Veggie Box and Artisan members, here’s what you’ll be receiving in your bags this week:

• Asparagus (Barrie Hill Farms) Read all about asparagus and get recipes here!

• Radishes (ANC produce) Yum, they are here!  One of my favorite summertime veggies, for sure!  Crisp, crunchy and flavourful, I love them in sandwiches, in salads, grated in dips , or just on their own.  If you’re not a fan of their heat, you can always roast them to bring out their sweetness!  Click here for radish info and recipes.

• Roma Tomatoes (Sovereign Farms) Great for cooking or on sandwiches and salads!  Nothing like an open-faced tomato sandwich with just a bit of mayo and S&P!

• Spanish Onion These are large, white onions that are handy for so many recipes!

• Yellow Zucchini,  aka summer squash, this is a prefect grilling veggie. Sliced thinly, it’s delicious raw too!  Check out tons of info and recipes here.  You can also find some grilling tips and recipes here.

• Cucumber (Shabatura Farms) I love the combination of cool cucumber with hot radish!  Grate both of these into yogurt or sour cream, with some salt and pepper for an instant dip!

• Salad Greens (Meadowsweet Farms) Do I like to make salads? yes!  Am I lazy and love my greens to be pre-washed?  YES!!  Besides simply being absolutely fresh, flavourful and delicious, these greens are already pre-washed.  Yay!

• Dinosaur Kale, aka Black, Tuscan or Lacinato (Zephyr Organics) I’ve been patiently waiting for it, and now it’s here!  Kale!  Healthy beyond belief, kale is a delicious veggie both cooked and in salads.  If you’re eating it raw, the key is to remove any tough ribs, and to slice the leaves thin–the tougher the leaves, the thinner shreds the better!  Read all about kale, and check out a dozen recipes here.

Artisan Members, you’ll also be receiving these amazing items:

Veggie:

• Green Garlic (KEG Coop)  We are very excited to be providing you the first garlic of the season–green garlic!!  It’s the young garlic before it begins to develop into bulbs and cloves. It’s the first stage of garlic’s “cycle of life.”  Green garlic is available in the spring, then scapes come in early summer, ending in bulbs in the late fall which last until about February.  Preserved and picked garlic takes us through the rest of the season until the green garlic appears again in the spring.  Green garlic has a more mild garlic flavour than mature garlic.

Cooking tip: Try sauteing green garlic in some butter with salt and pepper and serve it as a side dish.  You can also brush it with oil and grill it for a couple of minutes.  Or just thinly slice it raw and use it as you would green onion–in salads, as a garnish, in dips, etc.  Add it to recipes that call for green onion, leeks or garlic.  Make sure to check out the green garlic recipes below. Enjoy!

Herbs:

• Herbal Tea Blend: Mint, Lemon Balm & Lavender!! (Sage Rising)  We are very excited to be offering you these tasty herbs!  Sage Rising is a Toronto-based herb farm that grows their product in a number of backyard garden spaces throughout the city.  Our very own Ryan (from this program and Culinarium) worked with them over the start of their season planting and tending to beds, so we feel especially excited to taste the results of his hard work!!  We hope to be providing a different herb each week!  Check out their website here.

Use this week’s herb in an iced tea, or in some lemonade!  Or liven up your gin and tonic or favorite summer cocktail with a few herbs (you can also freeze them into ice cubes).  This mix can also be tossed in any salad, and would work especially well with your cucumbers, radish, onions and greens!  As well as your strawberries and rhubarb!  Enjoy them!!

Fruit:

• Strawberries (Shabatura Farms)  I can wait to try these first berries of the season!  At first, I think we all just like them on their own, maybe with a touch of sugar.  But if you’re looking for recipes, click here for tips, recipes and stawberry info! 

• Rhubarb (KEG Coop)  Rhubarb freezes really well, so you can always cut it up and freeze it for use later in the season.  Click here to read on how to freeze it, along with recipes and other ideas. 

