market finds and fresh foods

smiley face tomato at the Syracuse Regional Market

Right now, there is a chill in the air here and we have our heater on. It's a crying shame to have October-like weather in late May, (*shakes fist at Syracuse*) but at least we had some warm spells in the previous weeks. So having thought, however incorrectly, that summer was indeed upon us, Daiku and I did get to cook and eat some delicious warm-weather foods.

First up, some more Yellow Rose tester recipes for Joanna. Above, we have a cabbage salad with a sweet sesame dressing. So much lighter and more flavorful than a run-of-the-mill coleslaw- I could eat this by the bucket!

Next, we have a roasted beet and pear salad with a citrus-mint vinaigrette. I loved being able to use fresh mint from our mint plant that has survived for over 2 years!

Next, we have a spring greens soup. I chose to use fresh dandelion greens from... our lawn! It is so fun to forage for food in your backyard, doesn't it? And since we don't use any chemicals in our yard or on our lawn, we can eat dandelions to our hearts' content, worry-free.

I love visiting the Susu kim chi booth at our local farmers market. Isn't that the cutest label ever? The jar you see pictured above is something that is new to me- watercress kim chi. But boy, is it good! It has a lighter and sweeter flavor than regular cabbage kim chi, and goes well with everything. The fact that it's vegan, local, and organic, adds to its awesomeness.

We picked up some veggies at the market and made the tapas spread that you see pictured above- tomato/caper salad, broad bean/cucumber salad, lemon parsley steamed potatoes, shallot spice roasted potatoes, and last but not least, crisp bread with roasted caramelized garlic to spread on them. We had this meal with a glass of sangria- pretty much the world's most perfect meal set-up, as far as I'm concerned!

Finally, we have what Daiku and I call our "hippie meal." It's an arame-zucchini stir-fry recipe from the Natural Grocery Company website. Whenever we feel a bit run-down, or want to eat something super healthy, we turn to this dish. It's a simple stir-fry of tofu, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, and TONS of seaweed! (We actually used wakame instead of arame, since that's what we had on hand.) Served with brown rice and a healthy sprinkle of sesame seeds, it's a nourishing meal. After you eat it, you feel full and yet light. The satisfaction carries over to the next morning. I'm usually ravenous for breakfast when I wake up, but not if I had this for dinner the night before. My hypothesis is that the seaweed is so full of minerals and nutrients that my body feels that it has everything it needs, and thus doesn't crave anything more! I don't know how scientifically sound this hypothesis is, but why don't you experiment and see if this meal doesn't nourish you the same way?

Now, I'm going to go check on the thermostat. Brrr!

market finds and fresh foods