Okra Corn Cakes - total time 30 minutes

One of the fun things that comes along with having a CSA share is the random fruits and vegetables you get.  The first year we got kohlrabi... we got tons of kohlrabi.  I had never heard of it before.  It kind of looked like a turnip, but didn't look like a root because of the leaves.  And the only real recipe available on the internets was roasted kohlrabi... so we had that often.

Now that our bin is customizable (which happened the second year), we no longer get kohlrabi... but we certainly glad we tried it!

This year's new vegetable is okra.  I have seen it before and have heard it is great in stews and fried.  But summer is no time for stews and I'm not going to fry it either.  I have also seen it growing in the community garden and the flowers on okra plants are beautiful!  So it was time to try this elusive veggie.

What better way to try this southern favorite than in a way that is completely southern... in cornbread!  The okra adds some color, a little different texture, and some crunch to your normal corn cake.  On the first time trying okra we landed on a winning recipe... yippee!

Fajita Campfire Packets - total time 40 minutes

You know that perfect spot in a campfire to roast marshmallows?  Right by the red embers not too close to the flame.  It gets the marshmallow gooey and lightly toasted without catching them on fire.  Well, that same spot is the perfect place to cook your dinner too!  Just wrap the ingredients in heavy foil, spray with cooking spray, carefully put the foil packet in that perfect spot, and enjoy some perfectly cooked dinner in about 30 minutes.

I made this dinner while we were camping last weekend.  As soon as I got everything on the campfire to cook, the sky opened up and it started to pour.  We took cover in our Jeep and checked every single weather app on our phones... possible tornadoes.  Eek!  Thankfully the storm passed by pretty quickly.  There were a lot of puddles and the ground was muddy, but the campfire was still hanging in there (thanks to good tree cover)... but only by a little bit.  The rain made the whole fire those perfect red embers for cooking.  Surprisingly everything cooked just right and as the sun came out, we were chowing down on some delicious camp food.  :)

Loaded Shredded Chicken Nachos - total time 20 minutes

So before I started reading about nutrition and really learned how to cook, occasionally I would just make some nachos for dinner which involved some chips, lots of cheese, and a little bit of salsa.  It was quick, of course.  Only about one minute in the microwave.  But had no nutritional value what-so-ever.  

After reading a couple books about digestion and the ways what you eat can cause certain annoying symptoms, most of which you might blame genetics on like unclear skin, stuffy nose, or trouble concentrating... I realized that there was more to food than just tasting good.  Food is really about nourishing your body because it takes a lot just to keep our heart pumping, lungs inhaling, and brain thinking.  I started to make a conscious effort to make sure vegetables always had a spot on my plate for both lunch and dinner.  I started to cut back on meats and gluten.  I tried to limit how much dairy I ate, but I just couldn't give up cheese.  It is little steps that make the difference.  Going to the extreme will leave you hungry and feeling deprived.  Being too strict makes it nearly impossible to enjoy a meal out with a friend.  With most things, a happy medium is best.

It's been several years since those old microwaved nachos days, but sometimes you just want what you want.  I follow a couple bloggers that plan out their meals as well and one of them posted that they were making nachos for dinner one night.  I've been thinking about whether nachos are really dinner food ever since.  I decided to make my version of loaded nachos and it was quite filling and loaded with veggies (and cheese!).  This makes a great quick meal that you eat with your hands.  Perfect for a casual weekend dinner or to have with a couple drinks tailgating.  

Fried Arts on a Cake - total time 25 minutes

So the whole food truck idea has been around forever, of course.  But in recent years it has become so popular, it is kind of crazy.  The idea is great, get your food to where the people are... totally makes sense.  But "gourmet" food from a truck?  I don't know.  I mean the deep fried Oreos and corn dogs make sense from a food truck... you only need a place to coat it in batter, then dunk it in a fry tank... very little prep space needed.  But some of these menus these food trucks are offering... I certainly don't envy the cooks in those trucks.  While the food may be good (great even), and the restaurant came to me instead of me going to it... it still makes me think I'm eating fair food even when it is a healthy salad.

So there is a food truck in Columbus that seems to be everywhere... art festivals, Fourth of July shindigs, even at my work.  Good things is, this food truck has vegetarian entrees too!  They may not be the healthiest meals in the world, it's nice to have an option that is packed full of vegetables, even if they were fried first.  

