Menu Planning

I have not been making a lot of new dishes lately, hence my lack of posting. The drought and then heavy rains made our shares a bit small recently, though we still had plenty to eat. I have been incredibly busy and thus spent less time menu planning (which generally includes piles of magazines and cook books searching for new recipes) and less time in the kitchen. This week I have a bit of an interesting menu planned, well, at least I think so. I thought I would share it with you. Swiss Chard and "Beef" Enchiladas (with frozen enchilada sauce from earlier this summer) Fried Green Tomatoes with jalapeno cheddar grits and steamed collard greens with leeks Chile Verde (using green tomatoes in place of tomatillos) (V) "Sausage" and Peppers and Onions with Potatoes and Salad (V) Beet Salad with Fried Green Tomato BLT Vegetable Dumplings (take on Chicken dumplings) Vegetable Fried Rice (V) We have been trying to have a vegan meal at least 3 times per week, which initially was really difficult. But as time wears on it is getting easier and we are realizing areas that we have some type of dairy where it is not necessary and mostly unhealthy- often cheese is the culprit. I also track my nutritional intake on MyPlate, a portion of the LiveStrong website, and am always amazed on my vegan days how much less fat and cholesterol I intake! If not for any other reason, try going vegan a little more often. My meal yesterday was a rice salad with red wine vinegar, peas, chickpeas, and tomatoes- a great and easy lunch using leftover rice. So a taste of the many veggies we got this week: leeks swiss chard, spinach, collard greens green peppers (A LOT of them!) potatoes green tomatoes (plus more from my garden) red onions garlic bok choi (2 varieties) lettuce butternut squash If you are thinking about joining a CSA next season, why? If you are hesitant, why? I would love some good conversation on this blog!