Tempura Veggies with Awesome Sauce and Voting Polls are Open

We had a sushi night last Saturday and it was amazing! I’m doing a 40 day yoga challenge and one of my commitments was to NOT eat meat… so I haven’t had any meat but some occasional seafood. I’m halfway through it and doing well. 🙂 See the end of post for details on how to vote for my Marx Foods entry!

These tempura veggies are a light and tasty snack or side to a meal.

Serves: 4

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 4 min or until lightly golden

Ingredients for batter: 

• 1 C. Flour
• 1 TBS Corn Starch
• 1 1/2 C. Club Soda
• 1 tsp. Salt
• Peanut oil

Veggies:

You can use what ever veggies you would like. I like sweet potato, bell peppers, Carrots, and Brocoli. Make sure you don’t slice too thick.

Awesome Sauce:

• 1/2 C. Soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Sesame oil
• 1 TBS. Green onion
• 5 Thin slices of ginger, fresh
• 1/2 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. Lime juice
• 2 TBS Rice wine vinegar

Instructions:

1. Slice veggies and make sauce.
2. Heat fryer oil to 375 degrees.
3. Coat veggies in batter, shake off remaining batter and fry for 3-4 min.  Doing small batches at a time.
4. Place on paper towel. Repeat until done.
5. Serve with sauce.

Please vote for my submission to Marx Foods, I made a Chile, Yuzu, and Jasmine Tea Granita, it was DELISH!  The voting polls close Thursday evening! Thank you so much for the support!

Everything you need to know about Austin’s Farmers’ Markets

I truly feel blessed to live in a city that has so many great farmer’s markets at my dispose. Just about any day of the week there is a market open to get those farm fresh goodies you have been craving…rain or shine I might add! What’s your favorite market?

I’m going to list and talk about these by area, enjoy!

Photo Courtesy of: Johnson’s Backyard Garden

♦South Austin’s Markets:

Barton Creek Farmers Market 

Hours: Saturdays

9:00am to 1:00pm rain or shine.

Location: On the back side of the Barton Creek Square mall parking lot overlooking the city—at the intersection of S. Loop 1 (Mopac) and S. Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360). 

Details:

This is a great market that’s fun for the whole family and your pups! They carry a wide range of locally raised meats, locally grown produce, internationally prepared food, artisan breads and baked goods, as well as artisan crafts and gifts.

SFC Farmers’ Market at Sunset Valley 

Hours: Saturdays

Open Year-Round, Rain or Shine
9 am to 1 pm September – April

8:30 am to 12:30 pm May – August

Location:

3200 Jones Road, at the Toney Burger Center
Plenty (17 acres!) of free parking
Off Hwy. 290/71 eastbound access road, just east of the intersection of Brodie Lane and Hwy. 290/71 East Follow signs for the parking area (plenty!)

Details:

• Dog freindly
• This market has plenty of great finds, a few of my favorites are:

Austin Sea Veggies

Oma’s and Opa’s Farm

Pate Letelier

Photo Courtesy of :Rebeccamendations

South Austin Farmers Market

Hours: Saturdays

8am-1pm, year round

Location:  Parking lot of El Gallo Restaraunt on South Congress Avenue, across the street from St. Edwards University.

♦Central Austin’s Markets

Hope Farmers’ Market

Hours: Sundays

11am-3pm

Location: 414 Waller St. They are located in the heart of East Austin at the historic Pine Street Station. You can find them at the corner of East 5th and Waller St, just north of the train tracks.

Details:

The Sunday HOPE Farmers Market is a weekly gathering space for the Austin community to share:

• fresh vegetables and healthy prepared food
• artistic creations and live music
• wellness workshops
• community organizations and volunteer opportunities

SFC Market Downtown

Hours: Saturdays

9 am to 1 pm September – April

8:30 am to 12:30 pm May – August

Location: 400 W. Guadalupe, Republic Square Park
Plenty of free parking at surface lot next door and State Parking garage across the street.

