Dinner Plans: Week 30

It’s Week 30 of Dinner Plans and we're reaching peak summer produce!

I'm relishing all the summertime activities here in Napa Valley. Everything is bursting with blooms. Vineyards are full of green leaves and growing grapes. And the produce is popping! Summertime corn, tomatoes, berries and more are in abundance at the farmers market, and our CSA boxes, and I'm seeing this reflected in the dishes we're returning to time and again for our weekly dinners.

Seasonal Cooking Tip: Keeping Cool as Cucumbers

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 cooling and hydrating perfection of cucumbers. There are some that are great for the pickling and preserving and others great for salads, flavoring water, or grating into sauces. We've been getting a few baskets of this summertime staple and here are a few ideas I've got percolating for using them:

• Making a batch of Refrigerator Pickles for Sandwiches and BBQ Burgers
• Smashed into Salads
• Grated into Tzatziki
• Marinated in Chili Oil
• All the summer salads!

Dinner Plans for Week 30

Summer produce is at its best this week with the first tomatoes in our CSA boxes that has me dreaming up of the quintessential Summer BLT sandwich. Walla Walla Onions will be crafted into a Caramelized Onion Jam for those summertime burgers and grilled sausages for peak outdoor grilling season. Loose beets will be peeled and stored in the freezer for the weekly smoothies my kiddo has been enjoying. Daikon radish and carrots will join forces for easy summer salads and in a braised short rib dish that oozes Sunday Supper Comfort Food.

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

Riverdog Farm:

• Gold Nugget Cherry Tomatoes
• Bella Roja Potatoes
• Carrots
• Loose Beets
• Scarred Slicing Cucumbers
• Mixed Summer Squash
• Walla Walla Onions
• Green Cabbage

Stepping Stone Farm:

• Natural Sweet Corn
• Italian Heirloom Tomato
• Mini Mac Daikon Radish
• Green Mountain Rhubarb
• Specialty Summer Squash
• Shio Koji from Rice Flower Koji

Our Game Plan for Dinner this Week:

Sunday: Braised Short Ribs with Daikon Radish and Carrots

Monday: Crispy Marinated Tofu with Rice and Daikon & Carrot Salad in Shio Koji-Sesame Dressing

Tuesday: Zucchini-Corn Tostadas or Sopes with Refried Rio Zape Beans

Wednesday: One Pot Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes, Corn, and Crumbled Italian Sausage (a riff off this recipe)

Thursday: Baja Fish Tacos with Jalapeño-Cilantro Cabbage Slaw

Friday: Zucchini Corn Fritters with Red Potato & Dill Salad with Grilled Steak

Saturday: Pizza with Zucchini Basil Pesto & Prosciutto

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. 😉