Cooking With This Week's Box
Amaranth:
Summer Rice & Cheese Gratin with Zucchini &
Amaranth (See Below)
Porcelain Garlic:
Yellow Onions:
Green and/or
Italian Zucchini:
White Cauliflower
or Broccoli:
Sun Jewel Melon:
Green and/or White
Cucumbers:
Orange Carrots:
Gold Potatoes:
Green Beans or
Mixed Yellow & Green Beans:
Lilac Bride Eggplant:
Sweet Corn:
Sun Orange,
Chocolate Sprinkles or Red Grape Tomatoes:
Green Bell Peppers:
Edamame:
Hello Everyone!
We’ve reached that point in the season where we have so
many good things we want to send in your box, but there’s not enough room! This week’s box is packed pretty tight, so I
hope you’re ready to get cooking!
 |
| Red Lentil Soup with Amaranth Greens |
This week we’re featuring the beautiful mid-summer green,
amaranth. If this vegetable is new for
you, take a minute to read this week’s vegetable
feature (See Below) first. You may not
find too many recipes if you do a search on the internet, so I am going to
steer you to this week’s featured recipe for Summer Rice & Cheese Gratin with Zucchini & Amaranth (See
Below). We also have some tasty recipes
we’ve featured in previous years including this recipe for Black Beans with Amaranth which has been a member favorite. This
recipe for Red Lentil Soup with Amaranth Greens is one of my personal favorites.
 |
| Summer Succotash Salad with Orzo Pasta |
We have a few new items in this week’s box including Sun Jewel Melons and Edamame! Sun Jewel melons are unique and may be eaten as a sweet item or you can turn them into something savory such as this recipe for Cucumber and Melon Salad with Chile and Honey or this simple Melon Wrapped in Prosciutto. As for edamame, if this is your first time working with this vegetable I encourage you to read our 2020 Edamame Vegetable Feature Article. This recipe for Summer Succotash Salad with Orzo Pasta includes edamame was well-received by members when we featured it previously.
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| Ginger Miso Glazed Eggplant photo by Ashley Rodriguez for bonappetit.com |
Eggplant can be a challenging vegetable for some to
embrace, but hopefully you can appreciate this week’s Lilac Bride eggplant in a
simple Vegetable Thai Green Curry (methods for stovetop and Instant Pot),
or make Ginger Miso Glazed Eggplant.
This week’s box has just a few ears of corn. Don’t worry, there will be more sweet corn
coming and hopefully as soon as next week!
We’re also looking forward to picking tomatillos and some of our larger
varieties of tomatoes for your upcoming boxes.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you we had the first taste of watermelon
this week! One of the trial watermelon’s
Richard picked was so sweet and juicy. Aside
from a few bites Richard enjoyed, I managed to finish off the entire thing
myself! Hopefully we can start picking
very soon so you can get in on some of this summer fun as well.
Ok, time to sign off.
Have a great week and I’ll see you back again next week!—Chef Andrea
Vegetable Feature: Amaranth
By: Chef Andrea Yoder
Description: Red Amaranth is a stunning “green” with dark, burgundy colored leaves. Amaranth greens have become an important part of our seasonal diet because of their ability to grow in the heat of the summer when other greens, such as spinach and lettuce, do not thrive. Amaranth is adaptable to variable conditions with little impact from weather or disease. It can survive in extreme heat or drought conditions because it is able to convert twice the amount of solar energy using the same amount of water as most other plants.Preparation & Use: Amaranth is similar in flavor to spinach, except better! You can prepare it as you would spinach or other similar greens. While amaranth may be eaten raw, the more mature leaves and stems are best when cooked. The stems and leaves are both edible, however the stems might need a little longer cooking time so it is best to separate the leaves from the stem. Amaranth greens may be steamed, sautéed, added to soups, stews, wilted and stir-fried. Amaranth pairs well with so many other summer crops including onions, fresh garlic, zucchini, peppers, corn, green beans, basil, oregano and tomatoes.
