Preparing Food

   After we arrived home from the farmers market we got right to work. The first thing we worked on was the quinoa salad. With freshly sharpened knives in hand we took to chopping the onions and garlic. Once those were in the pan we picked out spices. I gathered thyme and basil from the yard and after splitting up the leaves, added them in. The mixture was beginning to smell good. Next we added in the parsley. While elysa zested lemons, I squeezed others and we topped of the flavoring with the lemons together. Finally came the made ingredient: we added 2 cups of water and 1 cup of quinoa. Once it was brought to a boil the dish was ready.

 

      Next we worked on the kale chips. We de-stemmed each leaf and then we washed and spun them all together. After giving them a light oil coat, we removed and dried them. Then we spread them out on 3 pans. They went in the oven for a bit and when we took them out they smelled great. After a pinch of salt they were ready to go so we loaded them into Tupperware and packed them away.


















     Finally, we addressed the melon and now strawberry salad. We chopped up the melons into cubes and loaded them into the bowl. Next we mixed up the vinaigrette and added the signature: mint leaves. Once the dressing was added we crumbled fresh feta over the top. I looked and tasted delicious. We cut up some of the strawberries and packaged everything up. Not before thoroughly tasting all of the ingredients though.

Trip to the Farmers Market

     Today, Jonathan and Elysa went to the farmers market in Campbell. We spent a long time looking at everything and finding our ingredients. First, we picked up mint and garlic. After walking a little more, we picked up onions, kale, and parsley for five dollars. We found some feta cheese that was made from sheep. We were skeptical at first, but we tried it and found that it was really good. We picked some up as well for $7.50. We surprised to find watermelon, since it isn't quite in season yet. It was organic, and we tried it - delicious - so we picked up two small watermelons. We also grabbed a thing of fresh strawberries so we would have an alternative to the watermelon. Afterwards, we had everything we needed, so we walked around and shopped for other things like pastries and fruits like peaches. We also grabbed lunch. Everything we bought was organic and local. It was really cool to meet all the people that made or grew the things we were buying. I think we will try to go to the farmers market more often - it was a great experience.

Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

• Spinach
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Olives
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Feta Cheese

Dressing:

• Olive oil
• Lemon Juice
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic

Directions:

1. Wash and dry spinach leaves and put in bowl
2. Wash and cut up carrots, cucumber, and celery and add to bowl
3. Wash and add in tomatoes
4. Add in olives
5. Sprinkle in some feta cheese
6. Add in any other ingredients you want
7. In a small bowl, pour in 2-3 tbsp of olive oil
8. Add around 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice
9. Add salt pepper, and garlic to taste
10. Mix together dressing and pour on salad
11. Mix dressing thoroughly and enjoy

Red Fruit Smoothie

So you want healthy but you don't want all vegetables. This smoothie is the way to go - raspberries, strawberries, and watermelon are naturally sweet and delicious, but still fresh and local.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup cubed watermelon

Directions:

1. Take your fruits and freeze them overnight
2. Pour your almond milk into a blender
3. Add in the yogurt
4. Add in the frozen strawberries, raspberries, and watermelon
5. Blend until you get the thickness you want
6. If too thin, add a little more strawberry

Chicken Pieces with Lemon

Ingredients:

• Chicken pieces
• Onions
• Lemon Juice and Zest
• Oregano
• Garlic
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Dice some onions
2. Saute diced onions in olive oil
3. Remove from pan when cooked
4. Add more oil if necessary, cook chicken pieces in oil on medium heat
5. Add seasonings
6. Put onion back in when chicken is almost cooked
7. Serve and enjoy

Kale Chips

This recipe is super easy but totally delicious. This crunchy alternative to potato chips is surprisingly satisfying. You can make a huge batch and then store it for future snacking. Our ingredients are fresh, local, and the kale is very healthy.

Ingredients:

• Kale 
• Olive Oil
• Garlic Salt

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees
2. Wash your kale leaves
3. Take the kale leaves off the stalk
4. Put kale leaves in a bowl
5. Pour in enough olive oil to lightly coat the leaves
6. Put wax paper on a baking sheet
7. Spread out kale leaves on sheet
8. Sprinkle on garlic salt or other topping - be careful not to over-salt
9. Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes depending on how crunchy you want them
10. Enjoy and share

Melon and Feta Salad

This recipe makes a fun watermelon or strawberry salad with the added salty taste of feta cheese. Its healthy, local, super easy to make, and - most importantly - delicious. It can serve any amount you want depending on how much melon you use. Other ingredients can easily be changed to fit anyone's personal preferences.

Ingredients:

• Watermelon / Strawberries
• Feta Cheese (handful or so)
• Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
• Balsamic Vinegar (2-3 tbsp)
• Mint (handful; chopped)

Directions:

1. Pour the balsamic vinegar into a small bowl
2. Slowly mix in the olive oil
3. Add a handful of mint
4. On a cutting board, cut up your watermelon into cubes
5. In a large bowl, put however much watermelon you want.
6. Sprinkle a handful or so of feta cheese on top
7. Pour your dressing (currently in the small bowl) into the big bowl with watermelon and cheese
8. Lightly mix together - not every piece of melon needs to be coated in dressing
9. Put in bowls and enjoy