CSA Sandwich

Today is CSA pick up day, and last night I still had a veggie drawer full of goodies from our first CSA haul. To prepare for my half marathon, I was avoiding dairy and fibrous foods like beans, fruits, and greens...so my drawer full of farm fresh veggies was just sitting there, waiting and temping me.

Difficult as it was, my pre-race diet paid off, and I rocked the Rock n Roll half marathon, beating my 2.5 hour goal, and finishing in 2 hours and 20 minutes, not walking once, and having the most unbelievable experience. After the race, Amanda, Cynthia, and I lounged in a hotel room, covered in bags of ice, sipping champagne, and gorging ourselves on anything and everything in sight. And since then, I’ve been filling up on the foods I was craving leading up to the race. Cheeseburger and yam fries with lemony aioli, cheesy black bean enchiladas with a hearty dollop of sour cream, yogurt with nectarines and a drizzle of maple syrup, mint brownie ice cream with nuts, and last night, the foods I was craving most of all: tons of veggies.

I decided to use up all of the remaining CSA items in one go (except for the big fuzzy leaves of apple mint, which might just get steeped in creamy custard and frozen into a minty ice cream this weekend). We had already polished off the strawberries, lettuce, and spinach (basically the moment they arrived). The remaining bok choy, green onions, garlic scapes, cilantro, and carrots, combined with a few things I had at home, made for one tasty veggie-filled CSA Sandwich… one that Evan, the meat-eatingest guy I know, said he’d order off a menu. It may not have been pretty, but it was damn tasty.

I halved the bok choy lengthwise, and drizzled it with olive oil and sprinkle of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Then I threw that, and the green onions (whole) on the grill. Meanwhile, I made a quick carrot pickle, bathing matchstick carrots in rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. I blended the garlic scapes and cilantro with some basil, walnuts, and olive oil to form a thick and delish pesto-esque paste. All of these components, plus a little cottage cheese (and Sriracha for Evan), went between slices of whole grain toast. Fresh, crunchy, smoky, and flavorful… the randomly delicious post-race CSA Sandwich.

Bring on the veggies…who said all cravings are bad for you?

{One year ago: V ran the full RnR marathon, followed by my Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream!}