Timonium, MD

Vegans Timonium, Maryland ~ December 2011 Blog Challenge

Successful actions, thank God for the Internet! I offered to take my new client to lunch, honestly, I try not to involve meals however, I’m trying new things for 2012 and thought I’d test it out tomorrow. When I mentioned it to my client he said “he and his fiance were strict vegans and only eat politically correct organic non-denominational restaurant's.” SO, I looked to see if there were any vegan restaurant's near our tour route …. I found one!

Natural Brothers inside The Natural Market at 2149 York Road Timonium, MD 21093 443-591-0975

I updated my client with my solution for lunch and he said......


“Just kidding!”

Vegans Timonium, Maryland ~ December 2011 Blog Challenge

Timonium Farmers Market - What to do with Those Purchases - Herbert Squash

The Wednesday market day in Timonium, MD will continue until October 27, 2011. The Farmer's Market is held inside the main gate at Maryland State Fairgrounds. I have been writing a regular blog blog weekly about what to do with your purchases. I had several requests for this to continue. The market is open from 3pm to 6pm on Wednesdays. Now that we are in the fall season you'll see more winter vegetables like these.

Herbert Squash are also known as Pampoenmoes and are a popular South African food. They are a member of the Pumpkin family and the flesh is very similar to that of a pumpkin. So, any recipe you would use a pumpkin for you could substitute this squash for. I am roasting the seeds right now to see if they are like pumpkin seeds.

I made a squash soup. I looked at a number of recipes and didn't see what I wanted to see so I put the ingredients I thought should be in a good soup and it turned out really good, in fact, I went looking for the left overs in the fridge and they were gone and that almost never happens in my house.

Herbert Squash Soup

1 Herbert Squash - remove the seeds and cut into 8ths - put them on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with black pepper, salt and drizzle with olive oil. Cook in the oven at 375 F until tender. Cool a little then remove the flesh from the skin and discard the skin. I actually put them in a container and put them in the fridge and used the next day.

Dice a medium onion and saute in a large pot. I use olive oil for almost all my cooking but you can use vegetable oil or any other kind of oil you like. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook onions until tender.

Add a 32 oz box of chicken broth. Use your favorite brand.

Add the herbert squash and bring to a simmer. I mashed up the herbert squash with a potato masher in the pot. Then I poured the soup into the blender and blended it until smooth. If you have an emersion blender you can use that in the pot.

Season with a pinch of garlic powder, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of allspice, pinch of nutmeg and simmer to blend the flavors. You can add salt and pepper to taste but I don't think you'll need it. You can adjust these seasonings to your taste too.

I served the soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. You could put a spoonful of sour cream to garnish if you choose, I didn't. It was great the way it was and I've already been asked to make it again. My oldest son was at work when I made it and there was a bowl set aside for him but someone else ate it along with what I thought would be my lunch for the next day.

This recipe should have yielded 6-8 servings.

Timonium Farmers Market - What to do with Kohl Rabi

Timonium Farmers Market - What to do with Those Purchases - Kohl Rabi.

The Wednesday market day in Timonium, MD will continue until October 27, 2011. The Farmer's Market is held inside the main gate at Maryland State Fairgrounds. I have been writing a regular blog blog weekly about what to do with your purchases. I had several requests for this to continue. The market is open from 3pm to 6pm on Wednesdays. Now that we are in the fall season you'll see more winter vegetables like these.

Most people walk by these bulb shaped vegetables and leave them because they look weird and they don't know how to cook them. With a little mixing and preparation these vegetables can be really tasty.

The name comes from the German word Kohl for cabbage and Rubi which means turnip because of the shape of the bulb on the bottom. The taste and texture can be very similar to that of a broccoli stem or cabbage heart, although sweeter and milder in flavor and a higher ratio of flesh to skin. Kohl rabi can be eaten raw as well as cooked. The flavor, I think, is kind of a cross between a cabbage heart and an apple and is very tasty; at least that is what my 13 year old thought when he tried it for the first time last week. He also asked if we could have it again. Like beets, you can use the leaves, like you would kale or beet greens so not much goes to waste.

I made a stir fry with the kohl rabi last week and combined it with onions, green and yellow squash, patty pan squash and mushrooms. The mushrooms I got from the grocery store though, they didn't have any at the market.

Kohl rabi is low in calories, low in carbohydrates and high in vitamin C. It can make a nice change from carrots and celery for a snack on it's own or mixed with other things.

