Fresh soybeans and creative uses for CSA vegetables

Remember the soybeans from CSA Share #13?

Well, I cooked them. It was incredibly easy too.
1. Wash soybeans.
2. Place in pot and cover with water.
3. Add salt.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low boil. Let the soybeans boil for 5-10 minutes.
5. Test a soybean - if they taste nutty and tender, they're done.
6. Drain and salt, if desired.

I found a random soybean that escaped the pot and I was curious what raw soybeans might taste like. I figured I might not get another chance to try, so I went ahead and took a nibble. They tasted like a larger, rawer version of green beans, if that makes sense. Probably won't try that again, but it was interesting!

Alas, I lost my basil from CSA Share #13 to negligence. I kept thinking I'd use it for something and then it grew moldy. Tears.

But I did manage to use up a bunch of my other vegetables for the week!

Exhibit A: Arugula
I managed to toss a bunch of arugula into some late night shin ramen for late nightt post-drinking munchies. Mostly, I'm really really really impressed with my commitment to my vegetables. After all, drunk people normally don't think about vegetables as a first concern. I even washed the arugula before dumping it in my ramen! For the record, it was really delicious and it totally hit the spot. I demolished an entire pot of ramen singlehandedly. Yeah. Uhhhh....next.

Exhibit B: Cilantro + turnip greens
In my efforts to avoid wasting two weeks of herbs in a row, I thought what the hell why not, and tossed several healthy sprigs of cilantro into my sauteed garlic-turnip greens. This was a very flavorful preparation, as I accidentally peeled more garlic than I thought I could use. Eight cloves of garlic in one sitting. I was a little concerned, but it turned out just fine. This was actually not a bad combination at all! But then, I always did have a soft spot for cilantro.

Exhibit C: Basil
I did manage to use up a bit of my basil. I tossed them on top of a fried egg, which added a nice, herby touch. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anything else to put the basil on before it went moldy, but better luck next time, I suppose.

CSA Share #13 and Radish Greens

Slow on the updates in spite of a long weekend... I have a few posts in reserve and will update accordingly when I get the chance.

In the meantime, this week's share:
- 2 red bell peppers
- giant lovely mess (10oz) of arugula (or rocket, as it's known in the UK)
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 bunch Italian basil
- 3/4lb green beans
- 1 bunch radishes
- 1/2lb soybeans!
- 2 large tomatoes

CWTC: soybeans! I don't think I've ever had fresh soybeans before. Only frozen. This should be interesting, and fun.
TAV: Radish greens. Typically something that gets thrown out, but I was determined to make them edible in my quest to reduce food waste.
WTF: Arugula. I love it. But what do I do with this much of it? Maybe I can saute a plate of arugula and top it with a fried egg?

Radish Greens
Wasn't sure what to do with these, as they didn't look very appealing, especially with bug holes eaten through nearly all of them. After washing them very well and chopping them into small pieces, they looked considerably more appetizing.

I chopped up and froze the green portions of the scallions for later use, but I reserved the bulbs for my radish greens. The scallion bulbs were about as big across as a quarter, so they probably were more like onions than scallions at that point.

I sliced two cloves of garlic, the reserved onion bulbs, stray basil leaves, and sauteed them in a pan over medium heat. I added the chopped radish greens fairly quickly. I used a dash of fish sauce, rice vinegar, and a drizzle of sesame oil to finish off the dish, which actually turned out quite nicely. I think it was the seasoning that did it. Sesame oil is a nice counterpoint to root vegetable greens, with the nutty flavor balancing the bitterness of the greens. It's similar to using bacon when cooking turnip greens, but more subtle.

Pretty pleased with myself :)