(Vegan) Ginger & Lime Lettuce Wraps

A recipe from CSA member Madi!

Ginger & Lime Lettuce Wraps

(Vegan) Ginger & Lime Lettuce Wraps
I am a huge fan of butterhead lettuce, and so I was stoked to receive a head of it in our last share. I made these delicious vegan lettuce wraps — you could, of course, opt for ground pork/chicken/beef, however, I had some Impossible Beef on hand at home and figured I’d give it a whirl. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
-1 lb ground meat, or vegan meat
-1 small white onion, diced
-3-5 cloves garlic, minced
-1-2 inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced (I went heavy on the ginger)
-Bunch of green onions***, sliced
-1 head of butterhead lettuce***
-1 lime
-1 tbs neutral oil
-Tender herbs (basil, mint, cilantro) to top
-For the sauce: Soy sauce, sriracha, hoisin, rice wine vinegar (all to taste - find your perfect sweet/spicy balance)

Recipe:
1. Heat skillet at medium heat. Crumble vegan meat into a skillet, and brown for 5-8 minutes. Remove meat from the pan once browned to your liking, and set aside in a small bowl.
2. Add diced onions and minced garlic to the skillet, with a bit of neutral oil, and cook until fragrant.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine a few splashes of soy sauce, sriracha, sweet chili paste or hoisin, and rice wine vinegar.
4. Add sauce and ginger to the onions in the skillet, and mix to combine.
5. Toss sliced green onions, your crumbled meat, sesame seeds, and the squeeze of 1 juicy lime into the skillet, and warm all together for a minute or two.
6. Spoon mixture onto your butterhead pieces, drizzle with more hot sauce, and top w/ either basil or cilantro, if desired!

Peach and Tomato Ideas

In the heat of August, it can be hard to get too excited about cooking over a hot stove or oven. With the recent summer bounty of tomatoes and peaches, it's easy to make use of fresh produce without breaking a sweat! Here are two very simple, but delicious, ideas for how to use the recent bumper crop.

Peach, tomato & basil salad

Serves approx. 4

Ingredients

- 3 large heirloom tomatoes

- a handful of grape or cherry tomatoes

- 2 peaches

- a handful of fresh basil

- 3/4 cup olive oil

- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

- 1/2 shallot, minced

Instructions

- Prep salad ingredients: Cut large tomatoes and peaches into small cubes; cut grape tomatoes in half (or quarters, if you prefer); tear basil leaves into small to medium sized pieces. Lightly salt the tomatoes once you cut them.

- Make the dressing: Mix oil, vinegar, minced shallot, and a small pinch of salt and pepper into a sealed container or jar; shake vigorously. Add more of any ingredient to taste. (Detailed guidance available here.)

- Arrange the tomatoes, peaches, and basil on a plate and dress lightly. Serve alongside your favorite entree or for a special treat, top the salad with fresh burrata cheese and torn prosciutto. Enjoy!

Peach and tomato toast

Serves 2

Ingredients

- 1 heirloom tomato

- 1 peach

- 4 slices seeded bread (I like the seedy whole grain from Lost Bread Company; you can find them at the Saturday Greenmarket at Grand Army Plaza)

- 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese or farmer's cheese (you can use more if you want a more cheese-forward toast); I like the dill farmer's cheese from Chaseholm Farm, also available at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket

- Olive oil

- Salt (preferably a larger flaky salt)

Instructions

- Toast bread -- I like to do it in the broiler with a dash of olive oil to get it extra crispy

- Thinly slice tomatoes and peaches

- Spread a thin layer of cheese over the toast

- Layer tomatoes and peach on top of the cheese

- Top with a little drizzle of oil and a few salt flakes

Scallion and Arugula Macaroni Salad

Scallions and arugula - macaroni salad - this one isn't online anymore but it's an old recipe from 101 cookbooks, and is one of my favorite things to do with scallions. (You can also just use the scallion sauce recipe in a bunch of things if you don't want to make the pasta salad) Macaroni Salad

Leftovers are great for a couple days, but the pasta continues to absorb the sauce, so you might want to moisten things up with a bit of mayo at this point, or creme fraiche, or some salted plain yogurt.

1 pound elbow macaroni

1/4 cup / 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced green onions {~3-4 bunches}
3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
fine grain sea salt
lots of freshly ground black pepper
zest and juice of one lemon
1/3 cup / 2 oz grated Parmesan

4 big handfuls arugula
1 large apple, diced

Cook the macaroni in a large pot of well-salted water per package instructions. Set aside at least 1/2 cup / 120ml pasta water. Then drain pasta and set aside.

In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large skillet until hot. Add most of the green onions, all of the garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions soften, and the garlic begins to take on some color, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a couple minutes.

Use a hand blender or food processor to puree the green onion mixture along with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, zest of the lemon, half the lemon juice, and the reserved pasta water. Puree and taste. The green onion flavor should be assertive. Stir in the Parmesan.

Combine the macaroni with the green onion sauce in a large bowl. Toss well. Add the arugula and most of the apple and toss again. Taste, and add more pepper, salt, or lemon juice if needed. Serve topped with the remaining apple and green onion.

Makes enough for a crowd or potluck.

Leafy Greens Sandwhich

CSA member Robin suggests the Peanut Butter and Greens Sandwich from Lukas Volger and says, “I was skeptical about this before I tried it, but it's fantastic. Make a big batch of marinated greens, and then use leftovers for these sandwiches.”

Consider Roasting Tomatoes: A Way to Preserve the Bounty

Robin, one of our members, shares this tomato recipe from Smitten Kitchen. They say it is a great way to preserve a bounty of tomatoes if you can't eat them all fresh. Roast a bunch, and pop them in the freezer and eat once tomato season is over!