During this time, we are staying at home and doing a lot of cooking and baking. Going to the grocery store has become a challenge, and we miss shopping at the Farmer’s Market. However, buying directly from local growers has become the perfect answer.
So easy to grow sprouts at home. They add a gourmet look to some dishes and provide a really big nutritional punch. We found this to be an easy and healthy swap for the usual salad ingredients. And since this is an example of eco friendly eating, it also makes a good project for kids.
I know it sounds unbelievable, but we often have wine leftover. We also have a difficult time finding a decent wine vinegar, so I had the idea of making it out of the leftover wine. After all, how hard can it be?
Waldorf salad, originally created at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, has been a classic in homes for generations. We updated the classic by giving it a new look. Walnuts, raisins, apples, and celery with a strawberry mayonnaise dressing. The dressing is made with a little walnut oil, crème fraîche and pepper flakes as well.
I really want to be able to have dessert, even when I am trying to eat healthy. It doesn’t have to be ooey gooey, but it does have to look good and taste really good. These melon balls with just a touch of mint simple syrup were elegant and delicious. A little mint from the herb garden made the syrup easy, and the cantaloupe from the farmer’s market were fantastic. Proving that a dessert doesn’t have to have a ton of calories to be a hit.
After a trip to the farmer’s market, we made old fashioned carrot salad, but gave it an update. The homemade mayonnaise with lime and ginger gave it an asian flair, so instead of raisins we topped it with poppy seeds, which looked perfect with the spaghetti cut on the carrots.