Week 10

I adore Bountiful Baskets. (and I am currently writing an article on them for the newspaper. I'm getting the inside scoop.)
It is a food co-op where you pay $15 to get a basketful of fruits and one of veggies.
The downside is you have to wake up really early on Saturdays to pick up your produce.
The upside is you get some seriously great produce.
(Jacob likes the meat, I like the produce. Aren't we a pair. As long as I pair the asparagus with a slab of meat, he is happy.)

 This is the typical loot from Bountiful Baskets (purchased March 2011):
1 carton of strawberries
1 carton of blackberries
4 apples, 1 cantaloupe
1 pineapple
1 big head of lettuce
a bunch of bananas
2 bunches of asparagus
1 head of brocci-flower (the love child of broccoli and cauliflower)
1 bag of green beans
7 tomatoes
1 clove of garlic

Phew. hungry yet? Yep, only $15.

Veggie haul a month ago: 1 bag of carrots, two heads of cabbage, 6 yams, 1 batch of spinach, 4 yellow squashes

The fruit haul a month ago: a carton of strawberries, 1 cantaloupe, 4 apples, 5 bananas, 8 frielle pears (baby pears) and two mangoes.

All for 15 smackers.
And their facebook is always updated with tons of recipe ideas and how to use different produce.

This is me cutting the mango. I watched a YouTube video and now I am a pro.
I can cut any mango on demand.
It might be my new calling.

But one week I was stuck with cabbage.
I love spinach, but cabbage?
So I made my mom's....

Ramen Chicken Salad

2 cups chicken breast
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 bag cabbage mix
4 green onions (only the green part)
1 pkg. chicken Ramen noodles

Dressing

chicken flavor packet
1/2 cup oil
2 Tablespoons vinegar  (rice wine vinegar is a fav.)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Brown seeds and almonds 10 minutes in 350 degree oven. (I skip this part)
Mix other ingredients, breaking noodles into small pieces.
Add seeds and almonds.  Pour dressing on and mix.
Eat as a salad or stuff in a pita pocket. Yum.

This is an old favorite but I have never made it myself. 
Rating: 4.7 out of 5. I made the rookie mistake of putting in all of the green onions, green and white part. It was, in a word, potent.