Pantry:

• 1/2 dozen eggs from Hope Farms! These are delicious farm-fresh eggs that come from the Hope Farms Mennonite community.  Once you’ll try them, you can be sure you’ll never crave a regular store-bought egg again!  Read about egg farming and about Hope Farm Eggs here.  You can also read a more in-depth article about egg farming here, published recently in Edible Toronto.

And don’t forget, these amazing eggs are always available at Culinarium, so pick some up next time you’re in.  Or if you get your bag delivered, simply pre-order your eggs and we’ll deliver them to you along with your produce bag. 

Cheese: 

Black Sheep by Monforte Dairy  This is a delicious cheese from one of our favorite cheese makers, Monforte!  It’s a soft sheep’s milk cheese, covered with vegetable ash.  The ash actually doesn’t give it any flavour, but it does give the cheese a striking look!

Recipes!

Grilling Ontario Veggies and Fruit!

Make sure to check out this post on grilling!

Mediterranean Kale Salad

Your one bunch of kale should be fine for this salad.  You can also use your green garlic instead of the green onions, and use your herb mix instead of the mint and parsley.  Some chopped tomatoes would also work well!

Grilled Asparagus Salad with Fried Eggs

An easy dinner any day of the week!  Use your greens this week in place of the arugula.

Spring Veggie and Goat Cheese Dip

OMG, how delicious does that picture look??!!  EVERYONE loves hot dips, so if you want a hit appetizer  for a party, I’d say try this!  You’re herbs will come in handy for this one.  And you can use your green garlic instead of the leeks!  And if you want to “green it up” add some cooked kale to this too (just steam some kale and chop it before adding it to the recipe).  And make sure to buy your goat cheese at Culinarium!  It’s always available at the store!

Spaghetti with Calabrian Chilies, Radishes and Lemon.

OK, yes, this sounds strange–radishes in pasta!?!  I’m a big fan of more plain pastas like this one.  Cooking the radishes makes them sweeter, so I can see where this is going!  Calabrian chilies are also called Peperoncini.  You could also just use red chili flakes.  Make sure to garnish with some of your fresh herbs too!

5 Green Garlic Recipes

Here are some tasty-looking recipes, including one for a Quinoa Pilaf with Peas and Green Garlic, and a Green Garlic, chive and Red Pepper Frittata.  Yum!

Parsley, Kale and Berry Smoothie

Use any of your favorite frozen Ontario berries for this nutrient-packed drink!!

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Culinarium’s Food Box Programs

Have you just stumbled upon this blog, or was forwarded it by a friend?  To find out more about Culinarium’s amazing Ontario Food Box programs, click here!

Here in Ontario, radishes are in season from May to November.

In general, radishes can be categorized into four seasonal groups–spring, summer, fall and winter, along with a variety of colours (red, pink, white, black etc.) and shape (round or elongated).

Spring and summer radishes are often referred to as European radishes.  The most common variety we see is the Cherry Bell (round, red with white interior).  French Breakfast radishes are also popular, due to their elongated shape, mainly red with white tips–gorgeous!

Winter radishes include the Black radish (as OAS members already know–it’s a large, round radish that’s white on the inside and black on the outside, with a very peppery flavour) and daikon radish.

Nutrition–Radishes connote health in some cultures.  There’s a Lithuanian expression “sveikas kaip radikas” meaning “healthy like a radish”–it’s used as a compliment when describing a healthy person.

Radishes are rich in Vitamin C, folic acid and potassium, and are a source of fibre. They have a high water content, making them very low in calories (about 20 calories per 1/2 cup of sliced radish)!

Cooking and eating radishes:  Both radish leaves and the radish root can be eaten. Radish leaves are often quite dirty, so washing them multiple times is necessary.  Try adding them to other greens in a salad. Radish roots are delicious eaten raw whole, or thinly sliced or grated into a salad.  Try adding a grated radish to your favorite dip recipe- a little radish goes a long way!  If you don’t like the heat of radishes, try roasting them!  Roasting radishes significantly reduces their peppery flavour.  See radish recipes below.