Any way, we got food from this food truck is called Sweet Carrot which I mentioned in a previous post.  I had "fried arts on a cake" which was a corn fritter with fried artichokes, cole slaw, and some kind of creamy sauce on top.  It was delicious!  My husband had mach and cheese with barbecued pulled pork on top, which had a cute, funny name for Art Festival, but now I forget what it was.  So I thought I would try to remake both... just haven't gotten around to the mac and cheese... that sounds like a winter meal to me.

Roasted Corn and Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons - total time 40 minutes

Cutting out meat has meant cutting out a lot of my favorite foods.  But not to worry, many meals can be made meatless!  Chicken tortilla soup is one of those soups that I love to make and also get at restaurants.  Is has a lot of southwestern ingredients which is perfect for someone who loves Mexican food as much as I do.  This soup is not really a meatless version of chicken tortilla soup, but takes a lot of the southwestern flavors... with grilled cheese croutons on top!  When I saw that on Pinterest I thought it was complete genius.  Grilled cheese is a perfect pairing with just about any tomato-based soup.  Yum!

2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups tomato juice
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 avocado
1 cup corn
.5 cup dry white wine
.5 cup cream
.5 cup sour cream
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

For the croutons use these grilled cheese tips.

1.  Heat butter in large pot.  Add chopped onions and saute for three minutes.  Add juice and broth, bring to a simmer.
2.  In a separate pan, heat corn on medium heat and add spices.  Add tomatoes and roast for three minutes.
3.  Add corn, tomatoes, and wine to simmering pot.  Continue to simmer for five minutes.  Add cream and sour cream, stir to combine.  Bring back to a simmer and serve, add avocado and grilled cheese croutons.

Butternut Squash Corn Chowder - total time 1 hour

We don't normally eat sweet/savory meals... I used to, but my husband doesn't like sweet meals (just lots of sweet cookies), and my tastebuds have adapted.  Sweet potatoes are great for you, but I can't get over the thought of anything potatoe-y being sweet.  So the first time I tried cooking butternut squash, I didn't like it.  Too sweet!  But Martha Stewart keeps putting squash recipes on Pinterest so I thought I would try this more savory than sweet interpretation of her recipe.

1 butternut squash, cubbed

1 large onion, chopped

2 ears of corn

2 cups vegetable stock

.5 cup cream

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp smoked paprika

a pinch of red pepper flakes

salt & pepper

1.  Brown butter in a large pot.  Add onions and squash, cook on medium-high heat for eight minutes.  Add vegetable stock, paprika, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until squash is tender.

2.  Carefully pour stock/onion/squash mixture into blender and pulse until smooth.  Pour back into pot, add corn and cream and simmer for five additional minutes.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of paprika.

Fajita Quesadillas - total time 35 minutes

I love quesadillas!  We love going to our local Mexican restaurant and fajita quesadillas are usually what we order.  There are enough veggies in there to easily omit the chicken to make it vegetarian and still full of flavor.  It is also easy to customize for each person's unique palate (spicy, extra cheesy, no tomato, etc).  But no matter how the quesadilla is customized... the trick to getting it to taste just right is the white queso cheese.  It just doesn't taste the same with any other cheese... believe me, I have tried because queso can be hard to find.

Here are some possible veggies to include in your quesadilla...

bell peppers

sauteed onions

corn

hot peppers

zucchini

tomatoes

spinach

mushrooms

Sour cream, salsa, and guacamole are great quesadilla toppers.  Yum!

Corn Fritters - total time 30 minutes

Earlier this year, I thought about getting a grinder that could grind corn into corn meal so I could make corn bread.  These corn fritters are better than corn bread and I don't have to grind anything (in fact, they are really easy and fast).  Good for a side dish or a savory breakfast food!

.25 cup soy milk

3 tbsp lowfat cream cheese

1 egg

3 ears of corn

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp baking powder

.5 cup flour

salt & pepper

1. Combine soy milk, cream cheese, and egg in mixing bowl until smooth.  Add cut corn and minced garlic... stir some more.  Add baking powder, flour, salt, and pepper to make dough.

2.  Form into patties.  Heat olive oil in pan at medium heat.  Fry for 5 minutes each side.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream and enjoy!