Use Your Bushel: Week of August 28, 2017

8/28/17 Medium Bushel

Apples (1 lb avg) or Asian Pears (1 lb avg), Carrots (1 lb avg), Crimini Mushrooms (1/2lb avg) or Mixed Summer Squash (1 lb avg), Lettuce (1 head), Tomatoes (1 lb avg) or Cucumbers (1 lb avg), Black Beauty Eggplant (1 lb avg), Spaghetti Squash (1 each) or Sweet Potatoes (1 lb avg)

8/28/17 Large Bushel

Apples (1 lb avg) or Asian Pears (1 lb avg), Butternut Squash (1 lb avg) or Spaghetti Squash (1 each), Carrots (1 lb avg), Crimini Mushrooms (1/2 lb avg) or Onions (1 lb avg), Tomatoes (1 lb avg) or Cucumbers (1 lb avg), Lettuce (1 head), Mixed Summer Squash (1 lb avg) or Black Beauty Eggplant (1 lb avg), Sweet Potatoes (1 lb avg), Watermelon (1 each)

Big Flavors, Bigger Hearts

With everything going on in Texas this week, we look to food to comfort our souls; we are thinking of all of our neighbors on the Texas coast, and sending a whole bushel of love their way*. Turning to the kitchen for comfort, we are taking nutrient-rich veggies like sweet potatoes and butternut squash and turning them into magical meals with hearty ingredients like cheese and butter (we did say comfort food!). Rich flavors such as browned butter, melted cheese, and spicy noodles are the key to this week’s Veg Out.

*If you would like to learn more on how to help Farmhouse Delivery contribute to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, please visit our Facebook page for updates.

Butter is Best: Kale and Bulgur Salad with Brown Butter Apple Vinaigrette

This Kale and Bulgur Salad with Brown Butter Apple Vinaigrette (Source: Food52) has an entire kaleidoscope of colors, textures, and flavors going on, perfect to brighten up any dreary day. Roasted sweet potato cubes (or butternut squash) are tossed with protein-rich bulgur wheat, salty and funky gruyere cheese, and fresh and crispy apple (or asian pear) for a satisfying lunch portion or hearty dinner salad.

Super Veggie Bake: Eggplant Gratin with Herbs and Creme Fraiche

Can we talk about some serious comfort food? Eggplant Gratin with Herbs and Creme Fraiche is so what we need when the weather is dreary and all that seems to help is a generous helping of cheese. Sliced black beauty eggplant is lightly fried and layered with a quick creme fraiche sauce and simple tomato sauce, topped with more cheese, and set to bake until bubbly and beautiful. You could also include layers of sliced mixed summer squash (don’t fry these before baking, they will be too mushy) and softly sauteed chopped crimini mushrooms for extra veggies. We reccomend pairing with a green salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce) and a bright vinaigrette for a balanced meal.

A Thai Favorite, Reimagined: Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

If anybody’s looking to totally indulge on a plate of homemade ‘takeout’, it’s always a healthier choice to opt for a lower-carb noodle. We are talking veggies all the way: Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai (Source: The Kitchn). Spaghetti squash, when cooked, shreds into noodle-like strands, a great subsitution for traditional rice noodles. You could totally add any extra carrots or onions to the mix, and serve cold wedges of watermelon on the side.