Storage:  If you’re planning on storing them for more than 2-3 days, remove the leaves and store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.  They can be stored for a couple of weeks.  If they do get a bit soft, place radishes in cold water for an hour or so to crisp them up.

Radish Recipes: 

Roasted Radish with Radish Greens

This is a great way to eat the entire radish.  Roasting also mellows the peppery flavour of radishes.

Get Recipe>>>

Pickled Cucumber and Radish

This is a great salad to serve at a bbq.  Delicious and fresh-tasting, it’s a great side to burgers.

Get Recipe>>>

12 Ravishing Radish Recipes

Here are 12 radish recipes from Canadian Living

Get Recipe>>>

Watercress, Radish and Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Try using some sprouts on this sandwich too!

Get Recipe>>>

I believe one of the reasons that people, kids included, are sometimes not very thoughtful about what they eat is because they’re disconnected from nature. Urbanites are more disengaged from sources of real, whole food than any humans that have ever lived, to huge detriment on many levels.*

So what’s a poor city-dwelling parent to do? Let your kids plant a garden. Even a few containers if you’ve got a balcony instead of a yard. I watched a TED talk last week given by a guerilla gardener in South Central L.A. who plants food on the boulevards. I forget his name but one of the things he said was, “If a kid grows kale, a kid eats kale!” Beyond the obvious benefits of kids that eat their crucifers is the opportunity for them to own something; to create and take responsibility for the care of a living thing that will help nourish himself and his family. Self-reliance is heady stuff and nurturing opportunities to learn it seem to be pretty thin on the ground for children these days.

But what if you’re unable to provide what’s necessary for your kids to grow dinner? I find myself in that situation right now, but there are other ways to kindle your family’s relationship with Mother Earth. Going to urban sources of real food is a direct approach – farmer’s markets or community gardens, but good food and what it does for our bodies isn’t the only reason to forge a deeper connection with nature. Taking a walk in the local park or going hiking somewhere farther afield soothe the psyche and strengthen family bonds. And sometimes the two come together.

One of things Marina and I do is a by-weekly program at the High Park Nature Centre where the spring session’s theme has been ‘taking care’. Every visit we learn a way to help High Park specifically and a new skill to take with us into the broader world. Last time the lesson was on invasive species, garlic mustard in particular. Off we tramped into the woods to pull the noxious pests and make room for the trilliums, which have just about been run out of the forest. My heart filled with hope, seeing these little kids taking ownership of  a problem and going at it with a will. But more than hearts were to be filled that day – seems you can eat this weed. In fact, that’s how it got here in the first place – early settlers brought it with them from Europe to plant in the their gardens. Only trouble is, nothing that lives here wants to eat it. Well, hardly anything… We lugged the pile, bigger than some of the children, back to the Centre where we pulled off leaves and made soup.

Tomorrow, we’ll fill a garbage bag from Grandma’s garden and make Garlic Mustard Pest-o for supper. There’s something really satisfying about this union of conservation and food – another case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. I’m marvelling in it myself; I can’t begin to imagine what impact this kind of connection is likely to have on the next generation, but I suspect it will be good for all.

* For more information about nature-deficit, the problems it causes and many more ideas on how to get your family nature-connected read Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods.

NB If you’re going to harvest garlic mustard, pull them at the base of the stem in order to get the whole root out and put them directly into a garbage bag to avoid spreading the seeds, which can last for years. All parts are edible, but whatever you’re not going to use, be sure to dispose of in the garbage, do not try to compost this!

Ingredients

• 2 cups garlic mustard leaves*
• 2 sprouts green garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive or canola oil
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
• lemon juice (optional)
• salt and pepper

Directions

Wash and spin or pat dry the mustard leaves and put in your food processor with the green garlic and sunflower seeds. Give it a few whirls till everything’s nicely pulverized then gradually add the oil while the processor is going. Scrape down the sides, add the cheese and pulse a few times till incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste and give it another whirl. I like to add a little lemon juice at this stage, a teaspoon or two, but this is a matter of personal taste and not really necessary to the success of the sauce.

