Day 1: Zoodles with homemade pasta sauce, Herb potato salad
Day 2: Zucchini and eggplant bruschetta, Watermelon and muskmelon balls
Day 3: Homemade pizza, Easy cucumber and tomato salad
Day 4: Grilled Adobo pork chops, Roasted sweet corn salad, Grilled peppers with goat cheese
Day 5: Chicken Caesar salad, Apple slices
Day 6: Hot dogs, Apple beet slaw
Day 7: Tuna patties, Watermelon balls, Carrot and pepper sticks
Notes: One of my most favorite times of year is apple picking season. I looove getting out on a fall day with my family and hiking through the orchard in search of the “perfect” apple, although I’ve learned to embrace the ugly too – they taste just as good. Here in Southern Wisconsin, Macintosh apples are just coming ripe and soon many more varieties will follow. We were out picking last weekend, so you will start to see a lot more of my recipes that include apples. And I have one such recipe this week. I’ve written before about how I struggle to find ways to use beets. Well, I’ve found an awesome slaw recipe that is so simple, fresh and delicious, that I actually am looking forward to using my beets this week! I think the apples help bring out the natural sweetness of beets and help cover that dirt flavor you sometimes get. Also, note that we are coming to a close on our zucchini and cucumber season in the Midwest, so eat up those last morsels while you can! No recipe for the chicken Caesar salad – I simply grill or bake the chicken, cut it up (this can be done 1-2 days in advance), add it to the top of chopped lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, or whatever veggies you have and pour over some store bought Caesar dressing. My favorite is from Primal Kitchen. It is made with avocado oil and comes in a glass bottle.
GLP Tip of the Week: Tetra Pak. Whether or not you have heard of this type of carton before, it is likely that you or someone in your family has used this material recently. It is used for juice boxes, milk of all types (cow, nut, flax, soy, etc), broth, and many other liquid products, even wine! Tetra Pak is made of thin layers of low density polyethylene plastic (LDPE a.k.a plastic #4) that cover both aluminum and paperboard layers, plus a plastic cap. It is touted as being 100% recyclable and good for the environment. It is true that Tetra Pak has the potential to be 100% recycled as each separate component can be removed and individually recycled. However, just because it can be recycled doesn’t mean that it is. Global recycling of Tetra Pak was less than 25% in 2013. I could not find an updated statistic, however I think it is safe to say that with the current recycling situation (see my articles here and here) the same amount or even less is likely recycled today. So, my tip this week is to find out if your local municipality will recycle cartons. Go to recyclecartons.com and type in your zip code. I’ve found that many large cities have recycling programs for Tetra Pak, but most small communities do not. This is probably because a special facility is required to deconstruct the layers of the cartons. The good news is, if you cannot recycle Tetra Pak cartons in your area, you should be able to find the products you want in glass, aluminum or plastic #1 or #2 containers, all of which are more easily recycled. Alternatively, try making things yourself. You may be surprised at how easy it is to make your own broth or nut milk!
CSA Notes: Here is how I’m using my share this week
- Beets: Apple beet slaw
- Tomatoes: homemade pasta sauce, Cucumber and tomato salad
- Eggplant, Globe: bruschetta
- Parsley, Flat Italian: Herb potato salad, Homemade pasta sauce
- Lettuce, Green leaf: Chicken Caesar salad
- Onion, Yellow: (You will need to supplement to follow my whole plan) Homemade pasta sauce, Potato salad, Cucumber and tomato salad, Tuna patties
- Pepper, Carmen Sweet Italian: grilled then peeled and served w/ olive oil and goat cheese
- Pepper, Anaheim (green, hot): Sweet corn salad
- Muskmelon: scooped into balls and served next to bruschetta
- Pepper, Sweet Bell (Red, maybe Yellow): sliced and served with tuna patties
- Cucumber: Cucumber and tomato salad
- Garlic: (when the cloves are really big I count 1 clove as 2) Pasta sauce, bruschetta, pork chops, tuna patties
- Leek: Bruschetta
- Corn, Sweet: cut from the cob and roasted for salad
