Past Boxes

Back to Basics Box

September 15, 2015 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Order by noon, Tuesday, September 22nd, delivering Monday, September 28th.

Legend has it that infamous chef Marco Pierre White, while already a michelin starred chef, once left his restaurant and went to work as an apprentice under another chef. He felt that he had strayed too far from the basics. Even though he’s retired from professional cooking, these days, he lists “go back to basics” as one of his top 6 cooking tips. You could look into getting food, ingredients and products whole to save money also, look into Sam’s Club online ordering.

In an interview with Mary-Jane Daffy, he recommends that we “forget the kitchen trickery and put your energies into the cooking of a dish. Teach yourself how to roast the perfect chicken and cook the perfect steak before attempting fancy cookery.” We couldn’t agree more.

This box is all about returning to those basics of cooking that we sometimes neglect in pursuit of a more instagram worthy dish: aioli, roast chicken, meatloaf, rice, and minestrone soup.

“Don’t try to impress people,” White says. “Feed them and feed them well and that will impress them.”

Here are the recipes:

Minestrone

Roast Chicken w/ Aioli and Roasted Potatoes

Forbidden Rice Salad with Roasted Squash & Grapes

Grilled Little Gems “Wedge” Salad

Erik’s Mom’s Meatloaf & Braised Green Beans

Omnivore 5-meal Real Food Boxes include ingredients for all the recipes, plus additional staples and fruit.

Vegetarian 5-meal Real Food Boxes include ingredients for the Forbidden Rice Salad with Roasted Squash & Grapes and the Minestrone Soup, and the ingredients for 2-3 more meals of your own invention, plus additional staples and fruit.

Omnivore 2-meal Real Food Boxes include ingredients for the Grilled Little Gems “Wedge” Salad and Forbidden Rice Salad with Roasted Squash & Grapes.

Vegetarian 2-meal Real Food Boxes include ingredients for the Forbidden Rice Salad with Roasted Squash & Grapes and the Minestrone Soup.

To find out an exact list of ingredients coming in any of the Real Food or Summerland Boxes, place the box in your shopping cart, where you can then customize it, swapping out any unwanted items for other products in our marketplace. Please remember that any orders in your shopping cart at the time of our weekly order deadline Tuesday at 12 noon (for delivery the following week), will be charged for. Order here.

Inspired By Jessica Koslow Box

August 25, 2015 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Order by noon, Tuesday, September 1st, delivering Monday, September 7th.

For five years now, Out of the Box Collective has been including jams from Jessica Koslow, the force behind Sqirl LA, in our Real Food Boxes and Marketplace. We met her at Artisanal L.A. when she was just starting out, and have followed her career since. Her passion extends to every detail of what she does. For example, we love that she found a local coppersmith to hand spin her pans. Koslow has become a superstar in the Los Angeles food world and was nominated for Food & Wine’s Best New Chef. The owner of SQIRL and a long-time jam maker, she is known for her farm-to-table approach and her restaurant has become an integral part of L.A.’s growing food culture.

This box includes quite a few special items.

Koda Rice: This kokuho rose rice is the very same rice used at SQIRL. Koda Farms was established in 1928, and is the oldest family-owned and operated rice farm and mill in the state of California. The kokuho rose variety is an proprietary heirloom strain that belongs to Koda Farms. It is slow to mature and low in yield, but high in quality. We also love that it cooks faster than other varieties of brown rice.

Watermelon Radishes: This member of the brassica family is actually a Chinese heirloom daikon radish. It’s a beloved variety among chefs due to it’s inner resemblance to a cross cut watermelon: a green rind on the outside, ringed by white, and then filled with a red interior.

Sorrel: Don’t be afraid of your sorrel! Sorrel is a beloved bitter green across the world, believed to have many powerful health benefits. We love it for its lemony flavor that shines in the sorrel pesto recipe, below, but also works well in salads and soups.

Pomegranates: They’re here! Last year we made this great video featuring Robin of Mud Creek Farms talking about this wonderful fruit. View it here: https://blog.narrativefood.com/in-season/the-wonderful-world-of-winter-fruit/.

