Market Saute

Or emptying the vegetable bin to make room for more.

I have been going to a local farmer's market every Saturday for about a year and have embraced the locavore diet as much as my palate allows. There are some imported foods that I just don't want to do without.

Eating seasonally and locally (and organic) is a very enjoyable and easy way of taking care of myself and my family. I even buy my meat from the market. Although it costs substantially more money, we simply eat less. I love going to the market and seeing what is available for the week's meals. In the winter it was a fun challenge.

I still go to the grocery store but less often. After all, I need my rice and John his ketchup! (Oh, I could make my own ketchup...hmm. No.) :O)

This is a quick easy method for cooking up the contents of your vegetable bin. Something I do every Saturday after I bring home the next week's veggies.

Market Saute

Bacon or guanciale

1 clove garlic

Approx. 3-6 cups Veggies (This month it was mainly kale, bok choy, cauliflower, etc)

White pepper

Slice the bacon in to 1/8 in x 1-1/2 in pieces. Put in skillet on medium heat. Leave it undisturbed as the pan heats up and once one side begins to brown flip. Continue to cook to your taste. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Pour out most but not all the fat.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the garlic and chop the veggies in to bite sized pieces. Return the skillet to the heat and add the garlic cook to just soften, don't let it brown. Add the kale and stir fry for a minute then add the other veggies. Note: add veggies to the pan in order of cooking time. The ones that take the longest should go in first get cooked for a minute or two then the next added.

At this point, everything is sizzling along nicely. Add a couple tablespoons of water or broth and stir. Do this a couple of times until the veggies are cooked to your taste. Turn off the heat and add the bacon back in to the pan and stir to distribute. Season to taste.

Vegetarian Option:

Use olive oil and cook the garlic until just starting to turn golden then quickly add the veggies. Continue cooking as above. For an added protein you could use fried tofu. Reheating or recrisping in the oil then set aside until the veggies are cooked.

Note: Depending on the veggie combo you can add sliced ginger at the time of cooking the garlic or add herbs such as thyme or Vignalta salt at the end.