My favorite ways to use my farmers’ market finds

Have you visited your local farmers’ market lately? If not, you should go before they’re gone.

The last one I stopped at while out in the Hamptons, I felt like I hit the jackpot. They had bushels of late-summer vegetables–bell peppers in three colors, eggplant, asparagus, zucchini, green beans, leeks. All fresh, all delicious.

And one of my favorite ways to use my farmers’ market finds is making roasted vegetables.

They make such a delicious side dish with just about any meal–and there’s really not much to it.

Just clean and trim eggplant and zucchini into one-half-inch slices. Cube the bell peppers. Chop asparagus, green beans, and leeks into two- or three-inch spears. (There’s nothing scientific about these measurements–you just want to keep sizes similar so their cooking time is similar.)

Toss all the vegetables with one-quarter-cup macadamia nut oil (or estate-bottled extra virgin olive oil), kosher salt, a little crushed red pepper, and freshly ground black pepper, spread them out in a large, shallow roasting pan, and pop them into a 425-degree pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or so until tender and browned on top.

Pair them with a little beef or pork tenderloin, and you’ve got a very satisfying meal–not to mention one that’s kind to your waistline and your blood sugar.

What’s not to love about that?