Sweet Thing: Zesty Roasted Tomatoes

Here’s a post for President Clinton, who recently lost 24 pounds after switching to a plant-based diet.  More fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes; a stark contrast to his previous dietary habits that lead to major heart surgery.  As a co-founder of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation which works to help reduce and prevent childhood obesity, Mr. Clinton is leading-by-example; a message that the public can, and should, really sink their teeth into.

 

Game On: Zucchini Brownies

Don’t play with your food.  While this may be a common directive for many families at the dinner table, it doesn’t always apply to kitchen creatives determined to make baked goods both healthy and satisfying.  Myself, included.

Earlier this year, Serious Eats posted an article comparing applesauce and non-fat yogurt in place of oil in boxed brownie mixes.  In this head-to-head competition, yogurt created a “rich and velvety” taste and texture that rendered it the winner.  The lactic acid in yogurt tenderizes the flour and helps keep baked goods moist and light, while cutting fat and calories.

Market Gleanings: Pickled Kohlrabi

This past Sunday marked the second week I volunteered at the Skippack Farmers’ Market, collecting email addresses for the weekly newsletter and handing out recipes with a seasonal produce guide. By virtue of the word “volunteer,” I do not expect anything in return.

But I’ve found that giving a few hours on a Sunday morning, food and knowledge are your bounty.  I come home with complimentary fresh olive bread from St. Peters Bakery, cheese from Goot Essa (Old German Weissa Kase), and discounted first-of-the-season apples and white peaches from Stauffer’s Fruit Farm.  I learn that lettuce doesn’t like hot weather, and this summer has been challenging for the raspberry harvest — cooked by the sun before they’ve had a chance to be picked.

My New Local: Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Amidst fireworks and barbecue, the 4th of July holiday weekend afforded a much-needed day off from work.  While we’re still far from settled in our new home, I took some time to explore the new stomping grounds.  Armed with my new local food bible from the Montgomery County Cooperative Extension, I set out in the late-morning heat on Monday.  After turning into a Philly’s Farmers’ Market groupie and divulging my pledge to diversify, I craved options to acquire fresh, local produce outside of the Landisdale CSA.  As it turns out, options abound.

I discovered two roadside farm stands within a stone’s throw of each other:

Sunrise Sunflower Farm was my first stop.  The small, wooden farm stand popped with sunflowers and red tomatoes, unattended while bodies worked in the fields.  I pulled into the driveway and took inventory of the saleable items.  Besides tomatoes and sunflowers, zucchini and blueberries rounded out the small but bright harvest.  I noticed a lock box with a small opening; recognizing this as their cash register, I slipped $3 into the box and walked back to my car with a pint of fresh blueberries.