Beet-utiful!

This week at City Greens we are featuring the best of what is still growing in season.  Our Dietitian-in-Training will be making samples of a recipe that was in the New York Times in an article, "Beet Recipes Even a Beet Hater Can Love."  We'll be open today and every Friday all winter long from 10-5, and today our chef will be serving up samples around 11:45 so get them while they last!  Unsure if you'll be able to make it?  Check out the recipe below!

Grated Raw Beet Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound beets
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon minced chives, mint or parsley (or a combination)
• Salt to taste
• Leaves of one Romaine lettuce heart (optional)

Preparation

1. Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler, and grate in a food processor fitted with the shredding blade.
2. Combine the orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss with the beets and herbs. Season to taste with salt. Line a salad bowl or platter with romaine lettuce leaves, top with the grated beets and serve.  (Or serve in a bowl!)

Yield: Serves four.

Advance preparation: The grated beets can be dressed and kept in the refrigerator, covered well, for a couple of days. They become more tender but don’t lose their texture, and the mixture becomes even sweeter as the beet juices mingle with the citrus. Toss again before serving.

Recipe Courtesy of NYTimes.com

Super Healthy Super Bowl Tips

As the culmination of football season is upon us, here is the start of our Super Healthy Series to help you prepare for the Super Bowl coming up this Sunday!  Not sure where to find local ingredients this time of year?  Be sure to check out City Greens Produce on Friday, Clayton Farmers Market on Saturday morning, or Local Harvest Grocery any day of the week.

Here are some tips, courtesy of SparkPeople to help you have healthier party fare at your Super Bowl bash!
Check out the recipe at the end to apply some of the new tips to the dip! 

Ditch the Chips

• When serving dips, try a more nutritious option instead of greasy, fried potato chips. Some ideas:
• Grilled chicken or tofu chunks (Try local St. Louis Chef Dan Brewer's tofumade with non-GMO, Missouri-grown soybeans!)
• Broccoli or cauliflower, steamed or raw
• Bite-sized chunks of crusty, whole-grain bread
• Small whole-wheat pretzels
• Pita chips
• Baby carrots
• Bell peppers, sliced into strips or cut into triangles
• Inner leaves of Romaine lettuce

Dip Tips: Substitute!

• Instead of using store-bought or traditional homemade chip dip, try some new substitutions that will help cut some of the bad stuff, without compromising flavor.   
• Use light mayo instead of regular, neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese, skim milk instead of whole milk, and plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
• Swap pureed white beans for half the mayo in creamy dips.
• Use regular or low-fat mayonnaise for half of the recipe, and replace the other half with reduced-fat sour cream (or Greek yogurt!).  One cup of lower-fat sour cream will provide all the flavor and texture of mayonnaise but cut 1,300 calories and 150 grams of fat from the whole batch.

Don't Leave Dip Pair-a-dice

Even if you have healthier dips available, keep in mind when you're perusing the snack table that one serving of dip is about 1 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) - about the size of a pair of dice.  Just remember with dips to stay in the pair-a-dice rule and you won't over indulge. 

Creamy Spinach and Feta Dip 

Ingredients

• 6 ounces nonfat, plain Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 ounces neufchatel cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh spinach
• 1 Tablespoon fresh dill
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1. Place yogurt, feta cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, and crushed garlic clove in a food processor; process until smooth.  Spoon yogurt mixture into a medium bowl; stir in spinach, fresh dill, and black pepper. Cover and chill.  

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light via MyRecipes.com

Happy February from City Greens

Good Morning City Greeners!

Happy February and Super Bowl weekend!  Come on over to the market to get all of your Super Bowl party needs.  Today we have:

Mushrooms

Mustard Greens

Swiss Chard

Spinach

Squash, squash, squash

Mushrooms

Limited quantities are available, so come in early to get your greens!

Our meat freezer is chock full of pork products, ground beef (fresh delivery!),  and some whole chickens.  And of course, we have lots of eggs, jams, honey, pasta, yogurt, and cheese. 

Also, stop by the market today and try a taste of our dietitian-in-training’s healthy Super Bowl samples.

We’re open today from 10-5 on 1202 South Boyle. 

See you soon!

