This Week’s Box Featuring Collard Greens – Week of January 17

January 18, 2022 by Amy Buglione

Collards are very nutritious (high in vitamins K, A, and C, as well as calcium, iron and fiber) and have been linked to lowered cholesterol.

Preparation

Remove the stem from the bunch. Use your non-dominant hand to hold the leaves together. With your dominant hand, cut about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the bottom of the stem, separating the leaves.

Soak the leaves in water. Add a little salt to the water. Salt is abrasive and helps in the process of scrubbing away dirt and impurities. Gently scrub the leaves with your hands and rinse.

Cut out the spine from each leaf. Lay each leaf out flat on the counter. Use a sharp knife to cut along the spine on each side, separating the leaf into two parts and completely removing the spine. Stack the leaves so the flat, cut sides all line up.

Roll the stack of leaves lengthwise. You may need to form several stacks to get tight rolls.

Cut the greens into ribbons. Slice each roll into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Separate the pieces with your fingers, letting them unravel into long strips.

What else is in the bag?

Collard Greens
Ho Farms

Lettuce
Kunia Country Farms

Long Beans
Ho Farms

Mixed Tomatoes
Sugarland

Rambutan
OK Farms

Sweet Potatoes
Aloun Farms

Plant Based Meal Prep Box

Vegetarian Meal Kit Box Recipes

Try out these recipes!

Braised Long Beans With Tomatoes

Collard Roll Ups with Coconut Curry Kale

This Week’s Box Featuring Onions – Week of January 10

January 10, 2022 by Amy Buglione

This week we have onions from Aloun

There are many types of onions to use as culinary accents. Added in small amounts, they’ll make a dish come alive with aromatic undertones. When used raw, they add a punch to salads and salsas. But the real magic takes place when onions are cooked: A light sauté or slow roast mellows their pungent, acrid flavors and coaxes out their natural sweetness.

Preparation

Rinse the onion thoroughly under cool tap water. On a cutting surface, use a chef’s knife to slice off the stem and root ends. Remove the papery outer skins and cut the onion in half from the top end to the root end.

To Chop: Place each onion half, flat side down, on the cutting surface and make side-by-side vertical slices from stem end to root end. Holding slices together, cut across the slices, making tiny pieces.

Simple Ways to Cook Onions:

Saute:

In a large skillet or pan heat cooking oil or butter over medium-high heat until hot. Use about 1 tablespoon fat per onion. Add chopped or sliced onions and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula. If desired, cook a little longer until edges just start to brown. Remove from heat and use as desired.

Tip: The onions will cook more evenly if you don’t crowd them. Do stir frequently and keep an eye on the heat. If the heat is too high, the onions can burn.

What else is in the bag?

Apple Bananas
Sugarland

Avocados
Twin Bridge Farms

Bell Peppers
Sugarland

Kale
Ho Farms

Rambutan
OK Farms

Sweet Onion
Aloun Farms

Try out these recipes!

Collard Greens and Caramelized Onions

Oahu Fresh Medley Soup (Featuring Local Long Squash, Kale, Jalapenos, and Green Onions)

This Week’s Box Featuring Green Peppers – Week of December 27

December 27, 2021 by Amy Buglione

This week we have green peppers from Sugarland

Bell Peppers are crisp, semi-sweet, non-spicy treat originating in Central and northern South America. They are prepared as culinary vegetables but are technically, in botanical terms, fruits. Though they’re labeled as peppers, they lack capsaicin (the active irritant found in chili peppers that create the burning spicy sensation), which is due to a recessive gene (kind of like the blue eyed baby in a family of brown eyes), making them free of the “hot” taste that it’s family members have.

They are a rich source of antioxidants and vitamin C. While all colors have their benefits, the red colored ones are particularly great, offering many times higher levels of carotene and vitamins than the other varieties.

How to eat Bell Peppers:

Bell peppers are frequently roasted or pan sautéed in olive oil or other cooking oils, but they don’t have to be cooked to be enjoyed. Bell peppers can be sliced fresh, their seeds and ribs removed, and added as sides of a vegetable tray or to salad. You can also just munch on them on their own as a fresh snack!

What else is in the bag?

Bell Peppers
Sugarland

Lemongrass
Ho Farms

Lettuce
Kunia Country Farms

Longan
OK Farms

Orange
OK Farms

Zucchini
Aloun Farms

Try out these recipes!

Stuffed Green Peppers

Veggie Sweet Potato Hash with Eggs

Vegetarian Meal Kits:

This Week’s Box Featuring Kale – Week of December 13th

December 13, 2021 by Amy Buglione

This week we have kale from Local Harvest

Kale is a vegetable with green or purple leaves, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is a member of the Mustard, also known as the Cabbage, family. Kale can be curly, flat, or even have a bluish tint mixed in with the green. This week we have curly kale from Shawn’s Farm.

Depending on the variety, kale can sometimes be spicy or a bit sweet, and usually slightly bitter. In general, kale offers an earthy flavor with a nutty sweetness that is accentuated when cooked. Kale is rich in antioxidants and packed with vitamins A, C, E, K and B, as well as minerals like iron and calcium. Kale is a great source of fiber and contains a fair amount of protein.

Preparation

Kale is incredibly versatile in the kitchen and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. Young kale leaves add an earthiness to raw salads, and mature kale is one of the few leafy greens that doesn’t shrink much when cooked. Try it sauteed, roasted, stewed, or even baked into kale chips. Or try it raw in juices and smoothies.

To prep mature kale – first remove the tough fibrous stems. Hold the stem and strip the leaves along the stem away from you. If preferred, you can cut the leaf into thin, confetti-like ribbons.
A quick massage with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt can break down the cellulose structure of kale. This gives a slightly sweeter, silkier kale to add to salads.
To store – wrap the leaves in a loose bundle, cover with a paper towel or a thin cotton towel (to absorb excess moisture) and store in a large, sealable bag in the crisper for up to a week.

Check out this video:

Farms that grow kale

Recipes

Crunchy Dino Kale and Coconut Bowl
Kale Caesar Salad
Chocolate Mint Smoothie with Kale
Kale and Eggplant Summer Pasta
Kale with Onion, Celery & Tomato
Stir Fry Greens– Same method, but you can just use Kale!

What else is in the bag?

Japanese Cucumbers
Ho Farms

Kale
Ho Farms

Long Beans
Ho Farms

Longan
OK Farms

Mixed Tomatoes
Sugarland

Orange
OK Farms

This Week’s Vegetarian Meal Kit Box Recipes

Try out these recipes!

Kale Caesar Salad

Toasted Orzo with Kale, Feta, and Radishes

This Week’s Box Featuring Carrots – Week of December 6

December 6, 2021 by Amy Buglione

This week we have carrots from Twin Bridge Farms

Oh how we love carrots! They are a funny little root crop so that you never know what you’re going to get until you pull them out of the ground! Usually orange in color, but sometimes they can be cosmic and come out purple, yellow, red or even white. Packed with health-promoting beta carotene, they promote good vision, especially night vision, and help combat health-damaging free radical activity.

Preparation

Since carrots are root crops, make sure you scrub them well to get an residual dirt off of them. Peeling off the skin is optional, I usually don’t because I’m lazy like that. Grab a knife and chop away! Or you can be more fancy pants like this guy!