Details:

• Meats, produce, prepared foods, and artisan goods
• Dog Friendly
• Live music

Photo courtesy of: Melanie Haupt

Photo Courtesy of: From Maggies Farm

♦North Austin Markets

SFC – Triangle

Hours: Wednesdays

Open Year-Round, Rain or Shine
March – September, 4 pm to 8 pm
October – February, 3 pm to 7 pm

Location:

4600 Lamar (46th Street and Lamar), Triangle Park at The Triangle
Plenty of free parking at surface lot next door and The Triangle retail parking garage down the street.

Details:

• Meats, produce, prepared foods, and artisan goods
• Dog Friendly
• Live music

Photo Courtesy of: SFC Owner

SFC – East Austin

Hours: Tuesdays OPENS MARCH 20th 2012

Open Year-Round, Rain or Shine  10 am to 1 pm

Location:

51st and Hwy 183 – YMCA East Communities Branch – 5315 Ed Bluestein
Plenty of free parking in the Y Parking lot and overflow parking near the golf center.

Details:

This market — and only this market – has a Double Dollar Incentive Program/Doble Dolares Programa. Come purchase $10 in fruits and vegetables with your SNAP – Lone Star Card, or your WIC Lone Star Card cash benefits f/v, and the Market Information booth coordinator will give you $10 DDIP / Doble Dolares money to spend on more fruits and vegetables. We will match your fruit and vegetable purchases every week!

There will be at least 10 fruit and vegetable farmers at this market on a regular basis, along with meats, eggs, cheese, honey, plants, and breakfast/lunch food vendors for a quick coffee and scone, or healthy lunch.

♦Cedar Park and More

Cedar Park Farms to Market

Hours: Saturdays

9am-1pm year round rain or shine

Location:

Lakeline Mall Parking Lot – Behind Sears and Dillard’s

Details:

This is my market (I live in Lago Vista). I love the variety here, it’s really great.

Some of my favorites are:

Johnson’s Backyard Garden ( I do a CSA with them and it’s great).

Smith and Smith Farms

CountrySide Farm Products

K & S Seafood

Razor Sharp will be there sharpening knives and tools.

Round Rock

Georgetown Farmers Market

Hours: Saturdays

8am- Noon the first Saturday in April, (4-7-12), through the week before Thanksgiving, November,(11-17-12), in the Scott & White Hospital Parking Lot at the corner of Oakmont & Univ.

Locations:

SEE WEBSITE FOR CURRENT LOCATION

Here are some great recipes using local farm fresh ingredients, enjoy! 

4 STEP Simple Chicken Thigh and Veggie Soup in the Crock Pot

This is a super easy dish to prepare in the crock pot for busy days! It’s healthy and prepared in four simple steps. Cooking this dish with bone in thighs give it a great flavor and is easier than other methods where you have to cut, cube, brown, pull etc…

Prep: 10 min

Cook Time: 7.5 hrs on LOW

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Free-Range chicken thighs, most of fat removed (as much as you can) I just peel it off with my hands and discard.
• 32 oz Kitchen Basics no sodium chicken broth
• 32 oz Kitchen Basics regular beef broth
• 3 Large organic tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups or 1.5 cans).
• 4 Stalks of celery, sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1 Can of black beans
• 1.5 C. Corn, fresh is best (or one can).
• 2 Limes, juiced
• 1 TBS Sea salt, fresh ground pepper, mexican oregano, and chili powder (1 TBS each of these).
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp Cumin powder, freshly ground is always better 🙂
• 2 tsp Garlic powder
• 1 TBS Zestybeandog Fine Herb Blend (Coming soon for purchase).

Instructions:

1. Cut produce that needs to be cut up and place in crock. Empty (drained) can of beans into crock as well.
2. Skin chicken thighs and place in crock.
3. Add stock to crock.
4. Add spices. Cook for 7.5 hrs on LOW or 4 on high. Chicken should come right off the bone.

