I was looking for baby bok choy, but this was all I could find. The person at the farmer's market wasn't quite sure if this was baby or not...

I've learned that with veggies, I prefer the smaller, younger veggies because they seem to be more tender and have a more subtle flavor.

This is going to become Easy Bok Choy.

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-bok-choy/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=bok%20choy&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

I sauteed the stems first to help it all cook evenly, as some of the reviews recommended.

The aroma of the bok choy had a little tang in the air, so I was a little scared!

And rightly so! The bok choy was bitter and even the hubs (who eats anything) didn't eat it.

I'm not completely crossing bok choy off of my list, I may try baby bok choy if I find it and find a new recipe, but this recipe won't be happening in my kitchen again.

Verdict: Failed for now...

I'm not sure why, but I really wanted to try Swiss Chard. Probably because when I looked for it, it wasn't in season yet, so that made me think I really wanted it, because I couldn't have it. On the left is regular Swiss Chard, and on the right is Red Swiss Chard.

B-e-a-utiful, isn't it? This is probably one of the coolest looking veggies I've tried so far. Anyway, I found a recipe with lots of good reviews and decided to go for it... Swiss Chard with Garbanzo Beans and Tomatoes! (Note that Garbanzo Beans are new to me too, so this week is a two-for!)

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/swiss-chard-with-garbanzo-beans-and-fresh-tomatoes/

After rinsing, drying and chopping...

The recipe starts out with Garbanzo Beans (my bonus veggie since I skipped last week) and tomatoes...

Adding the chard til it wilts, and I followed some of the reviewer's suggestions of adding some chili flakes and parmesan cheese.

I know, I know, don't over-do it with that huge forkful, Cassie! LOL, Being a picky eater, I hesitate to mix things until I know if I even like them on their own. This was just a bite of swiss chard, none of the other ingredients yet...

It was just "OK" on it's own, but I put on a happy face :)

I had to try another bite with the Garbanzo beans, which I have also never tried (but will be attempting my own hummus sometime)...

And it was definitely better with a little bit of everything in this one! I didn't have very high expectations after the first bite, but it was better than expected. I didn't eat my whole serving once it got cold on my plate, but I think I will give Chard another try someday with another recipe. It's still one of the coolest looking veggies anyway...

I eat carrots when they're cooked into something like a soup so that they are mushy and blend right in. Not a fan of raw carrots... so I want to find a way to cook them as a side so that I actually like them as a carrot, not just a filler for a soup. These are going to become Roasted Carrots.

Recipe: http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/roasted-carrots-65427

I want to like carrots, really I do... When I was little tot, I remember asking my mom to buy carrots so I could eat them like Bugs Bunny, but even pretending to be a cartoon didn't make the carrot taste good... They look nice here...

But, even if they look nice, I still didn't like the texture! Texture is the bane of my picky eating existence... I was expecting them to become tender while roasting, but these buggers were still crunchy and a little dried out from the oven... A friend did tell me that I should never try baby carrots and that regular carrots have much better flavor, so I will be back again Carrots!

Uncooked artichokes, I wanted to try steaming them, but I don't have a steam basket yet, so I had to go with the boiling method and then just dipped in melted butter...

This is kind of what I did:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/artichokes/

Me and the choke...

These fellas are pretty when they're all trimmed up and ready to go!

I had no idea how you were supposed to eat a fresh artichoke... (the effort for what you get is almost worse than Blue Crabs...) You have to bite the petal with your teeth and scrape the flesh off...

Here's a pretty good run-down on how to eat a fresh artichoke:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cook_and_eat_an_artichoke/

I think maybe they sat in the water too long since we weren't ready for dinner yet, but the petals were hard and stringy, and the flesh was gunky... And Brandon didn't think I should try the artichoke heart. He tried it said it had no flavor and the consistency of baby food. I think I'll stick with canned artichoke hearts in the future... sorry fresh chokes! But at least I'll still work with you in the canned form...

But, as a back up, I made Spinach and Artichoke Dip with canned artichoke, so I could say I ate something with artichoke in it anyway, and this was DELICIOUS! (But what isn't when it's smothered in cheese, right?)

Recipe: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/145/Spinach_and_Artichoke_Dip14852.shtml

Cassie vs. Turnip

(I asked Brandon to pick the veggie this week...)

Although I usually skip the "root" area of the produce department, these guys are at least pretty with their purple skin... They are going to become Scalloped Turnips...

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/scalloped_turnips/

Peeled and sliced, they do kind of look like potatoes...

With some onions for extra flavor...

From what I've read, turnips have a pretty strong flavor that you either love or hate, and since I was worried I might not love it, I picked this recipe to try to tone down that flavor...

Okay, so I was a little unsure about these buggers.

But hey, they looked pretty nice!

And they really looked pretty coming out of the oven with the crispy brown top...

I recruited my sister again so I wouldn't have to try the first bite alone, we were a little scared...

The bite!

And the verdict? Not this time turnips... Not terrible on the first bite. But for myself, I couldn't eat all of my serving. I think I've learned that when I try something new, it really needs to be new! I think I had expectations of my delicious melt-in-your-mouth home made Scalloped Potatoes, and when I have a certain expectation and it's different = not so good. And this has a different flavor, a bit of a tang, that my dear potatoes definitely don't have. But hey, at least I tried it!

Brandon ate all of his and said it was successful in hiding that turnip flavor (which he was actually looking forward too... weird, I know...) And Kate actually finished her plate too! Leave it to me to be stuck at the dinner table "til I turn into an old lady..."

It wasn't a total fail, but I don't think I'll use this recipe again. Til we meet again turnips...

{I love Kate's face in this pic... pretty much sums it up...}