipe depending on what you like and what you have on hand.  You can add more veggies, leave out the meat, substitute steak for the chicken...