The Porchetta Sandwich

I find it hard to stick to a routine every day, week, whatever. But I do have one thing I absolutely must do every Saturday morning and that is go to Green City Market. It has become almost a joke among friends because I must get there early in case they run out of food. But, you see, they have a better selection early. And it’s not crowded early. And now that they have moved outside, it’s peaceful and I feel all those excited feelings I get when I know summer is coming.


The point is that when the market moves outside new and glorious things happen. I am required to do a lap of the vendors before I buy anything. And let me tell you that when I did my first lap of the outdoor lot and laid my eyes on this beautiful hunka meat at 7:30 AM, I had to have one.

Becker Lane has the best pork I have ever tasted and now they have decided to sell Porchetta sandwiches at the market for all of our eating pleasure. I ask you is there anything better than a pork sandwich for breakfast? I think not. On a soft ciabatta roll, an onion relish is spread on the bottom half, and then they layer the most tender and juicy meat, with the marbled meat overtop of that and the skin on top of that. As a bonus they put a tangy homemade slaw on top to sort of cut that whole meat overload that you may be picturing in your mind.


In short, I have never been so happy at breakfast as when I tasted this succulent gift from the pork geniuses.

The Food Matters Project - Hot Tomato Quinoa Salad

This week Nicole chose an excellent recipe for The Food Matters Project: Savory Tomato Crisp.  I decided to turn it into a warm and filling but healthy dinner.  I chose to use my own canned tomatoes for this recipe.  There are some gorgeous tomatoes at the farmers market, but since it's so early in the season, they are really expensive!

The Food Matters Project - Mexican Style Fruit Salad with Fish

This week Sarah W. chose the recipe for The Food Matters Project and I have to say, it was delicious.  I decided to make whole wheat fish sticks with strawberry salsa.  Not only was I able to use ingredients from the farmers market (except for the lime), but it was delicious, quick and healthy.  Strawberries are absolutely amazing right now.  They taste just like they're supposed to, bursting with flavor and super sweet!

All you have to do is cut a tilapia filet (or any type of fish you like) into pieces, coat with an egg and cover with whole wheat flour.

Saute with olive oil for a couple of minutes on each side.

For the salsa I made I used 1 1/2 pounds of chopped strawberries, a large handful of basil chopped, half of a diced habanero and a quick squeeze of lime.  I have never tried to make a fruit salsa before, but I really enjoyed the contrast of flavors.  It had quite the kick but was sweet and flavorful.

Squeeze some lime over the fish and serve with the salsa.  It really gives a lot of pizzaz to a mild fish.  I was craving fish sticks (not quite sure why), but this really satisfied my craving and took it to a whole new level!  I don't know about you, but I couldn't be more thrilled that strawberries are in season.  This was a clever way of incorporating strawberries into a savory meal.  Try it out!  Great pick Sarah!

The Food Matters Project - Salsa Five Ways

Now I know that we post our Food Matters Project posts every Monday, but I am a day late - sorry!  I made an incredible salsa chosen by Alisa.  Check her website out for the recipe!  I used my homemade canned tomatoes for this one and served it over tilapia and it was delicious!

Spring Vegetable Omelette

The thing, you see, that I love about May is that Green City Market moves outside as well as so many Chicagoans, and farmers markets pop up everywhere.  It's beautiful.  We relish every minute the sun beats down and the heat threatens to make us uncomfortable.  I delight in the idea of wandering outside and stumbling upon a market I've never seen before.  But my Saturday mornings are reserved for trips to Green City to fill my bags full of greens, fruits, eggs, cheeses and anything else that I stumble upon.  It is easy to eat local in the summer and I encourage you to try it!

The Food Matters Project - Roasted Asparagus and White Bean Soup

The Food Matters recipe for this week was chosen by Adrienne and I have got to say, it was absolutely incredible.  For the full version of the recipe head on over to Adrienne's website and check it out!  This challenge is seriously pushing my food horizons and I like it.  A lot.

The Food Matters Project - Whole Wheat Bread

This week the recipe for the Food Matters Project was chosen by the lovely Melissa.  I actually already posted about this recipe a couple of weeks ago because it has become a staple in my house and I didn't realize it was up on the schedule - whoops!  For my post on whole wheat bread see here! 

My favorite way to munch on this loaf is with some honeycrisp apples, sharp white cheddar, and a dollop of honey.  Whole wheat bread is such a healthy snack and this is something I like to eat if I'm not quite hungry enough for a meal but don't want to eat something junky.  Enjoy!