Market Month Re-Cap

What a crazy wonderful month! I flew to France, we both explored markets, cooked some great local fare and enjoyed the last days of summer.

Now I’m back home and reminiscing over the great dishes and memories that were made. Here’s what we have to look back on, some market link love, and a few tips I learned from the French diet!

Gillian visits the Pret a Porter fashion market in Paris

Berkeley Farmers Market and Tomato Pie

Lisle-sur-Tarn Market in the South of France and Roast Chicken Dinner

Castelnau Market in the South of France and Patty Pan Squash

Gillian’s History with Gluten

Ayah visits the Eat Real Festival

Gillian visits Aix-en-Provence

Ayah visits a Farm Stand and makes Blackberry Preserves

French Market Salad

French Grocery Store Adventures and Coconut Curry

Eating and Drinking in Paris

Link Love:

If you ended up with a bumper crop of zucchini this year, this Whole Wheat-Olive Oil Zucchini Bread from The Kitchen Sink Recipes seems like the way to go.

This End of Summer Vegetable Millet Salad looks like a great way to use up some late harvest veggies.

Dani‘s visit to the Vegetarian Food Fair looked like a blast!

Kris from Cook,Bake and Nibble‘s Cauliflower Couscous is a great way to use some market Cauliflower!

Angela from Oh She Glows made an her own Detox Salad inspired by a trip to Whole Foods.

Joy from Joyous Health made this delicious looking Sweet Potato and Parsnip soup with ingredients she picked up at the market.

Katie from Lil Veggie Patch made this yummy looking Rustic Plum Crostata with Lemon Thyme with her CSA plums!

What I learned form the French Diet:

•  Three solid meals a day: The French are not big snackers.  They eat a light breakfast, a big lunch, and a full dinner.  Every meal is well rounded and based on pleasure.  While I tend to eat lighter meals with a couple of snacks, I found myself avoiding rich snacks and sweets as much as I usually would because I always knew I had another great meal to look forward to.  There is no temptation to snack or binge when you eat this way!
• Water and wine:  While the French sometimes stop for a Perrier or coca-cola, they usually enjoy their meals with large bottles of water and wine.  Staying hydrated and enjoying wine in moderation is so much better than filling up on other drinks or sipping sweet cocktails.
• Sit and eat:  Every time I’ve eaten on the go in France someone has to comment “Bon appetit!”  This is because the French always sit down, even if it’s for a coffee, a cold drink, or a snack!  It’s rare to see someone eating in their car or while walking in the street.
• Eat your frites: French women eat what they crave, and like most of us, that involves French fries and chocolate.
• Do salads right: The French don’t mess around with salads – they have cheese, meat, pounds of beautiful fresh lettuce and a perfect vinaigrette.  You never order a salad and leave hungry!