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 Potato
Twin Bridge 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

Avocado
Kamaaina Land Nursery

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 Avocados – Week of January 3

January 3, 2022 by Amy Buglione

This week we have avocados from Adaptations

Preparation

How to cut or slice avocados in half:

1. Be sure to fully wash before cutting or slicing.

2. Place the avocado lengthwise on a secure surface.

3. Hold the avocado securely with one hand, and slice slowly down the center lengthwise around the seed, starting at the narrower end.

4. Holding the avocado in the palm of one hand, use your other hand to twist and rotate the two halves apart.

5. Use a teaspoon to remove the stone from the center of the avocado. Use a dessert spoon to scoop the whole avocado flesh out from the shell if required. Cut into slices, chunks, or mash with a fork.

How to peel an avocado:

1. For ripe Hass Avocados, the outer skin or peel is easy to remove. Simply slice the avocado in half or cut into wedges as shown in photo. Then grasp the outer dark layer or skin and pull it away from the inner green flesh of the fruit. If some of the darker almost black portions of the skin remain on the green flesh of the fruit, simply cut them away. The yellow to green portions of the avocado are what you want. Do not consume the peel.

What else is in the bag?

Avocado
Kamaaina Land Nursery

Kale
Ho Farms

Mixed Tomatoes
Sugarland

Sweet Potato
Twin Bridge Farms

Swiss Chard
Kahumana Organic Farm & Cafe

Tangerine
Adaptations

Zucchini
Aloun Farms

Try out these recipes!

Avocado Banana Bread

Garlic Sautéed Swiss Chard with Egg and Avocado

This Week’s Box Featuring Sweet Potatoes – Week of December 20

December 20, 2021 by Amy Buglione

This week we have sweet potatoes from Adaptations

The Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) is one of the oldest vegetables known to mankind. Sweet potatoes originated in Central and South America, but archaeologists have found proof through prehistoric remnants that the sweet potato was grown in Polynesia before western exploration, according to radiocarbon dating. Current thinking is that it was brought to central Polynesia around 700 AD, possibly by Polynesians who had traveled to South America and back, and spread across Polynesia to Hawaii and New Zealand from there.

The sweet potato is not a potato, and it is not a yam! They’re far higher in nutrients than many people realize too, though shouldn’t be eaten as the only vegetable. Consider the sweet potato high in fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Manganese, among many others. It can help boost brain function, stabilize blood sugar, enhance immune system, and it promotes vision health.

Preparation

The simplest way you can prepare a sweet potato is by first heating the oven to 400° F. Pierce each sweet potato several times with the tines of a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Make a slit in the top of each sweet potato.

What else is in the bag?

Apple Bananas
Sugarland

Avocado
Kamaaina Land Nursery

Bok Choy
Kahumana Organic Farm & Cafe

Lettuce
Kunia Country Farms

Mixed Tomatoes
Sugarland

Sweet Potato
Twin Bridge Farms

Plant Based Prepared Meal Box

This Weeks Meal Prep Box Recipes:

Try out these recipes!

Curried Sweet Potatoes and Tofu

Sweet Potatoes with Onions and Tomatoes

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: