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Central Texas Local Box Meal Plan, May 7-11

Can you believe it? Local peaches are here already!! It seems entirely too sudden to be getting peaches and tomatoes in the Local Box, but I suppose it’s time to concede that May has arrived and along with it the warm weather that these fruits love so much.

Peach season in our house is when summer really gets started. School slows down, traffic lightens up, and we spend more and more time hanging out on the porch drinking shandies or lemonade. The meals we’re cooking change, too. Fewer casseroles or oven dishes grace the table; instead I like to make raw salads or simple stove-top dinners that highlight the fresh flavors of early summer.

As blogger Melody mentioned last week, we’re posting all Gluten-free menu ideas in the month of May to celebrate Celiac Awareness Month. The dishes I like to cook during this time of year lend themselves really well to gluten-free preparation, especially if I round out the salads and other one-dish meals with baked goods from Wildwood, a local gluten-free bakery. If you have any favorite gluten-free baking recipes, please share them in the comments! I’ll be doing a dessert round-up next week with some more Local Box goodies.

Meal one: I’m a little bit obsessed with this Asian-inspired Zucchini and Snow Pea Salad recipe since it’s so tasty and easy to prepare! Make sure to use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce to keep it Celiac friendly, and serve it with fresh sliced peaches on the side. As you can see in the picture, the peaches from Lightsey are pretty small. The good news is that the skin is super tender, so you can either nibble the peaches with skin-on out of hand, or use a paring knife to peel them very easily.

Meal two: Adapt this Chickpeas with Chard and Tomatoes to fit this week’s Local Box by subbing kale for the chard, and grape tomatoes for the plum tomatoes. The chickpeas and brown rice in this recipe make it a nutritionally complete, vegan, gluten-free, one-dish wonder! (It tastes great, too!)

Meal three: This recipe for Romain Lettuce Salad with Cilantro Dressing looks like a quick and easy way to knock out the romaine, cilantro, and part of that yellow onion. Serving up Quinoa with Caramelized Onions will be a great way to use up the remainder of the onion, and offer a warm side dish to complete the meal.

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Pit Stop: Local Peaches are Here!

By Kathryn on May 6, 2012 in Greenling Central Texas

What does summer in Texas taste like? Juicy, local peaches! We got the first peach harvest of the season from Lightsey Farms in Mexia, Texas last week, and they taste great! Lightsey grows 15 varieties of peaches each year, and the first to come in this year was Spring Crest variety.

These peaches are small, about the size of a raquetball. If you’re not a fan of peach fuzz, this is the one for you – its beautiful color and very light fuzz make it a lovely peach to eat out of hand.

The Spring Crest Peach’s small size makes it just right for tucking into a lunch, or eating as a morning snack. Bakers and canners may opt to wait for a larger variety later in the summer, though, since the Spring Crest’s small size means it will take several peaches to yield enough flesh for a pie or jar of preserves.

We’ll keep you up to date as we receive additional varieties of peaches when the season deepens. After all, summer without peaches is the pits!

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Who Wants Local Gifts? Yo Mama!

By Kathryn on May 5, 2012 in Greenling Central Texas

Mother’s Day is just a week away, and now is the perfect time to show Mom some local and organic love! We’ve partnered with Whole Foods Market to offer a selection of sweet surprises, along with locally-grown flowers that are sure to make Mom happy, and keep her out of the kitchen for a day!

A limited number of these Mother’s Day gifts are available, soget your order in now. All of our Mother’s Day gifts and meal kits will be delivered on Saturday, May 12.

Mother’s Day Meal Kits

Surprise her with breakfast in bed and locally grown flowers from Klepac Greenhouse in Blanco, Texas. Each of these meal kits serves 4-6 people and includes everything you need to make a family breakfast from scratch! As with all our meal kits, ingredients arrive prepped and portioned along with a recipe, so cooking and clean-up are a snap.

Lemon Ricotta Quiche Breakfast Kit: All the ingredients for Lemon Ricotta Quiche are included, so that cooking breakfast for Mom is a breeze. We even include fruit salad, orange juice, and flowers for the table—all you need to do is give Mom a good morning “quiche” and breakfast is served!