Here’s the menu plan, inspired by Koslow:

Rosemary Beef Kofte with Creamed Corn
Sorrel Rice Bowl
Eggplant and Pepper Relish with Steak
Chicken Salad With Shelling Beans and Roasted Tomatoes
Brown Butter Roasted Potato Hash

Omnivore 5-meal Real Food Boxes include ingredients for all the recipes, plus additional staples and fruit.

Vegetarian 5-meal Real Food Boxes include ingredients for the Sorrel Rice Bowl and Roasted Potato Hash and the ingredients for 2-3 more meals of your own invention, plus additional staples and fruit.

Omnivore 2-meal Real Food Boxes include ingredients for the Rosemary Beef Kofte and the Sorrel Rice Bowl.

Vegetarian 2-meal Real Food Boxes include ingredients for the Sorrel Rice Bowl and Roasted Potato Hash

To find out an exact list of ingredients coming in any of the Real Food or Summerland Boxes, place the box in your shopping cart, where you can then customize it, swapping out any unwanted items for other products in our marketplace. Please remember that any orders in your shopping cart at the time of our weekly order deadline Tuesday at 12 noon (for delivery the following week), will be charged for. Order here

Sticky Honey Soy Chicken Wings & Charred Eggplant

August 7, 2015 Filed Under: Meat Meals, Past Boxes, Recipes

Sticky Honey Soy Chicken Wings & Charred Eggplant

Author: Tyler Florence
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 135
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 4 1x

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

2 pounds chicken wings
1 cup soy sauce,
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup honey
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Eggplant

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Rinse chicken wings and pat dry. Remove tip and discard; separate each wing at the joint into 2 pieces. Place wings in a shallow dish and pour over the soy sauce, ginger, parsley or cilantro, garlic, and lemon juice. Toss well to coat; marinate, refrigerated, for 2 hours.
Remove wings from marinade and pat dry; season with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter in the olive oil. When the butter stops foaming, add the honey and chicken wings and fry until browned on each side, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking the wings, turning them over often to coat them as the glaze reduces. Cook until the wings are sticky and cooked through, then garnish with sesame seeds. Preheat the oven to 375°.
Roast the eggplant over an open flame or under a broiler until softened and charred, 12 minutes. Let cool completely. Drizzle eggplant with the oil and season with salt and pepper.

Notes

Not Included in Large Real Box: Soy Sauce, Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil, Butter (except in 3-5 person boxes), Honey, Sesame Seeds.

Adventures In India Box

August 1, 2015 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Order by noon, Tuesday, August 4th, delivering Monday, August 10th.

Inspired by the flavors of India, this box will take you to distant and exotic lands through your food. Celebrate food culture!

Adventures In India Menu

Makai Murgh & Beet Raita

Saag Wala Gosht, Sweet & Sour Plum Chutney

Tandoori Chicken & Aloo Gobhi

Baingan Ka Bharta

Shelling Bean Kurma

Not in the mood to cook Indian food all week? Try out some of these options instead:

Jacob’s Magic Shelling Beans

Omnivore 5-meal Real Food Boxes include ingredients for all the recipes, plus additional staples and fruit.

Vegetarian 5-meal Real Food Boxes include ingredients for the Baingan Ka Bharta and Fresh Shelling Bean Kurma and the ingredients for 2-3 more meals of your own invention, plus additional staples and fruit.

Omnivore 2-meal Real Food Boxes include ingredients for the Tandoori Chicken and the Fresh Shelling Bean Kurma.

