Our first winter CSA winter share of the year has arrived. Squash, onions, beets and cabbage all found their way into our menu this week.

Monday: Butternut Squash and Sage Wontons with Kale Salad

Tuesday: Beef Enchiladas with Chips & Guacamole

Wednesday: Spaghetti Carbonara and Beet Salad

We used to eat LOTS of pasta early in our marriage. It was easy to make, we had received several pasta cookbooks for wedding presents, and I had an addiction for carbs. But a combination of feeling weighed down and burned out on pasta, brought us to the next cooking phase… if I recall it was lots of Chinese.

Now that I’ve discovered quinoa pasta, we’ve slowly brought back some old favorites. Most likely we’ll serve cut carrots on the side as a “safe” vegetable, after the kids try their beet “chef-bite.”

I’ll be using a recipe from my American Test Kitchen cookbook.   You can access the http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/login.asp?docid=7407)">recipe via a 14-day free trial.

Goat Cheese, Mint & Beet Salad

Ingredients:

3 beets

3 T rice vinegar

2 T olive oil

2-3 t scallion, chopped

1 ½ - 2 T chopped fresh mint

½ t sugar

1/3 cup goat cheese (you could do less, but I like goat cheese!)

1 chopped green onion

Boil 3 beets with skins on for 30-40 minutes. Drain water and let cool. The skins should easily peel off and then cut into ¼ inch cubes. Mix together scallion, rice vinegar, olive oil, mint and sugar for a dressing. Pour the dressing over the beets, crumble goat cheese on top and sprinkle with green onion.

Thursday: Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

This is one of the ways I’ve been able to get my kids to eat broccoli! You can use rice or noodles, whatever your preference.

Friday: Island Pork Tenderloin Salad

We’ll cut the recipe in half.