Start your pasta and cook until just al dente. Reserve a cup or so of the pasta water near the end of the cooking time before draining.

Toss the pesto with the pasta over low heat for a couple of minutes, adding some of the reserved pasta water if it’s too dry. Garnish with halved cherry tomatoes, grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

*First year growth garlic mustard is high in cyanide. Choosing the leaves from the tall, second year growth plants and cooking the sauce briefly with the drained pasta eliminates most, if not all of the toxins, while leaving the Vitamin C, carotenoids, minerals and fibre intact.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter or more
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 2 green garlic shoots, chopped
• 1 small celeriac root, peeled and diced
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled (if needed) and diced
• 2 cups coarsely chopped garlic mustard leaves
• 6 cups chicken stock
• salt and pepper
• lemon juice
• crème fraîche
• garlic mustard flowers (if available) or small basil leaves

Directions

Heat large, heavy bottomed pot on medium. Add butter to coat the bottom, then the onions. Let the onions sweat for a few minutes, but don’t brown them. When they’re translucent, add the celeriac, potatoes and more butter if needed and let them settle in with the onions, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic mustard and when it’s wilted add the stock. Let it all simmer away till the roots are soft, about 30 minutes. Blend till creamy with an immersion blender then check your seasoning and blend again if necessary. If it needs brightening up, add a splash of lemon juice. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with a dollop of crème fraîche and the flowers or basil leaves and eat it up with some crusty bread.

This week we’ll be finishing this meal with a lovely bowl of strawberries topped with crème fraîche and shaved dark chocolate. Ah Spring – how do I love thee, let me count the ways!

We had our first chicken for Sunday dinner.  As I popped it into the oven, I thought about how many meals this bird would provide us.  One, for Sunday dinner.  Monday, we’ll have chicken salad for lunch, then another dinner with more pieces I cut from the carcass.  That, by the way, is now in a pot of boiling water, getting ready to be turned into soup on Monday.  We’ll have one meal of soup, then I’ll freeze the rest in dinner and lunch size portions for colder days later on.  Most of the time, I can get one dinner and two or three lunch portions out of a pot, after the initial meal.

Ok, so let’s do some very amateur math.  Based on the above paragraph, this one chicken will give us 7-8 meals, for 3-4 people, depending on whether it’s lunch or dinner.  The soup can get stretched even more when I add some type of grain, like rice or lentils or barley.  With a full share, each chicken costs $26.52.  Divided by 8, equals $3.32.  Per meal!  Mind you, that’s just the cost of the chicken; I won’t get persnickety over a carrot here, a stalk of celery there, some onions, a handful of rice, homemade bread- you get the picture.  It does add up, of course, AND the size of the chicken affects exactly how many meals I can get, but I think it’s safe to estimate that each meal won’t cost more than, say, $10.00.  Wow!  While the cost of a full Chicken Share, up front, may seem daunting, it more than makes economic sense after I break it down.

Economics aside, why do I love the Chicken Share program? For one, knowing the farmers is really important to me.  I’ve met John, Mark & Christine Nyman, chatted with them, and have listened to them talk about their farming practices (see pics here).  I know what their chickens eat. I know how they are raised. I have felt (skip this sentence if you’re squeamish) the warmth of their freshly butchered chicken when they deliver it to the store the morning of a pick-up day.  I know their chickens are fresh- sometimes they were walking the same morning folks come to pick them up.  All of this makes a difference to me.

If you aren’t already a member of the Chicken Share program, I encourage you to sign up.  If you don’t eat chicken, tell your friends who do, about the program and send them in to talk to us.  If you’re going to eat chicken, this is the kind you want to eat.

