Perfectly Imperfect Produce: Box #17
Perfectly Imperfect Produce: Box #17
Another box of surprise produce shipped to my front door! And boy was it colorful: black grapes, bright green Brussel sprouts, orange carrots and oranges, red tomatoes, white cauliflower, yellow lemons... you get the point! So colorful and so many good recipes below!
What's in the box?
Black Grapes: Grape Clafoutis
While researching recipes, I came across a recipe for Grape Clafoutis. I had never heard of a clafoutis before but saw it was french and that Julia Child had done some variations. That was enough to convince me to give the recipe a try, and I am so glad I did! Despite what it looks like, this clafoutis is far from a cobbler or pie. Instead, it has a smooth inside, perfectly cooked plump grapes, and a buttery finish. While the dessert is not super sweet, it is delicious, and the whole experience transported me right to Europe... so let's just say I was very happy eating it.
The clafoutis was super easy to assemble and resulted in a fancy product. You start by placing a layer of grapes on the bottom of your pie dish. Then the simple batter goes on top. I had no idea that the grapes were going to float to the top. I am glad they did because they look so pretty with the browned batter coming up between them. While watching it cook, it domed up. Then as it cooled, it came back down, presenting a golden brown "crust' around the perimeter of the pie dish... yum!
If you have grapes and are looking for a dish to bring to brunch or a dessert for a dinner party, this clafoutis is perfect. Easy yet impressive, and everyone will enjoy it! Recipe below!
Recipe: Here
Cauliflower & Oranges: Cauliflower Orange "Chicken"
Is it chicken, or is it cauliflower? From the picture, what would you guess?
Making this Cauliflower Orange "Chicken" was well... fun! I enjoyed taking each cauliflower floret, dipping it in batter, and then placing it on a baking sheet. The sauce was super easy to make and will go in my back pocket for later recipes. Oranges, brown sugar, and soy sauce is a perfect combination for a sauce. As for the taste of the cauliflower, did it taste like chicken? No, it did not taste like chicken. Was it still yummy? Yes! Just don't expect it to be chicken. If you are looking for a vegetarian and healthy alternative to fried orange chicken, this baked cauliflower if for you! Recipe below!
Recipe: Here
1 Giant Carrot & Lemon: Coombs' Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Our box this week was filled with a lot of good produce, but one thing stood out in particular: the GIANT carrot. Seriously, this carrot was huge! (It produced five cups of shredded carrots!) What better thing to do with one giant carrot than to make Carrot Cake Cupcakes! Yay! Lemony frosting with moist carrot cake is always a winner... and I especially like them in cupcake form. The family recipe is below!
Recipe: Here
Brussel Sprouts, Zucchini, Cauliflower, & Corn: Minestrone Soup
I love a good minestrone soup! Packed with veggies, beans, and noodles, minestrone is filling, healthy, and easy to make! I decided to add the Brussel sprouts to the soup even though I was a bit skeptical of them in the soup. Surprising, the Brussel sprouts were my favorite part! They held onto their crispness and added texture to the soup. I am not a fan when all the vegetables in the soup are mushy. So I add them in steps to ensure several textures in my soup. How do you like your vegetables in your soup? My recipe and tweaks below!
Recipe: Here
Apples: Baked Apples Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Craisins, & Walnuts
During this quartine time, many of us have been using Zoom to communicate with family and friends. My husband and I have enjoyed game nights and other activities through Zoom. One of our favorites has been our "Cast Iron Chef" competitions with my husband's extended family. Each week we all log in to Zoom to find our secret ingredient, and then we cook! Our first challenge was apples, so my husband and I made these baked apples. They were so good that we made them again! Stuffed with goat cheese (one of my favs), craisins, walnuts, and a blend of cinnamon and sugar, the apples are easy to make and taste so good! Highly recommend! Recipe and tweaks below!
Recipe: Here
*Tweaks: I used brown sugar instead of white and craisins instead of raisins.
Hungarian Peppers: Hawaiian Pizzas with a Kick
Controversial statement: I love pineapple on pizza! I especially love pineapple on pizza when it is fresh pineapple. So this week, I made fresh pineapple Hawaiian Pizza and then added the Hungarian peppers, which gave the pizza a kick. While the Hungarian peppers look like banana peppers, they are hotter. I would compare the Hungarian peppers to more of a jalapeno pepper. While I don't particularly love super spicy food, these peppers added a nice flavor to the pizza!
