Local Loving

Growing up, "farmers market" was not a phrase that frequented my vocabulary. I understood the concept of fresh and seasonal produce (typically playing out with periodic trips to the local fruit/veggie stand during the summer months). But we definitely weren't regulars at the local stand, so it was more of a treat when we went. I can still remember my two favorite items: peaches and cucumbers. There's nothing I love more than a cold, juicy peach on a hot summer day. And cucumbers, oh my, my love affair with that vegetable has been going on for as long as I can remember. I had many a gardens as a child that, in hindsight, produced a slew of fresh cucumbers (with little to no effort on my part...oh how I long for those days) and for years, summer to me was synonymous with cucumber abundance. With age, and a slightly increased amount of wisdom, I have come to not only understand, but appreciate the wonder that is a trip to the local farmers market on the weekends.

Since becoming a vegetarian, I have begun to place a higher value on good, high quality produce. I'll be the first to admit that "organic" products are overhyped and often times overrated. On the contrary, there is definitely something to be said from buying fresh and local. The food nerd inside of me loves getting to meet the people that put their blood, sweat, and tears into creating foods that bring me such joy.

I've gushed in the past about how much I love the location of my apartment and proximity to farmers markets is just one more reason. On any given weekend, I am less than a mile from three different markets, allowing me to pick the market and neighboorhood that matches my mood. This past weekend, I was gathering with some friends for a Saturday brunch across town and after we parted ways, I took a stroll through the more well-known Eastern Market. Despite the fact that the summer heat continues to wreak havoc on my life (making me want to be a hermit and take to my couch in my air conditioned aparrtment), I powered through, promising myself that I could have some fun in the kitchen with any new finds I came across. And I did.

Today's post is two fold as I sometimes find myself indecisive around meal time, resulting in a meal of samplers (case in point). One of my experimental purchases at the market was kale. I've never been a huge kale fan, but recently have felt inundated with recipes for kale chips. Naturally, I was intrigued. Turns out, they're pretty good and really easy to make!

Kale Chips

(These are crispier than they look)

Ingredients
Final inspiration found here

• 1/4lb kale, torn into bite-sized pieces and steams removed
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt or kosher salt (to taste)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Rinse and dry kale leaves throughly
3. Drizzle olive oil over the kale leaves and use your hands to toss and coat the leaves
4. Bake in the oven for 12-20 minutes until leaves are crisp
5. Check in on kale leaves frequently after the 12 minute mark--the timing depends on how much olive oil you use
6. Just use a spatula or tongs to touch the leaves, if they are paper-thin crackly, the kale is done. If the leaves are still a bit soft, leave them in for another 2 minutes. Do not let the leaves turn brown (they'll be burnt and bitter)
7. Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and serve

My other market-inspired recipe stemed from my shared love of a perfect summer peach and fresh, homemade salsa (recall). After returning from my brunch/marketing expedition I was so sweat covered and frazzled that I had to throw myself (in very dramatic fashion) into the shower to help calm my nerves. Once the cooling off process had begun, I was able to focus on an afternoon snack. Luckily, the peaches I'd procured not only made it home safely, but also chilled quickly. The chilled treat was even better than the sample that had wet my appetite at market and I craved more. It was from that craving that I became bold, daring to try this mix of spice and sweet:

Peach Salsa

Ingredients

(Original inspiration found here...I halved this recipe)

• 1 purple onion, minced
• 1 lb yellow peaches
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 large tomato, minced
• 1 bunch cilantro, minced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• pinch of sea salt to taste

Preparation

*The original recipe called for grilling the peaches first. After my trek through the heat, turning on the oven was the last thing I was in the mood for. I shall try this again, grilled style, on a much cooler day

1. In a large bowl, combine: minced sweet onion, jalapeno pepper, tomato, cilantro and garlic. Chop peaches up, disgarding the pit, and add them to the bowl
2. Squeeze a lime over everything, toss well and season with sea salt to taste

This salsa was super versitile. I had some black beans and tortillas left over from my favorite recipe of the week, so I crafted another delicious taco with it. While working from home today, I cut up the final tortilla into pita-like chips and dipped them into the salsa. Seriously, best summer salsa ever!