Get chicken cooking tips & recipes  here >>>

Cheers,

Culinarium Crew Member: Jennifer

Veggie Box and Artisan members, here’s what you’ll be receiving in your bags this week:

• Zucchini (Sovereign Farms)–One of the best veggies for grilling!  Make sure to check out our Grilling post for a Raw and Charred Zucchini Salad recipe.  Or check out this Zucchini Soup with Crème fraîche recipe!

• Asparagus (Barrie Hill Farm)–Click here for Asparagus recipes, and here for Grilling recipes that use Asparagus

• Kennubec Potatoes (Thompson Potatoes) These are thin-skinned potatoes that hold their shape well during cooking.  They are known for being used for french fries, but they are also good when baked, mashed, roasted and in soup.

• Spanish Onions –Large, sweet onions that can be cooked or thinly sliced raw.

• Sweet Potatoes (Round Plains Plantation)

• Cucumber–here’s a great and easy Cucumber and Radish salad recipe!

• Yellow Cocktail Tomatoes (Sovereign Farms)

• Boston Lettuce (Sleger’s Organics)–great for salads or sandwiches!!

Artisan Members, you’ll also be receiving these amazing items:

Veggies:

• Green Garlic (Mark Trealout).  We are very excited to be providing you the first garlic of the season–green garlic!!  It’s the young garlic before it begins to develop into bulbs and cloves. It’s the first stage of garlic’s “cycle of life.”  Green garlic is available in the spring, then scapes come in early summer, ending in bulbs in the late fall which last until about February.  Preserved and picked garlic takes us through the rest of the season until the green garlic appears again in the spring.  Green garlic has a more mild garlic flavour than mature garlic.

Cooking tip: Try sauteing green garlic in some butter with salt and pepper and serve it as a side dish.  You can also brush it with oil and grill it for a couple of minutes.  Or just thinly slice it raw and use it as you would green onion–in salads, as a garnish, in dips, etc.  Add it to recipes that call for green onion, leeks or garlic.  Enjoy!

• Swiss Chard (Zephyr Organics)  Swiss chard is a sturdier green, but can be cooked like spinach.  If the stems are very thick, you may want to cut them out, slice them and cook them first.  Or simply save the stems for a soup or stock.  Here’s a simple Asian-style recipe for Cold Sesame Swiss Chard Leaves.  Or here’s a Swiss Chard Salad with Garlicky Yogurt.  I would use your green garlic for the yogurt part of the recipe!

Fruit:

• Strawberries–The first ones of the season!! Click here for tips and recipes!

• Rhubarb (Mark Trealout)–Click here for rhubarb tips and recipes, including one for the grill!

Cheese:

• Crème fraîche by Local Dairy–We love the delicious cheeses and dairy products made by Local Dairy!  Read all about this luscious ingredient in our feature below!

Pantry:

• Potato Chips by Spud’s Finest.  This is the first time we’re offering these chips in our food bags!  Enjoy these delicious kettle potato chips made with all Ontario potatoes.  You’ll be hooked after your first chip!  Read all about them on their Facebook page and pick up more bags at Culinarium!

Featured Ingredient:  Crème Fraîche

Crème fraîche is fermented or soured milk.  It’s similar to sour cream, but less sour tasting, thicker and with a higher fat content.  It’s made by adding bacterial culture to cream.  It originated, and still very popular in France, and is now enjoyed in many, mainly European, countries.  Here in Canada crème fraîche is a treat because it is not a staple or widely available, but you do see it called for on occasion in recipes.  Crème fraîche is thick rich and delicious!  Once you try it, you’ll soon find yourself looking to buy more at Culinarium!

It can be used in both sweet and savoury applications.  Dollop some on your fresh Strawberries, rhubarb compote or any fruit crisp, OR mix in some horseradish for a delicious sauce for meats or veggies, or add it to your mashed or scalloped potatoes.

Click here for recipes and tips using crème fraîche

Grilling Recipes!

