Trip to the Market

Last weekend we went to the City Market with our neighbors. They go much more often than we do, but when we are able to go - I love it! Food everywhere! We by no means are the ones that are there as they are opening the booths. We start our morning a little later on Saturday. On the way down we enjoy some delicious coffee and get excited to walk around and see what the local vendors are going to have this time. 

I am a meal planner, so prior to going I still think about what I am hoping to find for next week’s meals, but of course am flexible. If I see something that looks fresh and delicious, I am certainly going to go ahead and buy it even though I don’t have a set meal to use it with. I just make adjustments and keep that in mind when I am planning my meals for that week.


So most people think of only fruits and veggies at the City Market, which they have plentiful amounts of, but the City Market is great because you can get tons of other products as well. There are vendors for just about anything -  flowers, produce and herb plants for your garden, jewelry, crafts, honey, dips, baked goods, local farmers selling meats and eggs, even dried herbs and spices.

One thing that surprised me the first time I went was the dried herbs and spices. When I walked down this particular ‘aisle’ the first time,  I couldn’t believe it. The smell was so aromatic coming from boxes and boxes full of any and every dried herb or spice that you could think of. And you can buy by the scoop - most a $1 a scoop. AMAZING!

So I have preached a bit about fresh being best, but by no means does that mean I only use fresh herbs and spices. When you can, use fresh herbs, but there are definitely some benefits of dried herbs and spices. Dried herbs and spices are easier to find, store and last longer. You can also buy pre-mixed varieties that are recommended for certain types of food - pork, beef, chicken, seafood, etc, or even types of cooking like bbq, mexican, italian, etc. Also, there are some herbs/spices that are not even available fresh. So definitely don’t feel bad for using dried.

I actually have quite the collection of dried herbs, and being the organization freak that I am, of course I had to do something with all of them. It's okay you can make fun of me, but I love my spice cabinet! I bought individual containers, a few elevated wire shelves and of course used my label maker.
 

Back to the star of the market - the produce! With all that fresh produce you can get from the City Market, it’s time to make some salads!  

Zach and I end up eating salads for dinner a lot on Mondays and Wednesdays because those are my late nights getting home and we don’t want a big heavy dinner. Salads are quick, easy and can really be just about anything you want them to be. I try to stick to similar rules for my salads as I do with my lettuce wraps. First up, a protein, especially if it is our main meal. With salads as a side dish, I am not as concerned about a protein.  Next up, lots and lots of veggies. Third, a sauce, in this case a dressing. Homemade is much better and not as hard as you might think - stay tuned! Finally, something that provides some good crunch. I will share some ideas for salads, but you get to be creative this week based on what you have in your kitchen or what you picked up from your local market.

Protein

• Chicken
• Steak
• Shrimp
• Turkey
• Ham
• Deli meat
• Egg
• Beans - garbanzo, kidney, black, white cannellini
• Quinoa

Veggies

• Greens - romaine, arugula, spinach, kale, watercress, cabbage
• Onion - red, yellow, white, green, shallot (raw or cooked; you could also try cooking in balsamic vinegar for extra flavor)
• Herbs - cilantro, parsley, rosemary, oregano, thyme, dill, chives, basil, mint
• Roasted veggies - beets, squash
• Peas - snap peas or regular
• Corn - roasted is delicious
• Avocado
• Tomatoes
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Mushrooms
• Artichokes
• Bell pepper
• Radishes
• Cucumber
• Fennel
• Bean sprouts

Dressing
Making your own salad dressing is much easier than you may think. Plus, you can control what goes into the dressing by making it yourself - no preservatives or added junk! I really like vinaigrettes, because they are light, healthy and so simple! To be honest with you, I don’t measure what I am putting into my vinaigrette. Because of that I don’t ever have the same vinaigrette twice. This can be good and bad. If I really enjoyed it, bummer because now I don’t know exactly what I put in it, but to me it is fun to continue to experiment. Either way here are some of the things I have used in my vinaigrettes in the past.

