Farmers’ Market in Full Bloom with Recipes from Lauren

By:  Nurse Practitioner Lauren Colletti

Last Saturday the whole family (Sam, baby Hazel and I) checked out the Barton Creek Farmers’ Market.  We sampled some local vendors, listened to live music and ate tacos from Little Deli.  Hazel slept the whole time, but soon enough she’ll be running around learning about where our food comes from and enjoying the petting zoo.

As a practice we encourage everyone to enjoy seasonal, local produce and meat as much as possible.  Going to the market is the best way to ensure the freshest ingredients, and it’s a whole lot of fun as well.

To find a farmer’s market near you check out Edible Austin’s website or follow this link http://www.edibleaustin.com/content/farmers-markets-resources-109

We made a delicious dinner for that evening from our findings at the market.  Chimichurri flank steak, roasted brussel sprouts and carrots, sautéed greens and sweet potato fries.   Here are the recipes below.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Carrots

•  1 ½ pounds brussel sprouts (whole or halved depending on size)
• 3 large carrots (sliced ¼- ½ inch pieces)
• Coconut Oil or Olive Oil
• Fresh salt & pepper

 Preheat oven to 375F.  Toss vegetables in a generous amount of EVOO or Coconut oil, salt and pepper.  Spread vegetables out on a baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes then stir vegetables and bake for 15-20 more minutes until tender.

Roasted Greens

•  1 bushel of swiss chard
• 1 bushel of Brussels sprout greens
• 1-2 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
• Salt and Pepper

 Wash greens and pat dry.   Chop greens, removing stems from the chard.  Chop the stems and set aside. Heat oil in pan over medium heat.  Add stems and sauté 3-5 minutes, and then add the greens.  Cook for another 3-5 minutes.

 Sweet Potato Fries

•  2 large sweet potatoes
• Coconut Oil
• Salt

 Preheat oven to 375F.  Peel potatoes, slice lengthwise in ¼ inch sections. Toss in Coconut oil and salt.  Place on parchment paper or oiled baking sheet.  Cook for 20 minutes, turn them and cook for 20 more minutes or until crispy.

 Grilled Flank steak with Chimichurri Sauce

*Chimichurri sauce:

•  1/4^th cup hot water
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/3 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 6 medium garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

 Combine hot water, oregano and salt in small bowl, let stand for 5 minutes to let the oregano soften.  In a food processor, pulse parsley, cilantro, garlic and red pepper flakes until coarsely chopped (about 10 1-second pulses).  Add water mixture and vinegar and pulse briefly to combine. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and slowly whisk in oil until mixture is emulsified.  Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

Flank Steak:

•  2 pounds flank steak  (serves 6-8)
• 4 tablespoons Cumin
• Salt & Pepper
• ½ bottle red wine

Marinate steak in red wine for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.  Pat steaks dry with paper towels and rub with salt, pepper and cumin.   Grill to desired doneness.

 *The Chimichurri recipe is from Cooks Illustrated online