Dinner Plans: Week 37

It’s Week 37 of Dinner Plans and we're inching closer to autumn!

This was one of those weeks where we needed to skip this week's CSA pickup. We still have so much produce to cook through! We were also able to check out Dessa's final farm stand for the season and I am so excited for all the yellow tomatillos and passion fruit we picked up. I'm working on a few recipes with those fruits so stay tuned!

We've got a few peppers, lots of jalapeños, tomatoes, and greens remaining. I picked up some corn from the grocery store as I'm recipe writing a few final summer dishes. Those are coming to the blog this week as we relish these last days of summer.

Seasonal Cooking Tip: Freezing Fruits and Veggies Whole

This week I picked up close to 5 pounds of yellow tomatillos from a local farm stand. I'll share more about this tomatillo variety in a separate blog post but for now I spent the afternoon de-husking and washing them. I then put them in gallon freezer bags and am freezing them whole. This will work for salsa prep for the months ahead.

Did you know that could freeze fruits and veggies whole? We can! Here are three steps I take to do just that:

1. Remove any stems, husks, or leaves: For the tomatillos, I removed the husks that surround the outer skins. If freezing fruits like strawberries, I will remove the green leaves and hull the strawberries to make it easier to freeze.
2. Wash and dry fruits and vegetables prior to freezing: We want to make sure we wash off any excess dirt from the produce. Gently rinse with room temperature water. You can also use a fruit and veggie wash to give the produce a good cleaning before drying and storing.
3. Dry completely before storing in freezer safe bags: Use a clean kitchen towel to dry the washed produce to remove any excess moisture and prevent freezer burn. Place produce in freezer safe bags by desired weight or measurement and freeze. Most produce will freeze well anywhere from 3 to 12 months.

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

We're counting down to autumn and after making my first pumpkin bread this week as a recipe test I started to catch the fall bug. We've got a blend of summer recipes and nods to autumn for our dinners this week. We're keeping it simple with one-pot pastas and salads that give a proper summer send-off.

Here is our game plan for dinner this week:

Sunday: One-Pot Orzo with Tomatoes, Corn, and Zucchini

Monday: Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini

Tuesday: These Crispy Black Bean Tacos from Plant Based RD

Wednesday: Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Maple Roast Delicata Squash

Thursday: Easy Vegetarian Zucchini Tarts in Puff Pastry

Friday: Charred Corn Salad with Chili Lime Cotija Dressing

Saturday: Pizza Capricciosa with Olives, Artichokes, Prosciutto, Mushrooms, and Fior di Latte

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. 😉

Cheers to a nourishing week. ❤️