Basil Chicken and Turnip Gratin

Tonight's supper utilized the big beautiful bunch of basil that came in this week's CSA delivery.

Here are the ingredients for the basil chicken:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast (not pictured, I don't like to get raw chicken on the counter)
3 medium zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1/2 large onion (not pictured, last minute addition)
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2 tsp minced garlic
bunch of basil
olive oil
salt and pepper

First, I cut the chicken into cubes and sliced the zucchini, onion, and red pepper. I washed and sliced all of the basil. Here are the prepped ingredients:

I put about 2 tbsp of olive oil into a big non-stick pan. I added the chicken cubes and salt and pepper. I let the chicken cook about half way. Then I mixed in the rest of  the ingredients, except the garlic. I stirred the whole mixture several times. After about 10 more minutes, I added a few dashes of soy sauce and the garlic. I put the lid on and let it cook for about another 5 or 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Here is what it looked like cooking:

I also made turnip gratin from the recipe I used last year. This time the only change I made was making little casseroles in ramekins. They turned out beautifully. Dinner was delicious:

I also used several radishes in making a big salad for lunch yesterday. It was so darn pretty I had to take a picture:

Stay tuned this weekend. I am making pork medallions over tomatoes and arugula.

CSA Week One

The first CSA delivery of the Spring Season arrived today! Here is what I have:

a bunch of turnips
Two bunches of radishes
A bunch of basil
One bag arugula
One bag of lettuce
4 baby summer squash
one baby patty pan squash

So far, here is my plan for how to use this beautiful produce:

My sister has been raving about this basil chicken recipe she recently made, so I will try that with the turnip gratin I made last year and can not get off my mind now that I have fresh turnips in the house.

I will make baby food from the squash and freeze it.

I will cook the arugula with tomatoes and serve it with pork tenderloin medalions.

I will use the lettuce and radishes in salad for lunches, and maybe also make a batch of radish chips.

New this year, I will also post updates from my own garden. I planted last weekend and we have been blessed with lots of rain this week. Here is what I have so far:

 Herbs planted on top of my rain barrel: stevia, mint, rosemary, thyme.

 Six tomato plants. Three various heirloom varieties and three better boys.

From the opposite side of the raised bed, you can see three okra plants planted near the edge. There is also one red bell pepper plant but you really can not see it in the picture. 

  Three cucumber plants

 Three squash plants

 Three zucchini plants and a little cantaloupe plant off to the left.

I will take pictures once a week and post them with the weekly CSA delivery.

Countdown: One Week

One week from today I pick up my first CSA delivery of the season. Until then, I just thought I would tease with a delicious preview of the beautiful seasonal produce I picked up at Publix this week. Above is a picture of last night's supper: Salmon with roasted asparagus, tomato and fresh mozzarella salad, and a ciabatta roll.

You can now follow us on twitter: adventuroussupp or "like" our facebook page (search for Adventurous Supper, they wont let us have a username until we have 25 fans). We have also have a new web address, so you can reach us at http://www.adventuroussupper.com.

Update and new CSA season coming soon

So back in December I suddenly stopped blogging. Why? I suddenly stopped cooking and otherwise functioning. I hit 36 weeks in my pregnancy, and I was DONE. Done with cooking, done with housework, done with blogging, done with everything beyond my bare minimum mandatory energy exertion. It was all I could do to shower and get to work. So, for the last 2 weeks of the CSA season, I did not pick up my bag.

I had my baby, he is beautiful and perfect, and I would like to think his health and strength is due to my healthy eating habits while pregnant.

So, the spring CSA season starts soon. I will pick up my first bag April 25. This is the first spring CSA season for me, so it will be a whole new set of mystery veggies this time around. I will also begin making and freezing baby food with part of my CSA share.

I hope some of you will follow this CSA season with me....tune in at the end of April for the first post.