MENU Wed 7/14 through Tue 7/20

Let's Hear it for Fresh, Local Produce!

I just received this week's delivery from The Produce Box, full of fresh, local produce. The Produce Box is a Community-Supported-Agriculture (CSA) organization in the Raleigh, NC area. Look for a farm co-op in your area on www.localharvest.org.

This week, I received...

• 1 medium white eggplant (3/4 pound) - - I've never had this kind before!
• 3 small purple eggplants (3/4 pound)
• 2 medium butternut squash
• 3 pickling cucumbers
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 pint of blueberries
• 11 roma tomatoes (2 3/4 pounds)
• 7 peaches (2 1/2 pounds)
• 1 personal watermelon.

I also received two extra green bell peppers and 3 roma tomatoes from my coordinator, as an apology for having forgotten last week's newsletter. Wow!!

This week's box included a sample of Yah's Best: Herbal Delight seasoning mix. I bought a packet of this at the State Farmers' Market a couple of weeks ago. It's WONDERFUL!! My neighbor saw my packet and exclaimed over it; she also bought a packet at the Farmers' Market. Use to season dips, sprinkle on pizza, mix w/ olive oil for a grilling baste (on meats or veggies), in dipping oil for bread... I make a similar mix myself, and we use it a lot!

Looking for more recipes using fresh, local produce? Check out all the recipes from The Produce Box newsletters, on JustRightMenus.


Here's the Week's Menu:

Can you tell I've been flipping through my Mediterranean cookbook?

WED 7/13 - Shrimp and Okra Gumbo will make good use of my remaining okra! Serve over white rice.

THU 7/14 - Lamb Pitas with Mint Yogurt Dressing, served with Greek Boats (using my white eggplant), and Fresh Cucumber Salad on the side. I'll add some fresh, sliced tomatoes to the cucumber salad, too.


FRI 7/15 - Baked Cod in the Style of Spetses, Tomato and Basil Tart, Wild Rice Mix.


SAT 7/16 - For lunch, I'll make New Potato, Rosemary, and Garlic Pizza. We'll also have dip with veggies (definitely including some of the tasty bell peppers from The Produce Box). For dinner, we'll have Grilled Porterhouse, leftover Pizza from lunch, and leftover Tomato and Basil Tart from the night before. As dessert, we'll enjoy Wine-Soaked Peaches with Ice Cream.


SUN 7/17 - Marinated Pork Kebabs with Tzatsiki Sauce, Butternut Squash.


MON 7/18 - Cuban Black Beans (I'm trying out this recipe ) and Cuban Ground Beef Creole over rice. Between the two recipes, you'll need 4 bell peppers and 4 onions, so be sure you're stocked up!


TUE 7/19 - Grilled Barbecue Chicken Thighs, Greek Picnic Pie (using my purple eggplants).



This weekend, we'll have more blueberry pancakes! I'll make some blueberry muffins for the week, too. I'm continuing to experiment with different muffin recipes. You'll be hearing from me soon on those.

"This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!" - - Julia Child, My Life in France