Fresh and Local Menu Monday

Happy Monday! I had a lovely visit to the Durham Farmer’s market early on Saturday. Everything was so beautiful it was hard to choose what to get.

I’m continuing to broaden my consumption of local veggies, and eating out less. This weekend was an eating out fest. At least one night we ordered pizza’s from Pop’s, who uses local ingredients whenever possible. I had a lovely pizza with fresh mozzarella, green peppers, onions, green olives, artichoke hearts and goat cheese. But if I had some pre-made pizza crusts, I would have made it myself, and saved some money on top of it. I guess I will have to go to a normal supermarket today.

This week may end up pasta heavy in order to get my partner to ingest this many new-to-her veggies. At least now she eats asparagus and broccoli with out making a big icky face!

Ingredients of the week and recipe ideas from some cool food blogs:

Asparagus

• Pasta with Asparagus, Cannellini Beans, and Porcini Cream
• Somen with Tofu and Asparagus in a Chinese Dressing
• Thai-Style Basil Tofu and Asparagus

Baby Turnips

• Baby Turnip and Sugar Snap Peas
• Vegetable Medley Stir-Fry, with Baby Turnips, Kohlrabi, Carrots and Onions – also uses garlic scapes
• Chickpea and Turnip Stew with Ethiopian Spices

Broccoli

• Gnocchi with Broccoli and Seitan
• Double Mushroom Miso Soup and Sesame Broccoli
• Spicy Lemon Pepper Pasta with Broccoli
• Broccoli Polenta and Bean Balls - I have some bean balls in the freezer – hmmm….

Broccoli Rabe

• Rapini pannini
• Wholegrain Penne and Rabe in Creamy Garlic Sauce
• Penne with Broccoli Rabe, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Faux Sausage
• Truffled Broccoli Rabe

Cauliflower

• Cauliflower Dal with Panch Phoran
• Cauliflower, Zucchini and Kalamata Olives over Cappellini Pasta
• Roasted Cauliflower Soup
• Cauliflower Steak

Collards

• Braised Winter Greens with Chickpeas, Onions, and Garlic
• Chickpeas (Garbanzos) with Greens & Tomatoes, Greek Style
• Collard Greens Poricha Kootu – Dal With Collard Greens – I’m leaning towards this one. It looks yummy and a bit exotic. Maybe I can make a greens lover out of my partner yet.
• Spicy Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens: A Gluten-Free Vegan South Beach Recipe

Fennel

• Braised fennel and potatoes
• Fennel and White Bean Stew
• Sausage, fennel, goat cheese and apple ravioli with lemon cream sauce – I’m going to substitute veggie sausage of course!

Golden Beets

• Beet Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese
• Beet Sweet Potato Soup
• Orange-Roasted Beets and Shallots with Orange Gremolata
• Puy Lentil Salad with Roasted Beets – I think this is the winner for this week

Green Garlic Scapes (flower stalks of the garlic plant)
My first time seeing them in my life, but I’m up for a new veggie experience – how about you?

• Definition and Pesto recipe
• Garlic Scape Frittata and Mixed Vegetable Sauté with Asheray Vinaigrette
• Fried Scapes
• Another Vegan pesto recipe with pumpkin seeds
• Absorption Pasta with Garlic Scapes and Wild Mushrooms

I hope you guys like the multiple choice menu of the week. I am going to cook like a mad woman this week, so I promise a report before next week. Also I will try to sneak in a slow cooker recipe, but it may not happen until next week.

You too can participate in Menu Plan Monday, just go over to I’m an Organizing Junkie and add your menu to Mr. Linky.