Last year I made a wretchedly shameful confession on this blog.
I am totally guilty of going to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings, not buying a thing, then going to the grocery store the next day to purchase my produce there.
I know. I hate me enough for the two of us!
It’s just that, I don’t usually do my weekly meal planning until Sunday, and as much as I hate not buying directly from the farmers themselves, I hate the thought of buying something and letting it go to waste even more, as I’m not the type of person who can come up with a fabulous dish upon seeing a spectacularly arranged pile of vine-ripened tomatoes, or something, at the market.
Sistah needs a plan!
Anyway, this year I’ve vowed to change my despicable ways and am creating a bunch of Farmer’s Market friendly recipes to keep handy so I can pick up whatever looks fresh and beautiful at the market, and know it won’t go to waste at home.
The first recipe in my Farmer’s Market Collection? Farmer’s Market Skillet!
This creamy, quinoa-based dish utilizes in-season, locally grown produce including zucchini, sweet corn, and tomatoes, wrapped up in melty feta cheese, and seasoned with herby, fresh basil. Plus it’s made in just one skillet!
I used what’s available to me here locally, 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 rinsed 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 doin’ it’s thang, get to work on the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette for the skillet. Yeeeeah…it’s the same dressing I used on the Sweet Corn & Quinoa dish a few weeks ago. I am obsessed with it and can’t help myself.
Honey, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper swirl together to create the most magnificent flavor combo. I just love it!
If you don’t think you can get into the honey flavor in here (I hate the flavor of honey, but I absolutely adore this dressing,) I would try any of the lemon vinaigrettes or balsamic vinaigrette dressings here, or a good olive-oil based Italian dressing would be divine as well.
PS I used the leftover lemon zest to make a refreshing drink to sip on while I cooked. It’s just lemon zest + water + ice. The lemon zest floats to the bottom of the glass, but permeates the water and is SO NICE TO SIP ON, AHHH.
Served up nice and cold in one of my Cat Studio drinking glasses. I got a set as a bridal shower gift (what seems) like a million years ago. I always forget about them, but aren’t they adorable? There are designs available for tons of states/cities/countries!
Anyway. :)
After the dressing is made, heat 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a very large skillet – the skillet in Farmer’s Market skillet – then add in 2 cloves minced garlic, and saute until they’re golden brown, about 30 seconds.
Next, add in the veggies!
Like I said, my Farmer’s Market always has a plethora of sweet corn, zucchini, and green onions, so that’s what I used, 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 ’em until they’re just barely tender, about 4 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 happen to love the sweet-tart flavor contrast of raw lemon juice vs cooked lemon juice, like in Lemon Chicken Pasta, which is why I add half now, and 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 ‘er up with 2 Tablespoons chopped basil, then give everything a good stir, taste and add more salt & pepper if you need to.
Let the skillet cool for about 10 minutes, then dig on in!
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Farmer’s Market Skillet
Description
Farmer's Market Skillet puts fresh farmer's market finds to good use in a creamy, wholesome skillet.
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced (or half a large one)
- 2 ears sweet corn, kernels cut off the cob (about 1-1/2 cups)
- 2 green onions
- salt & 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.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Fresh and ultra flavorful! The crispy, chewy, poppy textures are too fun, while the sweet, herby, tangy flavors are totally mouthwatering. Repeater, fa sho!
I included a mandatory (I’ll be watching…) 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.
I also included instructions for making this a cold salad, which I think I might like even better. The feta melts when it’s hot, which kinda makes this taste like healthy mac & cheese, but I do adore a nice cold salad in the steamy summahtime!
In other news, raise your hand if you can’t wait for The Bachelorette tonight?! EMILY! WHEE!! I was so sad to hear that she and Brad didn’t work out (although it sounds like she and her daughter are better off without his temper…) so I’m curious to see what kind of guy she goes for this time around.
#talkingaboutrealitystarslikeiknowthem
Have a nice night!
~~~~~
Is it easy for you to come up with meal ideas on the spot, or do you need to have a plan/recipe?
Emily 05.15.2012
Hey Kristin. This looks scrumptious! I have made skillet dishes before and people really liked the idea when I blogged it.
I can come up with dishes on a whim but it helps if there’s a lot of food in the house. If we’re getting down to bare bones the only thing I can come up with is take out! Lol.
Have a great day
Renee 05.15.2012
Yummmmmmm!
Tricia 05.15.2012
I want to hire you as my Chef please!!! that looks so yummy!!Cant wait to try it!