If you haven’t already done so, click here for grilling recipes using your Ontario bounty!  I’ll be updating this site throughout the year to include recipe that use your weekly fruit and veggie contents!

_______________________

Culinarium’s Food Box Programs

Have you just stumbled upon this blog, or was forwarded it by a friend?  To find out more about Culinarium’s amazing Ontario Food Box programs, click here!

Grilling is part of our Ontario culture, so it only makes sense to grill Ontario’s bounty!  I’ll be updating this post to include veggies and fruit that are in season and part of your Food Boxes.  So turn on that grill and get started!

5 Easy Tips for Grilling Veggies

A few tips before you start…!

Grilled Asparagus

Skewers help these babies from falling though the racks!

Raw and Charred Zucchini Salad

This is a different take on grilled zucchini, combining both raw and grilled in the same dish!

Grilled Radishes

An easy recipe by Ricardo!

Spicy Jerk Vegetables with Yogurt Scallion Sauce

Use any veggies for this recipe.   And make sure to pick up, or pre-order some delicious organic yogurt from Culinarium!

Grilled Panzenella Salad

Grilling the bread makes this salad extra-special, and so easy to prepare!

Grilled Beets with Dilled Cucumber

Grill your beets instead of using your oven!

Three ways to Grill Potatoes

Check out this article on grilling potatoes.  You can either par-cook them, grill them from start to finish on the grill, or foil-wrap them.

Mustard Aioli Grilled Potatoes with Fine Herbs

Bobby Flay knows his grilling!

Grilled Carrots with Lemon and Dill

So easy and delicious.

Grilled Rhubarb Brown Betty

You can pop this on the grill while you’re eating.  It’ll be ready once you’re done your main course.  Feel free to slice strawberrie or cube some  apples into this recipe too.

Mark Bittman’s 101 Fast Recipes for Grilling

Ok, it’s pretty much a stretch to call these “recipes.” They are more like ideas or suggestions. But if you’re comfortable cooking without a true recipe, you have to check these out. I love to print off Mark’s guides and highlight some of his ideas and keep it on hand. Often, it may just be a flavour combination that may inspire you (like #94 Halve and grill pears or apples. When they’re done, drizzle with yogurt, honey and a pinch of cardamom), or just a new way to prepare an old classic (like #18. Lightly char whole or halved heads of baby bok choy; drizzle with soy sauce and top with chopped scallions). There are 25 veggie and fruit ideas, plus salad recipes, many more for meat & seafood, and then there’s also dessert!   Check ‘em out!!

Appetizers:

Try our Luke’s Tortilla Chips with our From These Roots salsa, or Spud’s All Ontario Potato Chips – Culinarium Staffer, Matt, is seriously addicted to these chips, I think he’s eaten a whole case by himself!  If his reaction is typical you can expect to be hooked after your first chip!  Read all about them on their Facebook page

Grill up a hunk o’meat:

Try our favourite Ontario made sausage from Angelo Bean, or a selection from our Marvelous Meat Box, or try beer-can chicken with one of our delicious free-range birds.

Grilled Veg:

Grilled asparagus with lemon aioli >>> 
More veggie grilling recipes >>>

Dessert:

Best Strawberry Shortcakes  >>>

Seasonal Beverage:

Rhubarb Spritzer >>>

Veggie Box and Artisan members, here’s what you’ll be receiving in your bags this week:

• Asparagus (Barrie Hill Farms)  There’s nothing like Ontario Asparagus!  Check out our blog post on them here.

• Yellow Peppers (St. David’s Hydroponics)

• Red Beets (Sovereign Farms) Prepare your beets on the bbq (recipe below) or click here for more info and recipes.

• Mosaic Tomatoes (Sovereign Farms) Nothing brightens up a dish more than these colourful and flavourful tomatoes!!

• Yukon Gold Potatoes (Thompson Potatoes) Learn three ways to grill them below.

