Market Meal Plan: Week 8

This week’s meal plan is brought to you by the colors pink & green! We’re gonna be playing around with marinating to see how flavors change over time. What happens when you combine strawberries with savory ingredients? How does tofu change when marinated in acids? Is that just beet juice or did you attack someone with a box grater??

This week we’re also going sooo simple. It’s graduation week, so many events, mother’s day and I’m moving so nobody has time for elaborate dishes. Recipes all use few and simple ingredients and aside from time spent marinating, none take more than 30 minutes!

Megan and Amanda Brock of M-Squared will be hosting the cooking demo at the market this weekend! Come learn how to make a tasty Strawberry Gazpacho for Strawberry day at the Market.


Market Shopping List

2.5 quarts of strawberries
2 cups Basil
4 to 6 beets with greens
4 scallions
2 bunch radishes with greens
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1.5 pounds collards
1 bunches beets with greens

Pantry Needs

4 cucumbers
2 red bell pepper
2 shallots
1 lime
1 avocado
2 large yellow onion
6 cloves garlic
4 medium sized potatoes
1 lemon
1/2 Cup diced tomato

1 1/2 Cups toasted almond
2 cup chickpeas dried or canned
⅓ cup peanuts
1 can white beans
6 tablespoons of tomato juice
5 cups vegetable broth

vegan butter
1.5 lb blocks of tofu
non-dairy milk

and pepper

Oils and Vinegars
red wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
tabasco sauce
chili sauce
cider vinegar

Potential toppings & additions
Chopped parsley, seaweed, gomasio, creme fraiche, brown rice, lettuce greens


Strawberry Gazpacho

Serves 4 | 20 minutes plus marinating
Guest Chef: Megan Brock

6 cups of strawberries (hulled and quartered)
2 1/4 Cups of English Cucumbers (peeled, seeded, and diced)
1 1/4 Cups of diced red bell pepper
1 1/2 Cups of lightly toasted almond
1/2 Cup Basil
2 shallots
6 tablespoons of tomato juice
3 tbs. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dash of tabasco sauce

Gazpacho Garnish Ingredients
1/3 Cup basil
1 Quart of strawberries (hulled and diced)
1/2 Cup diced tomato
1 Cup cucumbers
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp olive oil.

  1. Mix shallots, strawberries, bell pepper, and cucumbers in the vinegar, tabasco, salt, and 2 tbs of olive oil. Cover and marinate for 6 hours.

  2. (After having been marinated) Pour this mixture into the blender. Add tomato juice and almonds. Blend on high while slowly adding the remaining olive oil. Right before you finish adding the remaining olive oil, add the fresh basil. Season to taste. Chill your finished product.

  3. For Garnish: Combine the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste. Serve gazpacho and garnish.



Beet and Chickpea Salad

Serves 4 | 20 minutes | Vegan, GF
Source: Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown 2014

This dish is  flavorful and nutritious and only comes in at about $2/serving! Serve this over brown rice or salad greens for a full meal.

4 to 6 beets, peeled and grated
2 cup chickpeas, cooked or canned
⅓ cup peanuts
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp chili sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
and pepper

  1. Peel the raw beets, removing stems, then shred them with a box grater. Place Beets in a bowl with chickpeas and nuts.

  2. Mix remaining dressing ingredients in another small bowl and stir to combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

  3. Add dressing and let sit for at least 5 minutes so flavors can mingle


Tofu Ceviche

Serves 4 | 20 minutes plus pickling | Vegan, GF
Source: VB6 Mark Bittman 2014

This is a great one bowl, no cooking dish that can be started well in advance. Serve this over greens, brown rice, grains, wrap in lettuce leaves, toss with whole wheat angel hair pasta or just by itself

1.5 blocks of tofu
½ cup cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 scallions, sliced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 bunch radishes, sliced or chopped
1 cucumber, sliced
1 avocado, cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp pepper
½ cup fresh cilantro

  1. Cut tofu into small cubes. Put the vinegar, sugar, salt, and 1 cup of water in a large bowl. Whisk to combine, then add scallions, garlic, and tofu. Toss gently to coat the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 days.

  2. Drain tofu mixture, reserving the pickling liquid. Put the tofu mixture in a large bowl and add the radishes, cucumbers, and avocados.

  3. Toss with 2 tbsp of reserved liquid and olive oil and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more liquid if you like. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.



Radish Top Soup

Serves 4 | 40 minutes | Vegan, GF

This is a really tasty, colorful soup! The radish tops hold a wealth of nutrients and I’m an advocate for using all the parts of the vegetable and minimizing food waste.

1 tbsp vegan butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups vegetable broth
6 packed cups radish tops, roughly chopped
4 tbsp non-dairy milk
1 lemon juiced
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Potential toppings:
Chopped parsley, cracked mixed pepper, seaweed, gomasio, sliced radishes, creme fraiche

  1. Heat large saucepan over medium-high heat. Melt butter then add onion. Saute until they start to get translucent but not brown.

  2. Add garlic, potatoes, salt and let everything cook together for about 5 minutes.

  3. Add vegetable broth and bring to a low simmer until potatoes are tender when poked with a fork about 20 minutes.

  4. Add milk, radish tops, lemons, pepper and more salt to taste. Cook until radish tops are wilted.

  5. Blend everything using an immersion blender OR let cool a little bit and blend in batches using a blender or food processor.

  6. Serve and sprinkle with toppings of your choice and good French loaf


Greens with Beans

Serves  4 | 30 minutes | Vegan, GF

We again will use the often neglected greens. Beet greens sautee really well with the collards and add some flavor complexity and so many vitamins and nutrients.

1.5 pounds collards
1 bunches beet greens
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced (medium sized)
2 cloves minced garlic
1⁄2 cup broth
1 can white beans (rinsed and drained)
2 tablespoons vinegar

  1. Trim all stems from collards. Wash collard and beet greens. Bunch washed leaves together, roll tightly and cut crosswise into thin strips.

  2. Heat oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring until lightly brown.

  3. Add garlic and broth to skillet. Bring to boil then add green strips by handfuls, stirring continuously. As greens reduce in size, continue adding greens until they all fit into the skillet. Cook until greens are soft but still maintain their bright green color.

  4. Stir in beans. Heat through. Add vinegar to taste. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Landon Bubb