Food! Food! Food!

Well, I finally did it! I finally went to the farmer's market! It all started - as it so often does - with a recipe...

Okra-and-Corn Maque Choux (Beware, there is no picture of the dish online. The picture in the magazine, however, makes the dish look really good!)

Our local farmer's market is only open on Tuesdays and Saturdays, so I stopped by before work on Saturday. I had very little time to waste and the luxury of browsing will be saved for another day. In a matter of minutes, I located a tent with all the veggies I needed, loaded up a bunch of bags, and paid only $6 for all the delicious fare! I only wish I'd been able to visit and browse.

I still went to Kroger after work to pick up some other things I needed. I bought rice to serve with the Maque Choux, and veggie sausage to substitute in the recipe. I'll let you know how that goes later. I'm planning on making the dish tomorrow or Tuesday... The weekend has been too busy to bother much with cooking.

So far my experiences with veggie versions of meat products have been negative ones. With the exception of Morningstar Spicy Black Bean veggie burgers, I have yet to find a "fake meat" that tastes good. Speaking of Morningstar Spicy Black Bean veggie burgers, I had one yesterday on Ezekiel bread with tomato, avacado, and cheese (and a side of fries). It was the best sandwich I've made at home in months! I toasted the bread first, and it was yummy! And crunchy! And divine! By the way, a friend of mine has a soft spot for hot dogs and texted me after making a trip to her favorite hot dog place in Nashville... She said that they have veggie dogs that are rumored to be very good! I can't wait to try them! The shop is called Hot Diggity Dogs. If you get there and have a veggie dog before me, tell me how it goes!

In other exciting news, it looks like Southern Living has caught on to the cupcake craze! Check it out here. The thing about cupcakes is this... Single serving. Fun size. Each one looks like a whole piece by itself, not like some small part of a larger whole. How can you help but love them? I made peanut butter cupcakes yesterday night. They are moist and crumbly with melted chocolate chips on top. I really like the texture of the recipe and will probably make these again. They're vegan, of course.


New food finds that I'd recommend:

Amy's Kitchen soups and chili. Many are vegan and make for quick, easy meals. Organic section of grocery.
Raphael's Coffee. Coconut coffee with real coconut flakes! I've had it every morning for almost a week and it is fantastic! I'd love to try other flavors and this coffee is a delicious way to treat yourself and support locals.
Ezekiel bread products. Found in the organic section in the freezer, it's a bit rough and rustic at first, but addicting in a good way. Benefits of sprouted grains are explained at their website. P.S. Christian company!
Publix. I will always love Kroger, but Mom and I made a stop at Publix last week and the most amazing thing happened... All of the organic food is........... *drumroll here*.......... mixed into the aisles with the regular food!!! For example, on the baking aisle, there is a section of shelf labeled "Greenwise" with organic versions of all your baking ingredients! Imagine a world where you don't have to split your grocery run into two parts - organic section and regular. Pretty sure Publix is where God does His grocery shopping... Just sayin'.