Farmers’ Market Update: Healthy Winter Produce (and Recipes)
The Dupont Farmers Market is open during the winter. (Stephanie Willis)
From Stephanie Willis. Email her at [email protected], follow her on Twitter @shaw_girl.
After months of holiday treats, office party indulgences and family dinner gluttony, I think we are all a little wary of stepping on the scale. The holiday season can leave us feeling sluggish and a bit snug in our clothing, which invariably leads to January resolutions to exercise and eat right. There are several options for working out in the Borderstan area, but what about making better eating choices? It’s easier than you think and the first place to start is at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market.
Winter Recipes
The market is open all winter and there are an abundance of healthy fruits and vegetables for you to choose from. Eating better doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taste either. You can make better food choices and still indulge your foodie palate. Here are some great recipes to help get your (healthy) culinary juices flowing.
- This roasted winter squash salad makes great use of the different varieties of winter squash available at the market. Pick a winter squash you don’t normally use to flex your culinary muscle.
- Kale, in my humble opinion, doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. It’s very high in beta carotene and vitamin c, as well as an excellent source of calcium. You’ll find an abundance of kale at the market this winter, so try out this recipe for tuscan kale and chickpea pasta or this one for Portuguese kale soup
- A simple, earthy carrot soup is perfect for cold winter nights and easy to make. Carrots are rich in antioxidants, vitamin a and a fantastic source of fiber. Fresh carrots from the market will shine in this spicy carrot soup.
- Another great cold weather recipe that utilizes produce straight from the farmers market is this carrot and winter squash soup. For vegetarians, the pancetta croutons can be omitted without sacrificing any flavor.
- Pick up a bunch of fresh spinach from the market, ricotta from Keswick Creamery and mozzarella from Blue Ridge Dairy to make these spinach lasagna rolls. Although the recipe calls for fat free ricotta and part skim mozzarella, I have made it using fresh ricotta and mozzarella from the market and it’s still a healthy, lower calorie alternative to traditional lasagna.
- Finally, this mushroom barley soup is the quintessential detox from all the holiday merriment we’ve indulged in. Pick up some fresh mushrooms from the Mushroom Stand to make it really shine.
The best way to stick to a healthy eating resolution is to plan out your meals. So take some of the recipes above, hit up the market on Sunday and get your new year started off right. And don’t forget, the Dupont Circle Farmers Market opens at 10 am during the winter season.
