broccoli

Pick up fresh broccoli at the North Park Thursday Farmers’ Market from African Sisters’ Farm or Suzie’s Farm and brocc out in the kitchen! Stir-fry it with red bell peppers from Proios Family Farm, onion from JR Organics and almonds from Hopkins Ag, or pick up California cheddar and jack from Springhill Cheese Company for a bowl of broccoli-cheddar soup in a bread bowl from Belen Bakery. 

Dip it in any spicy habanero Bitchin Sauce or hummus from Baba Foods. Toss it with chopped garlic and oil from the California Olive Oil Company, roast in a hot oven and top with parmigiano-reggiano from Taste Cheese.

So versatile, so tasty, so healthy, it’s the brocc star of the vegetable world!

IT'S GOOD TO BE GREEN

Green is the new black and the North Park Farmers’ Market will keep you in style. Stock up your fridge with fresh picked green veggies, sip a Greenfix smoothie and welcome the new year with good nutrition. Whether you're trying to get back into a pair of jeans, boost your immune system, do a junk food cleanse, or  start a whole new diet plan, greens will add a lot to your food wardrobe.

The easiest way to incorporate more greens into your diet is to double up on vegetable side dishes and use fresh herbs to give them a whole new dimension. Kawano Farms has tons of baby broccoli and mountains of fresh green beans. Trim and roast broccoli and beans with garlic and onions from Proios’ Family Farms and flavored oil from The California Olive. Quickly steam young spinach from JR Organics or hide it in a fritatta with fresh eggs from Paradise Valley Ranch and be wowed with the incredible flavors and non-traditional punch of vitamin C. Susie’s Farm offers kale, Swiss chard, and cabbage in a braising mix that you can purchase by the pound, ready to cook. Throw a heaping pile in a cast iron skillet, cook until tender and squeeze a bit of lemon from R&L Farms on top.  It’s easy to be green when the farmers' market is in your neighborhood every week.

LIGHTEN UP!
We all know that Thanksgiving is about taking time to acknowledge gratitude for family and friends, the relative comfort and safety we live in, and our many other blessings. Just looking around the Little Italy Mercato makes us thankful for harvest abundance.

So why does the holiday so often seem tied to gluttony? If you've overeaten this week, you're not alone. But it's simple to tip the scales back by lightening up for the next few days. Visiting relatives are probably tired of hanging around your house by now, not that that's bothering you. So a trip to the farmers' market on Saturday will be a great way to get some fresh air, enjoy the live music and the charms of Little Italy, and shop for the ingredients to get your eating back on track.

Pick up a jug of Green Fix and sip a fresh green smoothie for breakfast. Use those turkey leftovers to make a Cobb Salad for lunch, with hard-boiled farm fresh eggs and avocado from Paradise Valley Ranch on a bed of leafy greens and tomatoes from JR Organics and a light and creamy dressing made with Springhill farms quark. Grill a piece of Poppa's Fresh Fish for dinner, with some steamed baby potatoes from Sage Mountain Farm and new cauliflower from Suzie's Farm or broccoli from Suncoast Farms. See? All back in balance.

Broccoli is beginning to blossom again in San Diego and you'll find beautiful florets, stalks, and leaves at our Thursday evening farmers' market in North Park. One of the most nourishing and delicous of cruciferous vegetables, broccoli can make everyone happy and you can use it in many types of dishes.

Toss pasta with olive oil from Bari's (did you know they grow and process all their own olives?), roasted pine nuts or almonds and steamed "hapy rich" broccoli florets from Suzie's Farm. This is one of the most sweet and tender varieites you'll find at the market. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste and enjoy it as is. Simple. Or, purée cooked broccoli with a few zucchinis, then combine with some fingerling potatoes from Produce Stand and perhaps a few herbs of your choice from JR Organics to make a simple, yet delicious, soup.

