[Week 19] Three More Quick Wins

Sweet Potatoes + Coconut Oil, Cauliflower + Olive Oil, and More

Because I know how well they keep, I often save cooking the farm share sweet potatoes till the end of the week. Or till the end of the next week. Or, well, you get it.

Sweet potatoes keep for an astonishingly long period of time and as a result, I never feel in a rush to cook them. Moreover, they require washing, peeling (depending on the preparation), and elbow grease to slice and dice, and while they are not the fussiest of vegetables to prepare, I find myself reaching for the less demanding ones first, namely cauliflower, cabbage, and kale in the case of the recent weeks’ shares.

But last week, remembering an old Melissa Clark recipe that calls for roasting sweet potatoes with coconut oil and spices, I got straight after them. I washed them:

I peeled and diced them. And I tossed them with melted coconut oil (about 1/4 cup), a generous amount of kosher salt, and a big pinch of silk chili (told you I loved this one).

Per Melissa’s recipe, I roasted them for 1 hour at 350ºF (actually for a little bit longer), and I was so pleased with the result. Melissa says it best: “The coconut oil deepens the natural caramelized flavor of roasted sweet potatoes, and it adds a delicate coconut essence.” I find the brown sugar in the recipe to be unnecessary, but I do love the inclusion of some sort of spice, and I like the long cooking time — some of the commenters note that the sweet potatoes are done cooking after 30 minutes, which is true, but if you give them the full hour, the texture improves.

This was quick(-ish) win #1 this week.

Out of the oven, I squeezed some fresh lime juice over the top and sprinkled them with a pinch of flaky sea salt. We ate most of the sweet potatoes just like this…

… and what remained went into a salad with the farm share greens, toasted pine nuts, honey goat cheese, and apple cider vinaigrette.

This was Quick Win #2 this week: Leftover Roasted Sweet Potato Fall Salad:

I love this roasted cauliflower recipe with onions, garlic, thyme and parmesan, but sometimes I just don’t have time for it. Cauliflower tossed with olive oil and salt alone, roasted at 425ºF (convection if possible) for about 40 minutes, tossing once after the 30 minutes, is divine. I love the heat and flavor silk chili adds but many other spices work, such as black pepper, cayenne, and smoked paprika to name a few.

This was Quick Win #3 this week: Roasted Cauliflower with Olive Oil & Salt (& Silk Chili). I could eat this whole platter on my own. Truly.

Friends: please share any quick wins of your own!

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Week 19 Vegetables

This week I’ll shoot to use the head lettuce and collard greens first. I’ll store the winter squash and onions at room temperature. Everything else will go in the fridge and will keep just fine for the week. Remember to snip the greens from the carrots before storing them.

• carrots → Carrot Recipes

• onions → Onion Recipes

• red cabbage → Cabbage Recipes

• bell peppers → Pepper Recipes

• cilantro → Herb Recipes

• kale → Kale Recipes

• popcorn → I am not the person to ask 🤣 (Suggestions welcomed.)

• winter squash → 13 Winter Squash Recipes

• collards → Collard Greens Recipes

• head lettuce → Salads

Find recipes for all the vegetables here → Farm Share Vegetables

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7 Recipes to Make This Week

Lukas Volger’s charred red cabbage (eggless) frittata looks outstanding — he uses chickpea flour and describes it as more of a “thicker style of socca or farinata.” Yum.

Susan Spungen’s Roasted Squash Salad with Burrata and Quinoa Crunch: another yum.

For this week’s carrots, peppers, cilantro, and cabbage: Thai-Inspired Chicken and Cabbage Salad

Twice-Roasted Carrots with Honey and Almonds

Feasting at Home’s Butternut Squash Risotto looks heavenly:

I’ve been meaning to try Cookie & Kate’s Quick Collard Greens for ages:

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Greens & Mushrooms — save this one for the weekend!

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Fellow Farm Sharers: Please share in the comments links to recipes you are loving for your farm share vegetables! Tips, questions, and suggestions are always welcome, too. Enjoy your vegetables! 🥦🥬🥒🌶🌽🥕 See you next week :)