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Strawberry Pecan French Toast Casserole:Give Mom a sweet morning off with a delicious French toast casserole with strawberry streusel topping. Hands-on time is only 10 min, and total prep time is 1 hour, 55 minutes. You can assemble the night before and just pop it in the oven in the morning! The kit includes a side of fruit salad, orange juice, and fresh flowers—everything you need to make a berry special Mother’s day breakfast for 4-6 people.

Mother’s Day Gifts

Blossoms and BonBons : Sweet and simple, this assortment of chocolate and flowers is just the thing to say “Thanks, Mom!” Our selection of local and organic chocolates are sure to disappear quickly, but the hydrangea flowers from Klepac Greennhouses in Blanco arrive in their own pot with roots intact, so she’ll have a lasting reminder of your love.

Time for Tea: Every Mom deserves a little “me” time! Give the special lady in your life a reminder to relax with this all-local gift of flowers, tea, pastries, honey, and a scented candle.

Three Cheers for Mom : Chocolate, wine, and flowers are a trifecta of thanks on Mother’s Day! This decadent gift includes a dozen locally-crafted truffles, locally-grown hydrangeas, and a bottle of Parducci sustainable red wine. Due to TABC rules, we can only deliver this gift in Travis County.

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Central Texas Local Box Meal Plan, May 1-4

By Melody on May 2, 2012 in Central Texas Local Box

In celebration of Celiac Awareness Month, we will be providing gluten free recipes all month long! Many people have heard about this new gluten free craze, but what is it and how does it help people with celiac disease? According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website, celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. What does this mean? Essentially the body is attacking itself every time a person with celiac consumes gluten. Gluten is a protein, which is found in wheat, barley and rye. When people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the finger-like villi of the small intestine. When the villi become damaged, the body is unable to absorb nutrients into the bloodstream, which can lead to malnourishment.

Menu 1: Dessert first! Try this deceptively delicious beet cake from Elana’s Pantry, the Purple Velvet Torte or a no-bake Mango Pie with Coconut Crust.

Menu 2: Onto breakfast with these delicious, to-live-for Gingered Grapefruit Doughnuts or opt for these rustic Carrot Cake Muffins and you’ll start your morning with a smile. Gluten free never tasted so good!

Menu 3: Snack on your snow peas and then enjoy a light lunch of Kale Salad with Quinoa, Tangerines and Roasted Almonds that will fill you up and give you plenty of energy to get you through the rest of your day. Substitute the tangerines in the recipe for your local box oranges and be the envy of the office.

Menu 4: Now that you have 3 gluten free meals under your belt, you’re sure to be a pro. Put a healthy spin on an old dinner favorite with these classic Tacos! Use your hearty cabbage with the grape tomatoes, and throw in some grilled summer squash with your peppers and onions.

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Central Texas Local Box Meal Plan, April 23-27

By Melody on April 26, 2012 in Central Texas Local Box

The weather is starting to heat up and so is the excitement for summer time! This week’s Local Box has a sneak peek of the summer with squash and mangoes! What activities are you looking forward to this summer? Why not dust off your picnic basket and enjoy these picnic friendly meals.

Menu 1: What says picnic more than fancy finger food? Along side your favorite crusty bread and some local cheese, you can try your hand at pickling the carrots, radishes and beets with this simple refrigerator pickle recipe from Food in Jars.

Menu 2: Surprise your sweetie with a picnic brunch and include these Blackberry Mango Muffins and Purslane Pancakes! Top it off with some mimosas and it will be a brunch you won’t forget. Swoon!

Menu 3: Let’s talk tortillas and how you can put anything inside a tortilla! They are portable, easy to handle and {usually} not messy which makes them perfect for a picnic. Try this Quinoa and Grilled Summer Squash recipe, top it with the gorgeous sorrel and then wrap it up in a tortilla! Easy as pie!

Menu 4: Want to fire up the grill on your picnic? Impress your friends with something they have probably never seen – Grilled Cabbage! Prepare the spicy lime dressing and spring onion garnish before you leave and you’ll be the master of the grill!