by Yvette Garfield
Springtime is here and what better way to celebrate than with a visit to a local farmer’s market. With the buzz about healthy eating, let’s not forget that eating good food can be fun. Visiting farmer’s markets is a great way to get the whole family involved in the cooking process and to sample new foods. Local farmers can recommend cooking tips and recipes for your family to try.
Why farmer’s markets are great:
- You can usually find one close to your home.
- It tastes better: the produce is mostly organic (without spray or pesticides) and has a fresher and more delicious flavor.
- It’s cheaper: the fruits and vegetables are generally less expensive than supermarkets since the farmers sell direct to the customer.
- It’s a greener way to shop: Since all the food is locally grown, it’s environmentally friendlier since less fuel is used to transfer the produce. (Just think how much fuel is used to get your grapes here from Chile!).
- Buy from experts: farmers are the experts on their product and can offer great cooking tips on how to make yummy dishes.
Farmer’s Market Tostadas!
Ingredients
Plum tomatoes (tomates), 1 per child
Ripe Hass avocados (aguacates), 1/4 per child
Limes (limas), 1/4 per child
White onions (cebolla), 1/4 per child
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper
Tostada shells (flat, whole wheat ones), 1 per child
Refried beans, vegetarian, 1/4 can per child
Romaine lettuce- 1 leaf per chef (cut with scissors or hands)
Sour Cream- 1 container
Cheese- Monterey Jack (grated)
Cilantro- 1 bunch
Tools:
Paper Plates- small and large
Plastic knives, forks, spoons
Can opener
4 medium bowls
Graters
Kids scissors
Whisk
Instructions for Pico De Gallo Salsa:
1. Dice the tomates and cebolla and place them into a medium bowl.
2. Chop the cilantro leaves and add to bowl.
3. Cut one lima in half, squeeze the juice into the bowl and mix well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions for Tostadas:
1. Shred the cheese with the grater.
2. Shred the lettuce (lechuga) and set aside. (Hands or kitchen scissors.)
3. Dice the tomatoes (tomates) and set aside. (plastic knife or scissors.)
4. Assemble tostadas by layering the ingredients in the following order: tostada shell, small scoop of beans (frijoles), a handful of lettuce (lechuga), diced tomatoes (tomate), sprinkle of cilantro, and sprinkle of cheese (queso).
5. In the small bowl, olive oil (aceite), lime (lima), salt and pepper, to taste. Whisk together to create the dressing with a fork.
6. Pour the dressing over each tostada.
7. Garnish with sour cream, diced avocados and chopped cilantro.
Written by: Yvette Garfield, author and creator of the Handstand Kids Cookbook Series (www.handstandkids.com). Contact her at yvette@handstandkids.com.
Springtime is here and what better way to celebrate than with a visit to a local farmer’s market. With the buzz about healthy eating, let’s not forget that eating good food can be fun. Visiting farmer’s markets is a great way to get the whole family involved in the cooking process and to sample new foods. Local farmers can recommend cooking tips and recipes for your family to try.
Why farmer’s markets are great:
- You can usually find one close to your home.
- It tastes better: the produce is mostly organic (without spray or pesticides) and has a fresher and more delicious flavor.
- It’s cheaper: the fruits and vegetables are generally less expensive than supermarkets since the farmers sell direct to the customer.
- It’s a greener way to shop: Since all the food is locally grown, it’s environmentally friendlier since less fuel is used to transfer the produce. (Just think how much fuel is used to get your grapes here from Chile!).
- Buy from experts: farmers are the experts on their product and can offer great cooking tips on how to make yummy dishes.
Farmer’s Market Tostadas!
Plum tomatoes (tomates), 1 per child
Ripe Hass avocados (aguacates), 1/4 per child
Limes (limas), 1/4 per child
White onions (cebolla), 1/4 per child
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper
Tostada shells (flat, whole wheat ones), 1 per child
Refried beans, vegetarian, 1/4 can per child
Romaine lettuce- 1 leaf per chef (cut with scissors or hands)
Sour Cream- 1 container
Cheese- Monterey Jack (grated)
Cilantro- 1 bunch
Tools:
Paper Plates- small and large
Plastic knives, forks, spoons
Can opener
4 medium bowls
Graters
Kids scissors
Whisk
Instructions for Pico De Gallo Salsa:
1. Dice the tomates and cebolla and place them into a medium bowl.
2. Chop the cilantro leaves and add to bowl.
3. Cut one lima in half, squeeze the juice into the bowl and mix well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions for Tostadas:
1. Shred the cheese with the grater.
2. Shred the lettuce (lechuga) and set aside. (Hands or kitchen scissors.)
3. Dice the tomatoes (tomates) and set aside. (plastic knife or scissors.)
4. Assemble tostadas by layering the ingredients in the following order: tostada shell, small scoop of beans (frijoles), a handful of lettuce (lechuga), diced tomatoes (tomate), sprinkle of cilantro, and sprinkle of cheese (queso).
5. In the small bowl, olive oil (aceite), lime (lima), salt and pepper, to taste. Whisk together to create the dressing with a fork.
6. Pour the dressing over each tostada.
7. Garnish with sour cream, diced avocados and chopped cilantro.
Written by: Yvette Garfield, author and creator of the Handstand Kids Cookbook Series (www.handstandkids.com). Contact her at yvette@handstandkids.com.