Vegetarian 2-meal Real Food Boxes include ingredients for Baingan Ka Bharta and Fresh Shelling Bean Kurma

To find out an exact list of ingredients coming in any of the Real Food or Summerland Boxes, place the box in your shopping cart, where you can then customize it, swapping out any unwanted items for other products in our marketplace. Please remember that any orders in your shopping cart at the time of our weekly order deadline Tuesday at 12 noon (for delivery the following week), will be charged for. Order here

Easter/Passover Box

March 17, 2015 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Easter/Passover Recipe Box

Menu:
Slow Roasted Duck with Potatoes and Carrots
Potato Kugel Gratin
Matzah Ball Soup
Spring Pasta
Deviled eggs, Potato Salad, Spring Mix & First Spring Tomatoes

Hard-Boiled eggs at this time of year can evoke Easter Eggs as much as the Passover Seder Plate, and to my mind these religious festivals all celebrate the death and rebirth of life happening around the time of the Spring Solstice. So this week, we are celebrating death and rebirth in foods from various traditions — Easter, Passover, Pagan and even our own Out of the Box ideas of what would be nice this week. : ) The recipes are inspired by sources as diverse as the Jewish Cooking in America cookbook by Joan Nathan, the Moro Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark, and Claudia Roden’s Middle Eastern Food cookbook, and more — no coincidence that there is a strong Holy Land influence to the recipes — and luckily we share a similar foodscape to harvest seasonal ingredients from. Enjoy celebrating these food traditions whatever your faith!

Special items this week: We have substituted the Quail planned for this week with duck from Marin Sun Farms. These will be perfect for a festive feast!

We have Matzah Meal as the Fair Trade item so you can Matza ball soup, Mission Rose fresh pasta as the grain, and irresistible Going Coconuts almonds from Fat Uncle.

Also, a special treat this week: baby purple artichokes (for vegetarian and pescatarian boxes). And we are excited to welcome Santa Barbara Cheese Company for the first time #indabox with their lovely cheddar.

And last but not least another premiere: chocolate covered matzo from Soft Peaks!

2015-03-28 17.59.13

The Melissa Cortina Box

February 26, 2015 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Hi! My name is Melissa Cortina, and I’m delighted to be working with Out Of The Box Collective to bring local and sustainable food to your door. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a native Angeleno, cook, and butcher, and I recently joined the Out Of The Box team. I’m excited to bring my experience apprenticing as a butcher in Italy, working as a cook in a James Beard award-winning restaurant, and managing Lindy & Grundy’s Meats in Hollywood to this new adventure. Since I joined the team, we have been working hard to make some exciting changes to our boxes, our recipes, and the experience of you, our customers. We’re looking forward to revealing them to you soon! But enough about me, let’s get on to this amazing box we put together for you..

This week, I curated a box that I think represents me perfectly, not just because I’m a part-Mexican Italophile, but also because I find myself increasingly busy and in need of recipes that are simple, fast, and require as little dish-washing as possible. Because I’m a butcher by trade, I chose the meat selections carefully. The thighs are the juiciest, most flavorful cut on a chicken, and we sourced ours from Marin Sun Farms, a cooperative of sustainable growers. For my carne asada, we sourced the traditional skirt steak from Watkins Ranch, an Ojai-based grower of pastured beef.

The Carne Asada Tacos are a nod to my heritage, and wouldn’t be complete without real handmade corn tortillas from The Farmer And The Cook in Ojai. They’re made with a bright, tangy marinade that perfectly utilizes winter’s abundant citrus.

The Baked Rigatoni with Tiny Meatballs and One Pot Farro are both Italian in nature, but adapted from one of my favorite food blogs, The Smitten Kitchen. I love the farro dish because it miraculously cooks in one pot, with no sauteing or other required steps. The rigatoni, on the other hand, requires a little more work, but is well worth the effort.

Baked Eggs with Chard and Garlicky Yogurt is a go-to dish for me because it’s healthful, comes together quickly and, while it bakes, you have time to wash the dishes. I like to think of it as a “whole vegetable” dish, because it uses not just the chard leaves, but the stems as well. To make the dish even better, we included Bellwether Farms Carmody, a delicious semi-soft sheep’s milk cheese from Petaluma.

The Last Winter Salad is so named because I really hope it will be the last winter salad. I don’t know about everyone else, but I can’t wait for tender asparagus, fava beans, strawberries, rhubarb, and all the bounty of Spring.

