3 Farmers’ Market Recipes that Use Up Lots of Produce

Do you ever get home from the farmers’ market with a huge haul and not know what to make? Or pick up a CSA box filled with unrelated veggies you’ve got only a week to eat? My family and I love to visit our local market every Saturday morning, but sometimes when I don’t go with recipes in mind, I go a bit overboard with my purchases. What can I say? All that fresh produce just looks sooo good. RELATED: Delicious Roasted Veggies, 3 Ways Since I hate to let fresh fruits and veggies go to waste, I created a whole collection of farmers’ market recipes made for this scenario. Below, you’ll find three of my favorites. Each utilizes lots of different kinds of seasonal produce in one dish and highlights fresh flavors via simple preparations. (That means they’re also easy to make!) The smoothie is great to share (my kiddos love it too), and the pesto and marinara can be frozen for later use. Give these easy, yummy recipes a try next time you’re drowning in heirlooms and herbs. Farmers’ Market Recipes 1. Strawberry Veggie Smoothie Veggies are my smoothie secret weapon. They add so much nutritional value with minimal calories. This smoothie is filled with tons of fiber, protein, and healthy fat, and is sure to keep you full all morning long. Tip: Some people prefer to steam and then freeze their veggies for easier digestion. GET THE RECIPE 2. Pea Pesto Crostini My Pea Pesto Crostini is super easy to make and is always a crowd-pleaser. It’s vegan and allergy friendly (nut-free, dairy-free, and can be made gluten-free), making it a perfect option for a cocktail party hors d’oeuvre. The pesto can also be frozen to use in pasta and on sandwiches, later. GET THE RECIPE 3. LivLight Market Marinara There’s nothing better than summer tomatoes, and who doesn’t love a homemade marinara? This sauce is delicious right out of the pot and gets even better with time. I love to make a big pot on Sunday and use it throughout the week on pasta, veggies, and grilled fish. GET THE RECIPE

In the Kitchen With Keri: Delicious Roasted Veggies 3 Ways

We share heaps of healthy information on Nutritious Life’s blog every day, but “In the Kitchen with Keri” is your chance to spend some quality time with the wonder woman behind it all, Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN. It’s where she invites you into her space to share the ingredients she’s currently obsessed with, recipes she can’t get enough of, and other tips and tricks learned over many years of life as an always-ahead-of-the-curve nutritionist and wellness expert. You may think roasted veggies are only for colder months, but roasting is one of my go-to ways to cook year-round. Why? Well, first of all, I love grilling in the summer, but I don’t have a grill. (New York City apartment problems…) And as much as I love and encourage eating healthy fat, you can sometimes overdo it when you’re sauteeing. With roasting, you can use a little less oil. Finally, roasting really maximizes flavor and adds texture—my kids like their vegetables crispy, even a little burnt. (Sure, you may lose a tiny fraction of nutrients when you cook veggies longer, but if it encourages them to to eat a whole bunch of veggies, I say the benefits outweigh that concern.) The best part about roasting is you can basically throw whatever produce you have on a cookie sheet with the most simple of preparations: olive oil, salt, and pepper. RELATED: Olive Oil vs. Coconut Oil: Which is Healthier? Depending on the vegetable and how I’m feeling that day, I may use avocado or coconut oil instead (coconut goes especially well with root veggies like sweet potatoes). I also might add spices—a little cayenne for a bit of a kick, turmeric for an antioxidant boost, a little bit of thyme, rosemary, or oregano. Those are generally the go-to dried herbs I have on hand and use the most. These are some roasted veggies I’ve been making lately with fresh, spring veggies. Follow my lead exactly, or use them as inspiration to roast whatever you’ve got in the crisper this week. Roasted Veggies 3 Ways Green beans and sugar snap peas are the stars of spring. They’re so crunchy and satisfying to eat raw as a snack. I’ve been bringing them to the office, and my kids love them. (Pro tip: I’ve even been putting them out in the middle of the table with the fruit in the morning during breakfast. If they’re there, the kids will grab them!) Roasted, they make a perfect side dish, and if you’ve got leftovers, you can add them to a salad the next day. I added dijon and liquid aminos to them, here, for a salty flavor pop. Get the recipe. Asparagus is another one of my favorites this time of year. It’s delicious and is the perfect anti-bloating food (yay, beach weather!). I roasted it with antioxidant-rich shallots, here, and got super fancy by experimenting with truffle zest my friend Candice Kumai recently gave me. Truffle flavor is strong, so sprinkle the powder on sparingly, although FYI, it smells much more intense than it tastes. Get the recipe. Finally, zucchini and corn are sooo summery. They both fall into the nostalgia category for me—foods that bring on that “relax, it’s summer” feeling, you know? Plus, zucchini was one of the first vegetables I ever learned to cook. Bonus: While corn gets a bad rap because it’s such a massive GMO commodity, it’s actually filled with antioxidants. (Just buy it fresh from a local organic farmstand if you can!) Here, I threw these two veggies together and added a little cayenne for a kick. Simple, fresh…yum! Get the recipe. Okay, now that you’ve mastered roasted veggies, don’t forget to check out the easy protein snacks I made last month.

