Meatless Monday: Farmers Market Picks Salad Plate

I had been hoarding quite a few produce from my mid-summer Farmers Market runs 

Some less well used and/or known forms of otherwise well known veggies: red celery, multi-color baby potatoes and yellow beans.

Cucurbits in the form of flavorful melon cucumbers, a hybrid variety originating from Italy, and small but fragrant Charantais melon.

And, a nutrient-rich and pretty find: borage. The Farmers Market vendor suggested making pesto with it, which is what I set out to do as a start, to eat with the potatoes.

Borage does not have a very distinctive taste but it seemed to pair well with pine nuts and pecans based on a quick check. So that is what went into my pesto, in addition to olive oil, the green of one spring onion, a bit of parsley, salt and pepper. I skipped the garlic as I was looking to keep the plate low in FODMAP that day. But obviously, it could be added.

Red celery has a nice sweetness to it, and I combined it with the yellow beans that I had steamed until cooked but firm, some pecan pieces, parsley, and a simple blueberry vinaigrette for a second salad on the plate. For the vinaigrette, I  used olive oil, apple vinegar, a little blueberry extract, salt and pepper. 

Finally, the third salad was a simple refreshing combination of the melon-cucumber, sliced, small balls of the melon scooped out with a melon baller, salt and pepper, a little Farmers Market honey, lemon juice, mint and a little marigold, and olive oil.

The result was a very seasonal, mid-summer Meatless Monday salad plate. More seasonal and Farmers Market inspired Meatless Monday ideas on the way!

By the way:

• Borage is rich in important fatty acids, omega-3 in particular. I found it at the SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, but it can be foraged. 
• The melon-cucumbers, quite a tasty breed, were from my local Market, but can be replaced by other cucumber types. Same for the melon. The combination is really what matters.
• For the yellow bean salad, some shallots would have been a good add too, if FODMAP is not a consideration.
• This plate is low in FODMAP, gluten-free and dairy free. It can be made vegan if not using honey.

Quick and Fresh Summer Eats From The New Greenmarket Cookbook

Typical summer produce such as cucurbits, tomatoes, and squash have been in full abundance in the past few weeks.

Leading to buying a lot of cucumbers, tomatoes, and summer squashes. Looking for inspiration to use all these buys, I turned to the New Greenmarket Cookbook by Gabrielle Langholtz, Editor of Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn. The book is a collection of recipes involving local, seasonal, market-fresh produce and developed by Chefs committed to using those produce, and culinary and food movement leading figures such as Michael Pollan. The book is a gem, not only because of the gorgeous pictures and enticing eats, but because of the additional information it contains, namely Gabrielle Langholtz's introduction to the history and rise of the Greenmarket program, its ties to and importance for the community, and the features on local farmers and producers.

Returning from a local Farmers Market run with lemon cucumbers, and fresh herbs, I started by making the Cucumber Soup, contributed by Kenneth Wiss from Diner and Marlow & Sons. It was very simple to make: chop veggies, de-seed as needed, add herbs, oil and seasonings, blend.

Though, in full disclosure, I had forgotten to put the lime juice, the herbs made the soup very fragrant and pleasant on a summer eve, perfect for a non-fuss but nice week-end dinner.

My next foray into the book's summer recipes followed from the purchase of two really large beefsteak heirloom tomatoes at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Gorgeous looking, they seemed to fit the bill for Food52.com co-founder Amanda Hesser's Brown Butter Tomatoes.

Brown butter, with good quality (preferably organic on my end) butter, is always a memorable experience. I had never tried using it with fresh tomatoes so I was intrigued but it worked beautifully!

Again, a very easy recipe: slice tomatoes, make brown butter, pour over tomato, season with nice salt and pepper. Finish with market fresh berries for good measure. Done. This was a great simple mid-week dinner eat.

Last but not least, I had two bags of squashes from the same run at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, including tender zephyr squashes and sweet small zucchinis, and had fresh radishes too. So I set out to make the Raw Squash Salad, a recipe by Seamus Mullen from Tertulia, for a light end of week lunch. As I wanted a fast prep in the morning, I used my blender to slice the vegetables and quickly whipped the lemon vinaigrette, for which I used some orange blossom honey from that Farmers Market's run too. I decided to skip the cheese listed in the recipe, and add a few fragrant edible flowers to complement the salad. It was absolute love at first bite. The utter highlight of this recipe: the vinaigrette, which combined so perfectly with the veggies. I only regretted to not have made enough for 3 servings.

So those Summer on a plate moments will keep me coming back to the book for more inspiration as the seasons unfold. :)

By the way:

• Union-Square Market, where I got my copy, and Greenmarkets around the city sell the book, but for non NYC-dwellers, the book is available online.
• While this is a book about NYC markets, it will inspire (home) cooks all around as all products will be available in local markets.
• All these eats are gluten-free, are or can be made low in FODMAP, and will please veggielovers, vegetarians, vegans (for the first and last salads), Meatless Monday eaters, paleo and healthy eaters alike.