In honor of National Farmers Market week, I chose to up my locally purchased produce game and try to make recipes using ingredients obtained exclusively at my local farmers market. I was able to find almost everything that I needed. I would say that these dishes were made using about 98.5% farmers market goods.

Farmers Market Potato Salad

Yields 6 Servings of about 1 cup each

I changed up a couple of things for this dish. I could not find fingerling potatoes at the farmers market, so I used a mix of red and white new potatoes. I also chose to use 1 tablespoon cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar. In addition, knowing that my mustard was rather spicy, I downgraded the Tabasco to 1/4 teaspoon. Lastly, I love roasted tomatoes, so I chose to toss the tomatoes on the pan for the last 5 minutes of the corn and potato roasting process. In regard to the roasting, I would advise preparing the pan with olive oil cooking spray, and also stirring at the halfway mark.

INGREDIENTS

1  cup  fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)

2  pounds  fingerling potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 1/2  tablespoons  olive oil, divided

2  tablespoons  chopped fresh tarragon

2  tablespoons  cider vinegar

2  tablespoons  whole-grain Dijon mustard

1/2  teaspoon  hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

3/4  teaspoon  salt

1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

3/4  cup  vertically sliced red onion

3/4  cup  diced zucchini

1  cup  cherry tomatoes, halved

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Preheat oven to 425°F.

Step Two: Place corn and potatoes on a jelly-roll pan. Drizzle vegetables with 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Place mixture in a large bowl. Combine tarragon and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle potato mixture with dressing; toss gently to coat.

Step Three: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and zucchini to pan; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini mixture and tomatoes to potato mixture; toss gently to combine.

Source: Cooking Light, June 2010. View the recipe on MyRecipes.com.

Spaghetti Squash with Pesto and Peas

Serves 6

This recipe was inspired by a Tumblr post made by Culinary Exploration of a recipe from SkinnyTaste.com. The recipe featured spaghetti squash with pesto and tomatoes. I had used spaghetti squash as a pasta replacement a few times with homemade marinara and really enjoyed it. Seeing the post reminded me that I used to make pesto all the time and loved it, so I dug around for my tattered, scribbled old pesto recipe, and voilà, a new and delicious dish was born!

INGREDIENTS

7 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

2/3 cup pine nuts, chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan, grated (+ 2 tablespoons)

2/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 medium spaghetti squash

1 1/2 cups high quality frozen organic peas, thawed (or fresh if they are in season)

Step One: Add ingredients through black pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined well and smooth in texture. Refrigerate at least one hour prior to using, preferably overnight.

Step Two: Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Place squash flesh down in a shallow baking pan large enough that both halves lay flush. Add 2 inches of water, cover, and bake until squash is easily pierced with a fork, about 50 minutes.

Step Three: Use a fork to separate spaghetti squash strands into a large pan. Over medium-low heat, add pesto and peas and cook until warmed through, stirring continually. Remove from heat, top with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Source: A Robot Heart Recipes Original.