Dinner Plans: Week 18

It’s Week 18 of Dinner Plans and we've got springtime produce up and running!

Our Stepping Stone Farm Spring CSA began this week and it's such a treat to enjoy all the delicious fruits and vegetables Patrick is growing this season. After a couple weeks off from CSA pickups so we could make sure we cooked through as much produce as possible, it was great to have both Stepping Stone and Riverdog Farm pickups to replenish our produce drawers for the week ahead.

Seasonal Cooking Tip: Radish Refresh

When it comes to seasonal cooking, this year I'm sharing a weekly tip here focused on preparing ingredients, preserving foods, and kitchen hacks that help you save time.

This week we're talking about the crunchy deliciousness of springtime radishes. Spring radishes are smaller, milder-flavored, and quicker-growing than winter radishes. We kicked off our spring CSA season with a bunch of French Breakfast Radishes and they are an absolute delight in a tartine with butter.

To extend the shelf life of radishes, I'll slice up a few and store them in a mason jar with an airtight lid filled with filtered water. This helps to keep them crisp for at least a week. You can also opt to pickle radish with carrots and shallots for a crunchy and briny snack bite perfect for any time of day.

Dinner Plans for Week 18

I had been counting down to this week! Our Stepping Stone Farm CSA began it's spring CSA season and the first box was a delight to behold. Edible flowers to sprinkle on breakfast toasts, more shio koji from Micros Life that I love using in marinades and veggie breakfast scrambles, and of course the GOAT of carrots.

This season we'll have BOTH farm CSA pickups weekly so this will be a fun challenge to make sure our family works through enjoying every ounce of fresh fruits and veggies before the next scheduled pickup day. I'm also ready for the recipe inspiration to unfold as we savor the springtime produce here in Napa.

Here’s what we received from our CSA shares this week:

Riverdog Farm:

• Gold Oak Gold Nugget Mandarins
• Batavian Lettuce
• Spinach
• Cilantro
• Gold & Red Beet
• Tokyo Turnips
• Bok Choi

Stepping Stone Farm:

• French Breakfast Radish
• Green Garlic
• Edible Flowers
• Napoli Carrots
• Pea Shoots
• Shio Koji

Our Game Plan for Dinner this Week:

Sunday: Slow Roasted Beef with Roasted Carrots and Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Monday: Asparagus Tarts in Puff Pastry with Side Salad

Tuesday: Carne en su Jugo from Rick Martinez's Mi Cocina (pg. 251)

Wednesday: Fire Roasted Corn Salad with Crispy Chicken Cutlets

Thursday: Broccoli Beef Bowls with Sauteed Bok Choi

Friday: French Breakfast Radish Tartines and Roast Chicken

Saturday: Pizza Picnic with Kalamata Olive, Sausage, Caramelized Shallots, and Soppressata

From favorite recipes to new meal ideas using a wide variety of ingredients, cooking delicious food with our CSA definitely gets us out of a dinner rut while reducing 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. 😉