Organics to You Update

I've been meaning to post an update on my most recent Organics to You deliveries for over two weeks now, which is why I'll be listing the contents of my last two bins rather than just the one I got on Tuesday.  For those of you who've heard me rave and rave about this service in person, (and especially those who have asked me questions about it) this will give you a good idea of what kinds of varieties you can expect with the organic produce delivery service I use (at least for now). 

If you need some background, see some of my older posts about Organics to You.  Otherwise, I'll let you know that I get a "small bin" with a "fruit add-on."  I usually get my delivery every other week (that's just the schedule I chose) and the cost is $48 per delivery.

My bin delivered on 8/24 included:

• 1 English cucumber
• 2 zucchini squash
• 1 head of green-leaf lettuce
• 5 beets (and large bunch of beet greens)
• 1 bunch of green beans
• 1 large bunch of red chard
• 1 bunch of carrots
• 1 pint of red and orange cherry tomatoes
• 1 large Mexican avocado
• 2 grapefruits
• 3 oranges
• 4 nectarines
• 4 peaches
• 4 donut peaches
• 6 bananas
• 2 green apples
• 4 apricots
• 1 cantaloupe
• 1/2 pint of blueberries

My bin delivered on 9/7 included:

• 1 large bunch of lettuce
• 1 head of red-leaf lettuce
• 1 bunch of baby spinach
• 2 small bunches of broccoli
• 1 bunch of carrots
• 2 ea Anaheim and Pasilla peppers
• 1 large yellow onion
• 6 red potatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 eggplant
• 1 bunch of bananas
• 3 crimson pears
• 3 bartlett pears
• 3 peaches
• 3 white nectarines
• 3 apples
• 2 grapefruits
• 1 lb of strawberries
• 3 HUGE plums
• 3 oranges

Easy, Quick Vegetarian Dinner - Spaghetti Squash & Roasted Root Veggies

I had some beautiful beets and radishes that came with my last Organics to You order.  I also had a large n' lovely spaghetti squash that we got at the Learning Garden last weekend.  Since we are going camping this weekend I knew I better make good use of these vegetables before Thursday or else figure out who to give them away to (probably Sabrina, though I'm not sure she'd be glad to have them, lol).  So, here's what I came up with: first, I figured that with a name like "spaghetti squash," there must be a way to make this into a very pasta-esque dish.  I don't have a ton of experience with this type of squash, but a quick Google search confirmed my suspicion.  I learned that spaghetti squash can be cooked in the microwave, which might seem sacrilegious to someone like my brother Sebastian, but suits me just fine after a long day of working hard and zooming over to Target to buy some last-minute back-to-school stuff.  But, I had to start with the root veggies, since they'd be roasted in the oven and take a bit longer.

Roasted Root Vegetables

6-8 medium/large beets (trimmed)

8-10 radishes (trimmed)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tsp fresh thyme

pinch of garlic powder (optional)

First, I preheated my oven to 400 degrees.  Then, I placed all the root veggies on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzled the oil over them evenly.  Next I sprinkled the seasonings and herbs over the veggies and wrapped the all up in the foil.  I put this foil package onto a cookie sheet and placed on the top rack of my preheated oven.  I set the timer for 30 minutes and got started on the spaghetti squash.

Spaghetti Squash

1 3 lb spaghetti squash

2 tbsp butter

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (I used the fire-roasted ones from Hunts)

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded cheese

First, I stabbed the squash all over with a sharp knife and lined my microwave with paper towels.  I placed the squash on top of the paper towels and microwaved it on high for 12 minutes.  When it came out, I let it cool for a bit, then trimmed of the end and stem, then halved the squash lengthwise.  After removing the seeds from the center, I used a fork to scrape out all of the squash's "meat." This left me with a lovely golden mound of deliciousness that resembled cooked spaghetti.  At this point, I heated up a large skillet over medium-high heat and melted the butter in it.  I added the can of tomatoes, then the squash, and mixed everything together.  I sprinkled some salt and pepper in, and let it cook for about 8 minutes, until some of the liquid from the tomatoes began to thicken.  At that point, I sprinkled the shredded cheese over the top and turned off the heat.

