Tags

, , , , , ,

During the hurricane/no air conditioner hiatus to Baton Rouge, I decided to visit a favorite place of mine: Southside Produce. My history with Southside only dates back about 14 months, but we have become extremely close during this seemingly short period of time. I first fell in love with the $0.50 avocados…I mean, who wouldn’t? They are the perfect size for a salad at night for one. Every Sunday I would plan my day around a Southside trip. I could walk out with 3 bags full of fresh produce for under $18.00. Sounds like a deal to me! The only food items I ever visited Winn-Dixie for include Oatmeal Squares (a serious and almost frightening addiction), yogurt and various cuts of meats. This made for a very quick trip in and out of the grocery. If there is one thing in this world that bothers me (and there are many, but if I had to name one) it’s having to deal with people in the grocery store itself and the parking lot. Southside erases all worries about chain grocery store shopping. Since returning home, my Mom and I always go to Rouses and the Crescent City Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. I suggest you check it out one weekend. It is a great place to help local farmers and it won’t break the bank…even better! Also, go to the popsicle man. He may be my favorite vendor 🙂 http://www.crescentcityfarmersmarket.org/

Now, back to Southside Produce. I knew going in that I wanted to purchase as many veggies as possible for a frittata. Or as my boyfriend, Roger, would like to call it: an omelet pizza. This is also where I need to give a shout out to him because my last post did not and I think he may have been saddened by this. Roger is a senior at LSU and will be graduating in December with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Right now he fills his time watching Burn Notice and working out. Oh and this pretty major project called “Tesla Coil.” Sometimes I pretend to understand, but this is what the product will sort of look like.

Pretty cool right? Maybe he will make a guest appearance on the blog and talk about it!

Ok, back to the frittata/omelet pizza for real this time. I picked up these vegetables for the creation: zucchini, squash, onion, bell pepper, garlic (of course), spinach, green onion, small red potatoes, tomatoes. I sauteed the veggies with turkey smoked sausage in a cast iron skillet until tender. I then scrambled some eggs with salt, pepper, and paprika and poured them over the veggies. Let it cook over the stove for a little while until the edges start to firm. Sprinkle cheese on top and pop in the oven until the middle is no longer jiggly (the use of technical kitchen terms on this blog is strictly forbidden). I have heard nothing but great reviews on this dish. A spinach salad on the side with cucumber, tomato, green onion, avocado and homemade white balsamic vinaigrette is the perfect side item. Here is the product!

Right out of the oven. Frittata

Omelet Pizza and Spinach Salad.

The next day I decided to venture out and make spaghetti squash for the first time. Lesson learned: broil, do not boil. This may result in unsightly 2nd degree burns and an urgent care visit. Aside from that incident, the dish was fabulous and I highly recommend it. Here is what to do: cut squash in half and broil (inside facing down in a pan with water half way up squash) until tender. When cool, use a fork to scrape out inside stringy parts. I sauteed spinach, onion, garlic, italian sausage, green onion, tomatoes and bell pepper just before adding squash to finish off the dish. Again I made a spinach salad for the side. Roger, my amateur food critic, looked extremely skeptical and we came to a compromise. Although he thought the meal was great, he would prefer the dish to be called “squash stir-fry.” I can adhere to this as long as I can make it over and over again. It is that delicious! Here is a pic of the good eats.

Squash Stir-Fry and Spinach Salad

I guess I will finish off this post before it turns into a novel. If you try the recipes, let me know how you like them! I finished up orientation today, so big-girl rotations are on the horizon.

Until next time! Eat Smart and Move More. And Geaux Tigers and Saints