I always cook my pizza on a pizza stone as I find you get better crust results. However, I usually struggle with moving the pizza from my counter to the stone without making a mess. While watching Food Network, Molly Yeh made a pizza on parchment and then transferred the pizza and parchment paper onto the stone. I tried this, and the trick was a lifesaver! So much easier! I made my pizza on a piece of parchment paper, cut the excess paper off so it wouldn't burn/brown, and then set it down on my sizzling hot pizza stone. Easy! A new trick that I will use in the future!
Dough Recipe: Here
*I used different toppings: tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, fresh pineapple sliced thin, ham, and Hungarian peppers.
Tomatoes, Corn, & Cucumber: Loaded Quinoa & Salmon
Salmon and quinoa are two of my favorite food, and this week I loaded the quinoa with a bunch of fruits/veggies: corn, cucumber, bell pepper, and tomatoes! The quinoa, in total, takes 25 minutes to make and is the perfect side dish to salmon. My recipe is below, but you could add any veggies you want to the quinoa! Healthy, easy, fast, and yummy... doesn't get better than that!
Loaded Quinoa Recipe
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa - rinsed
1/2 yellow bell pepper - diced
1/2 cucumber - diced
1 tomato - diced
1 ear of corn - cooked and cut off the cob
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
How did I do with this week's produce? What would you have made? Let me know your ideas and if you recreate any of the recipes above!
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| Perfectly Imperfect Produce Small Mixed Box |
Another box of surprise produce shipped to my front door! And boy was it colorful: black grapes, bright green Brussel sprouts, orange carrots and oranges, red tomatoes, white cauliflower, yellow lemons... you get the point! So colorful and so many good recipes below!
- See my past 16 boxes: Here
- My Perfectly Imperfect Produce Referral Link: Here
- Check out my page on Instagram: @lemonandbutterlove
1 GIANT carrot
Cauliflower
Black Grapes
Corn on the Cob
Brussel Sprouts
Apples
Hungarian Peppers
Tomatoes
Myer Lemons
Oranges
Cucumber
Zucchini
Black Grapes: Grape Clafoutis
While researching recipes, I came across a recipe for Grape Clafoutis. I had never heard of a clafoutis before but saw it was french and that Julia Child had done some variations. That was enough to convince me to give the recipe a try, and I am so glad I did! Despite what it looks like, this clafoutis is far from a cobbler or pie. Instead, it has a smooth inside, perfectly cooked plump grapes, and a buttery finish. While the dessert is not super sweet, it is delicious, and the whole experience transported me right to Europe... so let's just say I was very happy eating it.
The clafoutis was super easy to assemble and resulted in a fancy product. You start by placing a layer of grapes on the bottom of your pie dish. Then the simple batter goes on top. I had no idea that the grapes were going to float to the top. I am glad they did because they look so pretty with the browned batter coming up between them. While watching it cook, it domed up. Then as it cooled, it came back down, presenting a golden brown "crust' around the perimeter of the pie dish... yum!
If you have grapes and are looking for a dish to bring to brunch or a dessert for a dinner party, this clafoutis is perfect. Easy yet impressive, and everyone will enjoy it! Recipe below!
Recipe: Here
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| Grape Clafoutis |
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| Grape Clafoutis |
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| Grape Clafoutis |
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| Grape Clafoutis |
Cauliflower & Oranges: Cauliflower Orange "Chicken"
Is it chicken, or is it cauliflower? From the picture, what would you guess?
Making this Cauliflower Orange "Chicken" was well... fun! I enjoyed taking each cauliflower floret, dipping it in batter, and then placing it on a baking sheet. The sauce was super easy to make and will go in my back pocket for later recipes. Oranges, brown sugar, and soy sauce is a perfect combination for a sauce. As for the taste of the cauliflower, did it taste like chicken? No, it did not taste like chicken. Was it still yummy? Yes! Just don't expect it to be chicken. If you are looking for a vegetarian and healthy alternative to fried orange chicken, this baked cauliflower if for you! Recipe below!
Recipe: Here
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| Cauliflower Orange "Chicken" |
1 Giant Carrot & Lemon: Coombs' Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Our box this week was filled with a lot of good produce, but one thing stood out in particular: the GIANT carrot. Seriously, this carrot was huge! (It produced five cups of shredded carrots!) What better thing to do with one giant carrot than to make Carrot Cake Cupcakes! Yay! Lemony frosting with moist carrot cake is always a winner... and I especially like them in cupcake form. The family recipe is below!