Lastly, I’m delighted to include Pop Up Pastries, makers of delicious, handmade pop tarts in this week’s box. I love sweet treats, and any box that I curate must include one, so I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Carne Asada Tacos with Black Beans (for large boxes)

Baked Rigatoni

One Pot Chicken & Farro

Baked Eggs with Chard and Garlicky Yogurt

Last Winter Salad

Like the sound of this box? Order these ingredients, sourced locally and delivered to your doorstep in LA here.

Oscars Box

February 4, 2015 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Order Deadline: Noon, Tuesday, February 16

ORDER REAL FOOD BOX — DELIVERY FEBRUARY 22

ABOUT THIS BOX
And the Oscar to goes to … one of the five recipes you’ll prepare. Yes, it’s a tight race. It’s time for a tribute to the movies that have made a tribute to cooking. This fun box brings the red carpet to your kitchen with recipes celebrating some of our favorite foodie movies – Julie and Julia, The Godfather, The Chef, The Hundred-Foot Journey with Helen Mirren, and Stanley Tucci’s The Big Night – and the ingredients you’ll need to make it a glamorous night. Enjoy creating your own showstopping cooking scenes!

BOX INGREDIENTS
You’ll have lots of fun with film and food, starting with LA’s own Semolina Pasta spaghetti for the Godfather dish. Prepare our organic, nutty, fair trade Mekong rice and coconut milk for the winter squash curry recipe by Mark Bittman, former culinary writer for the New York Times, as a tribute to The Hundred-Foot Journey, a sweet story about an Indian restaurant that opens across the street from a very established French gourmet restaurant and the relationship that ensues between these odd couple patrons. You’ll also celebrate two Oscar favorites in one savory dish – Michael Pollan’s Oscar-nominated Food, Inc. and The Big Night when you prepare Pollan’s veggie fritatta recipe with a beautiful mix of greens and the very best local eggs from our favorite, small, family-owned and operated Dare 2 Dream.

BOX RECIPES
• Boeuf Bourguignon from Julie and Julia
• Godfather Spaghetti
• Cuban Chicken with Chili Roasted Yams
• Mark Bittmans’ Winter Squash Curry
• Veggie Fritatta — Michael Pollan

BOX DETAILS
• Omnivore 5-meal Real Food Box includes ingredients for all the recipes, plus additional staples and fruit.
• Vegetarian 5-meal Real Food Box includes ingredients for the Veggie Fritatta and Winter Squash Curry, plus ingredients for 2-3 more meals of your own invention, plus additional staples and fruit.
• Omnivore 2-meal Real Food box includes ingredients for the Boeuf Bourgnignon and the Winter Squash Curry
• Vegetarian 2-meal Real Food box includes ingredients for the Veggie Fritatta and Winter Squash Curry

Valentine’s Box

January 30, 2015 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

So much love in this box! Cupid reigns supreme this week with truffles, lavender; sweet, decadent, melt in your mouth Dates from 4 Apostles, Amarosa Weiser potatoes, heart-shaped Cherimoyas, and the “Woo the One You Love” Feast (recipe below!)?! And last but not least, the Regional Specialty is a bag of Madeleines. All natural melt-in your mouth goodness made by a lovely French couple from Brittany who has relocated to Santa Barbara. Whenever we have Madeleines we think of Proust’s Rememberance of Things Past, with childhood memories triggered by a taste of a Madeleine. So this Valentine’s Day we hope you will create some wonderful food memories, in particular, for your children. : )

Most of the recipes in this mealplan come from Shaheda, but the chicken and rice recipe is one of my favorite recipes from the Surfin’ Chef, simple and delicious. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!!

Recipes

Valentine’s Feast: Lavender, Garlic & Herb New York Steak, Asparagus, Roasted Potatoes with Strawberry Crepes for Dessert!

