recipe

Mercado Kitchen: Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad

Posted on by Jeremy in Blog, Blue House Farm, Happy Boy Farms, Mercado Kitchen, Moua's Farm, Recipes, Shoup Farms, Tomatero Farm | Leave a comment

This super easy and quick recipe can be summed up in one word: summer. As you have probably already guessed from the title, the main cast in this colorful salad are tomatoes, corn, and avocado.

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Tomatoes are at their peak season which means each bite is packed with a wonderfully delicious harmony of flavors from sweet to tangy. You could use frozen corn in this recipe, but why not take advantage of the fresh corn available at markets right now. Plus, they are quicker to prepare than you’d think (see below). Then there’s the creamy, melt-in-your-mouth avocado which adds an extra layer of deliciousness to this crowd pleasing dish. And finally, it’s all tossed in a lime and cilantro dressing for a bright and summer infused dish. Need I say more?

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You can pick up all the main ingredients from some of your favorite vendors at Mission Mercado and you likely already have the rest in your kitchen.

It’s a fail-proof recipe that’s a perfect addition to a picnic in the park, a potluck with friends or a quick weeknight dinner. Pair it with a fresh baguette or some grilled chicken and you got yourself a delicious and healthy treat.

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Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 ears of fresh corn (or 2 cups frozen corn)
  • 1 avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup finely diced red onion

Dressing

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  1. Clean corn and place into a pot with enough water to cover. Once the water starts boiling, turn the heat down to medium and cook for 10 minutes. When done cooking, I also like to stick them in the oven and broil them for about 5 minutes, turning them every now and again to develop an even toasted color. Once they’re cooled, cut the kernels off the cob.
  2. Combine the corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion in a large bowl. Mix together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad. Gently toss to mix and, if you can wait, chill for an hour to let the flavors blend.
  3. Enjoy all the compliments!

 

Mercado Kitchen: Strawberry Frozen Yogurt with Jam Swirl

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Blog, Grandma's Homemade, Mercado Kitchen, Recipes, Yerena Farms | Leave a comment

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Spring is here and strawberries are available at the market! What better way to enjoy the warm weather than with refreshing strawberry frozen yogurt made with strawberries from Yerena Farms and amped up with a swirl of jam from Grandma’s Homemade?!

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Making this strawberry frozen yogurt with a jam swirl is super simple – puree yogurt with sweetened strawberries and spin into frozen yogurt, then layer with a jam of your choice, such as albion strawberry or raspberry. While it’s easiest to use a home frozen yogurt and ice cream maker (for example, the Cuisinart ICE-21 works great and is under $50), this recipe also includes basic instructions without using a machine.

Pick up some strawberries and jam at the market this week and give making homespun frozen yogurt a try!

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Strawberry Frozen Yogurt with Jam Swirl

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Leibovitz; instructions without machine from I Scream Sandwich! by Jennie Schacht

Makes about 1 quart

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh strawberries (from Yerena Farms)
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vodka or kirsch (optional)
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Jam of choice (we absolutely love albion strawberry or raspberry from Grandma’s Homemade)

Instructions:

Rinse and hull strawberries and slice into small pieces. Stir with sugar and vodka or kirsch (if using) until sugar dissolves. Cover and let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Puree the strawberries and their liquid with yogurt and lemon juice in a blender or food processor until smooth. Optional: press the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds.

Refrigerate for 1 hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions (see below for alternative instructions without a machine). When ready, spoon a generous amount of jam into the bottom of a container and top with a layer of frozen yogurt. Repeat, alternating generous spoonfuls of jam with the rest of the frozen yogurt. The frozen yogurt will be fairly soft when first out of the machine. If you prefer, keep in the freezer until the frozen yogurt firms to your desired texture.

If not using an ice cream maker, chill the yogurt-strawberry puree in a heavy-duty zipper-top bag with a reliable seal in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Nestle the sealed bag inside a larger zipper-top bag filled with ice and rock salt. Tightly seal the outer bag, then shake, toss, or roll the two together until the frozen yogurt freezes to a soft-serve consistency. At this point, move to a container and layer with jam as described above. Freeze until firm if desired.

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Mercado Kitchen: Caramelized Carrot Soup with Carrot Top Pesto

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Blog, Blue House Farm, Mercado Kitchen, Recipes | Leave a comment

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Delicious carrots are in season at the market! Celebrate the tasty root vegetable by making this sweet, creamy carrot soup. And don’t throw away the green, leafy carrot tops – you can use those to make fresh pesto that tastes great drizzled over the carrot soup. Pick up a bunch of carrots from Blue House Farm this week at the market and try it out!

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Carrot flavor really shines in this soup made with both carrots and carrot juice. The carrots are cooked in a pressure cooker, resulting in richly browned and caramelized carrots thanks to the addition of baking soda that triggers browning reactions. Plus carrots are at their sweetest in the winter when the cold encourages conversion of starches to sugars, making it an ideal time to enjoy this soup.

Full recipes are after the jump!

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Mercado Kitchen: Eggs Benedict with Oyster Mushrooms

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Arizmendi Bakery, Far West Fungi, Great Valley Poultry, Mercado Kitchen, Recipes, Twin Girls Farm | Leave a comment

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This week’s recipe combines three different recipes to create one delicious breakfast treat, perfect for any Sunday morning. Seize the opportunity to learn how to create your own home-made buttermilk biscuits, a delightfully easy mushroom hollandaise sauce, and poached eggs. Stop by the market this week to pick up some fresh oyster mushrooms from Far West Fungi, a lemon or two from Twin Girls Farm, and some delicious cage-free organic eggs from Great Valley Poultry to delve into morning creativity! Recipe to follow after the jump!
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Mercado Kitchen: Palmero Date Smoothie

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Mercado Kitchen, Palmero Date Shop, Recipes, Vendors, Winters Tree Fruit | 3 Comments

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Have a sweet tooth but want to fulfill the craving with something healthy, kosher, and organic? Stop by the Palmero Date Shop stall this Thursday to pick up some tasty and succulent dates! Ronald will guide you through his wide variety of dates for any sweet or savory craving. His Jumbo Medjool dates are the best for snacking, as they embody the true unique flavor of perfectly ripe Medjool dates from Bard Valley California. Also highly recommended are his unique, dainty, and incredibly sweet Khadrawy dates that melt in the mouth — a delectable treat! This week Palmero Date Shop will be introducing new Varietal Date Paste balls that are great for making Vegan Date Shakes, as featured in the recipe below.

Palmero Date Shop is no ordinary date vendor. They provide traceability for all of their five varieties of dates produced on a small farm in Bard, California; 100% Organic, Kosher. They follow strict food safety procedures to ensure that their smooth pillows of natural sugar are dispersed responsibly and ethically to a wide range of communities in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. Not only do Palmero Dates track and document every batch of their mouthwatering dates, they work hard to educate the public about the unique date growing region in Bard, California.  One of their goals is to create a larger demand for varietal dates so growers will be encouraged to plant new date palm cultivars and ultimately expand the selection of dates for farmers market consumers in the future.

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For this weeks recipe, Ronald recommends their new Varietal Date Paste pack for a healthy, sweet, protein-packed Palmero Date Shake. To add to this tasty smoothie, stop by the Winters Fruit Tree stall to pick up some Raw Nonpareil Almonds! Check out the full recipe after the jump!
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