CSA: Week #2 Update

I count my week #2 CSA basket as a success. I managed to make use of all the cabbage though some of it probably won’t be eaten. The last of the kale will be eaten tonight. I just chopped and blanched the celery, and it is now waiting in my freezer for another day.

Here is what I did with the cabbage and kale:

Kale – I made chopped kale salads. I mixed blue cheese dressing with balsamic and olive oil to make a tangy and creamy dressing.

Cabbage – The cabbage went further than I thought it would. I made three dishes with varying levels of success.

• Dish #1 – Low-carb Taco Cabbage Skillet – I covered this recipe and my modifications in-depth in my previous post. It was by far our tastiest use of cabbage!
• Dish #2 – Parmesan Garlic Cabbage – I made this recipe at lunch one day. I thought it would be wonderful, but it was kind of bland. The blogger who posted it described it as a good side dish, and I could see that. I ate it as a main dish, and it just needed something more. Maybe that something more needs to be a nicely spiced chicken or pork entree.
• Dish #3 – Asian Ginger Slaw – I made this slaw on Friday afternoon with the intention of pairing it with dumplings from a local Chinese restaurant. I think I should have chopped the cabbage more finely. The dish just didn’t seem right. The flavors blended well, and I was able to use the local honey from this week’s CSA basket, but it just seemed a bit off. I do think the chunkiness of the cabbage affected how well (or not) the dish came together. I will try this recipe again with a very finely chopped cabbage. The leftovers are in the refrigerator. I’m afraid my husband and I are not inspired to eat them. Of course, this is the one dish that I caught on camera, and it’s the photo for this post.

We are excited about our next CSA basket! I wonder what adventures we’ll find at pick-up tomorrow night.