Farmer's Market Skillet puts fresh farmer's market finds to good use in a creamy, wholesome skillet.
I’m creating a summer’s worth of Farmer’s Market friendly recipes to keep on hand after coming home with your Farmer’s Market haul.
The first recipe in the collection is Farmer’s Market Skillet!
This protein-packed, quinoa-based dish features in-season, local produce including zucchini, sweet corn, and tomatoes, stirred together with melty feta cheese and herby, fresh basil. Plus it’s made in just one skillet!
I use what’s available to me here locally in the Midwest, but use whatever produce you’ve got available in your area to make this a Farmer’s Market friendly meal wherever you live.
Start the Farmer’s Market Skillet by cooking 1 cup quinoa in 1-3/4 cups chicken broth. You could make this dish completely vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead.
Cook the quinoa until the broth is absorbed, then fluff it with a fork, and let it cool slightly.
While the quinoa’s simmering, whip up the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette for the skillet. It adds the best light, bright flavor to the dish!
Honey, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper swirl together to create the most magnificent flavor combo. I just love it!
If you don’t feel like going to the trouble of making homemade dressing, a good olive-oil based Italian dressing would be divine as well.
Next heat 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet then add 2 cloves minced garlic and saute until golden brown, about 30 seconds.
Next, add in the veggies!
Like I said, my Farmer’s Market has a plethora of sweet corn, zucchini, and green onions, but you can use whatever is in season and available locally to you. That’s the whole point!
Add the veggies to the skillet, season liberally with salt and pepper, then saute until they’re crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes.
Next, add in the cooked and slightly cooled quinoa, then drizzle in half the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette and let that cook for about another minute.
I love the sweet-tart flavor contrast of raw lemon juice vs cooked lemon juice, so I add half now, then the other half when the skillet is off the heat.
Now add 1 chopped tomato,
(another classic Farmer’s Market find!)
and 1/2 cup feta cheese.
Finish up with 2 Tablespoons chopped basil then give everything a good stir, taste and add more salta and pepper if you need to.
Let the skillet cool for about 10 minutes, then dig on in!
Fresh and ultra flavorful! The crispy, chewy, poppy textures are too fun, while the sweet, herby, tangy flavors are totally mouthwatering.
I include a mandatory 10 minute resting period before eating this skillet, simply because it tastes so much better when it’s not piping hot. You can really pick out each individual ingredient when it’s come down a bit in temp. Enjoy enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small zucchini, chopped
- 2 ears sweet corn, kernels cut off the cob, ~1-1/2 cups
- 2 green onions
- salt and pepper
- 1 vine-ripened tomato, chopped
- 1/2 cup feta
- 2 Tablespoons chopped basil
For the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette:
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 garlic clove, microplaned or finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
- Bring chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan. Add rinsed quinoa and place a lid on top, turn the heat down to medium-low, then cook until the broth is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 25 minutes. Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette in a jar or bowl, then shake or whisk to combine and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add zucchini, sweet corn, and green onions, season with salt and pepper, then saute until barely tender, about 4 minutes. Add cooked quinoa and half the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette, then stir and cook for 1 more minute.*
- Add remaining vinaigrette, tomatoes, feta cheese, and basil to the skillet. Stir well, taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If you want to make this a cold salad, cool cooked quinoa and veggies separately, then mix with the remaining vinaigrette, tomatoes, feta cheese, and basil, and chill completely.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Love that your featuring farmers’ market recipes. Just wanted to mention (and maybe you already know), that zucchini, tomatoes & sweet corn aren’t in season here in Iowa until late June-September. The produce you bought likely came from down south or from California, although the tomatoes were probably grown here in Iowa in a greenhouse or high tunnel. The green onions are in season right now, though. Radishes & asparagus are, too. Strawberries should be in the markets by Memorial Day or shortly thereafter.
I actually checked before purchasing, and they were all Iowa grown!
I love mixing up quinoa with whatever veggies I have on hand – so delicious! I need to hit up a farmer’s market, I haven’t been yet this season.
Yum! I just bought my first box of quinoa at TJ’s today so I’ll try this soon!
It was nice to visit with you at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday. What fun to meet you after getting to “know” you through your blog. Thanks for the yummy recipe idea. Next week my friends and I can shop with a plan!
You too, Diana! Hope you and the girls had fun! :)
i love the FM but really…..probably more than half the produce sold there is not grown locally. and alot of it is Hot House grown. or trucked in from southern states. it’s just too early in the season for the majority of the stuff i saw there on opening day to have been grown outside in Iowa in a garden. i did buy some delicious red radishes from a nice Asian lady that possibly were grown here. i wanted some asparagus, but it was all too thick….i like it skinny and delicate! ha!
Yeah you definitely have to be diligent about checking signs to make sure what you’re buying is grown locally (if that is important to you!)
Funny, I am enjoying a quinoa salad right now!
And I found dinner tonight! Thanks for a great recipe! I’m excited to use up the veggies in my fridge.
Definitely need to plan. I usually start planning around Wednesday when the local store ads come out. If there are really great deals I like to work around those! And of course when the garden is ready I plan around what I’ve got in there.
Hi, I’m hungry now. Thanks for that.
I am a planner for sure. Every Thursday/Friday I meal plan for the next week, and make my grocery list from that plan. I am tad OCD… haha
Great photos. I totally love the glass you are holding. My hometown right there above Des Moines. It is a good thing.
I’m so excited for the Bachelorette!! It’s my guilty pleasure :)
This dish is a BEAUTY. I am loving your tailor-able recipes these days :)