The second dish I made for our Farmer’s Market meal was this Zucchini Potato Gratin. I loosely followed this recipe, but the only fresh herbs I had on hand were parsley and basil. It’s really important to slice the potatoes as thinly as possible, so that they cook properly. But the end result is well worth it, this was a great dish! I think it would taste different every time you made it, based on the herb combination which you use. It’s not quite as good as the Squash and Potato Torte which I made last year, but it’s still a keeper.

2 large or 3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
5-6 small red potatoes, thinly sliced
Large handful fresh parsley
Large handful fresh basil
2-3 T olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan

Place sliced zucchini and potatoes in a large bowl. In a food processor, combine parsley, basil, and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon herb mixture onto zucchini and potato slices. Sprinkle with cheese. Using your hands, mix well to ensure the vegetables are coated.

Coat an 8″ square dish with cooking spray. Add vegetables slices, and cover dish with foil. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 30-45 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.

One of my favorite vendors at the Copley Square Farmer’s Market is Silverbrook Farms. They always have a good selection and love to talk about the produce. I stopped there last Friday on my way out of town, and was enticed by bullseye beets. On the outside, they look like regular beets, but after peeling and slicing them, you can see their red and white rings. We cooked them on the grill, brushed with a little olive oil, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. If you like beets (and I do!) these were great, but they have an earthy flavor that isn’t for everyone. That means more beets for me.

I was so excited to see this recipe for a quick and healthy Greek potato salad. It was a cool dish for the hot summer days we’ve had, and gave me an opportunity to use one of my favorite Trader Joe’s products, fat free feta.

Do not be afraid when cooking new foods, it doesn’t have to be complicated! All I did here was saute some mushrooms in garlic and olive oil, and then added the tatsoi leaves until wilted, with a dash of soy sauce. Simple, but perfect, in the last rays of daylight.

I read about pea tendrils on Elizabeth’s blog, and I was definitely intrigued. And it was my lucky day when I went to my favorite produce market on Saturday and spotted them! As the name suggests, pea tendrils are part of the plant which produces peas.

I prepared the pea tendrils by cooking them in olive oil and garlic, and adding a splash of lemon juice at the end. They have just a hint of the flavor of fresh peas, and are not bitter like other greens. The texture reminded me of Chinese broccoli; the stalks are fairly firm and I needed to cut them with a knife in my dish. They are only available for a short season, so look for them now at your favorite produce market!

All around the Internet, this vegan pasta topping is referred to as ‘vegan Parmesan’. It’s a fairly simple mix of toasted sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, and salt. Of course cheese is not vegan, but nutritional yeast is sometimes used as a substitute and is often fortified with B12 which can be lacking in vegan diets.

Yes, the weather is getting warmer, but it’s not too hot to make roasted vegetables. Normally I go with more classic Italian combinations, but this time I used some Indian spices. I placed the veggies over cooked bulgur, and they served as an excellent base for another Indian recipe which will be revealed tomorrow!

1 eggplant, peeled and diced
2 zucchini, diced
1 onion, sliced
2 T olive oil
1 t paprika
1 t garam masala

Mix all ingredients in a 13″x9″ dish. Bake at 375F for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

This is a whole new spin on vegetable fries! First, I saw these Nut Butter Crusted Parsnip Fries, which were adapted from this original recipe for Almond Crusted Root Vegetable Fries. The wheels began turning when I bought my very first jar of Maranatha Creamy Cashew Butter. So I whipped up these Cashew Parsnip Fries, and they were great! The nut flavor is subtle, so next time I might use a combination of nut butters, and perhaps include one that is crunchy. The next time you are craving some fries, give these a try!