Eat in Season Recipe 5: Greens, greens, greens and turkey meatballs

A follow up to our eat in season series

By Nikki Golden
I love to cook, but because I don’t use recipes often, I tend to stick with familiar flavors and cooking staples. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and beans of all kinds appear in most dishes I make.

Belonging to a community-supported agriculture, or CSA, changed that because I was given a box of vegetables that I didn’t want to go to waste. I was introduced to foods I wouldn’t have even known the names of if I saw them at the store, and I had to search for information sometimes to find information on how to prepare them for cooking.

Roasted beets might now be my new favorite food, followed closely by roasted turnips. Throwing them into a 350-degree oven, coated with olive oil, salt and pepper for about an hour is the easiest way to cook anything, and the skin on both just wipes off with a paper towel (though be careful of beets because its juice stains).

Although salads were a staple of the summer because of all the lettuce in the box, I also branched out for new uses, including this White Bean Soup recipe I made last week, to use up some potatoes, the Russian kale and bright lights chard I had in my final box. This recipe could be customized using different types of greens and substituting regular meatballs or any kind of sausage you had on hand.

White Bean Soup with turkey meatballs
1 32 oz carton of chicken broth
1 14 oz can of chicken broth
1 package pre-cooked Italian seasoned turkey meatballs (24 to a pack)
3 15.5 oz cans of Great Northern White beans (drained and rinsed)
1 15.5 oz cans of Navy beans (drained and rinsed)
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with olive oil and oregano
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with red pepper
4 cloves of garlic, minced (I used Trader Joe's frozen garlic cubes)
2 T basil (I used Trader Joe's frozen basil cubes)
Russian kale (cut into 11/2 inch pieces)
Bright lights chard (cut into 11/2 inch pieces, back rib removed)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Red pepper flakes (to taste)

1. Spread turkey meatballs evenly over pan, coat with olive oil and put in oven to low broil, 10 minutes each side.
2. Combine white beans, navy beans, garlic, salt, pepper in a pot and cook for about 5 minutes
3. Add tomatoes, kale, chard and basil.
4. Once turkey meatballs are done, cut into fours and add to soup
5. Add red pepper flakes
6. Cook for about 1 hour.
7. Serve garnished with grated Parmesan, with hearty bread for dipping.

What’s coming up in Part 3? How to choose a CSA.

Nikki Golden is a full-time association marketing manager and a part-time crafty wannabe. You can find her on Twitter @lucy1375 and on Pinterest @nikki_golden.