Recipes - The Produce Lady | N.C. MarketReady

for agents and growers

The Produce Lady

The Produce Lady, Brenda Sutton, teaches farmers and consumers the wonders of locally grown fruits and vegetables. Not only does she share their nutritional value, she also demonstrates how to prepare them as tasty meals and snacks or preserve them to use throughout the year.

Broccoli Recipes

Broccoli Frittata

1 cup chopped, fresh broccoli florets (you may mix other seasonal veggies like asparagus, sugar snap peas, spinach or peppers)
½ cup chopped cooked chicken or salmon (optional)
¼ cup chopped tomatoes
¼ cup chopped onions
¼ tsp. dried tarragon
1 tbsp. reduced-fat margarine or butter spray
4 farm-fresh eggs, lightly beaten
Fresh goat cheese also known as chevre (optional)

Sauté broccoli, chicken, tomato, onion and tarragon in margarine in a medium saucepan or electric frying pan over medium heat until broccoli is tender-crisp. Pour eggs evenly over all ingredients. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until firm on bottom and almost set on top. Cut into wedges to serve. Serves 4.

Eggplant Recipes

Try cooking eggplant in combination with other delicious ingredients, and don’t hesitate to include other fresh, local vegetables that you have on hand. Here are two easy-to-make eggplant recipes to enjoy in your kitchen.

Stuffed Eggplant with Tomatoes

1 medium eggplant
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes (or 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup soft bread crumbs

Wash eggplant and cut in half. Scoop out pulp to about 1/2 inch of the skin. Dice pulp. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes; add eggplant pulp, tomatoes, bread crumbs, and salt.

Mix well; fill eggplant shells. Bake at 375° until browned, about 30 minutes.

Serves 4.

Eggplant-Mushroom Sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion - chopped
3 cloves garlic - minced
28 ounces canned tomatoes – undrained (or fresh tomatoes!)
1/4 cup dry red or white wine or vermouth
1 1/2 pounds eggplant, unpeeled - cut into 3/4" cubes
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 teaspoons fresh basil - finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh oregano - finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper - to taste

Heat oil in a wide-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute about 2 minutes.
Break tomatoes into bits. Add to pan with their juice, wine, eggplant, mushrooms, herbs, and sugar.
Cover pan and simmer 5 minutes. Remove cover and cook over medium heat until sauce reduces and thickens, 10 to 15 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve over pasta, make sloppy joes, or just eat by the bowlful!

Make 5 to 6 cups (5 to 6 servings).

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Green Bean Recipes

Louisiana Green Beans

1 lb. fresh green beans
2 cups tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook beans until tender, then add remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serves 8.

Dilled Green Beans and New Potatoes

1/2 lb. small new potatoes, quartered
1/2 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed, broken into 2" pieces
1/4 cup nonfat sour cream
2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill weed
1/8 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced

In medium saucepan, bring about 2 cups water to a boil. Add potatoes and green beans; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 9 to 11 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all remaining ingredients; blend well. Drain vegetables; rinse with cold water to cool slightly. Place in serving bowl. Add sour cream mixture, toss to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time.

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Melon Recipes

Cantaloupe Smoothie

Try this refreshing smoothie for a new twist on cantaloupes.

1/2 ripe cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 cup skim milk
1 cup vanilla fat-free yogurt
1 cup crushed ice
2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Makes about 4 cups.

Crunchy Melon and Smoked Turkey Salad

This salad is filled with wonderful flavors and textures. It is excellent on any bread for simple sandwiches or served as a salad on lettuce leaves. Smoked ham or chicken can be used in place of the turkey if desired.

2 cups cubed honeydew
2 cups cubed smoked turkey
Juice and zest of one lime
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped toasted almonds

Mix together all of the ingredients except for the almonds in a medium bowl. Serve immediately or chill up to four hours before serving. Add the almonds just before serving.

Okra Recipes

The most popular way locally to eat okra seems to be breaded and fried, which adds tons of fat and calories to an otherwise healthy food. Another way to prepare okra is roasting. It is quick and easy - and it’s not gooey!

Roasted Okra

Preheat oven to 375.
Wash and dry about 12 3-inch pods per serving. Do not cut off ends. Place on cookie sheet prepared with olive oil spray. Spray okra with olive oil, too.
Bake about 15-20 minutes, or until starting to brown. The okra gets crispier the longer you cook it—be careful to not burn though!
Try roasting okra on the grill as well.

Okra and Corn with Tomatoes

This recipe is a great way to use lots of fresh vegetables that are available fresh locally.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
½ tsp each red pepper, thyme, and basil
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
3 large fresh ripe, tomatoes, chopped
2 cups fresh corn
2 cups small okra pods, left whole or ¼ inch thick rounds
½ cup water or chicken broth
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

In large skillet heat olive oil and add onions and spices. Sauté until onions are limp. Add bell pepper and cook until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, okra, water, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn and cook 5 minutes longer. Serve hot.

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Squash Recipes

The following recipe gives you many options to try with your family for a different twist every night:

Stuffed Round Summer Squash

Cut the top off 4 small round squash and gently scoop out center flesh, keeping about ½- inch thick cups. Reserve this flesh to use later.

Mix in bowl:

½ cup chopped tomato (or salsa, or peppers, or onion, or combination)
½ cup chopped shiitake mushrooms (or other mushrooms, or beans)
½ cup partially cooked grain (like quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat pasta or bread crumbs)
¼ cup Italian herb goat cheese (or parmesan or ricotta cheese)
¼ cup chopped fresh basil (or other herbs of choice)

Stuff mixture into squash cups. Cover and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, or wrap the squash in foil and cook on grill.

Don't be afraid to add other ingredients of your choice, like browned ground meat or sausage. You can easily do the same thing with straight necked or cylindrical summer squash. If you have leftover stuffing, you might mix with chopped flesh that you removed from the squash originally, and put into a sprayed casserole dish to bake and serve the next night.

Summer Garden Vegetable Medley

Wash and thinly slice about 4 cups of any variety of green or yellow squash. Wash and chop 1 bell pepper, 6 green onions and 2 tomatoes (You also may add mushrooms, eggplant, cabbage or other vegetables you have on hand too.)

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet. Add peppers and onions. Cook 2 minutes. Add other vegetable and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Delicious served hot or cold.

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Strawberry Recipes

Fruit Blast Smoothie

½ cup nonfat milk
½ cup plain nonfat vanilla or plain yogurt
1 cup frozen unsweetened fruit such as blueberries, strawberries or peaches
1 teaspoon honey

Put all the ingredients into a blender.
Process until smooth
Serves 2 with one-cup serving each

Other Healthy Recipes

Find more healthy fruits and veggies recipes at these sites:

Centers for Disease Control
Color Me Healthy
Eat Smart, Move More
Fruits and Veggies More Matters

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The Produce Lady Blog

The Produce Lady is on the move, visiting farms and farmers markets around N.C. Read about her experiences and find no-nonsense tips for the kitchen on her biweekly blog.