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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

On the First Day of Delivery, My CSA Gave To Me ...

Four heads of lettuce, two pounds of spinach, two pounds of arugula, one bunch of radishes, and a sprig of mint and oregano.

Can you say ... SALAD?

I like salad as much as the next gal, but really, four heads of lettuce?

So I've been trying to make a dent in the bounty.

The first thing I made was an all-local salad: strawberries that we'd picked at the farm this weekend, arugula from the box, local goat cheese, and walnuts dried from our own tree.  (The walnut salvage was a total experiment by the way, which I don't expect will ever be repeated with any success.)

(Note the buttercup bouquet, fresh from the back yard weed bed.)





The amazing thing about this salad was that it didn't even need dressing.  The strawberries made a hint of sweet juice, and the goat cheese practically melted into the arugula leaves.

When I got home from yoga (where--I hope you're sitting down--I picked up an application for teacher training ... have not filled it out yet, but it's in my possession, which counts for something, right?), I made myself another salad for dinner, this time with the lettuce, a chopped Granny Smith apple, some toasted almonds, and some grated jack cheese.  This one did require a little balsalmic vinegar, but I didn't douse it because I wanted to actually taste the flavors.  I wound up making two, because I was ravenous.  Thankfully, we are down about a half a head of lettuce now.  Go, me.

So ... what do YOU do when you have simply too much lettuce?

8 comments:

  1. JenniMay 25, 2010 at 5:57 PM

    I usually don't have too much lettuce - because I only get it when I need it - no one else seems to eat any of it but me. Your salads look amazing, and they're making me hungry right now. I like to add fresh strawberries to salad as well.

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  2. SuzyMay 25, 2010 at 9:20 PM

    No such thing as too much lettuce ;) My eldest loves it, so he tends to eat it all and it never goes to waste! We used to joke that he was the only 7 year old who would take lettuce leaves as a snack

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  3. junebugMay 26, 2010 at 12:08 AM

    Those salads all look so good. Yummy. I'm not sure what I would do. Feed the rabbits in the yard. :-)
    ICLW

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  4. AnonymousMay 26, 2010 at 10:58 AM

    Lettuce FIIIIGHT!!!!

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  5. Keiko ZollMay 26, 2010 at 2:30 PM

    My husband and I chickened out of getting a farm share this summer simply for the crazy bounty of food we'd get - we live in a tiny apartment, and it just wouldn't work for us... that being said, I will now live vicariously through your CSA :)

    You could make Asian lettuce wraps. Saute some ground beef or buffalo in some soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, maybe make a little miso-based sauce for them, garnish with sesame seeds and serve in lettuce cups/wraps. Or, lettuce wraps a la "The Melting Pot" (just swiped this right from their menu PDF online) - green leaf lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber, curly carrots, bean sprouts, fresh mint and sprinkled honey roasted almonds. Served with mandarin orange-ginger dressing, a light sauce with a hint of spice.

    Also... shred the lettuce and make 7-layer taco dip with sour cream, salsa, cheese, beans, lettuce, more beans, more cheese... lol, whatever you need to make 7 layers :) You can also make taco salads.

    Mmmm... getting hungry thinking about all of this! :)

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  6. andreaMay 26, 2010 at 3:02 PM

    ohmygosh i love a good salad and those look FABULOUS!!

    ICLW

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  7. AndieMay 26, 2010 at 6:53 PM

    OOohhh, love the salads.

    I would make - a warm salad with roasted sweet potatoes, other vegetables, and haloumi cheese. Or you could make my new fave, rocket, lentil, roast pumpkin (and onion) salad with feta. This is SO easy and quick. Roast your pumpkin and onion in a little olive oil. While this is happening cook your brown lentils. Place rocket leaves in a bowl (lettuce too, or a mix if you prefer). When vegies and lentils are cooked, mix together, and place in bowl on top of greens. Crumble fetta over the top. Dress with mixture of olive oil/balsamic. It's fab, trust me!

    Excellent news on having the yoga teacher training application in your possession.

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  8. Justine LMay 26, 2010 at 9:13 PM

    Thanks, all, for the great ideas! I love the lentils idea, Andie ... I put beans in my salad (next post), but somehow never thought about lentils as beans. Of course! And Keiko, lettuce wraps, yum! K, lettuce fight sounds like a fitting end to dinner. I think I need to invite you all over for a potluck.

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