• Carrots (Hillside Garden Farms) Click here for recipes 

• Mushrooms (Sovereign Farms) Check out the Jerk Veggie recipe below for your ‘shrooms.

• Boston Lettuce (Sovereign Farms)  This lettuce is so tender and delicious, it may be the only thing you probably should not grill.  But feel free to use it as a wrapper for grilled meat and veggies!!

Artisan Members, you’ll also be receiving these amazing items:

Veggie:

• Bok Choy (Zephyr Organics) Yup, this can be grilled too!  See below.

Fruit:

• Rhubarb (KEG Coop) How about some Grilled Rhubarb Brown Betty?  See the recipe below.  Or go to our rhubarb blog post for tons of ideas!

• Fuji Apples (Warner’s Farm)  Crispy and tasty!

Pantry:

Popcorn from Ontario Popping Corn.  Popcorn is a whole grain, and a healthy snack.  You’ll love this delicious Ontario popcorn.  Read all about Ontario Popping Corn here.

Cheese:

Jensen 3 Year old Cheddar Cheese: this is one of our staples at Culinarium.  This 3 year old cheddar has a  fabulous, robust flavour and great grainy texture reminiscent of an older cheddar.  It actually tastes more like a traditional 5 year cheddar.    This will be the last cheddar you see in your box for a while if you are in our Week B cycle.  Over the last few weeks we’ve provided you with various examples of what can be done to flavour cheddar and featured a variety of producers and artisan cheddar makers from around Ontairo. 100 years ago Ontario was cheddar country, known for exports of orange cheddar to the UK – where they call it “Canadian Cheddar” – today we have just 6 artisan producers left!  The Jensen family being one of the biggest and oldest – a family owned business after 4 generations!

Grilled Veggie (and fruit) Recipes!

Many of you are also part of our Meat Box program, (if you’re not, find out about it here, or ask about it when you’re picking up your bag this week), and since this week’s meat box theme is “grilling”, we thought we’d provide you with some grilled veggie recipes too!

5 Easy Tips for Grilling Veggies

A few tips before you start…!

Grilled Asparagus

Skewers help these babies from falling though the racks!

Spicy Jerk Vegetables with Yogurt Scallion Sauce

Use any veggie for this recipe.  It would work with your asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, carrots, bok choy and whatever else you have on hand!  And make sure to pick up, or pre-order some delicious organic yogurt from Culinarium!

Grilled Panzenella Salad

Grilling the bread makes this salad extra-special, and so easy to prepare!

Grilled Beets with Dilled Cucumber

You could also use your peppers instead of the cucumber for this recipe.

Three ways to Grill Potatoes

Check out this article on grilling potatoes.  You can either par-cook them, grill them from start to finish on the grill, or foil-wrap them.

Mustard Aioli Grilled Potatoes with Fine Herbs

Bobby Flay knows his grilling!

Grilled Carrots with Lemon and Dill

So easy and delicious.

Grilled Rhubarb Brown Betty

You can pop this on the grill while you’re eating.  It’ll be ready once you’re done your main course.  Feel free to slice or cube some of your apples into this recipe too.

Mark Bittman’s 101 Fast Recipes for Grilling

Ok, it’s pretty much a stretch to call these “recipes.” They are more like ideas or suggestions. But if you’re comfortable cooking without a true recipe, you have to check these out. I love to print off Mark’s guides and highlight some of his ideas and keep it on hand. Often, it may just be a flavour combination that may inspire you (like #94 Halve and grill pears or apples. When they’re done, drizzle with yogurt, honey and a pinch of cardamom), or just a new way to prepare an old classic (like #18. Lightly char whole or halved heads of baby bok choy; drizzle with soy sauce and top with chopped scallions). There are 25 veggie and fruit ideas, plus salad recipes, many more for meat & seafood, and then there’s also dessert!   Check ‘em out!!

Caramel Corn

No, this isn’t grilled, but there really is nothing better!

Have a great week!