Recipe: Here
*Tweaks: I topped with walnuts instead of pecans.
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| Coombs' Carrot Cake Cupcakes |
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| My husband and the GIANT carrot |
Brussel Sprouts, Zucchini, Cauliflower, & Corn: Minestrone Soup
I love a good minestrone soup! Packed with veggies, beans, and noodles, minestrone is filling, healthy, and easy to make! I decided to add the Brussel sprouts to the soup even though I was a bit skeptical of them in the soup. Surprising, the Brussel sprouts were my favorite part! They held onto their crispness and added texture to the soup. I am not a fan when all the vegetables in the soup are mushy. So I add them in steps to ensure several textures in my soup. How do you like your vegetables in your soup? My recipe and tweaks below!
Recipe: Here
*Tweaks: I added seven thinly sliced Brussels sprouts with the celery. I also added a handful of cauliflower florets and a cooked ear of corn when I added the tomatoes. Lastly, I omitted the green beans (as I didn't have any on hand) and used orecchiette pasta.
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| Minestrone Soup |
Apples: Baked Apples Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Craisins, & Walnuts
During this quartine time, many of us have been using Zoom to communicate with family and friends. My husband and I have enjoyed game nights and other activities through Zoom. One of our favorites has been our "Cast Iron Chef" competitions with my husband's extended family. Each week we all log in to Zoom to find our secret ingredient, and then we cook! Our first challenge was apples, so my husband and I made these baked apples. They were so good that we made them again! Stuffed with goat cheese (one of my favs), craisins, walnuts, and a blend of cinnamon and sugar, the apples are easy to make and taste so good! Highly recommend! Recipe and tweaks below!
Recipe: Here
*Tweaks: I used brown sugar instead of white and craisins instead of raisins.
 |
| Baked Stuffed Apples |
Hungarian Peppers: Hawaiian Pizzas with a Kick
Controversial statement: I love pineapple on pizza! I especially love pineapple on pizza when it is fresh pineapple. So this week, I made fresh pineapple Hawaiian Pizza and then added the Hungarian peppers, which gave the pizza a kick. While the Hungarian peppers look like banana peppers, they are hotter. I would compare the Hungarian peppers to more of a jalapeno pepper. While I don't particularly love super spicy food, these peppers added a nice flavor to the pizza!
I always cook my pizza on a pizza stone as I find you get better crust results. However, I usually struggle with moving the pizza from my counter to the stone without making a mess. While watching Food Network, Molly Yeh made a pizza on parchment and then transferred the pizza and parchment paper onto the stone. I tried this, and the trick was a lifesaver! So much easier! I made my pizza on a piece of parchment paper, cut the excess paper off so it wouldn't burn/brown, and then set it down on my sizzling hot pizza stone. Easy! A new trick that I will use in the future!
Dough Recipe: Here
*I used different toppings: tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, fresh pineapple sliced thin, ham, and Hungarian peppers.
 |
| Homemade Hawaiian Pizza with a Kick |
Tomatoes, Corn, & Cucumber: Loaded Quinoa & Salmon
Salmon and quinoa are two of my favorite food, and this week I loaded the quinoa with a bunch of fruits/veggies: corn, cucumber, bell pepper, and tomatoes! The quinoa, in total, takes 25 minutes to make and is the perfect side dish to salmon. My recipe is below, but you could add any veggies you want to the quinoa! Healthy, easy, fast, and yummy... doesn't get better than that!
Loaded Quinoa Recipe
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa - rinsed
1/2 yellow bell pepper - diced
1/2 cucumber - diced
1 tomato - diced
1 ear of corn - cooked and cut off the cob
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
- In a small pot, add 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa. Bring to boil uncovered. Once boiling, cover and turn heat to low for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, uncover and fluff with a fork.
- In a medium bowl, add diced yellow bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, and ear of corn. Add hot quinoa and the juice of half a lemon. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
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| Broiled Salmon with Loaded Quinoa |
How did I do with this week's produce? What would you have made? Let me know your ideas and if you recreate any of the recipes above!
More links:
- My Perfectly Imperfect Produce Referral Link: Here
- Morgan's Boxes 1-16: Check out what I did with my Boxes 1-16!
- Follow me on Instagram: @lemonandbutterlove
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