Box #13

Well, I was behind on blogging and by the time I got around to posting this, it seems we only made four meals in a week. I don't remember what else we ate but maybe it wasn't notable.

What we got:

Italian garlic
Sweet Spanish onion
Green Top carrots
Savoy cabbage
Summer squash
Cucumbers
Tomatoes, variety
Peppers: Italia, Green Bell, Jalapeño
Salad mix
Romance or Satina Gold potatoes
Green komatsuna
Celery

What we did with it:


Thai Cabbage Salad
(Source unknown - sorry original recipe writer)

We enjoyed this one. You can control the heat - Mike bumped it up to super hot. I wouldn't recommend that. Although, I suppose it did give me permission to down a beer.




1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons lime juice
Zest of 1 lime

For the salad:
2 chicken thighs, cooked and shredded
1/2 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, shredded
1/4 cilantro leaves, chopped, plus whole leaves for garnish
1 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish

Toss the sliced cabbage with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and set in a colander over a bowl (or your sink, you don’t need the liquid) for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and dry well. Set aside.

Whisk together the curry paste, fish sauce, vinegar, salt, sugar, oil, cayenne and lime zest and juice. Set aside.

Combine the cabbage, carrots, cilantro and chopped peanuts with the dressing and toss well to coat. Divide among four plates, and top with shredded chicken, a sprinkling of nuts and a few cilantro leaves.



Chicken Tacos

We used up some extra stuff to whip up some tasty chicken tacos.





Komatsuna in Ginger Miso Sauce
(Recipe from Cupcake Punk)


This dish was pretty good. It was a little on the salty side, even after making adjustments,

1 bunch Komatsuna Greens, stems and leaves separated
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 lb firm tofu
2 tablespoons soy sauce (low-sodium might be good to reduce the salt)
1 tablespoon miso
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup cooked red quinoa (or rice or other grain)

Dry fry the tofu. After it is crisped the way you prefer it, set it aside on a plate to add to the stir-fry later.

Chop the komatsuna stems into 1/2 inch pieces. Julienne the leaves.

Heat up a wok (without oil) and add the almonds. Stir-fry quickly until fragrant and toasted, about 45 seconds. Remove.

Then in the wok, heat up 1-2 tbsp of sesame oil on medium heat. Add the onion, cook for 6-7 minutes or until the onion turns clear and soft. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the komatsuna stems and cook for 5 minutes. Add the leaves and cook for another 5 minutes.

While the komatsunas are cooking, combine the soy sauce, miso, and vinegar until smooth and set it aside.

When the greens are tender, add the tofu and then drizzle with miso sauce and sprinkle with almonds.

Pulled Pork Sandwich, Potato Salad and Corn
(Recipes from Allrecipes.com: Pork and Potato Salad)

I was rushing to get the pork started and botched the recipe but it still turned out really well. I added the BBQ sauce with the pork and beef broth and then didn't bother putting it in the oven. I think fixing those two mistakes would make this a winner. Make sure you use a good BBQ sauce. The potato salad was quite tasty as far as potato salads go.



Pulled Pork

1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
3 pounds boneless pork ribs
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce

Pour can of beef broth into slow cooker, and add boneless pork ribs. Cook on High heat for 4 hours, or until meat shreds easily. Remove meat, and shred with two forks. It will seem that it's not working right away, but it will.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Transfer the shredded pork to a Dutch oven or iron skillet, and stir in barbeque sauce.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until heated through.


Potato Salad

8 medium red potatoes
4 eggs
8 slices bacon
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 green onions, diced
3 fresh jalapeno peppers, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons brown mustard
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender. Drain, dice, and cool.

Place eggs in a pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover saucepan, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, cool, peel and chop.

Place bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix chopped eggs, 1/2 the bacon, black beans, green onions, jalapeno peppers, bell pepper, mayonnaise, mustard, and Cajun seasoning. Gently mix in diced, cooled potatoes.

Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with remaining bacon. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.