I'm learning that the more plant-based dishes I create, the more beautiful and interesting the color scheme. Taking lots of pictures for this blog has been a really fun experience. I've realized that lots of naturally bright greens, reds and yellows on my plate is a good sign of nutrient-dense food. Friday night cooking was no exception.
I decided to whip up another Nutritarian recipe from ETL. I made the bean enchiladas (ingredients at left) because I'm still riding high on a mexican food kick due, in part, to Cinco de Mayo. Being from California I almost consider Cinco de Mayo to be like a special state holiday. My father grew up in predominantly Mexican-American neighborhood of San Diego where he learned to speak spanish from friends and my grandmother learned to cook authentic mexican dishes. I celebrate it most years by eating and drinking some of my favorites like guacamole, spanish rice, black beans, pico de gallo, tamales and margaritas. This year I just had a bean taco salad from the cafeteria but it turned out pretty good. Oh sorry I just got excited thinking about mexican food, back to Friday: I made these awesome enchiladas with fresh red peppers, frozen corn, no salt organic tomato sauce, onion, fresh cilantro, spices, pinto beans and black beans. I wrapped them ingredients in whole wheat low fat tortillas from Trader Joes and topped the enchiladas off with a bit of avocado. It was mmm mmm good. (And even better the next day once the flavors came to life!)
Saturday - Farmers' Market
As promised, I finally made it to one of the local farmers' markets in Northern Virginia and I think I chose the perfect day. It was about 70 degrees, sun shining and not a cloud in sight. I had a yummy green smoothie when I first woke up so I felt energized and happy to be outside. The Arlington Farmers' Market had a pretty solid selection of fresh produce, gardening plants (mainly the not-to-be eaten variety) plus meats, cheese and dairy from local farmers. Of course I didn't buy in of the latter stuff but if I was still into animal products then I'd buy them direct from farmers. I did however decided to grab the following: (1) a couple of fuji apples, (2) a head of red leaf lettuce and (3) some of those gorgeous strawberries. I usually eat green Granny Smith Apples during the week so the fuji apples are for a salad dressing recipe I planned to try this week. I discovered red leaf lettuce a couple of years ago and have become a huge fan of its light taste. Not nearly as bitter as other greens so they are good when you want to add some greenery to a fruit salad. I plan to try this for a more nutrient dense dessert. Lastly, I put the strawberries in my green smoothies this weekend and tossed some slices in with the mixed greens and that oh-so-fabulous balsamic vinegar that I can't stop talking about.
Saturday - Shopping
Right next to the farmers' market there was a flea market with antique furniture, clothes, crafts and an awesome jewelry maker with very reasonable prices. I must have spent at least thirty minutes trying on the most beautiful necklances. I ended up walking away with three necklaces that I think will be perfect for summer. My favorite is to the right. I will absolutely be back to this place next time I'm in the mood for jewelry. (Note: another one of my favorite jewelry stores is Covet Boutique in San Francisco.)I've had a fun couple of days of exploring. Hope your weekend was just as great!
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