Our box this week features bold flavors and colors, inspiring new ways to liven up our plates and our diets. Brightening up a dish with vibrant fruits and veggies is a fun way to make food not only look delicious but also enhance its nutrient profile. Our harvest offering this week incorporates stone fruit, summer squash, orange carrots, and Dino kale. Meredith from our team shares her favorite ways to spruce up meals with your SLO Veg harvest this week.
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The Carrot Ribbon
I am a huge fan of a “carrot ribbon.” I usually take a vegetable peeler and peel the entire carrot into long, wide strips. This is a super fun way to add color and texture into salads, soups, and even curries. Sometimes, I soak the carrot ribbons in a bit of rice wine vinegar for about 15 minutes and then drain them before adding them to a rice dish or even tacos. The best part, a peeled carrot is more flexible and therefore, easier to eat raw or cooked. I’ve made carrot cakes before and meticulously rolled carrot strips into the shape of a rose as a decoration technique. Sometimes changing the way in which you cut and prepare your produce can inspire new serving ideas and, dare I say it, make the food taste better. If you have picky eaters at home, this tip might be the one for you.
Fruit Salsas
The recent hot weather has gotten me very excited for fresh, summery meals. One of my favorite things to cook in the summer, especially when serving guests, is tacos. I love putting my own spin on different salsas by adding different fruits into the mix. One of my favorites that I’ve made was a mango mint salsa to top off some fish tacos with fresh caught halibut. I am a shameless raw onion fanatic and I find that bright, acidic flavors often complement the onion amazingness of a salsa. As soon as I heard what the box offering was for this week, I was inspired to do a kiwi salsa or maybe even a kiwi guacamole!? Call me crazy but I could be on to something here.
Massage Your Kale (You Won’t Regret It)
Kale is a tough green to eat raw but there is one tried-and-true trick to turn this earthy, leafy green into a great base for any salad combination your heart desires. To massage your kale, simply add a prepared dressing or sauce and squeeze between your palms until the kale has softened and absorbed. Then, add the rest of your salad ingredients and mix with regular salad tongs to combine. This is a great method for turning your classic Caesar or Cobb salad up a level or two.
Crudité Platters
One of my favorite meals lately has been hummus plates with fresh crunchy veggies, maybe some pita, and my favorite food ever…dolmades. Hummus is so delicious on its own and can be easily dressed up to make it a little more “gourmet-esque.” If I’m trying to impress a crowd, or even myself, with a hummus plate, I put a lot of focus on the toppings. I love taking a store-bought hummus and top it either with some grilled onions, shredded beets, or even crispy roasted kale. I always make sure to add a drizzle of a nice olive oil, our marketplace offers some unique olive oils that are always fun to use. This is always a fan favorite and is super easy and quick. This might be me getting ahead of myself, but I feel that the bitterness from a grapefruit or a blood orange could be a nice, subtle surprise in a hummus recipe. Citrus pairs really well with fat and the tahini (ground sesame seed paste used in hummus) would sing well with a bitter citrus fruit.
I also wanted to mention that cruciferous vegetables like our broccoli and brussels sprouts are neutral mediums to explore new toppings, seasonings, and sauces. Cooking for me is an opportunity to get creative and do something deliciously unexpected. So, get out there and get a little wild in the kitchen! Feel free to reach out to us to share what you’re making or tag us on Instagram @sloveg with your latest food creations!
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