As with most adventures in life, my “living on the box” adventure began accidently.  A trip to Virginia to visit a friend who is always up on the “latest,” and a conversation about food sourcing and suddenly I was hooked!  Before I even left Virginia, I had found my local CSA online (Join the Farm!) and set up my first box delivery!  All the credit for my lifestyle change to true healthy living goes to my friend Christy.

I remember the first box I got; it was like Christmas had come in July!  The smell of fresh produce wafted from the box with such temptation you would have thought it was a box of chocolates!  As I took each item out of the box, I was amazed at the freshness and the depth of color.  These were not the vegetable of the supermarket, nor were they the veggies of the farmer’s market.  I knew exactly where these veggies came from, who picked them and how much work went into their growth.  A new relationship with my food had begun.

From the first box to almost two years later, I still have excitement each week when I pick up my box.  Although I have begun to anticipate what my box will contain based on having been a CSA member for almost two years, and my new found knowledge of what plants are truly in season where I live, I still am excited to see the veggies and fruits that I know took time to grow and harvest before they came to me.

My life of “living on the box” has been quite an adventure… sometimes easy (I love late summer tomatoes!) to extremely challenging (what the heck am I supposed to do with collards???!!!), but always satisfying.  And this is why I decided to start this blog.  I want to share my experience (good and bad) with those of you trying to “live on the box.”  Each week I will highlight some of the things I’m doing with the veggies in the box.  I hope you will find some new favorites and be re-introduced to some old favorites.  

Happy Eating!

The Week of March 12, 2012.

In my quest to find new and delicious food, I have recently been intrigued by Indian cuisine.  Fueled by my foodie friend Christy and my foodie sister Jill, my adventures in Indian cuisine are taking shape.  Up until last week I only got as adventurous as Indian curry, and that’s a pretty easy thing to do (and a great way to use up extra veggies!), but I wanted to taste the distinctive flavors I had experienced at Indian restaurants, so I needed some really good recipes… Since spring is upon us, spinach is everywhere!  The cuisine of India has some amazing spinach dishes, my favorite being saag paneer.  Below you will find a delicious recipe for slow cooker saag paneer that I got from my friend Christy.  She spent a lot of time modifying it to reduce the heat in the original recipe and the result is so delicious even a child will love it (her three little girls love this stuff)!  This is a great recipe to do on a Saturday when you are around the house.

Saag Paneer: Curried Spinach with Fresh Cheese

·         2 pounds fresh spinach, washed well

·         2 large yellow or red onions, roughly chopped

·         3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 4 whole stewed tomatoes, roughly chopped)

·         1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

·         10 cloves (1/2 of a head) garlic, peeled

·         5-10 green Thai, serrano,or cayenne chilies, stems removed OPTIONAL!!!

·         2 tablespoons ground cumin

·         2 tsp red chili powder (Indian is best, but you can use a less hot variety)

·         2 tsp tablespoon garam masala (an Indian spice blend available at most grocery stores, or any speciality market)

·         1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder

·         1 tablespoon salt

Cooking Directions

1.    Place 1/2 the washed spinach into the bowl of a 5 quart slow-cooker. You don't need to dry the spinach, or even remove the stems. They get blended in the end. Top with the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT FOR SALT: onions, tomatoes, ginger, peeled garlic, chilies, and spices. Put the rest of the spinach on top. The bowl will be brimming with spinach. Squish it down and put the cover on. It will cook down quickly.

2.    Cook on high for 3 hours (or low for 4-5). Stir once or twice if you're around to get any spinach sticking on the sides from drying out too badly.

3.    Blend until smooth with an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender and puree. Make sure the curry is smooth and well blended. Return the puree to the slow-cooker.

4.    Taste the curry and add salt to taste if needed. Continue to cook on low for another 2 hours. The dish might look done, but the extra cooking allows the flavors to fully develop.

5.    After cooking, add about 12 ounces of cubed fresh or fried paneer to the curry (if you want to add more, feel free to!). Turn the slow cooker off, then replace the lid and let sit for about 10 minutes to gently heat the cheese. If you are using homemade paneer, add just before serving so the cheese maintains it's shape.

6.    Serve with rice, roti, or naan.

7.    The recipe yields about 10 cups so you will have leftovers for lunch the next day.

*Paneer is sold at all Asian/Indian markets.  There is a great Indian market in midtown Ventura on Main St. called “Asian Market.”  The woman that works there is very helpful and can direct you to the paneer and spices.  She also sells fresh naan, and other Indian items to serve with your saag paneer!

Not wanting to neglect my Irish roots, here are a few traditional Irish recipes to impress everyone with this St. Patrick’s Day!

Champs

This recioe is from Irish Traditional Cooking by Darina Allen.

One of the best-loved ways of cooking potatoes was (and is) to mash them with boiling milk, add chopped scallions or chives and serve this creamy, green-flecked mixture with a blob of yellow butter melting in the center. Leeks, nettles, peas and brown crispy onions are all delicious additions.

·         6 to 8 unpeeled baking potatoes, e.g., Russet or Yukon Gold

·         1 bunch scallions (use the bulb and green stem) (OR use 1 medium sized leek)

·         1 1/2 cups milk

·         4 to 8 tablespoons butter

·         salt and freshly ground pepper

Scrub the potatoes and boil them in their jackets. Finely chop the scallions. Cover the scallions with cold milk and bring slowly to a boil. Simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse. Peel and mash the freshly boiled potatoes and, while hot, mix with the boiling milk and scallions. Beat in some of the butter. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve in one large or four individual bowls with a knob of butter melting in the center.

Champ may be put aside and reheated later in a moderate oven at 350°F. Cover with foil while it reheats so that it doesn't get a skin.

Parsley Champ:
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley to the milk, bring to a boil for 2 or 3 minutes only, to preserve the fresh taste and color. Beat into the mashed potatoes and serve hot.

Cabbage

This recipe is also from Irish Traditional Cooking.

·         1 lb fresh cabbage

·         2 to 4 tablespoons butter

·         salt and freshly ground pepper

·         an extra knob of butter

Remove all the tough outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into four, remove the stalk and then cut each quarter into fine shreds, working across the grain. Put 2 or 3 tablespoons of water into a wide saucepan, together with the butter and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, add the cabbage and toss over a high heat, then cover the saucepan and cook for a few minutes. Toss again and add some salt, freshly ground pepper and the knob of butter. Serve immediately.