Meatballs with a Surprise

Chicken & Rice

Eggs Poached in Winter Greens

Pasta with Roasted Veggies & Goat Cheese

Gabriele’s Tuscan Box #2

January 13, 2015 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Order Deadline: Noon, Tuesday, January 29

ORDER YOUR KITCHEN BOX — DELIVERY FEBRUARY 5

ABOUT THIS BOX
With great pleasure, we welcome back Gabriele Bertaccini with another wonderful Tuscan Box (Numero Due). For those of you who are new, or missed his last box, Gabriele is currently living between Los Angeles, California and Phoenix, Arizona, where he is the Executive Chef and owner of iL TOCCO, a private boutique dining and catering company. He also organizes and directs the exclusive and renowned CULINARY MISCHIEF, an invitation-only underground roving event featuring a 6-course dinner and paired wines. Gabriele writes for several food magazines and publications and regularly appears on NBC and other local and national television shows. You can follow him on Instagram @chefgabebertaccini and on his website www.iltoccofood.com

BOX RECIPES

OTB BOXES ARE HERE TO INSPIRE YOU!
GRAB PANTRY ITEMS AND PREPARE DELICIOUS MEALS

CHECK YOUR PANTRY AND STOCK UP WITH THE ITEMS YOU’LL WANT FOR EACH RECIPE.
VISIT OUR PANTRY FOR MORE ITEMS.

BOX DETAILS

Large Omnivore Culinary Inspiration Boxes for the Arista Pork with Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts, Chicken Milanese with Escarole Salad, Beef Stew, Roasted Winter Squash and Farro Salad with Beets, and Carrot Soup and Fried Radicchio, plus additional staples and fruit

Large Vegetarian Culinary Inspiration Boxes for Roasted Winter Squash and Farro Salad with Beets, Carrot Soup and Fried Radicchio, Crispy Brussels Hash with Cloud Eggs, and Cheesy Farro Cakes with Blistered Almonds, and Radish, Escarole, and Blood Orange Salad, and additional staples and fruit

Small Omnivore Culinary Inspiration Boxes for the Chicken Milanese with Escarole Salad and Carrot Soup with Fried Radicchio

Small Vegetarian Culinary Inspiration Boxes for the Roasted Winter Squash and Farro Salad with Beets, and the Carrot Soup and Fried Radicchio

Happy 2015 Box

December 29, 2014 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Happy 2015! This box features recipes from the Surfin’ Chef, including simple directions on how to make your own Corned Beef out of a brisket from Rancho San Julian. This version will be unlike any corned beef you have ever tasted, and kids love it. It should allow for leftovers, and some great sandwiches later in the week. The idea of corned beef might seem daunting, but if you just take a few minutes to create the brine, you can leave your brisket in the liquid for a few days and it will be ready to roll with next to no work.

Above is a photo taken at Hilltop & Canyon Farm, where the Salty Lemons (this week’s Regional Specialty), and the Christmas Lima Beans (this week’s Pulse) were grown and preserved. Salty Lemons are preserved in brine and the Limas are preserved by drying. These simple techniques were developed to savor our summer products through the winter, and it’s great to be using them that way this week.

Other special items to enjoy are the pink-fleshed Cara Cara Oranges from Etheridge –the flavor of these navel oranges is more complex than most navel varieties and has been described as evoking notes of cherry, rose petal, orange, and blackberry. This is a special treat grown organically by Eugene Etheridge who also grew the tangerines, kiwi and grapefruit this week.

Lastly, we had planned a red cabbage dish to go with the brisket this week, and we called countless farmers to no avail. So we decided to introduce Sugarloaf Radicchio or Pan di Zucchero, grown by Jacob Grant of Roots farm. Save a strip or two of bacon from your box (if you are an omnivore) and try sauteeing the sugarloaf sliced into ribbons with some onion and diced bacon. Let us know if you like it. This is a first for OTB!

Here’s to a great new year of eating Out of the Box: it’s good for you, good for the community, and good for the planet so enjoy getting into the kitchen with these wonderful ingredients!

THIS WEEK”S RECIPES!

