This week your basket contains: zucchini, cucumber, beans, onions, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, beets, basil, carrots, garlic, and sweet peppers.

Everyone has golden beets (non-staining but great tasting) which are perfect for the recipe below.  If you have a red beet as well, it is an heirloom variety called Chioggia.  It is lighter red than the beets you are used to and thus less staining as well.  When cut in half latitudinally, the cut face will show rings of red and white, which can make for a striking presentation on your plate.  We have also used Chioggia in this recipe and liked the pink hue it gave to the couscous.  Buying Ponzu sauce in the grocery store, makes this recipe somewhat easier, but we prefer the flavor of this version.

PONZU GRILLED SALMON WITH GOLDEN BEET COUSCOUS

Couscous:

1  teaspoon  extravirgin olive oil

2  tablespoons  thinly sliced peeled shallots (about 1 large)

8  ounces  small golden beets, thinly sliced, peeled, and quartered (about 1 1/2 cups)

1  cup  uncooked Israeli couscous

2  cups  water

1/4  teaspoon  salt

1  cup  raw spinach leaves, trimmed

Sauce:

1/2  cup  fresh orange juice

2  tablespoons  brown sugar

3  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce

2  tablespoons  sake (rice wine)

1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice

1/2  teaspoon  cornstarch

1/8  teaspoon  crushed red pepper

Remaining ingredients:

4  (6-ounce) salmon fillets with skin (about 1 inch thick)

Cooking spray

Lime wedges (optional)

To prepare couscous, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and beets; sauté 5 minutes or until shallots are tender and just beginning to brown. Stir in couscous; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add water and salt; cover and simmer 8 minutes or until couscous is tender. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Toss gently until combined and spinach wilts. Keep warm.

To prepare sauce, combine orange juice and next 6 ingredients (through red pepper) in a small saucepan, stirring well with a whisk; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 1 minute.

To prepare fish, brush cut sides of fillets with 1/4 cup sauce; place, skin sides up, on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill salmon, skin sides up, 2 minutes. Turn salmon fillets; brush with remaining 1/4 cup sauce. Grill 3 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or desired degree of doneness. Serve with couscous and lime wedges, if desired. Yields 4 servings.  Adapted from Kathryn Conrad, Cooking Light, JUNE 2005

The bush beans are slowing down a bit, but the pole beans are right on their heels.  Volumes may be down for a bit, but we should have a seamless transition to the new crop over the next week or two.

Zucchini continue to produce at a furious pace.  This recipe is an interesting take on an old favorite.

ZUCCHINI GAZPACHO WITH BASIL CREAM

2 cucumbers, sliced

2 zucchini, sliced

1 small onion, roughly chopped

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup torn basil leaves

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Blend cucumbers, zucchini, onion, olive oil, basil leaves, and lemon juice together in a blender until smooth; add cream, salt, and pepper and pulse until smooth.  Refrigerate soup until chilled, at least 1 hour.

You can also find a more traditional gazpacho recipe in the recipe section.