Byrd House Market and Calabacitas!

One of my new favorite things in Richmond is the Byrd House Market, the farmers' market at the William Byrd Community House in Oregon Hill. Charlie and I have been twice now -- it is awesome!! We have been eating really healthy foods and have been trying hard to eat fresh and organic. After our trip to France where a major highlight was all of the wonderful open air markets, we were psyched to discover this Tuesday night farmers' market less than 5 minutes from out apartment.

So far we have tried fresh strawberries, cucumbers, a variety of squash and zucchini, mixed greens, and swiss chard. Everything has been fabulous!! We also bought 2 tomato plants and 2 pepper plants which are thriving in our garden. Next week we want to try some eggplant!

I recently discovered an awesome healthy eating blog -- Kalyn's Kitchen -- which has some wonderful recipes. We used squash and zucchini from the farmers; market this week to make this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen. It is definitely a new favorite!!!


Easy Calabacitas or Squash with Onions, Chiles, and Cheese

4 medium zucchini or yellow squash(or use two of each)
1 onion, chopped
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles (also called Anaheim chiles, do not use jalapenos unless you like really spicy food)
1 cup plus 1/4 cup grated low fat Mexican cheese blend or grated cheddar cheese
1 T olive oil, (more or less depending on your pan)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Wash squash and zucchini and cut lengthwise into fourths, then into slices about 3/4 inch thick. Heat olive oil in heavy frying pan. Add onion and saute 2-3 minutes, until starting to wilt. Add squash and saute about 4 minutes, or until squash seems not quite half cooked.

Add canned green chiles with juice to the pan and cook 6-8 minutes more, until squash is cooked but still slightly chewy. (This is a personal preference, but I prefer mine a little on the crisp side. Cook a little longer if you prefer a softer texture. More mature squash will take a bit longer to cook.)

Sprinkle one cup of cheese over and cook 1-2 minutes more, stirring until cheese is melted and squash is partly coated with cheese. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately with a bit more cheese sprinkled over each serving.


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image above, "Byrd House Market," borrowed from john.murden at www.flickr.com/photos/murden/1081689707/

recipe from kalyn's kitchen: http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/