Serve with a little Monterrey Jack or cheese of your choice and crackers if desired. Watch for the bone. I serve one thigh for each person with the soup, the meat comes off the bone very easily.  You can remove bone from thighs if desired before serving.

Super Delicious Thai Beef Salad

Prep Time: 10

Marinate Time: 4hrs to overnight

Cook Time: 3 min (depending on thickness of meat).

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb Flank steak or your choice of cut, 1/2 ” thick or so
• 1/2  Cucumber sliced, you can get fancy if you want or just plain ol’ slices
• 1 Carrot, sliced
• 4-5 Thin slices of yellow onion
• 1 Handful of cilantro
• Mixed greens, your choice on how much.
• 1 tsp Canola oil
• Marinade ingredients: 2 tsp chili paste (I use garlic chili paste), 1 TBS fresh minced ginger, 1 TBS minced garlic, 1/4 C soy sauce, 1 TBS fish sauce, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 pinch of pepper.  Mix in bowl.

Instructions:

1. Mix marinade and place meat in a ziplock or bowl and pour marinade over meat.  Refrigerate for 4+ hours.
2. Cut up produce and arrange salad in bowl.
3. Heat large skillet on high, add canola oil. Remove meat from marinade DO NOT DISCARD MARINADE, take marinade and pour into small sauce pan, heat until boiling for 30 seconds then pour into a coffee cup and place into freezer while you cook your beef.
4. Once skillet is hot, add beef and cook for about 1.5-2 min of each side (or longer if you like it well done).
5. Slice meat and place on salad.
6. Pour remaining marinade on both salads. Add cilantro to top of salad.
7. Serve with soup if desired.

Enjoy

Asian Style Hodgepodge Soup

Healthy, Quick, and Simple Soup, Great for Lunch or a Side for Dinner!

I served this soup with pan seared Ahi Tuna on a bed of  seasoned cabbage.

Prep: 5 min

Cook: 10 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 4 C. chicken broth, free of MSG (You can use vegetable broth to make this vegetarian).
• 1 Medium purple headed turnip, thick julienne
• 2 Medium carrot , thick julienne
• 1 Quarter of an onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 Can of baby corn
• 4-6 chunks of fresh broccoli
• 1 TBS scallions
• 1 tsp of chili paste (more or less to taste depending on how hot you want it).
• 2 TBS soy sauce (light).
• 3 TBS lime juice
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 TBS green onions, sliced

Instructions:

1. Bring chicken stock to a boil, add all produce except broccoli and green onions.  Boil for 2 min
2. Add lime juice, soy sauce, and chili paste.  Boil for 5 min.
3. Slowly whisk in egg, make sure soup is boiling.
4. Add broccoli and cook for 3 more min.

Serve with green onion.

Amazing Swiss Chard Recipe, Southern Style

This simple recipe is made with produce I worked for at the Johnson’s Backyard Garden in East Austin. The produce is local, organic, AND wonderful.  Everyone should seek out a CSA close buy and support them.  Farming fresh, organic produce is hard work and is deserved to be enjoyed sought after!

Prep: 5 min

Cook: 10-15 min

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

• 2-3 slices of fresh nitrate free center cut bacon, sliced into bits
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 6-10 mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 yellow onion sliced and quartered
• 1 bunch of swiss chard, chopped (organic)
• 1/2 C white wine
• 1 lemon, juiced
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet cook bacon until crisp, transfer bacon out of skillet with slotted spoon.
2. Turn burner to medium and leave as much of the rendered bacon grease you would like to cook the rest of the ingredients, I leave about a TBS in there and wipe the rest out, more the better 🙂
3. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and onions and cook for about 3-5 min.
4. Add swiss chard and mix around for 1 min, then add wine and lemon juice, cook for another min or two to let some of the liquid reduce.
5. Salt and pepper to taste and then ENJOY!