Corned Beef, Sugarloaf Radicchio, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Crispy Kale Chips

Moroccan Chicken, Preserved Lemons, Roasted Cauliflower, Green Salad

Bacon, Braised Apples, Fried Sage and Christmas Lima Beans

Savory Bread Pudding

Delicata Squash Pasta

Thanksgiving 2014 Box

November 15, 2014 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Thanksgiving Box Recipes

Enjoy! We have special organic cranberries this week from Wisconsin (the closest we could find them), and pumpkin flavored fresh goat cheese from Soledad. Various beautiful roasting root veggies from Roots farm in Los Olivos to get into the Thanksgiving mood. The special Maggie’s Farm Thanksgiving Herb Bouquet is also a special treat, filled with flavors to spread through your feast. Have a wonderful week!

Thanksgiving Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Herb Bunch
Roasted Green Beans
Sweet Potato, Carrot and Honey Saute
Pea Soup with Ham Hocks
Eggs Poached in a Nest of Hearty Spring Greens

Acorn Squash and Sweet Dumpling Pasta

Ground Beef Patties, Fried Potatoes and Caramelized Onions

For those of you who ordered a Pescatarian Box, the Catch of the Week is Opah, and for the Large Real Food Pescatarian Boxes, the 2nd fish selection is White Sea Bass.

Autumn Box

October 28, 2014 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Out of the box Collective Real Food Box menu plan for 11/3/2014.

My name is Matthew Armistead; I am from Blackburn in the North West of England. I moved to Los Angeles 6 years ago with my family and work as a chef. I have been a chef for 19 years and started cooking mainly because I love eating. Preparing food and sitting around the table spending time with family and friends has always been the most important and constant part of our daily life, and what bring us together as family, friends and community. I believe people who use Out of the Box will hold these same values and that home cooking, supporting local farmers/producers is crucial to addressing the environmental, health, and social issues that we face in our communities today.

The recipes I have put together are all dishes I would cook at home and have also been included on my menus at some time. The recipes aren’t too chefy, but a couple (the lamb and chicken) take a bit of time to cook. I try to have an afternoon when I cook and stock the fridge. There is nothing better than coming home and simply reheating a stew or soup that you have previously made, and that are also great for school lunch. You can feel confident your kids have good food – whether they choose to eat it or not is a different story.

The theme for the menus is autumn, but as with any menu writing, the starting point is always what is available. With the weather getting slightly cooler and the days shorter, it’s comforting to tuck into a stew or a warming soup and the salad leaves go to the hardier winter leaves such as escarole. I hope you enjoy the recipes, and can all spend time with your loved ones around the table.

Chicken Cacciatore
Roasted Carrots and Beets, Pumpkin or Kabocha Seeds, and Cilantro
Shakshuka with Breakfast Steak
Apple, Escarole, Blue Cheese, Celery Hearts, and Almond Salad
Dahl and Kabocha Soup
Cinnamon Spiced Lamb Shanks with Shelling Beans
Shackamaxon Beans

What’s In The Box
1/2 chicken from Jimenez Farms
Lamb shanks (2) from Jimenez Farms
Breakfast steak from Novi Ranch
Eggs from Dare to Dream Farms
Orange juice from Out of the Box Collective
Butter from McClelland
Cinnamon quill from Spicy Gourmet
Rosemary almonds from Fat Uncle Farms
Beans from Roots
Marcie’s Spinach Onion Quiche
Point Reyes Blue Cheese
Purple Carrots from Roots
Onions from Finley Farms
Beets from Rancho La Familia
Garlic from Holland Ranch
Potatoes from Rodriguez Farms
Ginger from Her Farms
Mushrooms from Monterey
Tomatoes from Roots
Kabocha from Roots
Celery from Rancho La Familia
Peppers from Elwood Canyon
Fennel from Elwood Canyon
Spring mix from Maggie’s Greens
Kale from Rancho La Familia
Escarole from Maggie’s
Parsley from Givens
Cilantro from Givens
Grapes from Burkart
Apples from Blue Ribbon Ranch
White pomegranates from Burkart
Hachiya persimmons from Ethridge

Say Goodbye to Summer Box

September 12, 2014 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

With the Fall Equinox on the horizon, it’s a great week to officially “Say Goodbye to Summer”, and celebrate the wonderful summer produce which is still abundantly available. Green Beans, Corn on the Cob, Summer Squash, Peaches and Melon will all be fading out before you know it, so it’s time for one last hurrah!

