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Author: mo

  • Grilled Zucchini

    Original post by Amy 2015,  photos updated 2026 by Mo.

    This is by far my favorite way to have zucchini. I feel like squash and zucchini often get mushy when you cook them. Grilled zucchini is crisp and has a slightly caramelized flavor.

    They key is to make your zucchini slices an even thickness so they cook evenly. Thinner slices are crisper, but burn more easily. Thicker slices are a little more forgiving. Start by heating up your grill to a pretty high temperature. Slice your zucchini while you’re waiting for the grill to heat.

    Trim the top and bottom off your zucchini. If you’re cutting the zucchini with a knife, start by cutting a thin slice down one edge. Now you can put that flat edge face down on your cutting board and it is somewhat easier to cut the rest of your slices without having your zucchini roll around. I am not great at cutting straight, so I like to use a mandoline slicer. (I highly recommend getting a mandoline slicer if you don’t own one already. You can use it to make even slices of all kinds of vegetables. McGuckin has a good selection of inexpensive mandoline slicers.)

    Season the zucchini with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss until the zucchini slices are thoroughly coated.

    Grill for about 5 minutes on the first side–until there are nice grill marks. Turn the zucchini only once. It will take about half as long to cook the second side. The zucchini is great served straight off the grill. You can also sprinkle it with a little bit of grated Parmesan. Or you can dip it in my favorite secret guilty pleasure–ranch dressing.

     

     

     

  • Glazed Carrots

    Here is a simple way to prepare carrots, so simple it’s just a ‘picture recipe’. It’s one notch up from simply steaming them with a couple added steps to make it feel fancy!

    Start with some great carrots.

    red wagon carrots

    Wash and cut the carrots into bite size pieces and cut an orange in 1/2 (I only pictured 1/2 of the orange, sorry) and juice both 1/2’s, you need about 1/4 cup of juice.

    cut into pieces

    Steam the carrots in lightly salted water, use enough water to just cover the bottom of your pan cover the pan with a lid and simmer until the carrots are just tender.   cooking in pan

    Drain the cooked carrots, you’ll add them back to the pan soon.

    drain

    In the same pan you cooked the carrots, toast a handful of nuts on a medium heat for a minute.

    toast nuts

    Take the nuts out and set them aside for a minute while you finish the dish.
    Add a couple tablespoons of butter into the same pan you have been using and when it melts….

    melt butter

    …..add the drained carrots and the juice from the orange to the melted butter. It will spatter so beware of the steam, it all comes together quickly. See the top right bubbly stuff in the pan? That is the juice caramelizing.

    add carrots back in

    Stir everything together adding the nuts back to the pan.

    mix it all together

    …and serve.

     

  • One Pan Greens and Dumplings

    Here is a super fast ‘make everyone happy’ meal you can make in minutes using frozen dumplings and any green you like, even Bok choi or cabbage would work well. Now is a great time to use that jar of chili crisp or chili oil you have in your refrigerator door!

    This is a NYT recipe I barely adapted, to make it you’ll need;

    • 2 tablespoons avocado or other neutral oil
    • 1 pound frozen, unthawed dumplings, any flavor
    • 1-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    • 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped I used more and advise you to do the same!
    • 1 bunch kale, collards, spinach, cabbage or chard, thick stems cut off, coarsely chop the vegetables You can easily use more!
    • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, plus more for serving
    • 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar, plus more for serving
    • Optional- toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, basil, sliced scallions or chile crisp, or a combination as topping.

    Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the dumplings flat sides down and cook until golden brown underneath, 1 to 3 minutes.

    Transfer the partially cooked dumplings to a plate.

    Put the garlic and ginger and kale to the skillet and top with the partially cooked dumplings you just took out of the skillet. Add ¼ cup water into the skillet, and quickly cover the skillet with a lid or baking sheet to hold the steam in the skillet. This will steam the dumplings. Steam them until the dumplings are tender and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Mine took all 5 minutes.  In the photo below you can see the dumplings are brown on the bottom but raw as is the kale, this is before covering and steaming. 

    When the dumplings are tender drizzle with the soy sauce and rice vinegar, then serve with more of both at the table and any other toppings you like. I used scallions and chili crisp, have fun with the toppings! Sesame seeds and chile crisp, for me next time!

     

  • Simple Sauteed Zucchini

    Sauteed zucchini is a CSA basic recipe you need to have in your back pocket. You can take this simple vegetable prep almost anywhere. As is, it is a simple side dish. Add some noodles for a pasta meal, top with eggs for a filling lunch, add some grains and greens for a hearty dinner salad.

    Today I topped my noodles with sauteed zucchini, goat cheese and roasted nuts. Yum.

    Here is a ‘no recipe-photo recipe’.

    Start with your zucchini cut into coins pretty much the same size and either garlic or onions.

    Heat a pan with a slick of oil on medium heat. You want a big pan to cook this in, you don’t want to crowd the vegetables, they will sweat and not brown if they are crowded. Add the vegetables and some salt and pepper.

