Vegetables Star in Farmer’s Market Recipes

Fresh veggies and fruits are overflowing at Southern Utah’s Farmer’s markets.  Every week I make a trip to my local market in Cedar City to stock up on everything from freshly dug potatoes to artisan cheese. I love buying my food from people I know and whom I believe when they say “we did not spray this corn.” I love visiting with old friends there and getting my apples straight from New Harmony.

The satisfaction I get from shopping at a farmer’s market is priceless. And just when I thought I couldn’t find any more treasures there, I discovered that the Iron County Extension Service, which manages the Cedar City Downtown Farmer’s Market, has a cookbook of farmer’s market recipes. Actually they have three years of recipes on their website.  They told Alive! Utah we could borrow some of the recipes for this month’s Southern Utah Taste Feature.

We did a trial run on some of the recipes below. They are delicious and refreshing veggie sides that are easy to make with your own veggie garden goodies or your farmer’s market finds.

Almost every Southern Utah community has a farmer’s market or roadside stand.  Pull over, stop and try something new. A few of Southern Utah’s Farmer’s Markets.

Zion’s Canyon Farmer’s Market — Bit and Spur Restaurant at 1212 Zion Park Blvd. in Springdale, Utah at the entrance of Zion National Park. Dates:
Saturdays, 9am – noon, April – October

Cedar City Downtown Market

Ancestor Square Farmer’s Market in St. George

Recipes via Iron County Extension Service

Spinach White Bean Crostini

Yield: 2 ½ cups $3.33 per recipe $0.33 per ¼ cup serving

This recipe can be halved as well.

Ingredients:

2 cups spinach, packed, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Juice from ½ lemon

1 can canellini beans, rinsed

1 tablespoon fresh dill

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Serve on sliced baguette.

Nutrition: Spinach is packed full of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients that may help reduce the risk of cancer. Cannellini beans are a good source of fiber, which can help lower cholesterol.

Chinese- Style Green Beans

 

Photo note: We traded out half the green beans for zucchini in the photo to show another option.

 Ingredients

1 pound fresh green beans

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon ginger root, peeled and minced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1⁄2 teaspoon brown sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

 Directions

Wash beans; trim ends and remove strings. Arrange beans in a vegetable steamer, and place over boiling water. Cover and steam 5 minutes. Drain and plunge into cold water; drain again.

Put olive oil in a large nonstick skillet, and place over medium high heat until hot. Add ginger root and garlic; sauté 30 seconds.

Add beans; sauté 5 minutes. Combine 2 tablespoons water and next 5 ingredients; stir well. Add to beans; cook 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.

Summer Cucumber Salad

Yield: 8 cups – recipe adapted from greciankitchen.com

Serving Note: This makes a filling and healthy lunch. Just half your recipe to serve two for lunch

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers; peeled/chopped

½ red onion, minced

1‐15 oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained

10 oz. grape tomatoes halved

1 avocado, chopped

2 limes, juiced

TT salt and pepper

¼ cup cilantro, (optional)

Directions:

Chop all ingredients and place in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Douse in lime juice. Taste, adjust seasoning as necessary.

Roasted Red Potato Salad

Serves 10-12

 Ingredients

5 lbs. red potatoes,

chopped 1 green onion

1 red pepper, diced

1 green onion

¼ lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

Dressing:

½ c. canola oil

1 t thyme

1 t salt

1 t pepper

¼ c apple cider vinegar

¼ c sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Toss potatoes in 1 T olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast potatoes until tender and slightly crispy. When cool, toss with red pepper, onion, and bacon in serving bowl. Combine all dressing ingredients in separate bowl. Dress potatoes a little at a time – don’t overdress! Refrigerate until serving.

Skillet Carrots with Onions and Thyme

You can’t go wrong with this recipe. Who doesn’t love carrots, onions, garlic, and thyme? This is a simple cooking technique that can be used with many different vegetables and herbs. Mix it up with broccoli and basil or cabbage and ginger.

 Ingredients

Olive oil

1 yellow onion, halved and sliced from root to stem

Salt

2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 lb. carrots, sliced into ¼‐inch‐thick rounds

4 to 5 fresh thyme sprigs

½ tsp. red wine vinegar, or to taste

 Directions

Warm a large skillet over medium‐high heat. When it’s hot, add a small amount of olive oil, enough to lightly film the bottom of the pan.

Add the onions – they should sizzle – stir to coat with oil. Salt lightly. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened but not browned.

Add the garlic, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for a few more minutes, until the garlic is fragrant.

Add the carrots, thyme, and a couple of generous pinches of salt, and stir to mix. If the carrots look dry, add a little more oil to lightly coat them.

Cover the pan and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender and the onions are very soft, between 10‐20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, and discard the thyme sprigs. Sprinkle the vinegar over the carrots. Stir gently to incorporate: the vinegar should subtly brighten the flavor of the carrots.

 

Acorn Squash and Apple Soup

1 medium acorn squash (or same amount of other winter squash)

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil

1 medium onion

1 tart apple (such as granny smith), peeled, cored and chopped

3 cups fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, minced (optional)

Milk or additional broth to thin soup (if desired)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut acorn squash in half length-wise, remove seeds and place upside-down on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake until the flesh is tender when pierced (45-90 minutes). Remove squash from oven and allow to cool.

Heat oil in a large, heavy pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until it is translucent. Add the apple and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Scrape out squash pulp and combine with apple mixture. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add broth to the pan, cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes. In a blender or food processor, puree soup in batches until smooth. Return soup to pan. Reheat slightly if needed. Add milk or additional broth to thin soup as desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with mint (optional) and serve.