Cooks Pig Pork Chops with Green Beans and an Apple and Roasted Beet Salsa
Pasta Facile
Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives
Savory Beef Pie
Spanish Tortilla Omelette

Southern Box

September 1, 2014 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Here’s a meal plan with ingredients inspired from the American South. While researching the recipes for this box, we came across the work of the late Edna Lewis, a granddaughter of freed slaves and caretaker of Southern cooking traditions. A lot of these recipes are sourced from her book “The Gift of Southern Cooking,” written with Scott Peacock. The James Beard Foundation said her food represented a time when American cooking was a series of family events, and in a brilliant essay she wrote called What Is Southern? she reveals her mission to save the recipes and traditions of the South and pass them down to future generations.

Recipes:
Cajun Burgers + Collard Greens
Corn Bread (follow instructions on mix) + Garlic Green Beans
Saute of Heirloom Tomatoes and Okra with Bacon Garnish
Macaroni and Cheese
Fried Chicken + Fried Okra

Fashion Week Box

August 30, 2014 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Fashion Week is starting off in New York on September 4th and to kick it off, here’s a menu plan with recipes to help you make a bold, colorful statement. And whether you’re looking to make a statement out and about or in the kitchen, you can check out sites like Raise to see what coupons might be about for you to save money and look and feel wonderful.

Just as the clothes you wear communicate something about you, so do the food choices you make, day in and day out. Choosing to eat fresh, wholesome, locally grown food means that you care about yourself and your community – that you see the bigger picture! Be a trendsetter in your community, spread the word and spread the love. In our book, leafy greens are the new black, and striped heirloom tomatoes about as snazzy as it gets. We even have Mohawk pasta for some of our Punk-ier customers!

Please note: this week we have substituted spinach greens with organic amaranth greens from Earthtrine Farm. Spinach thrives in cold weather, and so we have opted for a leafy green that is abundant in this hot weather. Use only the leaves and cook as you would spinach, maybe 5 minutes instead of 3. Referred to as callaloo in cajun and West Indies cooking (used interchangeably with spinach), or quelite in Mexico, Amaranth leaves and seeds are super rich in protein, vitamins (especially Vitamin A), iron and dietary fiber.

We have also substituted green 8-ball squash for the “sunburst squash” which we had in the boxes last week. There is an amazing array of different summer squash being grown, and we have made an effort to introduce different colors and shapes every week so people don’t burn out with the repitition that can occur in some CSA-boxes with endless zucchini all summer.

The last substitution is NY Steaks from Rancho San Julian instead of Top Sirloin — the steaks may be slightly smaller than the weights on the packing list, however they are a superior cut and designed to be sliced in the recipe, so the sizes should be sufficient for the steak salad, and well, absolutely delicious.

Enjoy!

Italian Sausages With Red Beets and Goat Cheese
Savory Pie With Fire-Roasted Lipstick Peppers
Lovely Salad Of Spring Mix, Minced Shallots And Champagne Vinaigrette
Breast of Chicken With Broccoli And Green Beans
Tomato Pasta with Summer Squash and Basil
New York steak With Pesto Sauce Tomato Basil Salad

Pairings The Series Box

August 12, 2014 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Pairings is a web series that launched in 2012 where food, love, comedy, and drama intersect in snappy 10 minute episodes. Food is at the core of the show and each episode is paired with complimentary recipes so you can recreate the delicious dishes showcased in the episodes.

