Dinner from the Farmer’s Market: Sauteed Kale and Sugar Snap Peas

At least it wasn’t raining at the Camas Farmer’s Market last Wednesday afternoon. In fact business seemed brisk while I was there. The mixed spicy greens from Yacolt Mountain Farm had sold out before I stopped by so I settled for a bag of kale. Only one box of strawberries remained at the stall where I bought peonies. The strawberries were pretty and petite and I bought them too. A little farther and I found more strawberries and sugar snap peas. At other stalls I saw rhubarb, onions, radishes and cherries.

That was about the size of the produce selection at last week’s market. Still it was enough and then some. I also picked up Gibassier and a Molasses Cookie from Truly Scrumptious, stopped by Navidi’s Oils and Vinegars and grabbed a cup of hot coffee from Caffe Piccolo before starting for home.

Though it is late June, variety at our local market is still limited. Even so, added to a few leftovers from the fridge, it provided for a delicious dinner….and dessert.

Kale with Olives and Grape Tomatoes

1 bunch kale, chopped (approx. 3 cups)

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

2 Tablespoons black olives, chopped

1 cup chopped cooked chicken

2 teaspoons olive oil (I used Whole Fruit Lemon Olive Oil)

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

pinch of salt (I used Northwest Alder Smoked Salt)

I roughly chopped the kale and halved a handful of grape tomatoes that were leftover from a salad I made on the weekend. I heated a tablespoon of Navidi’s Whole Fruit Lemon Olive Oil and when it shimmered I tossed in the kale. Stirring gently I let it cook for several minutes before adding the tomato halves and olives along with a splash of balsamic vinegar. When the tomatoes began to soften I tossed in the leftover chicken. When the chicken was warmed through I served it over pan-toasted Polenta and dusted it with a pinch of Alder Smoked Salt from Navidi’s.

Simple Sugar Snap Peas

2 cups cleaned sugar snap peas

1 Tablespoon olive oil (I used Whole Fruit Lemon Olive Oil)

pinch of salt (I used Northwest Alder Smoked Salt)

Adding a little more Lemon Olive Oil to the pan I placed it back on the heat and then stir fried the cleaned sugar snap peas until they were bright green and crisp tender (approximately 3 minutes). I finished them with just a pinch of Smoked Salt and freshly ground black pepper and served them on the side.

What did I do with the strawberries? I’ll have to save that for my next post…