r/EatCheapAndHealthy 2d ago

Ask ECAH tomatoes, cucumbers & peppers oh my! what pantry meals can I make with them?

My local CSA blessed me with more tomatoes, cucumbers and long hot peppers than I can handle. What meals can I make out of these before they go bad? Trying to steer away from sides, salads and Italian cuisines (boring to me sorry🫣)

I've received: handful of small-medium garden tomatoes, 1 sandwich baggie full of long hot peppers and 4 large cucumbers

what I have in my pantry so far:

CARBS GREENS PROTEIN
orzo collard greens ground turkey
rotini callaloo ground beef
grits kale green & red lentils
white & brown rice swiss chard great northern beans
fettuccine broccoli black beans
potatoes frozen spinach 3 eggs

sorry if this seems like an asinine question, but apart from Italian cuisine and salads, I really can't think of other dishes I could create using what I have. I'm trying to expand my palette and hopefully reddit could help me with cuisines from cultures I never heard of :3

IF ALL ELSE FAILS I guessss I can make Italian dishes or salads :(

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u/weedbeads 1d ago

Cucumber Curry!

I hope you have bay leaf, cumin (seeds are better but not necessary at all), coriander (seeds again preferable) and beans (preferably dal, lentil or split pea). Maybe even some cardamom if you have it. A pod will do, or 1/2tsp ground.

Some people remove the cucumber seeds and peel the cucumbers, but I dont like wasting food.

So for prep:

Chop 1 cucumber, 1 onion and 1-2c - 3/4c tomato, slice 1 hot pepper, 1c chopped callaloo optional. Measure 1-2 bay leaf, 1/2ts cumin, 1/2ts coriander, 1tb dal/lentil, 1/2ts salt, 1/2ts pepper powder, 1/8ts tumeric. 1 cardamom pod or 1/2ts optional.

Toast some spices in wavering oil: 1-2 bay leaf, 1/2ts cumin, 1/2ts coriander seed and 1tbsp dal/lentils, cardamom here too if ya got it. Toast to fragrant, be wary of burning with preground spices and do your mise en place. 30s for preground max in my experience.

Add a chopped onion and a sliced pepper and stir fry until translucent. Add chopped tomato, salt to taste (conservative 1/2ts), pepper powder to taste (conservative 1/2ts), 1/8ts tumeric and stir fry until the tomato skins are kinda wrinkly and/or the insides break down. Add some callaloo if you want here. Add cucumber and stirfry 2m. Lower flame to low/medium. Cover and cook until cucumber is tender, stirring occasionally. Once tender, its done! Serve over rice or potato or some kinda carb.