Week 2 of Door to Door Organics *Update*

Here is what is coming on Wednesday:

Item/Quantity
Collards 1.00 ea.
Green Butter Lettuce 1.00 ea.
Spinach 1.00 ea.
Bananas 5.00 ea.
Danjou Pears 6.00 ea.
Haas Avocado 1.00 ea.
Navel Oranges 6.00 ea.
Gala Apples 6.00 ea.
Loose Beets 1.00 lb
Carrots 1.00 lb
Kiwi 2.00 - ea.
Roma Tomatoes 1.00 lb
Eggplant 1.00 ea.
Red Potatoes 3.00 lb

I was able to substitute Gala apples for Granny Smith, Kiwis for the Radishes and Beets for the Butternut squash (only because we've had a lot of butternut this winter.) I appreciate being able to substitute things. It's been interesting, really taking the time to plan and prepare (really yummy) meals when I'm used to tossing together a quick stir-fry or, worse, a 'breakfast for dinner' meal (that happened a LOT!)

Sam and Mae are at Shabbat Mispacha this morning (at the WOW Museum no less!) and Ted is doing a wonderful job playing quietly by himself til it's time to go to Rachel's birthday party at the ice rink. Here are the meals for next Wed-Wed.

1. Grilled Pizza with Pesto and Roma Tomatoes
2. Tomato Dal w/Spinach p129 Veg Slow Cooker
3. Eggplant Parmesan Burgers p54 VFF
4. Asian Tofu p145 VWAV
5. Tofu Lettuce Wraps
Braised Collard Greens p134 VFF
Garlic Mashed Potatoes p110 VWAV
Orange Glazed Beets p117 VWAV
Sweet Potato Fries p114 VWAV

I noticed that planning a meal for every day left us with waaaay too many leftovers (although lunches have been spectacular, I've only had ONE BLT!) So for next week, I planned 5 main meals and 3 side dishes (plus salad whenever the mood strikes. The Green Butter Lettuce is sooo good.) This way we can enjoy leftovers for dinner too. Also, I need to remember to sub extra carrots in sometimes...a pound of carrots is only enough for 1 main or 2 side dishes, and they are called for a LOT. The fruit has been excellent too. I'm waiting for the avacado to ripen so I can try a recipe for Avacado and Mango salad, a sort of guacomole. Mmm.

*Update* (Updates will be posted as they are tasted!)

• The grilled pizza was fabulous, but I need to fiddle with my pizza dough recipe. It turned out delicious, but it was way too dry and hard at the beginning. Luckily Paul thought to add water. We ended up with 2 adult sized and 4 child sized mini pizzas. They were really good though and we will make this again for sure. 5 stars.
• The Tomato Dal was disappointing. There was a significant amount of prep work to do before even putting it in the cooker. Plus I had to transfer it into a larger saucepan at the end to fit the spinach in. I know I have a small crockpot but all the other recipes fit without a problem. It tasted good, but dull...or should I say, mild. I'm sure I could kick the spices up a notch, but with that amount of work, I probably won't do it again for a while. On the bright side, it made a TON so I'll freeze the rest for another cold night. 1 star. **ANOTHER UPDATE** I defrosted this and we had it on April 8. It was delicious. I think there is something about letting it really sit and soak up the flavors. Really yummy and I'm planning to do it again just to freeze it!!
  
• The Eggplant Parmesan Burgers were very good, but the texture was a little weird for me. They were soft and mushy, rather than firm and crispy. They tasted great, but felt funny! 1 star.
  
• The Asian Tofu was YUMMY. It was a little too time sensative (1hr to press + 1 hr to marinate, then the 30 min to bake) but it was really good. 4 stars.
• Tofu Lettuce Wraps: These were surprisingly good! I didn't expect the marinade to be so spot-on with my favorite wraps at Spice China. My tofu didn't hold up, so next time I'll try the press method and see if it's hardier. Very yummy. Needs more veggies though-maybe some broccoli or snow peas. 5 stars.
  
• Collard Greens: YUM. A meal in itself. I didn't really need a meal, just a side, so next time I may omit the chickpeas. Very tasy! 4 stars.
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Delicious and a refreshing change from boxed flakes. I left the skins on and used a significant amount of garlic. Very good. And easy. 4 stars.
• Orange Glazed Beets: I love beets so I couldn't NOT like these, but they were disappointing. They didn't 'glaze' like they were supposed to and they were a little too crunchy at the end for my liking. Still, the 'sauce' was yummy and I'll enjoy them on the side this week (since no one else is a beets fan.) Only 2 stars for the lack-o-glaze.
• Sweet Potato Fries: YUM. Easy and delicious. Not as crispy as I had hoped, but still great. 4 stars.