A Family-sized Farm Share for One.

This was the first week of our CSA share from Farmer Dave's. We're technically splitting the share with our friend, The Paperblog Princess. But she's jetsetting right now, leaving us to kill off the share ourselves.

Chris picked up the first major armload of veggies on Wednesday and promptly flew off to Dayton for a wedding. And so, a family-sized share of veggies quickly became a farm share for one.

Never in my life have I eaten so many variations of lettuce, spinach, bok choy and kale in one week. This photo shows what was left after I made a sizable salad for a potluck dinner on Thursday:

Well, aside from the asparagus. That I just had leftover in my refrigerator already. Needless to say, I felt pretty obligated to create veggie-heavy dishes for all soccer viewing events this weekend. 

First up was the Revs v. Fire tailgate in Foxboro on Saturday. I cooked only for myself, so the dishes were small. My favorite of the night was a green bean and sugar snap pea salad with pickled red onions, inspired (as I often am) by Smitten Kitchen:

Slightly less successful (if only because it tasted really, really green) was braised bok choy with garlic and peanuts:

good and healthy, but pretty bitter...

 The veggiefest continued on Sunday as I hosted my friend Jill to watch USA v. Jamaica on Univision. We enjoyed a strawberry, avocado and fried almond salad with lots of greens:

 Along with a summer beet salad:

I am proud to say that with a little help, I ate my way through 80% of our farm share. Now we just have to figure out to do with next week's share while we're off in LA and Seattle...

As an aside, I am pretty sure these are pea tendrils, but someone correct me if I am wrong:

What, exactly, does one make with pea tendrils?

Tangy Mustard Coleslaw: Revs 3, Sporting KC 2

 
Finally, a week filled with excitement and anticipation for Revs fans! Between the addition of USMNT player/heartthrob Benny Feilhaber through the MLS allocation process and the unveiling of a new jersey sponsor, the parking lot (and the internet) were buzzing in the lead-up to this game.


To cap off the week, we were treated to a big win at home. And, miracle of miracles, the rain held off long enough for us to savor the win. This may be coming from the swooning teenage girl inside of me, but I'd say that both Benny Feilhaber and Rajko Lekic made an instant positive impact on the Revs' offensive energy. Considering both were involved in scoring plays, my impish giddiness can't be totally misguided. 


Expecting heavy rain and a generally uncomfortable parking lot experience, Asphalt Kitchen brought it's pregame tailgate indoors. On the menu: Tangy Mustard Coleslaw (recipe below) and Ruined Homemade Veggie Burgers. The burgers were part of a test-run for Asphalt Kitchen's first large-scale catering job at the upcoming American Outlaws Tailgate for the US v. Spain game on June 4th. Stay posted for more on these as the big day draws near. And be sure to come taste them at the tailgate in June! For now:

Tangy Mustard Coleslaw
Adapted from Cooking Light, June 2008


Ingredients
  1/2 head green cabbage, finely shredded
  1/2 medium-sized red onion, thinly vertically sliced
  2 carrots, grated
  1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  2 tablespoons sugar
  2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
  2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
  salt and black pepper to taste


Preparation
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, mustard, mayonnaise, and spices.
  2. Add cabbage, onion, and carrots. Toss well to coat.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Stir immediately prior to serving.


This 'slaw was easy to make and had just the right amount of kick for me. It tasted excellent served alongside Ruined Homemade Veggie Burgers...even if we had to cook them in a frying pan and eat them while seated at a proper dining table.

On the plus side, since our carload of fans ate at home prior to arriving at the tailgate, we were left with plenty of time for trash can soccer and general parking lot tomfoolery. 

The Tricky Thing About Away Game Tailgates...(plus a recipe for pineapple salsa)

...is that you really have to plan ahead. This is especially difficult if you, like me, are inexcusably forgetful. I make lists. I leave myself post-its. I pack a day in advance. I double check my lists. Yet I inevitably manage to leave some essential item at home. 

There was the time I spent an hour preparing Strawberry, Pistachio, and Goat Cheese Pizza, only to discover upon opening the trunk of our car that I'd left the crust on my kitchen counter. Or the time I made lovely veggie kabobs but forgot to check the propane tank. It was, of course, empty. 

For this weekend's tailgate, I have the luxury of access to my father's kitchen day of game. If you've been to an away game, you understand that this is truly a luxury. At the USA v Czech Republic World Cup Sendoff Series match in Hartford last May, I prepared tailgate sandwiches on the bedside table of a Marriott hotel room using a spiral notebook as a cutting board. Four days later, at the USA v Turkey match, my cooler served as stand-in refrigerator for an entire weekend. Thank goodness for free hotel ice.

On the menu for USA v Argentina:

Grilled asparagus with garlic paprika aioli 

(adapted from Jane Noraika, Vegetarian Food For Friends)

 Grilled pizza margherita with pesto sauce

Pineapple Salsa

(adapted from Cooking Light, April 2002) - recipe below 


and just to snack on...
 Crackers with Fromager d'Affinois
(a Stephanie Donohue favorite)

I find that having veggies chopped and ingredients pre-measured goes a long way to save time (and stress) on game day. Since travel is bound to be chaotic, I gave myself a head start by doing all grocery shopping and the majority of prep work last night. I made the pesto, aioli, and chopped up ingredients for the salsa. I find small screw top jars indispensable! I've checked my packing list three times now. Who's taking bets on what item I'll forget??

Pineapple Salsa

Adapted from Cooking Light, April 2002

Ingredients

   1 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple

   1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

   1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

   1/4 cup pineapple preserves

   1-2 tablespoons finely chopped seeded jalapeno pepper (I prefer it on the spicier side)

   1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

   1/4 teaspoon black pepper

   1/4 teaspoon sugar

Preparation

  Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips (I dig Red Hot Blues)