‘Farmer’s Market’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Review: Hoboken Farms Tomato Sauce

November 16, 2016 · Narrative

A delicious, robust, and good-for-you line of tomato sauces … what more could you ask for?

In 2010, I started eating clean. Which means basically trying to eat whole foods, foods that don’t have ingredients in them.

O hoboken-farms range and asparagus are whole foods.

Oreos are not.

And then last year, I did a round of Whole30, and I did another one last month.

And Whole30, if you’re not familiar with it, is like clean eating … jacked up.

Like 1000% more.

And whether you’re eating clean or following Whole30 or another nutritional lifestyle, one thing you learn quickly is the importance of reading labels.

Any time I’m buying something new, the label is the first thing I look for.

I want to know what’s inside my food. And namely, what was put inside my food that really has no place there.

And the more labels you read, the more you see how sugar sneaks in EVERYWHERE.

In bacon.

In ketchup.

In beef jerky.

And in other weird, random places where you wouldn’t think it would be.

In tomato sauces.

And that’s one of the reasons I make a lot of things myself … bacon, ketchup, tomato sauce … and more.

It’s easy to control what goes in, and what stays out.

But sometimes, although I have both a long, time-consuming recipe, and a short version, sometimes I just don’t have time to make my own tomato sauce.

So I would love to have a brand that I can count on.

A brand that doesn’t have all sorts of unpronounceable junk in it.

A tomato sauce that doesn’t have sugar in it.

So when a case of sauce from the folks at Hoboken Farms arrived, right dab in the middle of my second round of Whole30, I was pretty stoked to read their ingredient list.

The ingredient list for their marinara sauce?

Whole Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Fresh onion, basil, garlic and spices.

THAT’S IT.

…

Recipe: Farmer’s Market Salsa {Old El Paso}

August 14, 2013 · Narrative

Because we live in the Northeast, farmer’s market season is, unfortunately, not a year ’round thing. I know, I bemoan that fact as often as I can. Like it will make a difference.

Darn Mother Nature.

But when it’s time for the stalls to begin opening up? We are all in.

Our favorite pickle vendor (full sours all the way).

The biggest, ripest, reddest Jersey tomatoes you’ve ever seen.

Organic, locally sourced honey.

Wholesome dog treats.

Yep.

And eggplant and carrots and radishes and strawberries and blueberries.

And lettuce for dayz.

I usually go bi-weekly, and stock up on all the fresh vegetables and fruit that is in season.

Or, you know, that the kids will eat.

Talking directly to the farmers who pulled the goodies out of the ground. That very morning.

Farm to table. Forever and ever, amen.

But the problem?

In my exuberance to buy all.the.things, I usually buy more than we can conceivably eat before it starts to go bad.

Such is the problem with fresh, non-packaged goodness.

You need to be quick.

But! There is a solution!

I have three go-tos when I need to use a massive amount of vegetables that are about to turn for the worse.

…

Recipe: Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes {Cooking Light}

June 5, 2013 · Narrative

When it comes to asparagus, it is pretty much a no-brainer. My go-to way of making it is by roasting it, and when I do, it’s a safe bet that I will demolish the entire bunch in one meal. On my own.

Which is pretty good since the kids have yet to jump on the asparagus eating bandwagon.

Pity that.

When I was planning my contributions to our recent Girls’ Night In party this past weekend, I had pulled this recipe to make.

Because it’s crazy simple.

Because all the ingredients are on the list of foods I am currently eating.

And, well, because asparagus.

Natch.

It comes from the April 2011 issue of Cooking Light magazine in their 20-Minute Cooking section.

Which means it sometimes takes me awhile to try a new recipe.

(And really, two years is nuthin’!)

But it also means I can attest to the truth of their 20-minute claim.

Might have even come in under 15 minutes.

Which made this perfect for a Girls’ Night In contribution.

A quick weeknight side dish.

A great recipe to make with your farmer’s market bounty.

And a delicious way to celebrate asparagus and Spring produce.

And, really, goat cheese?

Just consider that the metaphoric cherry on top.

Hungry for more asparagus recipes?
This Roasted Asparagus Salas with Goat Cheese and Bread Crumbs is to-die-for good. Don’t miss it.
White wine infused shrimp and asparagus? Yes, please.
You can’t go wrong with this Toasted Roasted Vegetable Sandwich, one of my favorites. And hello avocado!
An Eat Your Veggies Stir-Fry that is a great way to take advantage of your farmer’s market haul.

Tomorrow? May 2013 in Instagram Review
Friday? Book review.

…

Recipe: Stuffed Zucchini

May 8, 2013 · Narrative

When it comes to zucchini, I’m very much a take-it-or-leave-it kind of girl. I rarely go looking for it, unless I need it for a specific recipe. If I happen to be swayed by some gorgeous zucchini at the farmer’s market, it usually ends up sauteed for a stir-fry, or cut into thin ribbons for a salad.

And that is the end of that.

But then I spied a recipe for Stuffed Zucchini on a blog and I decided to give it another look. I made a few tweaks to the recipe, both in terms of method (to make it a bit easier), and ingredients (more in keeping with what I’m eating {or not eating} these days).

And folks, we had a winner.

It wasn’t terribly time consuming, maybe thirty minutes from start to finish? I served it alongside some Portobello Crusted Chicken Burgers (recipe coming soon!) and it was the perfect side dish. It was filling, but still light. Guilt-free. Clean eating. And veggie overload.

And, well, extra for me since my kids are still firmly entrenched in the I-don’t-like-zucchini camp. I’m not worried. They have years to come around…

Tomorrow? We talk Moscato.
And Friday? Book review!

…

Read More

Pin It

Recipe: Eggplant Salad with Chick Peas and Feta

October 9, 2012 · Narrative

If you add roasted vegetables to most anything, I can almost guarantee that I’ll pretty much love it. And chick peas? Talk about a home run. I don’t know what it is about chick peas, but I can eat them with reckless abandon. Unfortunately the kids don’t share the same feelings.

Unless they’ve been turned into hummus. Then Nick will eat them. If not? No dice.

When I saw this recipe for a salad that featured roasted eggplant with chick peas and feta, it was pretty much a given that I’d make it. I mean, how could I not? Some of my favorite flavors mixed together into a healthy and quick dish? It became a side to dinner that night, and lunch for several days after. The recipe originally comes from Martha Stewart Living, which is surprising since her recipes are usually way more involved than this one is.

The other reason for loving this recipe? It’s totally clean eating. Totally free of processed ingredients and full of nothing but good stuff. And it definitely speaks to some of the five principles of Oxfam’s GROW campaign … two of which include “buying food that is in season, to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions” and “eating less meat and dairy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water use.” Where our food comes from, and the types of food that we choose to eat is something that I talk about regularly with the kids. Although when I hear them launch into explanations about why their Mom won’t let them eat this thing or the other, it sounds like they’ve been brainwashed a bit, but quite the contrary. I try to do what I can to educate them about our food, how we get it, the best choices to make, and the whys behind it all. Sometimes, it turns out, they actually listen more than I think.

…

Pin It