Broccoli is super fun. Steam the stems and rub with butter from Spring Hill Chese, fresh lemon juice and garlic from R&L Farm. Add a few black olives from Lisko for an awesome appetizer. Broccoli fills you with vitamins, fiber, and anti-inflammatory flavanoids, so you're covered, for better or for worse, when it comes to staying healthy... 

PACK IN THE PROTEIN

Ever wonder if the food you eat gives you enough of that prized possession, protein? You've got options folks! The Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market has all of them stacked and ready to go so you can pack your meals with a protein punch.

If you're feeling carnivorous, try out a delicious rainbow sushi roll or pick up a filet of just caught fish from Miss Sushi. Maybe meat isn't in your diet? Make a fresh summer salad with lima beans and corn and cilantro, topped with shaved broccoli stems from Maciel and Family. How about snacking on a handful of raw almonds from Hopkins AG to carry you through your day, or try adding fresh walnuts from Nicolau Farm to a pile of Suzie's fresh arugula and roasted beets. There's always your traditional on-the-go meal by smearing some cinnamon infused peanut butter from PB Peanut Butter all over a toasted slice of sunflower flaxseed multigrain baked by Belen Bread. Give your breakfast a boost and smother a good helping of Bitchin' Sauce's pesto over poached eggs and avocado slices from Paradise Valley Ranch or dip fresh carrots and cucumbers from Suzie's Farm in Majestic Garlic's rich, vegan curry hummus. However you do it, you're sure to feel good eating straight from the market! 

BROCCOLI ALMOND STIR FRY

No time to cook?  No more excuses!  Here's a healthy and delicious recipe that you can cook and eat in less time than it takes to wait in line at a 'fast' food drive through.  Oh, it also tastes better, is more nutritious, is less harmful to the environment, supports local farms and the regional economy, and tastes pretty good right out of the refrigerator as leftovers!

Chop up two cups pf broccoli from Suzie's, Kawano, or Maciel Farms and a half cup of salted, roasted almonds from Smit or Hopkins Ag.  Add as many of these as you like:  sliced shitake mushrooms from Kawano, spring onions, chopped fresh garlic, fresh peas, chopped cabbage, thinly sliced carrot.  Heat some oil in a wok or large sautee pan.  Throw the stuff in there and stir-fry for two to three minutes.  Add two tablespoon s Ginger Teriyaki Grilling Sauce from Bistro Blends, a splash of water or white wine, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.  Stir it up and eat it.  Over rice or fresh pasta from Lisko Imports, if you like. 

ROAST SHRIMP AND BROCCOLI

Adapted from a Melissa Clark recipe published in the New York Times, this dinner is easy enough for a weeknight but will still impress your guests at any dinner party, a keeper for sure!

To make the marinade combine 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil from Bistro Blends with a palmful (about 1 teaspoon) each of ground cumin, ground corriander, salt and pepper and a healthy pinch of cayenne. Cut 2 pounds of broccoli from Kawano or Suzie's Farm into florets and toss with half the marinade. Roast in a 425F oven for 10 minutes, then toss 1 pound of shrimp from Poppa's Fresh Fish with remaining marinade and the zest of one lemon from Paradise Valley Ranch and roast for 10 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges and some ciabatta bread from Lisko Imports.

ALL STAR VEGETABLE AT NORTH PARK

It just might be the World's Most Versatile Vegetable; eat it raw dipped in hummus from Baba Foods or in spicy chipotle Bitchin' Sauce, or sautee it in roasted red pepper pesto and serve over fresh pasta from Lisko Imports.  Toss it in Chardonnay-Garlic Vinaigrette from Bistro Blends and roast it in the oven (makes a great side to roast chicken from DaLe Ranch.)  Use it to top a Conchetta's pizza, or pick up farm fresh eggs from the R&L stand and make a frittata.  Grab some Estero Gold from Taste Cheese and make an amazing gratin.  There's no limit to what you could make with organic broccoli from JR or Suzie's Farm at the North Park Market today. 

If you're old enough to remember Saturday Night Live when it was still funny, listen to this while you prep that broccoli: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR6y71x3tSY