Farmer's Markets

My city has a local farmer's market every Saturday August-October. I've just started going the past couple weeks, but it's been AWESOME! I think it's so great to support the local farmers, plus everything is really fresh. Here's what I got last week:

7 ears of corn

7 jalapenos

1 lb. or so pearl onions

5 lbs. red potatoes

1 bunch green onions

2 banana peppers

cherry tomatoes

1 apple pastry (that was about 5 times bigger when we bought it...)

blackberries

2 heads garlic

total price: $17.25

If you have a farmer's market where you live, go check it out! You get to meet new people and get fresh fruits & veggies! Good times.



Sweet & Hot Peanut Sauce

This is an awesome asian style sauce that is so versatile! It goes with chicken, beef, veggies, tofu, or even as a dressing on a salad (that's how I ate it).

Sweet & Hot Peanut Sauce

2 T. peanut butter

1 T. tamari (or regular soy sauce)

1 T. oil

1 T. water (or more if you want it thinner)

1 T. honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 t. fresh grated ginger

It's almost too simple: just combine all ingredients...



 ...and mix well.

 Serve with whatever you feel like eating!

 I made an easy salad with romaine, sauteed tofu, and the sauce. Enjoy!

Tilapia with Simple Chimichurri

I've always been a seafood lover! My only problem with seafood is that it's often very expensive. I chose tilapia for this recipe because it was cheap (I believe I paid $2.78/lb). With such a mild flavor, tilapia was an excellent choice to pair with a bold chimichurri.

Tilapia with Simple Chimichurri

1 lb. boneless & skinless tilapia, thawed
olive oil
lemon pepper seasoning

Simple Chimichurri:

1/2 c. packed flat leaf parsley
big handful of cilantro
2-3 T. olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
1 t. apple cider vinegar
1/2 t. onion powder (or 1 T. fresh chopped)
salt to taste

For tilapia, line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place fish on greased foil, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Bake at 400 F for about 12-15 minutes, or until it's white and flakes easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a small chopper or food processor, combine all chimichurri ingredients. Pulse until well combined.

When tilapia is done, serve with a dollop of chimichurri.

This recipe would serve 3 adults. Next time I might double or even triple the chimichurri to save for later. Enjoy!

Vegan Zucchini Bread

Okay, I know what you might be thinking. No I'm not a vegan, but lately I've been experimenting with vegan and vegetarian recipes. It's actually been really fun! This recipe is heavily adapted from this cake recipe I found. Don't be afraid of vegan recipes. You'll be surprised by how great they can be!

 Vegan Zucchini Bread

2 T. ground flaxseed
6 T. water
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
3 c. finely grated zucchini
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 t. vanilla

In a small bowl, combine flaxseed and water and set aside. (After a few mintues it will turn gelatinous like an egg.) In a large bowl, mix flours, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. 

 Add zucchini, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and flaxseed mixture.

 Mix well. Mixture might seem thick! (I just love my sweet little helping hands in this picture!)

 Prepare two bread pans by greasing them, laying a sheet of parchment in the bottom, and greasing the parchment.

 Pour batter into prepared pans.

 Bake at 325 F for 45-60 minutes.

This is my lovely kitchen after a day of baking...which is most days. And yes, that is another cake already on the counter. I can't help myself.

 Cool for about 15 minutes before removing from pan.

I personally like this best when it's completely cool. I shared this bread with my mom and she said, "I think people like to pretend that zucchini bread is healthy, but this recipe really IS healthy. You could eat it for breakfast!" And yes, I would totally eat this for breakfast. Enjoy!

Dijon Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon

I've always really loved sweet potatoes. But for a long time, I thought they were only good as a Thanksgiving side dish (with lots of butter and brown sugar). Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the butter and brown sugar, but I've discovered that sweet potatoes are so much more versitile. They are super nutritious so I'm really happy when I prepare them in a way that my family will enjoy.

Dijon Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon (serves 6-8 side servings)

2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite size cubes
2-3 stalks celery, finley chopped
1/2 c. red onion, minced
1/2 c. real bacon bits (or 6-8 slices, cooked and crumbled)
1/2-1 c. mayonnaise
1-2 t. dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt free seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash original)
salt and pepper

In a large pot, cook sweet potatoes in boiling water until fork tender. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.



 These are the bacon bits I used, but any real bacon bits will work.

 Using the same pot, cook bacon bits over medium heat just until they sizzle and appear to be slightly crisp. (Omit this step if using sliced bacon because it will already be crisp.)

Add bacon and remaining ingredients to the sweet potatoes. Mix well. 

 Serve warm or cold. Either way is wonderful!

Enjoy!



Whole Grain Waffles with Blueberry Syrup

This morning we decided on waffles for breakfast. And since I have a huge bag of blueberries in the freezer from Costco, I thought it might be fun to make blueberry syrup to go with them. My girls each ate two whole waffles! I'd say these were a quite a hit.

Whole Grain Waffles with Blueberry Syrup
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. oats
1/4 c. ground flaxseed
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3 eggs
1/4 c. oil
2 T. honey
2 c. buttermilk
1 c. milk

Mix dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients. Mix and pour into a hot, greased waffle iron.

Blueberry Syrup

2 c. frozen blueberries

1/3 c. pure maple syrup

1/3 c. water

2 T. cornstarch mixed with 2 T. cold water

1 t. almond extract

In a saucepan, mix all ingredients until hot, thick, and bubbley. Serve over waffles.

I have a feeling I'll be making this syrup a lot. It was amazing. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

1 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 c. white chocolate chips
1 c. macadamia nuts (I used whole)

Combine butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients.



 Scoop onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

 Bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes.

Enjoy!