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| Summer Amaranth & Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas |
Amaranth is thought to have originated in Central and/or South America, but has made its way around the globe. It can be found in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, which means there are many options for finding ways to use this vegetable. Season it with cumin, coriander, oregano and serve it with black beans for more of a Mexican approach. Stir-fry it with garlic, onion, ginger and a drizzle of sesame oil for more of a Chinese influence. Mix it with pasta, tomatoes, oregano, basil and Parmesan for an Italian flair, or take it in more in the direction of Indian cuisine by choosing curry spices & lentils.
Storage: Store amaranth greens in the refrigerator in a plastic bag until you are ready to use them. Remove the twist tie and wash well in a sink of cold water before using. Shake or spin off excess water.
Health & Nutrition: Amaranth is a nutritional power house. The leaves are rich in calcium, phosphorus, protein, vitamin C, carotene, iron, B vitamins, and trace elements including zinc and manganese. Compared to spinach, amaranth leaves have three times more vitamin C, calcium and niacin! Of course, we know vegetables that have rich colors like the magenta leaves of amaranth are also packed with important phytonutrients and antioxidants.Cultural & Historical Background: Amaranth is an ancient plant that was part of the diets of Aztec civilizations in Mexico up to 7,000 years ago. It was also an important staple food for the Incas of South America and the people of the Himalayan region of Asia. In these ancient cultures, amaranth was also used medicinally and in cultural rituals. It was held as a symbol of immortality and means “never-fading flower” in Greek. Like many other vegetables, amaranth was a multi-use vegetable. The seeds were used as a winter staple and the young leaves were eaten as a fresh vegetable. There are about 60 different varieties of amaranth, some grown to harvest seeds, others for the leaves, and several ornamental species.
Summer Rice and Cheese Gratin with Zucchini & Amaranth
Yield: 6 servingsButter for dish
2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 pound)
1 cup raw corn kernels
1 bunch amaranth greens
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 cup minced onion
2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
½ cup plain, uncooked white rice
½ cup broth, milk or water
6 oz Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
1 ½ tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp cold butter
- Heat oven to 325°F. Oil or butter a 2-quart baking dish.
- Wash zucchini and trim ends. Halve lengthwise, and if seeds are particularly large, core them out. Coarsely grate and place in a large bowl. Add the raw corn kernels to the bowl with the zucchini. Set aside.
- Vigorously wash amaranth greens in a sink of cold water. Remove from the water and shake off some of the excess water. Remove the leaves from the stems. You will need 4 cups of moderately packed leaves. Once you’ve measured that quantity, roughly chop the leaves into bite sized pieces and set aside.
- Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 5-8 minutes or until softened. Add the amaranth greens and season with 1 ½ tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and allow the greens to cook just enough so they are wilted. Once the greens are wilted, stir to combine and then add to the bowl along with the zucchini and corn.
- Return the sauté pan to the heat and add 1 Tbsp oil. Add the rice to the pan and saute for 1-2 minutes while stirring continuously. This is a quick process that will lightly toast the rice. Remove from heat and add the rice to the bowl of vegetables.
- Turn your attention to the bowl of vegetables. Stir to combine the mixture, then add ½ cup liquid of your choice and ¾ of the grated cheese (reserve ¼ of the cheese for the very end of the recipe). Transfer to prepared baking dish.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The rice should be tender and fully cooked, but not mushy. If the rice is still a little undercooked after 50-60 minutes, you may need to add a few more tablespoons of liquid to the baking dish, cover tightly and return it to the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender.
- Once the rice is cooked appropriately, remove the pan from the oven. Either increase oven temperature to 450 °F or turn on the broiler. Remove foil from the pan and dot with the 2 Tbsp of cold butter. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and bake uncovered until the cheese is browned on top. Remove from the oven and serve hot.
Recipe by Chef Andrea Yoder
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