The synopsis: Alan is terrible with women. While Alan can cook beautiful (and delicious) plates of food, he often eats them alone. His friends and family convince him that ‘the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach. ‘ As Alan starts cooking his way through the dating world, he discovers things about women, himself, and the lasting memories of food.

Their season two finale aired on Wednesday, August 13. You can catch it online here.
The recipes:

Chicken Milanese
Mushroom Risotto
Candied Bacon + Star Trek Egg-In-A-Hole
Stout Braised Lamb Shanks
Bruschetta

The Busy Bee Box

August 6, 2014 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

We’re so pleased to announce a new specialty box from Out of the Box Collective. They’ve launched The Busy Bee Box, a farm-to-table package with basic ingredients to help you whip up a quick dinner or lunch. It’s designed for the busy mom, dad, or individual who doesn’t have all that much time to spend hours at the stove.

The contents are astonishing simple: fresh pasta, pasta sauce, butter, simple cuts of meat, cheese, easy steamable vegetables, and fruits. All you need to do is throw the veggies in the steamer, sauté the meats, boil some pasta, and toss it in our pre-made sauces. No quirky vegetables here. It’s all very intuitive.

The best part? Like all of their other boxes, the contents are sourced locally, the meats are pastured, and most of the produce is organic.

No recipes are needed.

Here’s what you can expect in a box:

Top sirloin
Polish sausage
Chicken breast
Eggs
Orange
Butter
Fresh pasta
Pasta sauce
Cheddar cheese
Potatoes
Carrots
Garlic
Green Beans
Tomatoes
Cauliflower
Salad mix
Basil
Apple
Blackberries
Peaches
Figs
Pluots

Get it here.

Back-To-School Box

August 5, 2014 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

The kids are heading back to school and the end of summer is at hand, all too quickly. We’ve asked Ayda Robona of Om Sweet Mama to create several recipes for enjoying the gorgeous summer produce. Enjoy the peaches, berries, zucchini, stone fruit and other gorgeous summer goodies before they are replaced with slow-cooked meals, cozy wool socks, and the smell of smoky chimneys.

Here are the recipes:
Grilled Steak with Tarragon Mustard, Salad, and Roasted Red Potatoes
Courgette Gratin
Kielbasa and Beer and Braised Red Cabbage
Asian Style Barbecue Chicken
Mushroom and Onion Tart & Kale Salad

Back on Schedule Box

July 29, 2014 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

Summer vacation is winding down and it’s time to get back on schedule. This menu plan was created by Bonnie Stoilkovich, who has been creating herb rubs under her label Zuma Organics. Stoilkovich has been cooking and teaching cooking for over 15 years. She loves to encourage people to learn simple, carefree meals, that are not only healthy and delicious, but easy and non- threatening – reducing stress and time spent in the kitchen.

Roast Chicken 101 With Honeyed Carrots
Baba Ghanoush with Pita
Slow-Cooker Beans with Ham Hocks and Collards
Dairy-Free Pesto Pasta
Easy Meatloaf with Roasted Potatoes

You can buy set boxes, complete with ingredients to cook these recipes at Out of the Box Collective. Out of the Box is a Los Angeles farm-to-home delivery service. The deadline to order this box is Tuesday, August 5 at noon.

Here’s a pdf of the recipes.

Quick And Easy Summer Box

July 22, 2014 Filed Under: Kitchen Boxes, Past Boxes

In this heat, we’re thinking nobody wants to stand over a hot stove for very long! Here’s a quick and easy menu plan, brought to you by the “Surfin’ Chef,” Erik Stenberg, who is, in our humble opinion, one of the most talented chefs in Santa Barbara (he won the 2010 SOL Food Festival Iron Chef competition!).

– Chicken With Lemon Verbena
– Grilled Sausage and Toasted Fennel Seed Ratatouille
– Lima Bean Salad With An Egg
– Ginger Beef Stir-Fry
– Pasta Facile

Here’s a pdf of all the recipes.

You can buy set boxes, complete with ingredients to cook these recipes at Out of the Box Collective. Out of the Box is a Los Angeles farm-to-home delivery service.