    Don’t move the zucchini around too much or it will lose it’s shape and not brown, but do gently turn them a time or two. This happens pretty fast, maybe 5 minutes so don’t walk away. You can make a big batch and happily use leftovers as needed through the week.

    Happy eating.

    Mo

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Tabbouleh Salad

    Tabbouleh is a simple salad using lots of chopped vegetables, lots and lots of parsley-usually mint and bulgur wheat. That is all tossed with lemon and or lime and olive oil for a bright salad that stays fresh for days and travels well.

    Tabbouleh Salad

    • 1 cup dry bulghur wheat
    • 1 1/4 cup boiling water
    • 1 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/4 cup lemon and or lime juice
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 1/2 cup chopped onions or scallions
    • 2 or 3 cloves of garlic chopped
    • 1 cup chopped packed parsley
    • optional additions; mint, garbanzo beans, feta cheese, any fresh vegetables chopped bite sized like cucumber, carrots, tomatoes.

    1. Combine the bulghur wheat with boiling water and salt and let that sit for a half hour or so then add the lemon juice, garlic and onions, oil and mint if you are using it. Refrigerate at least 2 or 3 hours or even overnight. It mellows and blends and rounds out all the sharp flavors. So letting it sit and mellow is important.

    2. Just before serving add the parsley and whatever vegetables you like. Be really generous with the parsley and vegetables. You should have more vegetables than bulghur.

    3. Toss it all up and add feta cheese if you like. I usually add more lemon juice and a little more salt and sometimes olive oil. Taste it-it should be bright and vibrant tasting.

    Feel free to riff on the vegetables you add. This is a great salad for cleaning out the refrigerator and using what you like and not being tied to a rigid formula or recipe.

    Happy eating.
    Mo

     

     

  • Storing Greens

    We get lots of greens here at Red Wagon CSA, be it bagged, bunched or cut heads. 

    We weigh and bag lettuce or greens right before you pickup your CSA share. Everything is harvested then rinsed (aka rejuvenated) in the wash station. Next we spin it to dry it as best we can. Crops like arugula, spinach and cut lettuce get weighed and portioned into bags. Greens like kale, chard and collards are bunched.

    You can store the greens in the sealed bag you get them in from us if you like, but remember; you still need to wash everything before you eat it. Greens will last at least 5 to 7 days stored in plastic bags. Kale and chard and collards all need to be stored in air tight containers and will last at least a week.

    I like to have my greens ready to eat, so I wash and dry them right when I get home from pickup so they are ready to cook or eat for meals during the week. I find they last a little longer too, at least a week and maybe a little longer if I take this extra step. The greens in the top photo were washed, dried and stored in air tight containers  and are all 8 days old!

    Here is my routine; I carefully snip the little red tape that seals the bag so I can reuse the bags, then I wash and dry the greens and put them back in the bag I got them in. That is why I don’t just rip into the bags, I snip carefully! If you have a salad spinner and room in your refrigerator, the spinner is a great storage container. I only have one salad spinner. If I had more I would use it to store more of the greens, I don’t,  thus the reuse of the bags.

    I wash all the greens the same; dunk them in clean cool water and drain and dry them. Things like cut lettuce and arugula I spin in the salad spinner to dry. Drying the greens, all types, is important for long storage.

    IMG_0168

    Placing paper towels or dry dish cloths in the container you are storing the greens in keeps the vegetables damp, but not soggy in the bag so you don’t get those weird slimy leaves that make the whole bag go bad.

     

    It just takes a few minutes to do and I find I and more inclined to use the produce if it is ready to eat.

    I hope this is helpful.

    Happy eating.

    Mo

  • Turnip and Arugula Salad with Honey, Almonds and Mint

    Turnip and Arugula Salad is simple and satisfying using only a few ingredients. Add grains like quinoa or protein like grilled tofu or salmon for an easy meal.

    Turnip and Arugula Salad with Honey, Almonds and Mint
    Makes about 4 servings

    3 or 4 hakurei turnips thinly sliced
    2 T fresh lemon juice or more as needed
    1 t honey)
    3/4 t salt
    4 cups washed and loosely packed arugula
    A small handful of fresh mint leaves or basil or parsley
    2 T Olive oil or more as needed
    Optional but delicious so you should add one or more! 1/4 c sliced almonds-or any nut chopped-Cheese, avocado, grains, any additional toppings you like!

    Directions:
    Combine the sliced turnips in a small bowl with the lemon juice, honey, and  salt. Let sit for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.  (I put the mint in there, opps)

    Combine the arugula and mint in a medium bowl, drizzle on the oil. Add the turnips and dressing to the arugula and toss to incorporate. Taste, and season with more lemon juice, oil, and/or salt as needed.

    Add delicious optional ingredients and dig in.

    Happy eating — see you at pickup! Mo

  • One-Pot Kale & Quinoa Pilaf

    This is a super fast and easy, one-pot light, citrusy, healthy, satisfying dish. The original recipe calls for kale but any leafy green vegetable will work. I used collards but I have used spinach and chard. It’s all good. *At the bottom of this post there is a photo of this dish I made doubling the greens and adding some clementine oranges. Feel free to play with this recipe.

