Wow, can you believe its 2016? Do you recall what you were doing New Year’s Eve 1999? Were you wondering if the world was going to fall apart with the Y2K meltdown? My how things have changed.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the stellar selection and value at your local farmer’s market. The Coquitlam market was brand new back in ’99 and now it runs all year. The growth and stability of the market speaks to our need as consumers to be able to access fresh, local and sustainable food.
I don’t know about you but grocery shopping right now is killing my budget. I ran out of things that I normally buy in season at market and choked on the cost of purchasing them out of season at the store — $6 a pound for cauliflower, $4 a head for romaine.
My New Year’s resolution is to adapt my cooking to using more of what is in season and less to using what I want because I can. If you read my column regularly, you know I am all about using in-season ingredients. But I also include other ingredients simply because it is so easy to get whatever I want. I am changing that this year.
Right now, that means my cooking has lots of root vegetables and hardy greens such as kale and brussels sprouts. Much to my surprise, brussels sprouts are really good raw. I have been eating a salad made with kale, cabbage and shaved Brussels sprouts. Harvesting after the frost makes them sweet and eating them raw or lightly sautéed retains that sweetness.
I’ve noticed Jerusalem artichokes at market lately. Julia at Langley Organics tells me they can be eaten raw, in a salad or cooked like a potato. I haven’t eaten them yet but they are on the list. I also noticed that she sometimes has fresh greens. At this time of year, they will sell out quickly so if you have a hankering for something spring-like that isn’t going to cost you $4 a head, then visit her first thing at the market.
I am so glad the winter squashes are still available. They have so many uses. Forstbauer Farms has lovely spaghetti squash that I brought home last week. I am going to use it straight up like spaghetti and top it with my homemade sauce and Redl’s beef. How cool is that? One meal made with every single ingredient sourced from the market and costing me pennies a serving.
It really is easy to eat economically, locally and well if you have some basic pantry staples and supplement those staples with a trip to market.
--Karen Curtis is the Lemonade Lady (www.kicslemonade.ca and kicslemonade.blogspot.ca) at the Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam farmers markets. Her column runs monthly.
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THE RECIPE: ALL VEG, ALL TASTY & AMAZING
I will leave you with my new favourite recipe based on market products. One of my daughters is trying a vegan lifestyle, so this is the first recipe I tried for her. I tweaked it to reflect what was available at market. It is so good, it will become a regular in our house, whether you’re a vegan or not. Thanks to Pinterest and Yup, It’s Vegan for the inspiration.
ONE-POT TANDOORI QUINOA
Flavourful and nutritious one-pot tandoori quinoa, with everything cooked in one pan. Tandoori spices are accented with chickpeas, and tomatoes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4-5 servings
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced butternut squash, peeled and diced (a small dice is best)
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger ( I bought ginger from Red Barn in September and froze it)
2 tbsp garam masala (Amazing Foods has this)
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 and 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (equal to one 15 oz. can)
1 and 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (equal to one 14 oz. can)
1 tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the butternut squash and stir. Cook the squash, stirring frequently, for about 6-8 minutes or until softened significantly.
2. Add onion and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the garlic, and ginger, and cook for another minute until fragrant. Finally, stir in the garam masala and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Add the quinoa, vegetable broth, chickpeas, tomatoes and sugar, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally. Cook until the quinoa and squash are cooked through, about 20 minutes. If there seems to be too much liquid, simmer uncovered for a few minutes to evaporate the excess. If the liquid runs out before the quinoa is done, add more water or broth and continue simmering. Add salt, pepper, and additional garam masala to taste.
4. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice and a generous sprinkle of chopped cilantro if you like.
