Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Salad Bento

One of my favorite vendors at the Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Market is Les from Offerings of the Land. He's got the most amazing greens! His braising greens mix is lovely, and often he has great bunches of kale or mustard greens. But my absolute fave is his salad mix. It's hearty and has so much flavor. And the colors are amazing, with little orange petals and blue flowers here and there. His mix is really popular, so you have to get to the market early to get some.

In this bento: salad greens from Offerings of the Land, homemade croutons and a cherry tomato from Ridgeview Farms. In the second compartment: quesadillas made with La Tortilla Factory Hand Made Style White Corn Tortillas, swiss cheese and leftover roasted chicken, cucumber from Crescent Moon Farms, a fresh lychee, fig slices from The Patch in Sonoma, more cherry tomatoes from Ridgeview Farms, steamed edamame and a bit of beni shoga (pickled red ginger). I also made a bit of yogurt dressing to toss with the salad greens.

The leftover roasted chicken was from a chicken I bought at the Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Market! Triple T Ranch has eggs almost weekly, and every once in a while they will have fresh chickens. I decided to go for it, and I was really happy I did!

I roasted the chicken on a bed of sliced up Gravenstein Apples and filled the cavity with more apple slices and a few cloves of garlic. I rubbed it with a mixture of butter, parsley, mustard powder, grated garlic, salt, and pepper. It turned out really yummy, and I have to say it tasted more chickeny. If I see these guys for sale at the market again I will definitely buy one.

20 comments:

  1. Yum! Lychee and figs, I keep thinking of adding that to my dishes but never have. I keep thinking it's a luxury fruit. This summer salad looks incredibly fresh. Love the added touch of flowers in there too. Beautiful!

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  2. Love it! Going home for a cold lunch myself soon. Farm fresh salad sounds divine!

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  3. This looks wonderful! I love everything about it. I was going to make a salad bento, but didn't have a nice container to hold the salad dressing yet.

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  4. Hi Chantale! I found the lychee at the supermarket. But the figs are available now at the farmers market, yum!

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  5. Hi Lyndsey, I am just using a little mini tupperware container. It's too big to fit in the bento so I have it on the side.

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  6. This is yet another sign that I need to plant myself a salad patch immediately.

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  7. That salad mix sounds amazing. I love the addition of the edible flowers, they add the perfect pop of color.

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  8. Hi slushygirl! The salad mix is so amazing. There is a little bit of everything: escarole, spinach, romaine, butter leaf, dill, purslane, kale, and so many more that I can't name them all.

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  9. Thanks OhayoBento! It's just a few petals and little flowers mixed in, just the right balance. My hubby turns his nose up at it, but instead of being peeved at him for not liking it, I say MORE FOR ME! :)

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  10. Love the healthy green salad in the box!
    How I wish we have such farmer markets around here! We have wet markets but nothing compared to farmer markets!

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  11. The bento look so refreshing, especially for a hot weather place like mine! :)

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  12. Never have a salad bento and yours has inspired me :D. Hemm... would love to grab the lychee :D

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  13. Hi Angeleyes! Thanks for the nice compliment. What is a wet market? I have never heard of that, it sounds interesting.

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  14. Thanks Journal Mommy Yenny! I hope the package I sent to you arrives soon. :)

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  15. Hi Kids Dream Work! This is a very good bento for a hot day. :)

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  16. Hi tatabonita! :) This lychee was really good, sweet and juicy. I have not had fresh lychees very often and they are sooo tasty, way better than canned.

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  17. Stumming and so freah--a summer delight!

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  18. Thanks bentobird! Salad bentos are perfect right now.

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