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plant-based

Healthy comfort foods to make your New Year’s resolutions last all year

January 14, 2021 By marketeditor

By Emily Meagher

Michaela at Gomez Veggie Ville, photo by Madison Jackson

Many of us start a new year with a fresh set of resolutions, new habits to live by for a healthier, happier self. But a few weeks in, the cold, dark winter can make it hard to keep up our motivation. If you can’t get your healthy food resolutions to stick, change the way you approach them. Instead of cutting out foods you love and feeling guilty when you inevitably “cheat,” upgrade your favorite comfort meals with real, fresh ingredients to treat both your body and soul. Here are a few tips on what to look for at the farmers’ market.

Back to the roots
In the winter months, farmers bring loads of root vegetables to the market. Himanee Gupta-Carlson from Squashville Farm takes this opportunity to get the comfort of a chicken pot pie in a healthier jacket. Make a roux with a good quality bone broth. Potatoes and turnips help thicken the sauce to reduce additional ingredients needed, and carrots add flavor and color.

Beef shank with polenta and vegetables, photo by Emily Meagher

Slow-cooked for the soul
Good quality, fresh meats don’t need many additives to taste great. Lay off on the salt and extra fats and enjoy a cut from the market in its full glory. Longlesson Farm’s Christophe Robert suggests trying beef shanks. It is a leaner (and cheaper) meat, cooked low and slow in a crockpot (bonus: your kitchen will smell amazing!). Simmer with non-starchy vegetables like carrots or turnips. Serve with a quick polenta made from Squashville Farm’s dried heirloom Abenaki corn. Then use the shank’s marrow bone to create a nutrient-filled bone broth, and blend it up with the stewed veggies for a hearty soup. Add in a statement ingredient towards the end of cooking, like beet or tomato, to add color.

Plant-based or gluten-free?
If you are trying a no- or low-meat lifestyle, mushrooms can provide a fantastic, bold alternative. Jeff Killenberger from 518 Farms suggests using brain-boosting lions’ mane to make “crab” cakes. Or go for sweet by combining lions’ mane, cinnamon, and sugar for a vegan and gluten-free “apple crisp.” Butternut squash can also lift a dish by adding nutrients, color, and creaminess. Try a vegan mac & “cheese” by replacing the dairy with butternut squash. Up the health factor by using whole-wheat pasta, or go gluten-free by swapping spätzle from The Vermont Spätzle Company.

 

This week’s recipe: Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: beef shanks, chicken pot pie, comfort foods, gluten-free, healthy resolutions, New Year's resolutions, plant-based, root vegetables, winter

Packing the Perfect Plant-Based Picnic

July 22, 2019 By marketeditor

By Barb Biagioli

Summer is finally here in Saratoga! Those sunny Saturday mornings can now be pleasantly spent perusing the abundance of vendors at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market.

Photo by Pattie Garrett

The summer season yields such a beautiful harvest of fresh fruits and vegetables – ones that are perfect for your next picnic in the park. On your next trip to the market, look out for those summer staples that you can use for packing a plant-based picnic, like radishes, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, yellow squash, pickles and sauerkraut, carrots, and all of your greens – spinach, kale, arugula, and lettuces galore. You can use these plant foods in a variety of picnic-perfect snacks, like:

  • Homemade hummus with sliced carrots, cucumber, radishes, and zucchini
  • Homemade green pesto with sliced carrots, cucumber, radishes, and zucchini
  • Homemade pickled radishes with fresh herbs
  • Pesto and veggie wraps or hummus and veggie wraps
  • Zucchini noodle pasta with cherry tomatoes and pesto
  • Garden picnic pasta salad (see recipe below)
Photo by Pattie Garrett

It’s time to dust off that picnic basket, soak up the sunshine and get outside before the sun sets on summer. My favorite summer memories are filled with days spent lounging by the pool, making forts in the woods, traipsing through the cornfield, homemade lunches on my parent’s back porch and picnics at the lake. Picnics, that likely included some variation of a summer pasta salad.

Inspired by fresh finds from the farmer’s market, my Garden Picnic Pasta Salad includes a healthy helping of dark leafy greens, summer vegetables, and a tangy sun-dried tomato dressing. It contains 25g of plant protein per serving and is a hit among the kids. It’s fresh, seasonal and delicious. Beyond your next picnic, this pasta may accompany you to a friend’s BBQ, boat day on the lake, the beach, camping or a regular ole summer shindig.

Barb Biagioli is a board-certified holistic health coach and nutrition consultant, mother of two, and an avid farmer’s market shopper. She works with women and families to improve their health by implementing sustainable diet and lifestyle changes. Barb offers one-one-one coaching programs, workshops and classes, grocery tours, pantry rehab, and menu and restaurant consultation.

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: picnic, plant-based, Summer, vegan

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Our first outdoor market’s tomorrow!!! Stop by H Our first outdoor market’s tomorrow!!! Stop by High Rock Park from 3-6pm to join us for the the start of our 45th season! 

Swipe right to see our 2023 list of Wednesday vendors. 🌾👩‍🌾

Find us every Wednesday and Saturday in High Rock Park, now through October. Hope you can make it!

#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogasprings #thingstodoinupstateny #agriculture #518makers #shoplocal #farmtotable
It's almost time for our beloved Saratoga Farmers' It's almost time for our beloved Saratoga Farmers' Market to move outdoors to High Rock Park! But before we do, join us one last time indoors at the Wilton Mall tomorrow from 9:30-1:30!

Support us by making a purchase at our first ever Tag Sale! Located by the information stand- all proceeds go the the Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association.

We move back to High Rock Park this Wednesday, May 3rd from 3-6 pm. See you there! 🍅🌽🍓 

#SaratogaFarmersMarket #ShopLocal #SupportLocalFarms #SeasonalRhythms #HighRockPark #WiltonMall #DowntownSaratoga
Only one market left until we move outside! Hope y Only one market left until we move outside! Hope you can make it for the last of our winter markets. Stop by this Saturday in the Wilton Mall food court from 9:30-1:30 and say hi to all your favorite winter vendors!

Our first outdoor market is this Wednesday May 3rd, from 3pm-6pm. Join us in High Rock Park for the start of our Summer season!
Happy Earth Day!! Stop by our market today from 9: Happy Earth Day!! Stop by our market today from 9:30-1:30! It’s our second to last market inside at the Wilton mall before our big move May 3rd to High Rock Park.

#earthday #agriculture #farmersmarket #saratogasprings #saratogafarmersmarket #thingstodoinupstateny

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