3 Great Recipes for a Produce-Packed Summer Night Meal

Here’s our guide to a delicious three-course meal full of fresh, local produce. Is your Box filled with these goodies for this week? If not, add them to the Box you order for next week -- do a little prep, relax and enjoy! 

 Start off with Blueberry Summer Salad (from Scott Phillips)

What You’ll Need:

• Head of lettuce
• Blueberries
• Feta or goat cheese
• 1 red onion
• Poppy seed dressing (or try Dreamy Creamy Vinaigrette from Little Black Dressing Co.)
• A small package of sliced almonds
• 5 Tbsp of sugar

Steps:

1. Rinse off lettuce, spin and place in mixing bowl.
2. Wash blueberries and add to mixing bowl.
3. Add your cheese.
4. Take your red onion and thinly slice it. Place in bowl with lettuce, blueberries and cheese.
5. Heat up your sliced almonds in a saucepan. Add sugar and continue stirring until the sugar liquefies. Once the almonds are toasted, remove from heat to cool. Continue to mix almonds so they don’t stick together. Put on parchment paper to cool.
6. Once almonds are cool, top salad with your caramelized sliced almonds and dressing!

For your main course, try Broccoli Cheese Soup (from Sue Segre in our TPB specialty products department)

What You’ll Need:

• 6 Tbsp Butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cups half and half
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 8 cups broccoli florets
• 8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar

Steps:

1. Melt butter in a large pot, add onion and carrot and cook under medium heat until tender, about 10 min.
2. Whisk in flour and cook another 4 min.
3. Whisk in the half and half then add chicken brother, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
4. Simmer uncovered on medium low heat about 20 min.
5. Add broccoli and continue to simmer another 20-30 min or until broccoli is tender. Discard bay leaves.
6. Puree the soup with an immersion blender (or in a food processor or blender).
7. Add cheese and whisk over medium heat until melted.

End your meal with a healthy summer dessert, Black and Blue Crisp, by our own Kevin O’Connell as seen on WBTV.

What You’ll Need:

• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 cups blackberries
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ¾ cup oats (or favorite granola)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp butter
• Pecans and cinnamon

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash berries and remove any stems or leaves.
3. Place berries in a large bowl with cornstarch, sugar and lemon juice. Toss well and leave for a few minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, stir the oats, flour, brown sugar and salt together. Use two forks or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the oat mixture.
5. Empty berries into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish.
6. Top the berries with the oat mixture.
7. Bake for 45 mins.

To serve: Place serving in a bowl and sprinkle toasted, chopped pecans on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.