Farmers Market and Life

Every week, as I head to the Farmers Market, I tell myself to buy what I need for the meals I intend to make.  Straightforward and planned out, all I need is a 1 of those and 2 of these and I am out.  However, much like life, it is never goes as planned.  As my internship comes to an end and I have the world of nutrition at my feet, I expected to have tons of interviews and potential employers filling my inbox with offers I cannot refuse.  But even though we live in the fattest country in the world and obesity leads to many preventable chronic diseases, we are also in an economy were hiring is not happening at the rate we would like.  So I send out my resume to every job that is available and wait as my well-crafted cover letter and resume with Brigham and Women's Hospital internship displayed prominently float into cyberspace with the hopes that it will land in the right hands.  I am  great at interviews and a fabulous coworker...get in touch please!

Back to the market.  I enter with a plan and it never pans out.  I want to try everything and I need to buy even more.  I start to form recipes as I picking up the eggplants and zucchinis, wondering what I could do with this kohlrabi, and what new way can I eat Fiori Di Nonno's burrata.  Next thing I know I have leaving the market with my both my bike bags filled with a colorful bounty of local goodness.

Here are some items that caught my eye and made it into tonight's dinner.  If this does not scream vegetable lentil curry, I do not know what does!
Since I had a jammed packed day, the crockpot was essential to making this happen.  I have mentioned in the past...preparing dinner at 7AM is one of my favorite things to do...and I LOVE coming home to the smell of a wonderful aroma of healthy meal.    Here's hoping that my career ends as wonderfully as my random vegetable meal does!  I am going to call this dish Farm's Bounty.  Seems fitting..

Ingredients:
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
1 tbs oil
2 ears of corn
2 tomatoes
2 eggplant (any variety)
2 zucchini (any variety)
2 carrots
1 jalapeño
tofu (optional)
1 cup of lentils
1 cup of barley
4 cups of water
1 tbs curry
1 tsp cinnamon
1tbs garam masala
1tbs tarragon
3-4 fresh basil
1-2 fresh sage
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee the onion, garlic and ginger in a pan with the oil until tender.   You know the crockpot drill, chop up everything and though it in the pot!  Add the onion mixture and all the spices EXCEPT the garam masala.  Add the water and cook on LOW for ~7 hr.  Mix in the garam masala at the very end.

While this cooks, head out and enjoy the day!  Come back to the amazing aroma and a warm bowl of this:

My unplanned purchases at the market lead to a delightful meal.  Let's hope my unplanned journey into an unknown future leads to a delightful job!

Stay Happy and Healthy!

~L