    I pretty much follow the Food52 recipe with just a few changes. It’s so simple the changes don’t really matter though.

    Kale Quinoa Pilaf slightly adapted from a Food52 article

    • 2 cup salted water
    • 1 cup quinoa
    • 1 bunch of kale or any leafy green like collards or spinach, washed and chopped
    • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
    • 2 scallions, minced (I used onions)
    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (I used a mix of seeds, nuts and dried fruit)
    • 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (I actually had this but  use any cheese)
    • Salt and pepper

    Bring the water to a boil in a covered pot. Add the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat until it is just enough to maintain a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then add the kale to the pot and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to steam in the pot for 5 more minutes. (I let mine steam off the heat for more like 30 minutes and it was fine. The photo is when the quinoa has been simmering for 10 minutes and I just added the kale)

    While the quinoa and kale are steaming, take a large serving bowl and combine the lemon juice and zest, scallions (or onions), oil and goat cheese in a serving bowl.

    When the quinoa and kale are done, fluff the pilaf, and tip it into the waiting bowl with the lemon and oil mixture. As the hot quinoa hits the scallions and lemon it should smell lovely. Toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper, add more lemon juice and top with nuts and seeds if you are using them.

    Leftovers are great for several days. I like to add a little lemon and oil to freshen it up after a day or two in the refrigerator.

    • double the greens and added citrus

  • Cooking Beets in an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker

    I am a recent convert to cooking beets in a pressure cooker. For years I exclusively roasted beets or stewed or braised them.

    I learned that cooking them in a pressure cooker or instant pot is so quick and the beets are tender and super easy to peel. The slight flavor boost you get from roasting is easily mitigated by dressing the beets in a beautiful dressing or sauce.

    Beets in an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker.

    You’ll need some beets, scrubbed clean and roughly the same size. If not the same size cut them into similar sizes.  You’ll need a cup of water to add the to pot and if your pressure cooker or instant pot has a steam rack use that. If it doesn’t it’s fine. Just put the beets in the pot in the water.

    Add a cup of water and the rack if using and the beets. If you have more beets add them, it won’t change the cooking time. I only had 4 medium sized beets.

    Seal the pot and cook all beet sizes on high pressure
    * Very small (1 1/2” to 1 3/4” diameter) – 15 min
    * Small (2” diameter) – 20 min
    * Medium (2 1/4” diameter) – 25 min
    * Medium-Large (2 1/2” diameter) – 30 min

    When the time is up I like to allow the pressure to release naturally. I have never had my beets over cook to be too soft from allowing for a natural pressure release. I have had to cook them more because I released the pressure after a few minutes off the stove and they were still firm. So, I like to do a natural release.

    Here is a photo of them cooked. It’s hard to see ‘cooked’ lol.

    Here they are peeled. You can see how the skin slid off and they almost look like peaches.

    This is the big reason I like using the pressure cooker, it’s so easy and fast and the beets are done to perfection.

    Your beets are ready for using or you can store them until you need them covered in the refrigerator for a week.

  • Greens with Brown Butter, Raisins and Nuts

    A CSA member (Hi Nancy!) sent me a recipe from an old vegetarian cookbook. It sounded elegant, simple and delicious so I had to try to make it! It is basically sauteed greens tossed in a sauce of brown butter, currents (I used raisins) and nuts.

    Greens with Brown Butter, Raisins and Nuts Adapted from Field of Greens by Annie Somerville.

    • 3 Tablespoons Brown Butter
    • 2-3 Tablespoons raisins or any dried fruit
    • 2-3 Tablespoons any nuts or seeds, I used pecans
    • 2 large bunches of greens, kale, chard, collards, spinach or any mix (I used collards and spinach) washed chopped. I chopped up my stems, you can discard the stems if you don’t like them.
    • Olive oil for sautéing, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes if you want a little heat

    To make the brown butter put the butter in a deep sauce pan, deep so it doesn’t splatter everywhere and just heat it until it’s brown. Stand at the stove and watch it. If you walk away it might burn, the browning happens pretty fast. It goes from this…

    ….to this in a couple minutes. It doesn’t look that brown in the photo but you can smell the toasty nutty butter. Stop before it gets too dark or it might taste burnt.

    Chop your greens and cover your raisins with some hot water, just a little water, you want to plump them just a little you don’t want them mushy, and chop your nuts too.

    Get a big pan and heat your olive oil and add the greens.

    Let the greens cook a little bit until they wilt then add most of the brown butter, raisins (I added the soaking water, but you can drain it if you want) and nuts and toss until the greens are wilted/cooked to  your liking, taste it for doneness and if it needs salt and pepper or more of the brown butter and mix it up really well.

    This fork is loaded with a perfect bite, some greens with nice taste texture from the nuts and sweet chewy from the raisins and the brown butter is elegant in the background. Yum.

    I had some roasted cauliflower so I added that to the finished dish and it was soooo good. I think any vegetable would be great prepared with the brown butter and raisins and nuts as a dressing.