Balance of Fresh and Storage Veggies

We are in that time of year when there is a nice balance of fresh veggies needing to be eaten fairly quickly and veggies that can be stored for weeks or even months. I find this an easy time - if we end up going out a couple of nights I don't worry about things going bad, and I don't have to scramble to use up all the greens. Shares will be similar to these through the Late Fall and Winter seasons. Below are a few things I made this past week. If you have anything to share, please send to me at lindadansbury@comcast.net

Spaghetti squash, Swiss chard, dandelion - this is so simple to do - perfect for a busy week night - and delicious too! Roast the spaghetti squash - I prefer this to microwaving as it results in even cooking of the squash and it is inactive cooking time, so you can do other things while it roasts. Cut in half, scoop out seeds and place cut side down in a baking dish. Add water to a half inch and place in a 425 degree oven for 35-55 min, depending on size of squash. When fork goes through skin fairly easily, it is done. Saute sausage (remove from casing) in pan until pink is gone. Add greens and chopped up hot pepper (mine was in freezer) or red pepper flakes to taste. Cook till wilted. Scrape the spaghetti squash into strands and split into bowls - shave parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper. Top with sausage mixture and top with more cheese, if desired.

Leeks, garlic, sweet potatoes, celeriac, cauliflower - roasted the veggies as described in my other article. Mixed roast goes with just about everything!

Spinach, leek - made the Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing. It calls for using a shallot, but I substitute with leeks right now.

Onion/leek, garlic, greens - made a large batch of chili and added a few greens at the end.

Cauliflower, leek, parsley - made a very simple version of cauliflower rice. Just pulse in food processor until it resembles cous cous. Saute leek in large pan. When leek is soft, add the cauliflower and salt and pepper, continue to cook, stirring frequently until soft, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley and lemon juice. We had it with roasted chicken.

Leek, edamame (frozen from my U pick), greens, parsley - made risotto, once again adding some greens at the end - I chopped the greens fairly fine, so they "melted" into the rice.