Farmer's Market Friday: Fresh Finds

This week we're taking a break from our Flashback Friday series.  Fresh produce straight from the fields is not something to be messed with.  Of course I'm not saying you can't make something with it, it's just that I prefer my peas and green beans raw and crunchy.

Last Saturday was a perfect morning for a stroll around the Farmer's Market.  Music, color, abundance and fresh, beautiful food; it was all there.  I didn't bring my camera along, but here are a few of the things I brought home with me.

Sugar snap peas.  Sweet and crisp, these peas were delicious straight from hand to mouth.

Leaf lettuce.  Most of this turned into a strawberry salad with balsamic and black pepper.

Rhubarb. Okay, I take back that part about eating everything straight from the field.  While I can eat a bite or two of raw rhubarb, it's not exactly something you snack on.  A slice of rhubarb pie, however, may have qualified as a snack instead of dessert multiple times last week.

Free pectin mixes for making jam.  Ball was sponsoring a booth and giving out small packets of pectin and salsa kits.  Strawberry jam definitely happened this week.

Yum, I love fresh fruits and veggies!

Food for thought: "Reflect upon your present blessings- of which every man has many- not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." -Charles Dickens 

Random Recipe Wednesday: Gingered Carrot-Pineapple Slaw

I have a stack of old magazines lingering in my room.  And by lingering I mean collecting dust.  Don't get me wrong, I read them cover to cover multiple times, but when the pile is literally knee-deep it's time to do some recycling.  About a third of these magazines are food magazines.  I decided (again) to page through them just one more time before tossing them for good.

Fermented Friday: Pomegranate Quinoa Salad

Fermented Friday: recipes featuring yeast, wine, beer or some form of fermentation.

I really shouldn't buy uncommon ingredients unless I have a specific recipe in mind.  But a good deal will get me every time.  Enter pomegranates.  I bought two of them and both have been sitting in the fruit basket for over a week.  Last fall I made this Butternut Squash Salsa with pomegranates and it was a hit.  I'll probably end up making it next week, but I wanted to use pomegranate a little differently here.  Well, that and I sorta said I would try not to overwhelm you with squash and pumpkin recipes.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Pumpkin Wild Rice Salad

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

This warm autumn salad is packed with fall flavors.  Loaded with healthy ingredients this cozy side boasts a delicate balance between sweet and savory.  Caramelized onions and roasted cauliflower blend with the nuttiness of wild rice.  Sweet, delicate pumpkin notes mingle with crisp apples, soft raisins and a subtle hint of warm cinnamon.

Tuesday's Twist: Just a Slice

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Many people consider cutting up fruit to be a chore.  I happen to find it quite enjoyable and relaxing.

Sometimes I get a little carried away.

And play with my food decide to slice it a bit differently than your typical fruit salad.

Because food should be fun.

Especially if it's the last slice of summer. 

Colors, angles, layers, shapes. Start with a slice of melon and make just a few more slices this way and that. Stack, slide or twist your salad into place. Basil and a drizzle of fresh lime juice can't hurt either. 

Food for Thought: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. " - Galatians 5:22 

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Fermented Friday: Asian Slaw

Fermented Friday: recipes featuring yeast, wine, beer or some form of fermentation

This recipe is a bit of a stretch for Fermented Friday, but technically it qualifies since soy sauce and rice vinegar are fermented products.  Soy sauce is made by fermenting soybeans with roasted wheat or barley.  Vinegar is produced when bacteria convert a fermented product into acetic acid.  The word itself comes from the French term for "sour wine" vin aigre.  Rice vinegar is made from, you guessed it, fermented rice.  See, we're still using fermentation.

