I spent this past weekend with friends in Amherst, MA. Nestled in the Pioneer Valley, Amherst is New England at its loveliest. During our brief stay, we enjoyed local artisans, radiant fall sunshine, hours of catching up, and of course, delicious food.
On Saturday morning, we headed out to the farmer’s market. The plan was for each of us to purchase one item that would become part of our lunch later that afternoon. As a result, we feasted on a delicious meal of fresh feta cheese, pesto, olive bread, and a mixed salad of arugula, heirloom tomatoes, and apples. Oh, yes – and fresh cider doughnuts for dessert.
At one point during the weekend, I picked up a copy of edible Pioneer Valley. I love the edible communities publications. I regularly peruse edible Manhattan and edible Chesapeake. I usually find copies of these quarterly publications at gourmet grocery stores and other food-related outlets, but you can subscribe if you like. These community-based food publications connect people with their local food scene, chefs, and growers. Their website has a wonderful feature called “what’s in season,” by region, and recipes included.
I’ve had good success with their recipes. Last night, I tested one for Couscous Salad with Winter Squash and Cranberries. I served it for dinner with roasted pork tenderloin, roasted Brussel sprouts, and a fig ginger sauce. Incredibly edible, indeed. Enjoy!
In my view, grocery shopping is one of life’s simple pleasures. I love getting lost in the bulk food aisle among the rices, flours, grains, beans, spices, cereals, dried fruit, and nuts. At the local co-op, they also offer coconut oil, varietal honeys, maple syrup, tahini, and nut butters in bulk. It’s fantastic. Buying in bulk reduces unnecessary packaging and provides the perfect platform for trying new things. Don’t want to commit to whole bag of chickpea flour? Buy one cup. Not sure you are going to like kasha? Buy one cup. Need one vanilla bean? Buy it. Once at home, I store my bulk items in airtight containers or resealable plastic freezer bags.
We were in Philadelphia for the weekend running the ING Distance Run, a half marathon (13.1 miles) course in the historic downtown area and along the Schuylkill River. It was a gorgeous morning for running and I am pleased to report that a good race was had by all. Six weeks, and counting, until the NYC Marathon! 
I love chickpeas. In the spring, at the restaurant, they had them fresh and we shocked and blanched them before adding them to a vegetable cassoulet. Fresh chickpeas are bright green, delicious, and spoiled me silly. As part of my final cooking exam at culinary school, I made a chickpea curry. Chef Elliott called it “surprisingly complex – in a good way!” That dish will always have a special place in my heart, as will Chef Elliott.
I love it when newsletters, recipes and updates from some of my favorite sources for healthy food and living pop into my inbox. They provide a constant feed of new ideas and reminders about how to best fuel our healthy lifestyle with delicious food.
When I know I have a busy week ahead, I like to make a few side dishes on Sunday that can be paired with fish or chicken for dinner during the week, or, stand on their own for lunch with fruit, nuts, or yogurt.
So, there we were, at the farmers’ market on Sunday, cruising the stands as usual. Thinking ahead to the dinner hour, we made our way over to the 
I have a friend who is a busy mother of two, marathon training, and starting a new job just as the school year gets underway. In fact, I have many busy friends, and they are always looking for breakfast ideas that are quick, healthy, and at times, portable. 
