
This week we included spaghetti squash, which we would recommend eating within a week or two. We’ve found that once it starts to develop a blemish, it’s best to try and use it within a few days. Their thin skin doesn’t lend well to long term storage. The squash is quite versatile, and unlike real spaghetti, it can be used in sweeter applications, such as baked with brown sugar, or in muffins, cake, pie, etc. It’s feeling like soup weather, so we included three soup recipes on this week’s blog. We highly recommend the borscht below. We made a blonde borscht with golden beets, but the purple beets included in the share are also delicious and add a savory, earthy flavor. We hope you enjoy the vegetables, have a great week!

Salad with honey mustard
Roughly chop and 4 oz of lettuce mix. In a mixing bowl combine 1/4 cup mustard, 1/4 cup honey, and 2 Tbsp white vinegar. Mix well and dress lettuce.

Borscht (Beet Soup)
Dice 1/2 cup onions, and 1/2 cup carrots. Finely chop 1/2 cup celery greens. Dice 2 large potatoes and 2-3 medium beets.
Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil to a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add 1/2 lb ground pork and saute until pork is cooked through. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery greens, and saute for about 5 minutes.
Chop one small head of cabbage, or 1/2 a large head, about 1-2 cups. Dice 1 lb tomatoes.
Add diced tomatoes, potatoes, and beets to the soup. Add 1-2 tsp salt and 2 bay leaves.
Add enough water to cover all vegetables, about 10-14 cups. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes and beets are cooked through. Lightly beat 2 eggs and add to soup. Remove bay leaves, and serve soup with a dollop of sour cream or mayonnaise.

Minestrone Soup with Green Beans and Celery
Dice 1 large onion and mince 2 cloves garlic. Dice 1/2 cup celery stalks and greens, and 1/2 cup carrot. Trim 1/3 lb of green beans to 1/2 inch pieces.
In a large pot over medium high heat add 2 Tbsp olive oil and diced onion. Cook until onion is translucent, about 3-5 minutes, then add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add celery and carrots, and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in green beans and 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil, 3/4 tsp salt, pepper to taste, and cook another 3 minutes. Add 28-ounce can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes, and a 14-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, and 6 cups chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in 1 cup cooked white beans (or 1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed), 1 cup elbow pasta, and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste, then ladel into bowls and top with 1-2 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese per bowl.

Spaghetti Squash with Italian Sausage
Cut spaghetti squash in half, then scoop out seeds from cavity. Rub olive oil over interior surface and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Add to a baking dish and bake at 400F for 40 minutes until flesh can be easily pierce with fork.
Cook 1/2 lb Italian sausage in skillet for for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
Remove squash from oven and allow to cool enough until the squash can be handled. Shred interior of squash with a fork, then transfer to plate or serving dish.
Heat 2 cup of tomato sauce on stove top until warm, then ladle over shredded squash and top with sliced Italian sausage.

Chicken and Rice soup
Add 1/2 cup chopped onions, 1 clove garlic minced,1/2 cup carrots diced, 1/2 cup celery diced, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.
Pour in 2 quarts chicken broth and water and bring the liquid to a boil. Add in 1 cup rice and 1lb chicken chopped; season with salt and pepper.
Cook on medium-low until the rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.
Ingredients
The first table shows the ingredients that come in the share. The table after that shows the ingredients you would need to make the recipes.
Salad with honey mustard | Borscht (Beet Soup) | Minestrone Soup with Green Beans and Celery | Spaghetti Squash with Italian Sausage | chicken and rice soup | |
onions | 1/2 cup diced | 1/2 cup diced | 1/2 cup chopped | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
mustard | 1/4 cup | ||||
honey | 1/4 cup | ||||
white vinegar | 2 Tbsp | ||||
potatoes | 2-3 medium | ||||
eggs | 2 eggs | ||||
oregano | 1 tsp | ||||
basil | 1 tsp | ||||
diced tomatoes | 28 oz can | ||||
crushed tomatoes | 14 oz can | ||||
chicken broth | 6 cups | 2 quarts | |||
white beans | 15 oz can | ||||
elbow pasta | 1 cup | ||||
Parmesan cheese | 1-2 Tbsp | ||||
Italian sausage | 1/2 lb | ||||
tomato sauce | 2 cups | ||||
garlic | 1 clove | ||||
chicken | 1 lb | ||||
rice | 1 cup |