A standard vinaigrette is actually not really standard at all. Some say the oil to vinegar ratio is 2:1, some say 3:1. For oil, I don’t recommend using a canola or vegetable. Instead try an extra virgin olive oil. This is what I use most often, but you could also try any other specialty oil, such as walnut or coconut oil. There are lots of vinegars to choice from - balsamic, red wine, white wine, rice wine, apple cider, sherry, to name a few. At this point, you could add a little salt and pepper and have a great salad dressing. If you don’t want to stop there, here are some other suggestions of things to add:

• Citrus juice and zest - orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit
• Sweet - sugar, honey, agave nectar, molasses, fruit juice
• Mustard - honey, dijon
• Dried or fresh spices/herbs - poppy seed, dried mustard, dill, parsley, cilantro, basil, mint, garlic powder, coriander, ginger
• Onion (minced very small or grated onion juice) - red, yellow, or shallot are my favorite

Just make sure you taste along the way and I don’t think you will be disappointed with any combination!

Crunch

• Nuts - pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans, peanuts, cashews
• Seeds - pumpkin, sunflower
• Cornnuts (yes, processed, but such good salty flavor and extreme crunch)
• Baked deli meat - bake thin slices of deli meat at 400 degrees for 6-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat - watch so it doesn’t burn
• Cooked bacon or pancetta
• Croutons - you can make homemade ones by chopping up bread, mixing with a drizzle of oil and your favorite dried herbs and bake for 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees until toasted and golden brown

Some bonus additions:

• Fruit - dried cranberries, strawberries, pear, apple, grapes, coconut
• Cheese - I don’t typically like shredded cheese, instead I prefer shaved cheese (fresh parmesan or manchego), cubed (gouda) or crumbled (goat or feta). I think it is a consistency thing :)!
• Grain - pasta (shells, spiral, elbow are great because they are small) or couscous

Here are three different salads I have made recently to get you inspired.

First up the star is the coconut. Coat shrimp in coconut and panko bread crumbs and bake or fry until golden brown. Additional toasted coconut is sprinkled on the salad. Served with a lime vinaigrette.

Second, creamy meats crunch. This salad has creamy avocado, shaved manchego cheese, egg whites  and crunchy corn nuts!

Last, sweet and salt make this salad. Baked prosciutto with a balsamic vinaigrette.

So while the City Market sells many varieties of products, most go for the fruits and veggies. They are endless and cheap! Additional benefits are not only are you supporting local farmers and companies, but you are making a smaller carbon footprint and are being more eco-friendly, because you aren’t paying for produce that has been shipped across the country. You hopefully don’t have to drive too far to get to a food market. Most cities, big or small, have a farmer’s food market of some sort.

In addition to making some great food this past week with what I got at the market, Zach and I did our yearly landscaping. We planted some flowers, put down mulch, and as I mentioned a few weeks ago - I was going to give a produce garden another shot. I used the help of the market and a friend from work. 


Last year, we used an elevated box with the thought that our dogs wouldn't mess with the garden. Well this year, one of our ever so clever dogs has learned she can jump up inside the box and get a better view of all her friends - trouble! We got these little fence looking stakes to border the box in hopes that will keep her out. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

So what are we growing? A friend from work gave us multiple different tomato plants, so trying to grow many varieties. Also, we are going to try bell pepper and ancho pepper from a plant starter, cucumber from a plant starter and then carrots, radishes, lettuce, okra and beans from seeds. Obviously my garden is not terribly big, so we are really only trying one to two seeds of each. Hopefully something will take. 


Our herbs didn't do well last year either and I assumed it was because of the heat, so I am trying those in pots this year by our front door. I transplanted my chives and mint from my box and also got some starter cilantro and parsley plants. My friend from work also gave me a basil starter and I planted a couple dill seeds. I am really excited about my herbs!!!

Wish me better luck than last year. Between veggies from the garden or market, hopefully you all will have a long season of fresh produce and plentiful meals! 

(sorry for the long post this week - got a little carried away; hopefully you stuck it out to the end)

~Ashley