My first summer in Boston was a really exciting time for my kitchen. Having visited only 3 or 4 times before deciding to live here, it never entered my mind that I would be moving to a city with so much produce, bread, meats, cheeses and locally crafted everything.
With so many farmers and growers in the area, the only thing I was missing was a trusted guide to sort through them all.
This is where Boston Organics enters the story. Fresh, organic produce is their strength and they have done their homework in vetting responsible farmers and businesses. By delivering thoughtfully curated produce boxes to homes and businesses each week—along with add-ons like milk, eggs, and vegetarian proteins—Boston Organics does everything short of firing up your stove and preparing your Taco Tuesday dinner!
Sitting pretty in the height of my second New England Summer, I decided it was time for a Boston Organics produce box. I browsed their list of boxes and landed on the locally sourced Dogma Box. To make my meals complete, I also helped myself to some corn tortillas, tempeh, and chocolate—all local items—from their add-on grocery menu.
Everything in my produce box was as fresh as could be. The highlight for me was a beautiful bunch of carrots with fresh, mile-long green tops. With a sweet, herby and crunchy slaw on the brain, I planned my first Boston Organics meal—a tempeh Taco Tuesday meal—around them. I chopped away at the carrots, cucumbers, apples, jalapeños and cilantro, and marinated them with a little vinegar, honey, and diced onion from my fridge.
I simmered my tempeh in a mixture of water and Maggi seasoning, and blended some mayo and Vietnamese chili garlic sauce together. I warmed my corn tortillas and piled them with the creamy chili mayo, the soft, earthy tempeh, and the sweet, crunchy slaw. I took a bite and sat in total amazement that I didn’t even need to leave my house to make this fresh, local meal.
Throughout the rest of the week, I continued to challenge myself with the other ingredients in my produce box. I made a chipotle potato salad, blueberry yogurt bowls with grated chocolate, and a green carrot top sauce for pasta and sandwiches. Apart from some condiments, dry goods, and proteins, my meals were all accounted for in my $32 produce box.
With minimal creativity left on carrot tops for the week, I was happy to learn that Boston Organics allows you to assemble a no-list for your order. For me, this means taking a short breather from carrots. But if you don’t like carrots at all, you can add them to your list and they will never be included in your box. You can also choose a box with the proportion of fruits to vegetables that works best for you.
Since I try my best to eat seasonally and locally, I would continue to order the Dogma Box, especially during the winter. Though it means eating a lot of beets, potatoes, and turnips, I can appreciate that Boston Organics is willing to do the work in bringing local, year-round produce to my apartment.
So in the spirit of year-round produce, let’s keep things summery. Let’s celebrate Taco Tuesday with this bright, crunchy, and colorful slaw. And if you’ve got some carrots to spare, Boston Organics has a whole recipe library waiting for you!
Tempeh Tacos with Carrot & Apple Slaw
Ingredients:
8 oz package tempeh
6-8 corn tortillas
1/3 cup full-fat mayonnaise
1 heaping tbsp Vietnamese chili garlic sauce
1/2 tsp Maggi seasoning, plus additional to taste
1/3 cup water
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Slaw:
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot tops
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 small cucumber (approx. 1/2 cup diced)
3 small carrots, julienned
1 apple, julienned
1 finely diced jalapeño
1 tbsp finely diced raw onion
1 1/2 tbsp rice or white vinegar
2 1/2 tsp honey
salt, to taste
Combine carrot tops, cilantro, cucumber, carrots, apple, jalapeño, onion, vinegar and honey in a medium bowl. Season with a pinch of salt, to taste. Allow to sit and marinate for at least 30 minutes prior to eating.
In a small bowl, fold the mayonnaise with the chili garlic sauce. Set aside.
Slice the tempeh into 3/8 inch slices. Pour the water, olive oil, and Maggi seasoning into the skillet, and arrange the tempeh slices throughout the pan. Cover the pan and simmer the tempeh for 5 minutes. Remove the cover and flip the tempeh slices. Continue to simmer until all of the water has evaporated. The tempeh will fry in the remaining oil. After one minute, flip the tempeh, fry for an additional minute, and transfer to a plate.
Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet. Top with chili garlic mayonnaise, tempeh, a couple dashes of Maggi, and a generous helping of the crunchy slaw.
The post Boston Organics + A Tempeh Taco Tuesday Recipe appeared first on Boston Local Food Festival.