Last week's Farmer's Market Picks and Inspirations

Warm hues have started to take over the market stalls...

Signaling the arrival of tomato peak time, more reds, oranges and yellows than greens at last week's Sunday Farmers Market. I could not resist picking up gorgeous and fresh squash blossoms.

As it turns out, I had dinner guests that evening, and seeing those blossoms made me want to prepare a Market Fresh, unfussy but pretty looking meal. Squash blossoms are best known fried but on that hot summer day, I decided that a lighter antipasto would be a better choice. I recalled a post by Melissa Clark in her Good Appetite Column for the New York Times. Her idea of using the blossoms raw, stuffed with a healthy and happy combination of fresh ingredients had very much appealed to me. 

I opted for a mix of (1/3 cup) green olives marinated with thyme (store bought), (3) yellow round squashes, (a few slices of) duck bacon, (a dash of) lemon zest, a bit of (extra virgin) olive oil, salt and pepper, finely hashed in the food processor. I then stuffed (8) blossom squashes with the filling, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled coarsely ground salt. I served with thin slices of fresh mozzarella and prosciutto.

To add to this meal, I used the thyme from my Market run, as well as a lemon to prepare a simple olive oil, lemon, thyme and maple marinade.

Chicken thighs rested peacefully in this marinade (in a zipped bag, refrigerated) for about an hour and a half, and were then baked at 420F until cooked.

Some carrots were roasted with more of the thyme.

To wrap up this meal, I opted for an easy Market fresh strawberry (home made) ice cream, which I will tell more about in an upcoming post...

A relaxed evening with guests ensued, making way for yet another busy week. Luckily, the green squashes and eggs from my Market run came very handy one evening. A (most) simple, tasty and light frittata was assembled in a matter of minutes...

By the way:

• Thanks to those wonderful dinner guests, we also enjoyed a delicious (and more-ish!) chicken red curry!
• The chicken thigh marinade consisted of about 1/3 cup (extra virgin) olive oil, the juice and (coarsely grated with a zester) zest of a lemon, 2 tbsp of maple syrup (add more if you wish!), 2 garlic cloves (bruised), salt and pepper.
• To determine if the chicken thighs are cooked, a rule of thumb is to wait until the skin appears to form blisters and becomes brown to charred. About 30 minutes, at 420F. If in doubt, cut one open to the bone, check for clear juices and white skin (no pink!).
• For the frittata, I used the coarse side of a grater to obtain a squash hash, seasoned with salt and pepper, and quickly sauted in a bit of (extra virgin) olive oil. The frittata shown above used 4 full eggs and 2 egg whites (I needed egg yolks for a hair mask!! more on that some day...)

A simple Carrot, Coriander (Cilantro) and Cashew Soup

I really like soups.

I could have them for breakfast, lunch or (AND) dinner. Yes for breakfast too! Have you ever thought of having soup for breakfast? If you have not, you might want to try it some day... Soups are rich in nutrients, and savory or sweet, can really be a healthy and satisfying start of the day. So you can expect to see more ideas on soups in the future. 

Today, I walked into the kitchen with a simple carrot and coriander soup in mind. It had been slowly growing on me in the past few days... Flavorful and delicate, this soup is typically made with cream, but I wanted to make it dairy free. I thought that cashew nuts might help give this soup some dairy-free creaminess ... 

When it comes to soup, I am not one to be a stickler for proportions. It is more important to have fun and be creative with them. I peeled about 5 large carrots, cut them into roughly equal chunks (important for even cooking) and threw them into one small container of organic chicken stock. I topped with a bit of (filtered) water until the vegetables were covered. Then brought the whole up to a happy simmer.

When the carrots were done, I turned off the stove. I added about 1/4 cup non-roasted (organic) cashew nuts, a hand full of washed coriander and about 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. I let all these ingredients rest, undisturbed, giving the cashew a chance to soften, the coriander to infuse the stock, and the pepper to work its fragrant magic.

When the pot was cool, I transferred to the blender. And finished with a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil... :-)

By the way:

• The quantities I provided will yield two happy portions (here immediately poured into a (glass) container to keep for a busy week-day).
• Add more water for a thinner soup.
• This soup can be eaten hot, or cold!
• Dairy-free and gluten-free, it is also low in FODMAP.