City Greens Market Update

Good Morning, City Greeners!

Come on in and warm up inside the friendly confines of City Greens Market! Our dried goods are well stocked, and our meat freezer is full! 

Fresh produce this week:

Spinach

Napa Cabbage

Turnips

Beets

Sweet Potatoes

Butternut Squash

Spaghetti Squash

Acorn Squash

10-5 today and every Friday during the winter!

Today At the Market...

A late email... but never too late to come to City Greens! Open till 5 today, and full of wonderful fresh stuff for you to choose from... This week we have:

Spinach

Salad Greens

Swiss Chard

Collards

Mustards

Leeks

Chinese Cabbage

Beets

Turnips

Squash (butternut, buttercup, acorn, delicata)

Meet freezer fully stocked

Yogurts

Cheese

Pasta

Eggs

All dry goods are in... including a replenished stock of HONEY!!

It may feel like spring today... but don't forget about our City Greens Winter Hours: Every Friday from 10-5!

Happy New Year!

The market is up in full swing, City Greeners!  We have fresh loads of yogurt, cheese, breads, meats (including chickens!), and a new line of products made with honey.  Stop by today, and every Friday at 1202 South Boyle from 10-5 to shop!

As we welcome a new year into our lives, many of us resolve to make positive changes to better ourselves and those around us.  Here are a few ideas for those who are still working on the perfect new year's resolution for 2013:

Support local businesses - Whether you have a baby shower, birthday, anniversary, or a special Tuesday to buy a gift for throughout the year, try shopping at a local business rather than a big chain store.  Places like the Delmar Loop and  South Grand are perfect places to find unique treasures.  For everyday household supplies, explore stores like Home Eco and Local Harvest.  

Shop at a farmers market at least once a month - This ties back to supporting local businesses.  Of course, support your local farmers too!  There are so many farmers markets in the greater St. Louis area, and some of them are even open in the winter.  Summer farmers markets will start up in April and May, but until then, some foodies' winter wonderlands are:  

• Clayton Farmers Market (8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. the first Saturday of the month, Dec. - April) 
• St. Louis Community Farmers Market (9 a.m. - 1 p.m. the second Saturday of the month, November - April)
• Ferguson Farmers Market at St. Stephen's (9-11:30 a.m. the third Saturday of the month, November - April)
• Maplewood Farmers Market (9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Nov. 17, Dec. 22, Jan. 26, Feb. 23, Mar. 30)
• City Greens Produce Market (your favorite!) (10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Fridays through April)

Try one new recipe a week - Use those fresh in-season foods to create your latest culinary masterpiece.  Finding a new-to-you recipe is as simple as doing a search online for "recipe using _____."  Lots of times the recipes on websites will have level of difficulty as well as reviews from other cooks.  Or you can visit your local library and check out a cookbook you've never thumbed through before.  (If you don't have a library card, consider adding that as a resolution!)  If you're feeling brave, try experimenting with different cuisines.  The sky is the limit with new recipes!   

Dine out at local ethnic restaurants - Cure those monthly (or in others' cases, weekly!) I-Need-A-Vacation Blues with an exotic meal.  St. Louis has loads of ethnic restaurants bringing food from all over the world to the Gateway City.  Use the website Urbanspoon to search for restaurants by location, cuisines,  and special restaurant features.  Never had Ethiopian food before?  Branch outside of your comfort zone to discover what could become your new favorite food, and don't be afraid to ask the waitstaff for suggestions.  

Happy New Year!  Have a peaceful, happy, healthy, and delicious 2013!  

City Greens Market... OPEN NOW!

Another wonderful harvest this week... enjoy cabbage heads (large and small), lettuce heads, swiss chard, kail, turnips, radishes, plus BEAUTIFUL HEADS OF BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER! We have never had such large heads of the great fall crops. Also, you'll find arugula, leeks, mustards, sweet potatoes, squash (butternut, butter cup, etc.)

The meat freezer is well stocked... How about an easy meal this weekend by throwing a turkey in your crock-pot or oven? We have smaller chickens then usual, which range from $9-$11. 

Our fresh Companion Bakery Bread is looking for a home... including one of our newest items- granola, corn bread, and bagels! 

So come on in, we'll be open till 5