Asian Stir Fried Vegetables

4 Kohl Rabi - remove the leaves and peel the vegetables like you would a potato and slice into thin slices.

Baby Carrots

2 green zucchini - sliced thin on a diagonal

2 yellow squash - sliced thin on a diagonal

1 onion - peeled, cut in half and sliced thin

2 patty pan squash - remove the stem and sliced thin

3 large cloves of garlic (we like garlic, but you can adjust this to your own taste)

1 cup mushrooms - sliced

1/2 c. water

1 tbsp corn starch

2 tbsp. light soy sauce

2 tbsp water

In a large skillet or fry pan (with a lid) add 1/2 c. water, carrots and kohl rabi. Steam the kohl rabi for a couple minutes with the lid on until it starts to get tender. Add the onions, garlic and sprinkle a little salt and fresh ground pepper and steam a couple more minutes. Add the remaining vegetables except the mushrooms. Stir well and steam some more, you may want to add some more salt and pepper depending on your taste. I use sea salt because it adds flavor but less sodium. Add the mushrooms and stir a little until they are heated through. In cup mix the cornstarch, soy sauce and 2 tbsp of water. Stir this into the liquid in the pan until it thickens. Stir well until the sauce coats the vegetables and serve.

I served it with steamed brown rice and grilled marinated pork loin. I cook for a family of 5 and there were no left overs.

Timonium Farmers Market - What to do with Those Purchases - Spaghetti Squash

The State Fair is over and we are back to the normal Wednesday market day in Timonium, MD. The Farmer's Market is held inside the main gate at Maryland State Fairgrounds. I have been writing a regular blog blog weekly about what to do with your purchases. I had several requests for this to continue. I decided to write it the day before so my readers could make a list before going to the market. The market is open from 3pm to 6pm on Wednesdays. Now that we are in the fall season you'll see more winter squash like these.

Most people walk by these football shaped squash and leave them because they look weird and they don't know how to cook them. With a little mixing and preparation these vegetables can be really tasty. This recipe was inspired by Emeril Lagasse's Emeril Green program.

Sauteed Spaghetti Squash with Herbs

2 medium spaghetti squash - cut in half and remove the seeds. Place face down on a cookie sheet (I lined mine with cooking foil for easy cleanup) and bake in a hot oven (400 F) for 45 minutes or until a knife inserts into the skin easily.

With a fork scrape the insides of the squash removing the flesh.

Chop 2 tbsp. each of fresh basil, fresh chives and 1 tbsp. of fresh thyme.

Chop 2 (or more) cloves of garlic.

Thinly slice 1/2 large onion

In frying pan heat 2 tbsp of olive oil (if you aren't watching calories and fat you could use butter). Add the onions, cook until almost translucent, add garlic, cook for a minute then add the herbs and dash of salt and fresh ground pepper. Add the spaghetti squash and mix thoroughly. Season with more salt and and pepper to taste. I use sea salt because it is lower in sodium that regular iodized salt but still adds the same flavor.

I served this with grilled pork loin and salad. There were no leftovers!!

Timonium, MD Farmer's Market - Something to do with Your Purchases - Patty Pan Squash

Wednesday is usually market day in Timonium, MD, however, this week there is no market because of the Maryland State Fair. The Farmer's Market is held inside the main gate at Maryland State Fairgrounds. I have been writing a regular blog blog weekly about what to do with your purchases. I had several requests for this to continue. I decided to write it the day before so my readers could make a list before going to the market.

Most people walk by these succulent morsels and leave them because they look weird and they don't know how to cook them. With a little mixing and preparation these vegetables can be really tasty. This recipe is just something I made up because I bought these last week and needed to use them up.

Patty Pan Squash Stir Fry

6 - 8 medium Pattypan Squash - sliced

1 green pepper - cored and seeded and coarsely chopped

1 red pepper - cored and seeded and coarsely chopped

1/2 red onion - sliced

4 cloves of garlic - crushed and chopped

olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste - I use sea salt because it is lower in sodium and better for you than iodized salt)

Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add onions and garlic and some salt and pepper. Cover and let them sweat until just translucent. Remove the lid and add peppers and cook for a few minutes until getting a little less crispy. Add the Patty pan squash and cook for about 5 minutes, add more salt and pepper to taste and serve.

If you are thinking of buying or selling an home in Maryland give me a call today and we'll talk about the market conditions and what your home could possibly be worth in today's market place if you are thinking of selling. If you are considering buying a home, there is no better time than now to buy. The tax savings and wealth building alone is worth the plunge into todays market.

In keeping with saluting our heroes, during 2011 I am waving administrative fees active duty military, retired military and the families of fallen military, as well as policemen, firemen and emt's. If you enter into a contract by the New Year's eve I will waive the admin fee at settlement. This is a $395 savings. If you are thinking about buying or selling a home give me a call and receive full service real estate assistance from an experienced agent. Our office is open 7 days a week and we can be reached at 410-730-8888 or I can be reached directly at 410-292-0100.