Five years ago I ordered my first veg box from Green Connect. I was so excited to be supporting local farmers, and a social enterprise to boot! I did it knowing that buying directly from farmers is the best way to keep growers in business, and to guarantee I was getting the freshest, healthiest food around.
By the third week though, my enthusiasm was waning. I was so used to dreaming up what I wanted for dinner and buying accordingly. Getting a veg box required flipping my planning on its head. Instead, I had to look at what was in the box and cook accordingly. It was like doing a Masterchef mystery box challenge every week.
I stuck with it and now I can’t imagine cooking and eating any other way. It’s fresh, local, seasonal and delicious. It also opens up new possibilities for meals I might not have tried otherwise. Best of all, I now have an arsenal of ready-to-go, adaptable dinner ideas that I know my kids will love.
If you’re interested in eating what’s growing, supporting local farmers, and reducing your food waste, here’s a handy list of “use it all” recipes, that can be adapted to include just about any vegetable and herb.
1. Fried rice. Fry some chopped or grated veg in some butter, add cooked rice, stir through a couple of eggs, and serve with grated cheese.
2. Frittata. Any cooked, chopped veg, along with a few eggs whisked with milk, topped with grated cheese and put under the grill once the egg is half-cooked in the frypan.
3. Dhal. Fry onions and garlic, add ground cumin and/or ground coriander, any chopped veg and about half as much again of red lentils, cover with water, leave to simmer, stir vigorously so it’s a bit creamy, add salt at the end, and serve with yoghurt, coriander leaves and/or mango chutney.
4. Pasta. Any veg plus sour cream if you like it creamy, or a tomato sauce (onion, garlic, canned diced tomatoes, anchovies if you like, herbs, salt, simmered until tasty), and served with grated cheese. My kids have declared this a “ten out of ten dinner” no matter what veg I put in.
5. Stir fry. Any veg plus garlic, ginger, soy sauce and honey (and peanut butter if you want a satay), served with peanuts or sesame seeds and rice.
6. Curry. Any veg plus curry paste and a can of coconut milk. Serve with rice.
7. Roasted veg pick ’n’ mix. Any roastable veg (including cauliflower and broccoli), served with fried or roasted haloumi, salad and a balsamic dressing if you like. My kids love being able to choose their combination of veg from the tray.
8. Shreddies. Grated veg mixed with a couple of eggs and fried like fritters. Served with cheese in them or on top.
9. Shepherd’s pie. Fry lots of veg (and minced meat – optional), add tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce until it tastes amazing, top with mashed potato and cheese, grill it if you want the cheese browned but I often skip that step now and just put the veg and the mash straight on the plate.
10. Pizza. Buy pita bread for super quick and easy bases, or make your own no-knead, no-rise dough (1.5 cup flour, ½ tsp salt, ½ cup milk, 3 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp oil or melted butter), throw on some roasted vegetables, chopped greens and herbs then cheese on top, bake until cheese has browned and base is crispy.
If this list makes it easier for you to use what you have and buy from local growers a bit more, my job here is done. Bon appétit!
Find out more about Green Connect, its urban farm and school holiday activities at www.green-connect.com.au