Aloha Oahu Fresh fam!  We have another great bag for you this week and we’re really happy to announce we have some produce from Nalo Farms in this week’s bag.  Here’s the list:

• Arugula and garlic chives from Nalo Farms
• Cucumbers from Pacific Gateway Farmers
• Local bananas from KakooOiwi
• Butternut squash and greens from Ho Farms
• mixed lettuce from Mari’s Garden

What will you be making this week with your produce?

Our top picks:

Arugula with Orzo and Garden Tomatoes   Use any tomatoes you have left from last week’s Ho Farms box, and consider adding some garlic chives chopped on top.

Stir Fry Garlic Chives and Pork   From She Simmers blog, an amazing resource for Thai cooking!!

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry (Crock Pot)   Instead of spinach you can add your Ho Farms greens in at the end.

Paleo Banana Bread   Grain and sweetener free!

Cucumbers with Chile and Lime

Hi everyone!  It’s officially the last of summer, but that doesn’t mean great produce isn’t available!  We still have the tastes of summer for you in this week’s bag:

• Ho Farms lemongrass
• Ho Farms tomatoes
• Pacific Gateway Farmers eggplant
• Pacific Gateway Farmers kale (1/4lb) and one cucumber
• Mari’s Garden lettuce
• Kama`aina Land avocado

Here are a few suggestions that will help you to enjoy the last hints of summer in your meals this week:

Vegetable Soup with Sriracha, Lemongrass, and Tofu   This recipe calls for spinach, but you can easily sub in your kale and even add a few halved Ho Farms tomatoes.

Coconut, Lemongrass, and Lime Soup from Thrive Energy Cookbook    Just 20m to prepare this one, you can make it at the same time as the veggie one above and freeze some of both for later.

Tom Yang Light Martini  a martini made with rum, and lemongrass…can’t wait to try this one!

Quick Eggplant and Tomato Saute   Use your Ho Farms tomatoes instead of canned.

Eggplant Fries   Make some burgers or steaks and have these healthy fries along with, you’ll be glad you did!

Avocado Cream Sauce   This would be great with the eggplant fries, on top of a salad, or over zucchini noodles.

Lemongrass Chicken with Eggplant and Warm Spring Onion Vinaigrette

 

Aloha Oahu Fresh members!  We’re bringing you a stocked bag this week–so many items you can use this week in many ways!

What’s coming?

• Ho Farms butternut squash
• PGC Farmers string beans
• Green Growers slicing tomatoes
• Mari’s Garden hydroponic lettuce
• Kama`aina Land starfruit
• Small Kine Farm mushrooms
• Ho Farms luffa sponge (not to eat!  but great to wash with!)

Here’s our take on ways you can use this bounty:

Balsamic Glazed Butternut Squash   Easy and tasty, this one can be on the table in less than an hour!

How can you elevate your squash, steak, chicken, or even potatoes?  Top them with a Mushroom Red Wine Sauce!

Best Ever New Potatoes and Green Beans

BLT Wraps without the bread!  Use your lettuce leaves…

Fresh Pico de Gallo   and Baja Fish Tacos!  Here’s a recipe to use if you feel like going all out and making some amazing tacos!  Pick and choose from it–you don’t have to make the creamy sauce, just top your fish with the pico de gallo.

What to use your luffa for?

exfoliating

washing dishes

 

Oahu Fresh members, we’ve got some wonderful produce this week!  Fresh from farms spanning the island, from Heeia to Waianae, here’s what you can expect in this week’s bag:

• Green Onions from Green Growers
• Taro from KakooOiwi
• Round Eggplant from Ho Farms
• Kale from Pacific Gateway Farms
• Long Beans from Pacific Gateway Farms
• Organic baby greens mix from Kahumana Farm

We’ve chosen a few recipes for you to try if you’re stumped on what to do with this week’s produce.  You can also search our previously posted recipes for more ideas!  Use the search box on our recipes page.

Stewed Taro with Green Onions

Pork and Purple Taro Stew

Spicy Eggplant and Green Bean Curry   Use your long beans and eggplant all together!

Green Bean Salad with Red Onion and Tomato   If you have a tomato or two left from last week’s bag plus a cucumber, you can easily sub the green onion in from this week instead of red onion and your salad is done!

Sweet and Spicy Kale Salad: from Tone It Up Blog

♥ If you weren’t sure that kale deserved its superfood status, then this little-known fact may be enough to make you fall in love. Kale is an excellent source of manganese, a blood-sugar stabilizing trace mineral that’s needed to metabolize key nutrients, and to promote bone health. Stable blood sugars mean less sweet cravings. Kick temptation to the curb by having this salad for lunch, or as an afternoon snack.

♥ Fight muscle fatigue with vitamin C and plant-based iron, a fierce duo. Our zesty orange & lime dressing is packed with more than just tropical flavor. It’s loaded with vitamin C, which according to our Tone It Up Registered Dietitian, helps your body absorb more of kale’s plant-based iron and delivers oxygen to your tissues during sweat sessions. Kale lovers, eat up!
♥ Meet your daily vitamin C needs with just one serving of this salad. Vitamin C is great for collagen synthesis and wound healing, which promotes flawless, healthy, younger looking skin—-> Get glowing!
♥ Eat with your eyes…or for them, anyway. Our vision, immune, and reproductive systems all perform at their peak when we’re getting enough vitamin A in our diets. Try this recipe to get almost twice the amount of vitamin A that’s recommended daily. A-mazing 😉

Sweet & Spicy Kale Salad

Makes 4 servings
1 large bunch of kale
1 orange, juiced & peeled (your preference)
1 Tbs fresh lime juice
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
2 tangerines, peeled and sectioned
2.5 oz macadamia nuts, crushed or whole
1 large carrot, grated or chopped
2 Tbs raisins
Tear kale off the vein into bite-sized pieces and place in a mixing bowl. Coat leaves with orange and lime juice, olive oil, honey, salt, and a dash of cayenne pepper. Massage leaves in dressing for a few minutes, add garlic and allow mixture to sit for at least 30 minutes or even overnight. After the kale mixture has marinated, top with remaining ingredients, toss and serve. Enjoy!

 

Oahu Fresh members we have a fun bag this week!  Well, I think they’re always fun, but this week we have some items we haven’t had for a while, so we’re extra excited!

• Ho Farms Okra
• Mililani Ag Park Sweet Potatoes
• Sumida Farms Watercress
• Green Growers Slicing Tomatoes
• Mari’s Garden Lettuce
• Pacific Gateway Farmers Cucumbers

Although  the summer  is coming to an end, we will still be bringing great summer produce to you for a few more weeks!  You can celebrate using your locally grown veggies this week in these recipes:

Crunchy Watercress, Cucumber, and Radish Salad   Use any leftover daikon from last week’s bag in this salad instead of buying french (red) radishes.  You could also throw in some avocado and tomatoes…

Watercress Soup   This soup uses a sweet potato, and if you still have kale left from last week, just put that in too!

Sweet Potato Egg Boats   Sometimes I just google  random food items together to see what recipes are out there that use them both…this one looks pretty good!  Use your sweet potato as a “boat” to hold your egg!  In about 20m you have a unique breakfast 🙂

The Easiest Oven Roasted Okra Fries recipe EVER.  No breading, sliced in half.  10-15m at 400.  That’s it.  !!!!

Easy Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo