Veg Out

If you have ever considered purchasing a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share – I highly recommend you try it and if you are in the NYC area check out Local Roots NYC. I tried it out this summer and bought a partial season of fruit, and loved it. Not only are you getting fresh fruits that are in-season, but you are supporting the local farms in your area and likely saving yourself a few bucks at the supermarket. At Local Roots NYC, you can buy at any time during the season and they will pro-rate the cost for however many weeks are left.  This fall, I split a vegetable share with my boyfriend and two of our friends. Not only were the veggies delicious, but it got me eating new things like kale and beets, and it inspired me to try and go meatless for a full meal at least once a week. Depending on what was in the share each week (usually a variety of 2-3 different fall or winter vegetables from farms in NY, NJ or PA), we would build our meals around the veggies and created some new signature dishes along the way.  One cold and dreary weekend, my boyfriend made a soup using the kale, carrots and turnips from our share and then we threw in some mushrooms, sweet potatoes and chicken meatballs that I had in the fridge.  I have never enjoyed a soup so much!  I even forgot to take pictures because I was too busy eating it all instead.

This past weekend’s creation was also a great example of #SaltFatAcidHeat – a James Beard award-winning cookbook turned Netflix series that goes into great detail on why each of these elements are so important in cooking. We got some more Beets in this week’s share and roasted them in the oven (Heat); added a barely ripe Avocado (Fat) so that the firmness can hold the vinegar; gave it a splash of olive oil and then generously doused it in Balsamic Vinegar (Acid); and added some Pink Himalayan (Salt) on top FTW. The blending of these elements made for a delicious meatless side dish, and the leftovers made for a great meatless lunch the next day.