Farmer's Market Treasures

My sister and I, who presently live out in the country, were driving past an adorable dairy today when we stumbled upon a farmer's market, finally open for spring. Deciding to stop made our day, as we found extremely inexpensive, fresh, delicious produce. Here's some of our recipes:

Fried Green Tomatoes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3 green tomatoes, 1/3" slices
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup canola oil

Heat canola oil in skillet on medium/medium-high. Slice tomatoes, dipping in beaten egg. Mix flour, salt and pepper in bowl, coat tomatoes with this mix. Once oil is hot, place tomatoes in oil and fry each side about 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. Place on plate with paper towels to sop up the extra oil and serve immediately.

Asian Zucchini

• 3-4 medium zucchini, sliced in half and then quartered
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Heat olive oil in wok or skillet; add zucchini after about one minute and brown. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes, then add soy sauce (you can add more or less to your liking). Cook for another 3 minutes, then sprinkle pepper on top (again to your liking) and serve.

Roasted Asparagus

• 1-1 1/2 lbs of asparagus (1 bunch)
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread asparagus out on baking sheet; sprinkle oil over and shake slightly to coat. Lighly sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, then shake over salt and pepper. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly soft, keep warm until serving.

Cucumber-Tomato Salad

• 1 fresh cucumber, peeled
• 1 medium or large red tomato
• 1/4 cup ranch dressing
• 1 cup cooked bowtie pasta

Cook pasta according to package directions; cube the cucumber and tomato, and chill the pasta after cooking in ice water. Drain, add all ingredients together, mixing thoroughly and chill for 1 hour before serving.

So I hope these recipes got you in the mood for checking out fresh produce where you live... because they're yummy! Happy Spring!