Grilled zucchini wrapped around goat cheese, a great summer appetizer
At the CSA pickup or even when chatting with our farm crew, I often get the question, “What are you making for dinner?” Over the years, I’ve written newsletters sharing what we cook in our farm kitchen. Today I’m sharing what we’re eating and would love to know what you’re making, too.
We currently have two young men (formerly boys) in our house who like to eat protein with each meal. For easy lunches and dinners, make egg dishes quite regularly, so I have Quiche Lorraine and open-faced egg sandwiches on our regular rotation. Both of these are wonderful canvases for adding tons of veggies with garlicky arugula or chopped broccolini, Swiss chard with balsamic, asparagus, and salad mix as a few of our favorites.
In the farm kitchen, I don’t always follow a recipe per se; rather, I use them to guide me. Then I add a whole lot of veggies!
Particularly in summer (though we eat a lot of salads in spring and fall, too!) we make at least one large dinner-sized salad per week. Last week, we had a Chef Salad and a Chinese Chicken Salad. As usual, we add plenty of additional vegetables and make substitutions galore. For instance, on the Chinese Chicken Salad, since our cabbage is still growing, we added radishes, carrots, and turnips for crunch and added a bit of Thai basil instead of cilantro.
We usually have a Mexican food night once a week. Sometimes it’s make your own taco from a variety of veggie toppings on the “taco bar,” and sometimes I use enchiladas to clean out my refrigerator! I’ve been known to sneak in all kinds of veggies, though my most popular combination is black beans, greens (any combination of Swiss chard, spinach, kale), an allium (usually, a combination of garlic scapes, green garlic, scallions), and cheese.
Finally, we also like to incorporate fruit into our savory meals. I make a lemon ginger tortellini with blueberries or strawberries in the sauce, which we eat with a peppery salad. One of our favorite dinners includes grilled pork chops with a rhubarb or tart cherry chutney with grilled zucchini and a simple side salad.
After a busy day in the field, there’s nothing better than a basil lemonade, my favorite podcast, and some quality time in the kitchen.
Happy cooking!