Mango Salsa Salmon

As per my custom, I've managed to drag out the release of all the recipes I got to try out over Easter weekend. Unlike with my birthday, I promise this is accidental. But, without further ado, the final recipe in the trifecta: Mango Salsa Salmon.

Since Sister and I are vegetarians, we usually have to make alternations to the menu at our family's holiday gatherings. Most of the sides usually remain intact (we do have a vegetarian version of our grandmother's stuffing recipe that we break out for Thanksgiving), but replacing the meat on the menu is always a must. So, as the family dined on a pineapple baked ham (I'll admit, I did used to love a holiday honey ham more than anything, and sometimes miss it slightly), we whipped up our traditional Easter meat (salmon). Usually sister runs this portion of the meal on her own, but this time, after being bombarded by half a dozen recipes for mango salmon, Sister let me take the reigns. She still helped with the baking process, but I was pretty impressed with how my first go at it turned out...

Basted and ready to bake

Delish

Mango Salsa Salmon

[Inspiration found here]

Ingredients

Salsa

• 1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into small cubes (about 1 1/2 c)
• 1/2 C chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 C chopped red onion
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Salmon

• Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 c)
• 2 wild salmon fillets (1 lb each, about 1" thick)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Prepare salsa: Toss together mango, bell pepper, onion, lime juice, mint, and jalapeno chile pepper in small bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover and chill at least 1 hour to blend flavors
2. Prepare salmon: Combine lemon juice and olive oil in large shallow baking dish. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place salmon in dish and flip to cover both sides. Marinate, covered, up to 1 hour in refrigerator
3. Broil salmon for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with salsa

Super Bowl Treats Part II

Many years ago, a friend and I started a weekly dining tradition. Since we never had classes together or saw each other on campus, this was our way of making sure we always got together at least once a week to catch up and plot our escape from Oklahoma (we were way too liberal). Our gatherings began when we were in college with lunches around town (our quests for post-lunch desserts was also the start of my dessert obsession, which deserves a post of its own at a later time). As we continued on into grad school and found ourselves with less free time during the day, our tradition evolved into dinner at each other's homes. We would alternate weeks with the rule that whoever was hosting/cooking got to pick the recipe for the week. I dreaded my turn to cook (this was at the beginning of me beginning to dabble in cooking and I was failing more often than not). It was almost a rule that some part of my meal would have something wrong with it. She was always a very good sport (especially since she was, and still remains, one of the best cooks I know), which definitely helped my very shaky confidence. From time to time, I would love something she made so much that I would demand the recipe on the spot and try desperately to replicate it. One such recipe was for homemade salsa. 


I'm very particular about the texture and consistency of my salsa (similar to queso, I blame my Oklahoma upbringing). This salsa recipe was everything I loved about salsa and pretty much ruined my relationship with all store bought salsas (although lets be honest, we were never that close to begin with). The best part, it's super easy and the food processor does most of the heavy lifting. 


Homemade Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 can original rotel
• 1 medium onion (I've experimented with all varieties over the years, white and yellow tend to give it a better taste)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• lime juice (to taste)
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• cilantro (to taste)

Preparation

1. Cut onion into chunks and peel garlic cloves
2. Add onion and garlic cloves to food processor first, top with diced tomatoes, rotel, and cilantro
3. Process mixture until desired consistency (I'll add here that I have a large food processor so everything can go in at once. When I started making this, I had a much smaller one and had to chop the ingredients one at a time. It works that way too, but just takes longer and the consistency doesn't always match).
4. Empty salsa into a large bowl, mix in salt, pepper, and lime juice
5. Enjoy!