CSA Haul

My CSA from Newleaf Natural Grocery is delivered every other Saturday, and it feels like Xmas morning for grown-ups around here!  I get so excited to see what luscious surprises await me inside that cardboard box.

Of course, there's nothing more beautiful than a carrot.  It's not my favorite vegetable to eat, but it's certainly one of my favorite vegetables to look at.

4 carrots

Also in the box, veggies:

2 leeks

1/3 cabbage

5 celery

3 potatoes

There was also a gorgeous head of lettuce, but I had washed and stored it before it occurred to me to take it's portrait.  :) 

and, fruit:

2 pears

2 oranges

2 kiwi

2 bananas

Seriously, show me one natural/organic store where I could buy all of this for $15, and then have it delivered to my door for only another $5.  This is the big time, folks, and if you live in Chicago, you really need to get in contact with these folks!

Newleaf Natural Grocery

What I'm Eating... Farfalle w/ Asparagus, Prosciutto, & Sage Cream Sauce

Phew... that's one doozy of a name for a dish that's actually pretty simple to make.  Like most of my favorite pasta dishes, it's light but still filling, and looks like it took more trouble than it really did.

Ingredients:

Farfalle (bow-tie pasta), fresh asparagus, prosciutto, cream (or whole milk for a lighter sauce), butter, fresh sage, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper

vanessauttaro.com

Find the recipe here: Farfalle w/ Asparagus, Prosciutto, & Sage Cream Sauce

Dessert was simple... strawberries with sugar.

vanessauttaro.com

What I'm Eating... Veggie Pizza

This pizza was so fresh, but still so filling!  Totally delicious, and easy to make!

Ingredients:

Rustic Crust Old World Pizza Crust from Whole Foods, grape tomatoes, asparagus, artichoke hearts, olive oil, fleur de sel, le gruyère cheese

vanessauttaro.com

vanessauttaro.com

What I'm Eating... Roast Chicken w/ Veggies

Mmm, I love roast chicken, and now that I've finally learned that it should take around two hours, not four, to make it, I'm a much happier girl.  Succulent chicken is the way to go!  I've also finally learned to properly truss the thing, so there have been major roast chicken improvements around these parts.

Roast chicken stuffed with celery, carrots and onions; corn, spinach sauteed with garlic

What I'm Eating... Spicy Roasted Okra, Potatoes & Onions

Apparently, okra has a bad reputation of being kind of yucky and slimy.  Luckily for me, I didn't have a problem, because I roasted my okra whole!  If you haven't tried it this way yet, you're in for a pleasant surprise!

Recipe:

Spicy Roasted Okra, Potatoes, & Onions

(Clicking this link will take you to vanessauttaro.com)

Ingredients:

Potatoes, okra, onions, curry seasoning, sea salt, olive oil

Decorate, Eat & Repeat

Hey, Chicago... fresh veggies and oysters!

Get 'em while they're fresh, hehe...

groupon.com/Chicago

groupon.com/Chicago