Market Goodness

Whenever I stay in town over the weekend, I really like to start my Saturday morning at the Guelph Farmers' Market. I had stocked up on meat from our local butcher on my last visit home to see my parents, so I was on the hunt for fresh veggies this morning. I also was keeping my fingers crossed for farm fresh eggs as our neighbours laying hens were 'on strike' last weekend and I couldn't bring any back with me. 

Did I ever hit a home run!! As you can see from the photo above, I have more than enough veggies to get me through the week! My bounty includes: brussel sprouts, zucchini, fingerling potatoes, red pepper, mixed greens, kale, asparagus, cucumber, garlic, onion, sweet potatoes, cremini mushrooms, green/yellow beans, bananas (for smoothies) and eggs! Yeah! And....The craziest part of this, is that all of this healthy goodness cost less than $30.00!!! It was $26.35 to be exact...and that's including the eggs!! WOW!!! Whoever says supporting your local farmers is more expensive is WRONG!

I rushed to get home so I could make myself breakfast with this wonderful, fresh produce. I decided on a Breakfast Scramble which included:

- 4 fingerling potatoes (thinly sliced); 2 cremini mushrooms; 1/3 of a red pepper; onion (use as little or as much as you'd like); 3 spears of asparagus, 2 eggs (scrambled);  feta cheese (to taste); S&P; oregano and garlic powder (all three of these are to taste).

In a preheated pan, I added EVOO, a bit of butter, oregano, onions and the potatoes. Put the lid on the pan to let the potatoes steam a bit to speed up the cooking time. Once the potatoes have gotten a good start, I added the red peppers, mushrooms, S&P and garlic powder. Keep stirring quite regularly and once the veggies have begun to soften, I then add the eggs that I have mixed in a bowl with milk, S&P and a bit of hot sauce (secret ingredient). I add in the asparagus at this time too. Keep stirring, allowing all ingredients to combine and continue cooking. About 2 minutes before I'm going to remove the Scramble from the heat, I add feta cheese for a 'lil somethin somethin'. 

And...Voila!

It may not be much to look at, but is it veryyyyy tasty.....the fresh ingredients take it up a notch too! You can absolutely tell the difference! 

I'm also going to do some cooking for the week and have been looking up some new recipes to try out. It's been a long winter and I'll completely admit, I've gained a few pounds and I can't wait to dive into fresh, local produce to help increase my energy and also assist in losing a few inches!

I found this Roasted Veggie Recipe on The Wednesday Chef website and I think they'd go amazingly well with fish or chicken! This is a bit of a twist on the typical roasted veggies and I'm looking forward to giving it a try.

I also found this "How to Roast Veggies" on the Better Homes and Gardens website which includes a really handy chart of roasting times for various veggies.

Those two websites should keep me busy this weekend to ensure some healthy goodness in my kitchen and fridge.

But.....after all that healthiness, what would Saturday morning be without a little treat too??

I had messaged Fairly Frosted Vegan Bakery yesterday, to make sure they'd be at the Market today and to see if they'd have their Coconut Lime Cupcakes in stock..... and I got great news, there were going to be there with my favs in tow! Sooooo....I had to bring 2 of them home...and some of their minis too! They're vegan, gluten free and absolutely delicious!!

I hope you have a great weekend! Cheers to healthy living and everything in moderation ;)

RR

Simple, Healthy and Tasty!

I had some tomatoes I wanted to use up and what better way to do so then by making a yummy and healthy pasta!

I looked in my fridge and the cupboard and collected the following items in addition to the 4 tomatoes:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 a green pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons of EVOO
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 2 cups whole wheat pasta
• 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce (the 'secret' ingredient)
• 10 thin slices of sopressata
• Feta Cheese (as much or as little as you'd like)
• Spices to taste including: Oregano, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder

This recipe/dish isn't only healthy, it's VERY simple (and yummy!).

Preheat your oven to 400 (this is to crisp up the sopressata). Heat up the sauce pan on the stove top on medium heat and put in 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Cut up the tomatoes into small chunks (no boiling and peeling the skin off...I leave the skin on) and put them into the pan. Let them begin to break down and add the 2 cloves of garlic (I mince mine into almost a paste), salt, pepper, soy sauce and oregano. Then add the green pepper and continue to let the sauce begin to come together. 

While the sauce is coming together, place the sliced sopressata in a single layer onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and place in the oven until it begins to crisp up (approx 8-10 minutes).  Boil the pasta water and then cook the pasta (I used whole wheat) until al dente (you still want it to be a bit firm to absorb some of the sauce). Before you drain the pasta, put about 2 table spoons of pasta water into the sauce.

After draining the pasta, add it directly to the pan with the sauce, along with the spinach, feta cheese and more seasoning to taste. Stir it all together, lower the heat and let the flavours 'meld' together for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Plate the pasta, crumbling the crispy sopressata and more feta on top...and that's it!

The great thing about this is that you could add different ingredients such as mushrooms, onions, olives etc, change ingredients such as substituting bacon for the sopressata or take out the meat entirely to make it a veggie option. It literally starts with 4 tomatoes and a bit of EVOO and you can head in whatever direction you'd like!

RR