Market to Table - May 21, 2009

With an abundance of red potatoes from the market this week, our meals were definitely following a general theme: 'tater goodness! There were boiled potatoes, steamed potatoes, baked potatoes, and... We'll let's get right to it.

Potato Stir Fry - As usual, just start yanking goodies from the fridge. In this case, it was mushrooms, red potatoes, carrots, arugula, dill, yellow squash, onions, and a few teaspoons of cooked wheat berries (all local so far); and a few teaspoons of black beans (not local). I sauteed all the veggies in olive oil (also from the farmers' market), then added the wheat berries and beans in the last moments to heat through. As much stir fry as I eat, you'd think I'd eventually get tired of it, but when the ingredients change from day to day, it's hard to get bored. And it's wonderful colorful! Other stir fries this week included kale, lambs-quarter, basil, and chard - all from my backyard garden. Mmmm!

Scrambled Eggs and Smashed Potatoes - Thankfully, Dave is a potato lover too and enjoys those "Smashed Potatoes" I've been making lately. I have to admit, they are amazing and addictive (and super easy to make)! Along side a couple scrambled eggs, Dave enjoyed several meals of breakfast-for-dinner this week. And, of course, it was completely local! Sneaky as I am, I also added steamed green beans (from our back yard) to a few of his meals this week as well. I'll make a veggie-lover out of him yet!

Nirvana on a Plate (ok, it's just fruit, but it was awesome) - It's not completely local, but most of it is. That's local blackberries to the right. On the left (check this out): I took two dried dates, sliced them in half and removed the seed from each, then stuffed each with a few flakes of coconut and a couple pecans. The stuffed dates are so chewy and sweet they're like candy (with absolutely no sugar added). Of course, the pecans are local, but the dates and coconut aren't. You just can't beat this combination though. It was inspired by a friend at the farmers' market who is a raw foodie. She's also inspired me to make my own raw trail mixes. This week's mix was texas pecans, dried cranberries (bought at the farmers' market), and some of those coconut flakes. Mmm, mmmm! Snacking never tastes so good!

There's more potatoes to be enjoyed so stayed tuned for local goodies next week. I haven't made potato soup in awhile, and there's always Crunchy Chicken's "snappy salted potatoes"...

Find your local farmers' market, join a CSA, or grow your own - once you discover the wonderful world of local food, eating well takes on a whole new meaning. Happy (and mindful) eating!