It’s Week 24 of Dinner Plans seasonal meal idea inspiration is abound!
This weekend I set aside time to tour the culinary garden at The French Laundry and came away deeply inspired. One of the many reminders I experience living here, as we round the corner to the end of our first year living in Napa, is just how close we are to so many incredible restaurants that make up Napa Valley’s rich food and wine culture. Sampling fresh herbs, edible succulents, and seasonal fruits and veggies gave me a jolt of inspiration for our own garden and the meals we can craft from it. If you’re a passionate home cooking with plans to visit the area, I highly recommend adding the culinary garden tour to your list.
Seasonal Cooking Tip: Ways to use Microgreens
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 microgreens. We’ll find them at the farmers market or local grocery store in small containers. In essence, microgreens are the beginnings of vegetables, any kind, that are harvested at a very early stage in growth. Popular varieties include arugula, radishes, alfalfa, broccoli, and even sunflowers. When at the culinary garden tour for the The French Laundry this weekend, we sampled microgreens for purple basil, cantaloupe, and amaranth. I was struck by the strong flavors that came from each of the microgreens we tasted.
What you might notice when trying microgreens is that the flavor is more concentrated, punchy, salty, or even peppery depending on the variety. Used as an accent, they’re a wonderful addition to seasonal dishes. Here’s a few ideas for your dinner table:
- Sprinkle as a garnish to finished dishes like roast fish, soups, or salads.
- Use as an ingredient within the salad mix or sautés for frittatas, quiche, or other dishes.
- Stir microgreens into risotto, pasta, or rice dishes.
- Add microgreens to sandwiches and wraps for a nutritious punch to your lunch.
Dinner Plans for Week 24
We skipped our Riverdog Farm box this week as we have plenty of vegetables and fruits that we need to enjoy as ingredients have begun to stack up in the fridge. I have plans for loads of lunch time salads to use up the remaining salad greens (plus the greens we’re beginning to harvest in the garden!). Bok choi to be included with our breakfast scrambles and pickling radishes for tacos later in the week.
Here’s what we received from our CSA share this week:
Stepping Stone Farm:
- English Shelling Peas
- Japanese Sprouting Cauliflower
- Roxy Butterhead Lettuce
- Badgerflame Beets
- Orange Fancy Carrots
- Sugar Lode Snap Pea Shoots & Fresh Mint
- Umami Sauce from MicrosLife
Our Game Plan for Dinner this Week:
Sunday: Fresh Tagliatelle with Peas and Carrots tossed with Carrot Top Pesto and Served alongside Roast Chicken Thighs
Monday: Shaved Roast Golden Beet Carpaccio with Beet Green Pesto, Crème Fraîche, and Toasted Nuts
Tuesday: Lamb Picadillo Tacos with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Wednesday: Roast Salmon with Sugar Snap Pea Salad
Thursday: Umami Sauce Marinated Mushrooms & Tofu for Rice Bowls with Stir Fry Carrots, Peas, and the last of the broccoli from the previous CSA boxes
Friday: Grilled Steak with Cherry and Arugula Salad
Saturday: Pizza with Peaches, Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata with Balsamic
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. 😉
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