Farmers Market Time

Grilled Veggies From the Farmers Market

Raw Veggies 

Nothing beats the flavor of fresh vegetables from the farmers market.  Roast carrots with
beets for a satisfying meal.  For a snack, carrots pulled from the ground have a flavor
that you can't find at a regular grocery store.

Summer Salad with Blueberries and Papitas

Freshly Picked Greens with Blueberries and Papitas

Summer Salad with Blueberries and Papitas

Mixing baby arugula with avocado, blueberries, melon, red onion, a little hot spice, then sprinkling with some toasted papitas work nicely to make a light, colorful and refreshing summer salad.  Toss these summer fruit flavors,  fresh greens, and papitas with some lemon juice and salt for a quick and healthy meal for you and a friend.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 melon,  chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup baby greens
1/4 cup papitas, toasted
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 serrano pepper,  finely diced
Salt to taste

Meatless Monday: Mango, Chayote snd Sunflower Seed Salad

Link:  mango-chayote-sunflower-seed-salad

Soft Boiled Egg with Baby Greens and Strawberry Vinaigrette

Strawberries from the Farmers Market

Strawberry Vinaigrette with Cilantro

Soft Boiled Egg on Baby Greens with Strawberry Vinaigrette

Close-up

The first of the berries were at this week's farmers market.  Sweet, tangy and delicious, they add a burst of summer to my Sunday morning breakfast.
                                                 
Vinaigrette Ingredients:


1/2 cup of strawberries
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1-2 tablespoons honey


Directions for Vinaigrette:


1.  In a blender, puree all ingredients


Ingredients for Hard Boiled Eggs with Macro Greens:
Serves 2


1 handful per serving macro greens
6 asparagus stems, chopped
2 small spring onions, chopped
2 medium sized red potatoes, sliced
2 hard boiled eggs, cut in half
Black pepper and salt to taste


Directions for Hard Boiled Eggs with Macro Greens:


1.  In a skillet, brown red potatoes with asparagus.  Let cool.
2.  In a bowl, toss the macro greens, spring onions with the asparagus and potatoes.
3.  Serve tossed vegetable mixture on a  plate with the egg, then drizzle the strawberry vinaigrette on top.
4.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Grilling Vegetables without the Grill

Close-up of Vegetables from Farmers Market with Sardine Filet

In Manhattan, outdoor grilling can be a little challenging, unless you are willing to go over to the Hudson River and set up your hibachi.  If you like grilled flavor, without the hassle of setting up the grill, here is an easy alternative for cooking vegetables.  Take your favorite vegetables and cook them on a cast iron skillet with fresh sardines.  The oils from the sardines will make the vegetables crunchy with a flavor that says "hot off the grill".  After you have cooked everything, squeeze on a little lemon juice, then add some sea salt and your favorite fresh herbs. 

Sardine with Sweet Potatoes, Beets and Beet Greens

 Sardine Filets with Asparagus, and Beets, and Beet Greens

Spring Greens at the Inwood Farmers Market

Spring Greens from Farmers Market

Today, i spotted some beautiful sprouted pea shoots, baby mesclun, and mustard greens  at the Inwood farmers market in NYC.  These delicate and freshly picked greens were the first signs of spring at this year's farmers market. I hope, there will be more greens sprouting up here soon - It has been a long, cold winter.

Spring Baby Greens with Prickly Pear

A juicy prickly pear, from my neighborhood Mexican market, adds contrasting color and a succulent texture to my crunchy baby greens.  Instead of dressing, try adding a little freshly squeezed lime and a pinch of salt for a light and satisfying touch.

Watercress Salad with Citrus and Peanuts

Watercress Salad with Citrus

First of all, I would love to congratulate my friend Matt for losing 50 pounds though "Lifestyle 180", a Cleveland Clinic wellness program designed to encourage healthy eating and activity.  It is such a compliment to hear that my photography has inspired Matt to keep thinking about healthy food ideas - thank you Matt!  I try to make all my recipes low calorie, since I need to be around healthy, highly nutritional food to keep my weight under control.

Watercress Salad

Watercress Salad:

With the feeling of spring in the air, I was craving a salad with a little color - (I am tired of the winter drabness).  The salad above was prepared by combining some wild watercress, papaya and mango chunks, a blood orange, red onion and roasted peanuts.   For the dressing, I just squeezed on a little lime and orange juice with salt.  Color can always make a salad a little more festive, especially with spring around the corner.

