CSA cooking: Top Chef Las Vegas edition

basket inventory: beets, kale, 2 kinds of lettuce, carrots, arugula, small radishes, mint/cilantro/chives, valencia oranges, mandarins (gone already), bells, large toms, limes, macadamia nuts

in honor of the finale of Top Chef-Las Vegas, i decided to celebrate with my own inspired challenge: cook a 3 course meal from your CSA basket using only 5 extra ingredients from your pantry (not including oil and s & p).

SALAD WITH MARINATED TOMATOES
basic simple salad: wash and tear the lettuce greens, chop the chives or various herbs.
dressing-in an old jar with a lid: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, s&p, mustard...shake until you like the flavor.
tomatoes: slice them and put them into a small bowl. cover with balsamic vinegar, pepper and a little olive oil and salt....mix well and let it sit for 30 min or more. put on top of salad or some crusty bread or meat.

CRUNCHY TILAPIA WITH CITRUS CARROTS

• tilapia fillets
• 1c. flour
• spices (i like cayenne for heat, or nothing)
• finely chopped mac nuts
  
• 2 eggs (add some cream to the eggs if you want), whisked
  
• s&p
• carrots: see cumin carrots recipe, just sub orange juice for the lime juice

heat oven to 350 & wash the fillets. bowl 1: flour and spices/bowl 2: eggs. dip the fillets in the flour, then in the eggs, then place on a oiled baking sheet and sprinkle with the mac nuts. bake for 15-20 min. serve with a lime wedge.

CSA MOJITO (2 drinks worth)

• 1 tbsp cane sugar
• between 4-6oz lime juice (basically 1 lime cut into slices, the other reserved for more juice)
  
• 4 oz rum
• 2oz fresh oj and some water mixed in + some zest
  
• ice
• 1 large mint sprig, plus a few for garnish

muddle the mint and slices of one lime. add the oj, lime juice and rum in a separate glass and taste. add to mint mix, add ice and shake...pour into glasses!

*and yes i count the drink as a course-who do you think i am-the Voltaggio Brothers!


total non-CSA ingredients
(fish dish) eggs, flour, fish =3
(salad) balsamic vinegar, mustard =2
(mojito) rum, sugar= 2
total ingredients used=7...OK so i lost my own Top Chef, but i guess i could have had straight oj, but what was the fun in that!