Actually, I've just been craving this crunchy slaw for the past few weeks and needed an excuse to make it.  Okay, that and I put in enough hours at work this week that I didn't quite find time to finish the beer-cheese recipe I'm working on.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Spicy Cucumber-Cantaloupe Salad

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

A year ago I never would have believed jalapenos would frequent my kitchen.  I was a wimp for spicy foods and and considered even mild salsa too hot.  Somewhere along the way I ventured past my Minnesota roots and started trying recipes with jalapenos and other spicy ingredients.  This opened a whole new realm of possibilities to excite my palate.  Fortunately for me, my family isn't too sold on the idea, so I had this flavor-packed salad all to myself.

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Peanut Butter and Basil Quinoa Salad

Weird Recipe Wednesday: Because some recipes are so weird I just HAVE to try them.  My curiosity always gets the better of me.

I haven't been able to get the idea of peanut butter and basil out of my head since I saw this Peanut Butter and Basil Sandwich.  A million weird ideas are floating around my head. In fact, they're probably too weird to share with you right now.  Instead, I'll introduce you to this flavor combination in a dish that's a little  more normal.  (After it grows on you I'll utilize this duo in an application even I consider weird.)  

Fermented Friday: Summer Ale Couscous Salad

Fermented Friday: recipes featuring yeast, wine, beer or some form of fermentation

I'm not really sure how I came up with this one.  Sometimes even I can't follow my own train of thought.  It could be the result of 9+ hours of driving time this week to think.  Yay for summer road trips! Or it might have more to do with the fact that I haven't been home as much and needed to make something quick, take a few pictures and leave enough time to try something different in case this was a total flop.  Or maybe my brain is just going crazy in all this heat.  But hey, I had a lot of other weirder ideas that I held back on, well for now.   Let's just stop trying to figure it out and get to the food.

Tuesday's Twist: Grilled Romaine Salad

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

It's summer. Time in the kitchen and baking in a hot oven have been replaced with time outside enjoying the sunshine (though sometimes I feel like I'm being baked myself).  Longer days mean even more time to be outside and less time for sitting behind a computer.  I'm sure you know the feeling, so let's just keep this short and simple and get back outside, okay? Okay.

Summer means grilling. Summer is also the perfect excuse to eat more salad.  Since we want to be outside let's just grill our salad while were at it.

This salad has that smokey, charred, grilled flavor that screams summer. It's slightly warm but still crisp and crunchy.  Better yet, it take only a few minutes and requires practically zero effort.  Throw it on when whatever else you're grilling up has just a few minutes left.

I thought of drizzling this with a balsamic reduction or topping it with blue cheese, but didn't want to mess with pictures on such a beautiful day. Well, that and the fact that recipes later this week may also use balsamic vinegar and/or blue cheese.  While I'm a fan of both, I realize others may be a little less approving.  Feel free to top with your favorite salad dressing, whether it's bottled or homemade.  Or just eat it as is and enjoy all that grilled flavor.

Grilled Romaine Salad

Ingredients:

1 romaine heart

1/2 tsp olive oil

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

salt, optional

Instructions:

* Preheat outdoor grill to medium-high heat

* Slice romaine heart in half lengthwise, leaving stem attached. Brush cut-side of each half with olive oil. Season to taste with pepper and salt, if using.

*  Place cut-side-down on grill and grill 1-3 minutes or until slightly charred.  Flip and grill 1 minute more.  Do not over-grill or salad will be limp. 

I have no idea why this is appearing in white, and can't seem to fix it. That happens if you copy and paste from a word document, but I wrote this straight from my head to the post not in word.  Any ideas? 

Food for Thought: "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint." Proverbs 23:4

Tuesday's Twist: Thai Broccoli Salad

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try. 

This recipe probably fits better under Weird Recipe Wednesday than Tuesday's Twist, but I had most of the ingredients on hand and it didn't require turning on the oven or standing over the stove on a hot day.  Your typical broccoli salad has bacon, mayonnaise, raisins and sunflower seeds.  This version plays off of Thai flavors by combining broccoli with red onion, fresh mint and chopped peanuts.  Instead of mayonnaise the dressing is flavored with lime juice and fish sauce.