2016 CSA Week 16

Hello fellow CSA members,

When I saw this week's list of share items I was both happy and sad. No blackberries, unfortunately, though we knew this day was coming. But we do see another fall/winter squash! And, its hard to believe we only have four more weeks, but some summer seasons ended at 16 in years past. I'm thankful for an extra month!

Produce	Storage	Longevity
summer squash and zucchini	unwashed, in fridge	1-2 weeks
butternut squash	room temperature	months
tomatoes	room temperature	about a week
sweet corn	shucked or with husks on in coldest part of fridge	enjoy as soon as possible
eggplant*	unwashed, in fridge, wrapped in a paper towel in crisper	5-7 days
green beans*	unwashed, in fridge	3-4 days
bell pepper	washed or unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
cucumber	washed or unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks

*This week your shares will have either eggplant OR green beans.

I was excited to see butternut squash because I would love to share with you our little family's favorite butternut squash recipe. By favorite, I mean the only one Johnie likes. But he really likes it, and I do too.

And even though many of you are much better than I am at creatively transforming your shares into delicious meals, I have a hunch many of you may have never used butternut squash in.... Burritos! Sounds crazy, I know, but just try it.

I discovered the black bean and butternut squash burrito recipe when I was looking for new recipes last year during the fall veggie share. If you have very small children, this meal might also be a good time to discuss the letter "B." :)

The blogger is right that the filling is also great as a dip. And this is one of a very few vegan recipes that we don't add meat to (we do use dairy cheese).

There are also some great butternut squash recipes from previous seasons, including butternut squash and kale crock pot risotto, butternut squash soufflé with sage and butternut squash and chicken curry stew.

I found a yummy squash quesadilla recipe in this month's Better Homes and Gardens magazine, and decided to make it for dinner tonight. I loved it and Johnie gave it three and a half broccoli stalks!

 

Chorizo and Squash Quesadillas

page 102, Better Homes and Gardens, August 2016

 

1 medium red onion, halved and very thinly sliced (1/2 cup)

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 dried smoked chorizo sausage links (3 1/4 oz) total, thinly sliced

8 6-inch corn tortillas

8 oz Monterey Jack cheese or mild cheddar cheese, shredded

2 small zucchini and/ or summer squash, thinly sliced (2 cups)

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves

 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place a baking sheet in oven. In a small bowl combine onion, lime juice and a pinch of kosher salt.

 

Meanwhile, heat an extra-large skillet over medium heat. Add chorizo. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe out skillet (Note: I also sautéed the squash with the chorizo to give it extra flavor and make it softer.)

 

Top four of the tortillas with half of the cheese. Arrange zucchini and chorizo on each, top with remaining cheese and remaining tortillas. Add one tbsp. oil to skillet; heat over medium heat. Place two quesadillas in skillet. Cook two minutes each side until browned and cheese melts. Transfer to oven. Repeat with remaining quesadillas, adding more oil, if needed.

Stir cilantro into onions. Serve with quesadillas.

 

Makes four servings.

Each serving: 427 cal, 27 g fat, 63 mg chol, 725 mg sodium, 26 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 22 g pro