Prepared in this simple yet delicious way, spaghetti squash can TOTALLY be a main dish.  I sliced the root veggies up and served them on the side to complete a healthy and colorful dish.  The best part: my kids ATE IT UP.  And loved it.

This Week's Bin: Local, Organic Goodies at My Doorstep

Okay, so I meant to write this post two days ago.  However, I really wanted to get the empanada ideas out, and then yesterday I worked a 12-hour day and was super-pooped when I finally got home after 9:00.  So, I'm finally getting down to letting you guys know specifically what came in my biweekly Organics to You bin.  Now keep in mind, I could choose to receive the delivery weekly, but because of schedules and my familia's eating habits, biweekly is better for us.  What I receive is the "Small Bin" with the "Fruit Add-on." I pay $48 per bin/delivery and the lovely people at Organics to You deliver right to my door every other Tuesday afternoon.

I am hoping to make this a regular part of my blog (for the time being), mostly because I hope to get comments with ideas or suggestions of how to prepare some of the included foods.  Also, because I am constantly talking about this service, how much I enjoy it, and how many varieties of fresh items are included.  So without further ado, here's what came this week:

2 HUGE heads of Romaine lettuce
1 bunch of Swiss Chard (the red kind)
3 yellow bell peppers
1 bunch of green onions
5 large white potatoes
1 lb (or so) of green beans
1 English cucumber
1 large bunch of red, white and purple radishes

2 small watermelons
4 white plums
1/2 pint of blackberries
1/2 pint of bing cherries
5 bananas
2 peaches
4 donut peaches
3 nectarines
2 grapefruits
4 oranges

I must say, some weeks seem to be more abundant than others, and this one was not particularly impressive.  Everything, however, is just SO fresh and delicious....it's not uncommon for me to open the bin and start sampling everything!

Now.....does anyone have any ideas for how to prepare radishes????

Organics to You

A lot of the cooking I do depends on what random melange of fresh organic veggies and fruits are included in my bi-weekly "bin" from Organics to You.  I heard about this local organization from my friend Megan over a year ago and decided to try it when I went back to work full-time this March. I thought the convenience (as well as the novelty) would be worth a shot.  The system is similar to a CSA, except there is a lot more flexibility in terms of the frequency with which you receive your bin (once a week, every other week, or as seldom as you choose).  Also, you have the option to specify certain "dislikes" and likes in order to help guide what is included in your delivery as well as the option to start or stop at any time.  Oh yeah.....that's the convenient part about it....Organics to You delivers your organic goodies right to your front door.

So, if you look at the Web site (just Google it) you can get a general idea of what type of volume to expect with each size bin.  Also, there are options to choose more vegetables, more fruit, or specific types of either or both.  I decided to start with a small bin on a biweekly delivery schedule.  I originally ordered the "Latin" add-on, which would/should have included items such as cilantro, bell peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes....you get the idea.  Well, on that very first delivery Organics to You messed up my order and sent the fruit add-on instead.  What a happy accident!  I couldn't BELIEVE how much fruit was included!  There seemed to be an endless supply of oranges, plums, pears, berries, bananas, apples and on and on and on. I was immediately hooked (as were my 3 kids) and decided keeping the fruit add-on was a MUST.

So far, I love Organics to You.  Sure, we've had our mini-misunderstandings, but they always do everything in their power to correct their mistakes, etc.  My only real gripe would be that they tout themselves as dealing with LOCAL organic growers, and a lot of the merchandise does seem to come from California or Mexico.  But, who am I to complain?  Tomorrow I'll receive the next box, so tune in for the list of contents......

Up next - creative empanada filling ideas - a request from Denise T. :o)