Bye-bye bounty: Our last CSA pickup of 2010 is as yummy as it is sad

Mmmm, CSA greens and chick peas. Yum! by Sarah Henning

Well, we're at the end folks. This week, I won't pick up a CSA bag from the Rolling Prairie Farmers Alliance. That's depressing because not only will I not be getting a bunch of fresh, local, organic veggies each week, but because that also means a long, slow winter (without my CSA or the Farmers' Market) is coming.

Blech.

But that's life right? So, we've decided to enjoy what we've got (and hope our stored local sweet potatoes last for a really, really long time).

So, this week we had one of my favorite dishes from one of the books I'm always raving about, Terry Walters' "Clean Food" — Bok Choy and Chickpeas with Cashews. It's a yummy stir-fry that utilizes not only the local bok choy I got in my bag last week, but also ginger (my favorite!) and is made pretty dang filling thanks to the addition of chickpeas and cashews. We don't even serve ours with rice because it's quite enough the way it is. Now, we might eat double the servings we're supposed to, but, hey, we have big bowls.

Without further ado, here's the recipe, and I hope you enjoy it. I know I will this winter, especially on days when I'm yearning for spring when I can get my greens locally again! That said, I'll try to post occasionally with what we've been cooking this winter when I'm able to get local ingredients.

For a final time until next CSA season, the chef does his thumb's up pose! by Sarah Henning

Bok Choy and Chickpeas with Cashews (From "Clean Food" by Terry Walters)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos

1 tablespoon mirin

1 cup cooked chickpeas

6 heads baby bok choy, chopped into large pieces (we used a full-size bok choy and some mustard greens)

1/2 cup toasted cashews (we used raw)

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté ginger in olive oil 1 minute. Add liquid aminos, mirin and chickpeas and sauté 2 minutes. Add bok choy and sauté another 2 to 3 minutes or until greens are just tender. Remove from heat, top with toasted cashews and serve.

Tagged: Farming, Farmers Market, Rolling Prairie, CSA, Produce, Fruits, Vegetables, Cooking, Locavore, Localvore