Nicole@Classic-Hymns.com 05.15.2012
That looks wonderful and so healthy!
Michelle Wollin 05.15.2012
BTW, not sure if you and Ben ever go to any Triple A Baseball games in Iowa, but a friend of mine and I went to one in Sacramento last night. They were playing the Iowa Cubs and Iowa won. I guess the Cubs are owned by the Chicago Cubs and they are based in Des moines, Iowa. Great times!!
Michelle Wollin 05.15.2012
Kristin,
1st I’m happy to hear you’re going to be buying locally this season! 2nd, being that I’m a midwestern girl living in California (but only for 1 1/2 more weeks!) farmer’s markets here are year round. I took a cooking course last semester at the community college and we had a guest speaker come talk about a book she wrote and about buying locally/growing locally. The book she wrote is called Real Food and she basically got a group of her friends together every monday night and they prepared whatever was in season for that week and wrote a recipe for it. It’s 52 weeks of recipes.
Obviously the growing season is not 52 weeks long in the midwest, but I bet there are a ton of recipe ideas you could use from that book to help with your farmer’s market trips on Saturday mornings! Here’s the link to her website where you can purchase it and view some recipes.
http://www.placercountyrealfood.com/
Enjoy!!
Teresa K. 05.15.2012
Okay, okay – I will give quinoa one more try – but truthfully? – our family all kind of looked at each other and said – ummm – bitter? And yet – you always make it look so good!
And – my fave thing to do is go to the Farmer’s mkt on Saturday mornings, and then make Sunday sit down supper out of it – love buying directly from local small time guys, and the organic meats – yum.
Iowa Girl Eats 05.15.2012
Make sure you rinse it really well before cooking it, as there is a bitter coating on the outside of the quinoa!
Emilie @ Emilie's Enjoyables 05.15.2012
I’m totally that girl too who basically only buys corn and tomatoes at the farmer’s market because I KNOW I can always eat them, but I rarely take advantage of all the other great stuff because I just don’t knowwwww what I’m going to make that week!
Michelle 05.15.2012
Our markets don’t open up until June, and I am patiently (well, trying to) waiting. I buy my quinoa at the markets, we have a great local farmer who harvests organic quinoa. I found out that during the winter months, my favorite deli carries it!
Sarah 05.15.2012
Sometimes I can throw stuff together, but I do like to have a plan beforehand! :) I’m starting to LOVE menu planning and really buying only what we need and saving money too :) You inspired me!
Amanda at the red table 05.15.2012
I really love this idea. One-skillet meals are my favorite. Plus, being able to use the bounty at the farmer’s market is awesome. My only conundrum: I have to get groceries tonight (Like, HAVE TO. we are bone dry in the cupboards, yo.) but the farmer’s market isn’t until Saturday. what to do?? :)
Culinarystorm 05.15.2012
what gorgeous produce! the corn in particular- love it :)
Farmers' Market Recipe Collection: Farmers' Market Skillet | Iowa … | ClubEvoo 05.15.2012
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Martha 05.15.2012
I just wanted to let you know that I LOVE your blog. Thanks to you, I have become a bit obsessed by quinoa (better late, than never). The Farmer’s Market Skillet will definitely be in my future!
Mindy 05.14.2012
Thanks so much for coming up with Farmer’s Market themed recipes. I LOVE the DM Farmer’s Market and we belong to a CSA (The Homestead), so these recipes will come in super handy. Can’t wait to try this one!
Carrie @ Season It Already! 05.14.2012
Um yeah… Yum. Perfect for a meatless Monday!
Vickie 05.14.2012
I would love to see a picture of the plate under the food. It looks like burlap with French words on it. Where did you get it from?
Taryn 05.14.2012
OMG I absolutely LOVE your glass I see my hometown of Dubuque on there. This looks delicious. Now just need to motivate myself to get up early enough for the Farmer’s Market on a Saturday Morning. OY!
Stephanie 05.14.2012
This just might be our dinner tomorrow night!
Jen C. 05.14.2012
You need to check out the Victory Garden Cookbook if you haven’t already. It is a tad expensive if you buy it on Amazon… even a used copy is almost $30, but it is seriously amazing for farmer’s market cooking. It is organized by vegetable! First she lists all of the different ways to cook it, and includes her favorite way to eat it. Then there are a bunch of different recipes featuring that vegetable. She also has some growing tips at the beginning of each vegetable section. Seriously my favorite!