CSA Box 3

 

Here’s the third box I got from Johnsons Backyard Garden! Lots of lovely peppers and squash plus amazing okra and many other great veggies!

CSA Box

I recently joined a local coop called Johnson’s Backyard Garden where you can sign up to get vegetable boxes – weekly, every two weeks or even just once a month! There are tons of pickup locations and times so it’s really convenient and awesome to get local, organic and fresh produce for a great price.

Here’s a picture of my first CSA box

I chose to pick one up every two weeks because there are a lot of vegetables and only my husband and I to eat them. It’s fun and interesting to try out produce that we normally wouldn’t find at the grocery store and it really ups our vegetable consumption. One of my friends was so impressed by my haul she signed up too!

Okra & Tomatoes

I’ve always enjoyed fresh okra and tomatoes, and when my parents gave me some fresh okra I knew I had to make it! I have never made it on my own before and just jumped into it because I’ve had it so many times. It turned out delicious and I even had more for a late night snack!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb. fresh okra, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 fresh Serrano pepper, minced
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 onion, chopped
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a medium pot. Add onion, garlic and pepper and cook until the onion is soft. Add okra and stir, then add the can of tomatoes (liquid and all) and 1 cup water. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook until okra is done. Feel free to add more water if it cooks down.

Tip: When buying okra, look for small okra – when okra get too long the end gets stringy and hard to eat.

Sesame Green Beans

I recently visited my parents and their garden has been doing great lately so we went out and picked some fresh green beans. I love green beans so I made them right away. I found a variation of this recipe online and changed it to my tastes. My fiance really liked this how they turned out and went back for a second helping.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 pound fresh green beans, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sesame seeds and let cook for a minute or two, then add fresh green beans. Cook, stirring, until the beans turn bright green.
Pour in vegetable broth, salt and pepper. Cover and cook until beans are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates.

Bento 38 – Forest of Fruit

I had some extra time to make my bento last night, so I tried to make something pretty but still filling for lunch today. I had some leftover vegan al gratin potatoes, so that was an easy one to add in there. I added a fresh basil leaf to the top for extra flavor. I also had some steamed broccoli that I arranged in my bento. I tried to make it look like a forest. I know, that’s not too hard to do with broccoli!
After that I sliced up a banana and apple and arranged them in the larger part of the bento. All I had was a little space to fill, and it donned on me, I had a half an avocado in the fridge that needed to be eaten, so I put some salt and pepper on it and placed it in there. Overall I think this bento was a success, now I just have to eat it and make sure!