In the Kitchen with Keri: Cooking with Spring Veggies

    We share heaps of healthy information on Nutritious Life’s blog every day, but “In the Kitchen with Keri” is your chance to spend some quality time with the wonder woman behind it all, Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN. It’s where she invites you into her space to share the ingredients she’s currently obsessed with, recipes she can’t get enough of, and other tips and tricks learned over many years of life as an always-ahead-of-the-curve nutritionist and wellness expert. There’s nothing like the taste of fresh spring vegetables after a long, cold winter (unless you live in Los Angeles, in which case … we’re super jealous!). I mean, I seriously love nutrient-dense, versatile sweet potatoes or a really good, creamy butternut squash soup. But when the sun starts shining and the flowers are blooming, you just want lighter, brighter flavors and textures on your plate. Cooking with Spring Veggies Eating in sync with the season literally does put a spring in your step (pun intended). It’s also great for the environment, and Earth Day is fast approaching. Here’s how I’m currently cooking with spring veggies.   Artichokes: A top farmers’ market find Artichokes are filled with anti-inflammatory phytochemicals that are great for both your overall health and glowing skin (which is important as temps rise and you start to show a little more).     I’ve been a big fan of their benefits for a long time—so much so that they were a daily part of my O2 Diet four-day cleanse. And while artichokes are fresh during spring, you can eat them all year long by using canned or frozen versions. I often drizzle them with olive oil and roast them to get them just a little bit crispy. RECIPE: Roasted Artichoke Hearts Serve artichokes alongside a piece of omega-3-rich salmon seared or broiled and placed on a bed of arugula. The nutritious green is super zesty and flavorful when its first leaves sprout in spring. RECIPE: Broiled Salmon Veggie-Rich Grain Bowl Another way to easily enjoy fresh produce? Make a grain bowl!     Grain bowls are simple to put together and you can basically throw in whichever grains and veggies you have on hand. For this bowl I made recently, I used farro—an ancient grain filled with fiber—as the base. (If you don’t have the perfect-sized bowl, you can improvise like I did and use a plate. The point is the simple mix of ingredients.) Then, I sautéed fresh asparagus and mushrooms in a pan with olive oil until slightly crispy, and threw those on top of the grains with raw sliced radishes. I love mixing it up with cooked and raw veggies. I topped it off with a soft-boiled egg for extra protein. Asparagus, by the way, is the perfect anti-bloating food, since it contains compounds that aid digestion by acting like probiotics. (Again, perfect for midriff-baring weather!) Radishes are a great source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant and immune-system strengthener. I also love them for snacking, as part of a crudite platter to dip in guac or hummus. RECIPE: Pesto Hummus Dip See you at the farmers’ market, soon!