Couscous Salad

Couscous Salad

This simple-to-make salad combines nutty, salty, and  sweet flavors with crispy and crunchy textures.  The spices in the couscous combined with dried fruits, roasted pine nuts, kalamata olives and greens makes the salad so flavorful that dressing is not needed. Add a little turmeric when preparing the couscous for a more vibrant and colorful presentation.

Ingredients for Couscous:

1 1/2 cup couscous

2 1/2 cups water

1-2 teaspoons turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

A pinch of red pepper

1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit

A pinch of lemon zest

Ingredients for Salad:

1 bunch watercress

1/2 cup sprouted broccoli shoots
1 small onion, finely diced

1/2 of roasted pine nuts

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced thin

Directions for Couscous:

1.  Boil water, then add the spices, raisins and couscous.  Let simmer for 5 minutes on low heat.

2.  Let couscous mixture sit and cool, then serve on plate.

3.  Top with salad ingredients, the serve.

Spelt Winter Salad:

Ingredients for Spelt Salad

Spelt Winter Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups spelt

1 pomegranate, seeded

1 cup sprouted mung beans

2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sauteed

1 cup shelled pistachios, chopped

White truffle oil or premium olive oil.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

1.  In a saucepan, boil spelt in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes or so.  Drain excess water.

2.  In a bowl, mix spelt, pomegranate seeds, sprouted mung beans and sauteed shiitake mushrooms.

3.  Serve on a salad plate. 

4.  Top with pistachios.

5.  Lightly dress with a white truffle oil or premium olive oil.

6.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

 

Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

Brussels Sprouts Salad Recipe:

3 cups brussels sprouts
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup walnuts
3 dried red chilies
2 tablespoons of olive oil
pinch of salt
lemon

Directions:

1.  Saute brussels sprouts in oil.  Add dried cranberries, red chilies and a pinch of salt.
2.  When Brussels sprouts are browned, place on platter.
3.  Add coarsely chopped walnuts and lemon juice.   Serve.

Quinoa Salad

Sometimes it is better to follow your instincts rather than a recipe:  Rely on your taste buds and sense of smell. You cannot go wrong if you use fresh ingredients and consider what flavors and spices will produce the most inspiring taste.  I just fixed the most delicious breakfast using my leftover veggies and adding some quinoa.  I simmered the quinoa on the stove, while I chopped and quickly sautéed some of my market veggies.  I then mixed all ingredients together for a low calorie and healthy meal.

Quinoa Salad

A Salad Created with Locally Picked Produce

When choosing salad ingredients at the farmers market, I love a colorful mixture of vegetables.  I picked up some pea shoots, baby escarole, beets, a purple onion, garlic, and a yellow squash to create a beautiful salad.  The dressing was a simple mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, roasted garlic and sea salt. You can combine any mixture of vegetables and have the perfect salad. The only special ingredient here
is your fidelity to fresh and local produce.

 Salad Made with Farmer's Market Produce

Washington Heights Farmer's Market

Colorful Salad: Caribbean Inspired

Inspired by the fruits at my neighborhood market,  I have selected a combination of fruits and vegetables with contrasting textures and colors.  The chayote has a really nice crunchy, pear-like texture that works nicely with the soft-textured papaya.
bright orange, yellow citrus, combined with light and dark greens make a
colorful presentation that can be served alone or with your favorite fish, Asian or a Caribbean dish.

First step:  Mix these ingredients  

Julienned chayote
Very finely chopped  small red pepper –  (for more spice use 2 peppers)bite size chunks of One mango and one papaya
Thinly sliced  medium sized red onion
1 teaspoon  of course sea salt
1 squeezed lime

Marinate for an two or three hours
The lemon with the salt and juices from the fruit will fuse together giving a perfect flavor!

Second step:  Add these ingredients before serving:

Macro greens or watercress (I also like using beet greens)
Top with some toasted sunflower seeds
Sliced avocado up in bite size chunks also finishes the dish off nicely.

Serve with my cilantro dressing
1 bunch of cilantro
2 garlic cloves
1 medium to large onion
Juice of 3 limes

Caribbean Inspired Salad