October 5- October 11

This week our Produce Box consists of:

• Apples: Mutzu variety 
• 2 Large Purple Sweet Potatoes 
• 3 Large Poblano peppers 
• 2 Cucumbers
• 2 Butternut Squash 
• 6 ears of Sweet Corn  

I also ordered approximately 1.5 lbs. of green beans and a quart of Hot Pepper Mix (jalapenos & cayennes).  My husband wants to make jalapeno poppers with some of the peppers.  The others may be dried or frozen.  I plan on blanching the green beans and corn for use during the winter. (except for what I will use for my soup)

Wednesday, October 5-  Tonight it's just us girls.  I will cook 2 ears of the corn to serve along with our meal.  I have leftover chicken which I might reinvent into a "new" dish or I may play it safe with pasta.

Thursday, October 6-  I will be preparing my Grandmother's Barley Soup, using some of the fresh green beans and corn.

Barley Soup

1/2-3/4 cup Barley
Lamb Shank with bone (can use other meat too)
Water (vegetable broth etc can be used as will- but reduce salt)
Celery
Carrots
Green Beans
Corn
Onion
Broth Dry Seasoning Mix
Salt and Pepper

1.  Place lamb shank in pot and cover with water.  Cook down.
2. Meanwhile cut/dice vegetables.
3. Using some of the liquid from the lamb pot, add to large soup pot along with veggies, barley and meat. (liquid should be enough to completely cover contents)
4. Add dry seasoning mix and salt and pepper.
5. Bring to boil, then simmer for 1 1/2 hours.  (when reheating add more liquid to desired thickness)

Friday, October 7-  With the arrival of company we are going out to Orchid Japanese Restaurant!


Saturday, October 8-  I plan to make the Stuffed Peppers I have made twice now and we all enjoy, using the Poblano Peppers from my Box.

Stuffed Peppers  WW Pts: 7

• 4 large peppers (8 banana peppers)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 3/4 cups bread crumbs

1. Cut off tops of peppers, and remove ribs and seeds. Chop edible portions of tops; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add peppers, reduce heat, and simmer until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat butter in a medium skillet. Saute reserved chopped pepper, onion and celery until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and garlic. Season with basil, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine egg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan. Mix in sausage, bread crumbs and 1 cup of the tomato sauce mixture.
4. Using a piping bag or sausage stuffer, fill each pepper with the meat mixture. Place in a 3 quart casserole dish, and pour remaining tomato sauce mixture over peppers.
5. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 1 hour. (optional- last 15 minutes sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese)

Amount Per Serving
Calories:310 Total Fat: 24g  Dietary Fiber: 1.9g

Sunday, October 9-  Tonight I will make the savory Butternut Squash Enchiladas I made earlier which were very good.

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

Serves 8

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 butternut squash (11/2 lb.), halved and seeded
• 1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
• 1 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, drained and diced, plus 2 teaspoons sauce (if this is too much heat, use chili powder to your liking)
• 1/4 cup salsa (increase to 1/2 cup if you omit the chipotle chiles above)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp. )
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 can of black beans rinsed and drained
• 3 green onions, chopped (1/3 cup)
• 1 16-oz. can enchilada sauce (salsa verde can be substituted)
• 8 flour or corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place squash cut-side down on baking sheet. Roast 45 minutes, or until soft. Cool until easy to handle. Scoop squash into bowl, and mash.

2. Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft. Add chipotle, adobo sauce, and garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring often.

3. Stir in mashed squash, salsa, cumin, and nutmeg. Cook 3 minutes more, or until heated through. Remove from heat, and fold in green onions and beans.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread 1 cup enchilada sauce over bottom of 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Divide filling among tortillas, and roll loosely. Place filled, rolled tortillas in baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and Cheddar cheese. Bake 30 minutes, or until top begins to brown and sauce is bubbly.

 

Monday, October 10-   I think there may be leftovers which would make for a good leftover night since we do have soccer practice!

Tuesday, October 11-  I might try my hand at Southern Living Magazine's recent soup recipes, specifically Hearty Italian Soup.  Considering the recipe makes 12 cups I may consider scaling it down for our family, although leftovers are always a great lunch or quick dinner for later in the week!

 

Hearty Italian Soup 

Yield: Makes 12 cups
Total: 2 Hours, 40 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (16-oz.) package mild Italian sausage
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (48-oz.) container chicken broth
• 2 (15-oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (14.5-oz.) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 (5-oz.) package baby spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

Preparation

• 1. Cook sausage in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat 7 to 8 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove sausage from Dutch oven, reserving drippings in Dutch oven. Sauté onion in hot drippings 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Cut sausage into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and return to Dutch oven.
• 2. Stir chicken broth and next 3 ingredients into sausage mixture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 25 minutes.
• 3. Stir in spinach and next 2 ingredients; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Top each serving with Parmesan cheese. Serve with Parmesan-Pepper Cornbread Biscotti.

Recipe inspired by Kelly Mapes, Fort Collins, CO, Southern Living   OCTOBER 2011