Dinner Plans: Week 41

It’s Week 41 of Dinner Plans and we're in low-cook mode to weather this heatwave!

It's "Shoulder Season" now in Napa even if the temperatures say 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The farmers market is abundant with late summer tomatoes nestled against figs and early autumn squash. This in-between is one of my favorite ways to mark the change of season. While carrying a hopeful heart that cooler days are ahead.

We picked up our first CSA share with Riverdog Farm and received a box filled with heirloom tomatoes, fragrant basil, zucchini, cucumber, arugula and chard. Bonus: our pickup location is at The Fatted Calf, our local butcher and charcuterie shop in Napa. I got to pick up the box and shop for house-made beef and pork grinds for the weekend meals. It's definitely a treat!

Seasonal Cooking Tip: DIY Salad Mix

When cooking seasonally, I've leaned on the practice of making our own salad mix. I remember the days when I would buy pre-packed greens only to have them sit in the fridge and go bad (who hasn't had that happen?). Now, on the weeks I get a few bunches of greens that work well for a salad mix, I take to making my own. This week we've got arugula and chard that will work perfectly for this purpose. Here are three things I do to keep our greens crisp for salads all week long:

• Step 1: Wash and rinse your greens well with lukewarm water. You can also use a veggie wash to rinse out any remaining bug friends that came along for the ride in the produce box.
• Step 2: Dry the greens thoroughly. A salad spinner or clean linen kitchen towel works well to remove any moisture from the leaves. Doing so ensures the leaves stay crisp and fresh for the week ahead.
• Step 3: Store your cleaned greens in an airtight container or reusable bag. I love this Stasher Bag as it stands upright in the refrigerator and holds a good amount of the salad greens I put together from a given CSA box pickup.

Once you've got your salad greens prepped for the week you can whip up an easy vinaigrette to have on hand. Pantry staples are great to make homemade dressings a breeze. See Part I and Part II of my Pantry Essentials Series for more tips and recommendations for keeping a well stocked pantry no matter what size pantry you have.

DINNER PLANS FOR THE WEEK

As we navigate a growing food bill, I'm working to keep things simple for meals and relying on items we have on hand in the freezer and pantry. Apart from the CSA box, the only additional produce items I picked up were some mushrooms and avocados for toast. I picked up sourdough for homemade croutons and feta and fior di latte for easy salads. It's still going to be hot. Meals that require low-cook or no cook will be tops in my book this week.

Here is our game plan for dinner this week:

Sunday: Fall Harvest Salad with Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Monday: Melon Salad with Chili Lime Dressing (Using the orange melon as a sub for watermelon)

Tuesday: Charred Corn Salad with Lime Cotija Dressing and Grilled Chicken

Wednesday: Maple Roast Harissa Carrot Soup with Crispy Mushrooms

Thursday: Broccolini and Beans Salad

Friday: Caldo de Pescado (Mexican Fish Soup)

Saturday: Pizza with Prosciutto and Mushrooms

From favorite recipes to new things with a wide variety of ingredients, cooking delicious food with our CSA definitely gets us out of a dinner rut and reduce food waste. I share meal ideas for our busy weeks with our weekly newsletter. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to be in the know when they’re live. 😉

Wishing you a nourishing week ahead. 🧡