Rejoice! It’s CSA season again!
Tonight’s meal was a local-food feast! First, we enjoyed some great skinny asparagus spears from our friends at Great Country Farms, which I wrapped in (non-local, admittedly) vegetarian bacon and put on the grill. Next, we enjoyed some barbecue tofu (that I had been marinating since this morning), which caramelized just beautifully after 15 or so minutes on the grill! Now, the tofu’s not local, but the rest of the accouterments were: Sandwich rolls from Maribeth’s Bakery, Stinkin’ Rye kraut from No. 1 Sons, half a sliced onion from Mr. Lopez’s farm stand, and kale from this week’s Great Country Farms box. (The only other item we enjoyed tonight was a batch of tater tots – again, not local, but we did a good job otherwise!)
Bacon-wrapped asparagus is one of my new favorite ways to serve this wonderful springtime veggie. A take on my bacon-wrapped Brussels sprouts that we often enjoy over the wintertime, this recipe really adds an extra dose of zing to fresh asparagus! Each stalk is incredibly flavorful and cooks up like a dream nestled in a strip of veggie bacon. Ten to 15 minutes on the grill is all you need to have a wonderfully fresh side item!
But the BBQ tofu didn’t play second fiddle, either. Served on fresh sandwich rolls that were toasted just slightly on the grill prior to dinnertime, and topped with all of those great condiments above (I’m especially proud of the kale-for-lettuce substitution and the addition of the rye kraut!), it reminded me of some of my favorite tofu sandwiches down at Soul Vegetarian in Tallahassee, which I was first introduced to more than a decade ago! Now that’s good.
At any rate, we’re thrilled that the CSA season is back upon us and are already looking forward to Thursday’s new box! And I’ve got a trick up my sleeve to take care of the rest of this week’s kale – look for an update tomorrow!
:)