Farmers Market Finds

Who woulda thought we'd get so excited every Sunday morning to go to a farmers market? A few months ago, I wouldn't have believed it myself! It's like Disneyland for me now!

There are certainly lots of farmers market out there, but there's always that one favorite that we all have. Ours is the Studio City Farmers Market. We've been to other spots where it feels more like a fair, rather than a market. They sell really bad and greasy food and only have a few organic farmers on site. But in Studio City, we feel more at home. We're surrounded by like-minded people who truly promote locally and organically grown fruits and veggies, and healthy goods.

Before we came across our raw cheeze recipe, we really didn't know there was an alternative to cheese. Luckily, at the farmers market, there's a booth there called, Nary Dairy, where they sell raw cheeze. The woman there gave us a sample and we were sold. Wow! This gave us confidence in recreating our own because we knew exactly what to expect in texture and how it would taste like.

The first time we went to Studio City, we were with my sister-in-law, Carrie, and her 4 year old daughter, Ciana. As soon as we got there, I had to run back to the car because I left my phone. When, I returned, Ciana ran to me and held up a bag of cookies she had just bought. To my surprise, they were gluten-free cookies from The Good Cookies. How cool is that! Of course my niece didn't know how healthy this cookie was, because all she knew was how yummy it tasted.  They offered us 2 different kinds: chocolate peanut butter and sunflower chocolate. I liked both, but Ciana's favorite is the choco peanut butter. And my fiancé, Wency's favorite is the sunflower.

When we first learned of cacao nibs, I was on a mission to find it as our healthy grocery store didn't carry them. But, where did we find them? At the Studio City farmers market, of course! There's a booth there called, World Flavorz. and they've got such a great selection of spices and tea. When we come up with new recipes, I'll be sure to get my spices from them.

Ever had Afghani food? We tried the bolani, with its many types of sauces, and it is delicious! The booth is called, Bolani, and they are very generous in their samples. They do a fantastic job because now we are hooked! We especially love the spinach bolani with sweet jalapeño, cilantro pesto and the eggplant pesto.

And do you know what our favorite type of food is? Indian! And did you know there's such a thing as gluten-free, healthy Indian food? There sure is! The restaurant is called, Gangadin, which opened in 1984 and is owned by a father and son team. We've eaten there before and they're wonderful. They offered us new things to try and they kept us laughing. But not only do they have a restaurant located on the same street as the farmers market, but they also have a booth to promote healthy items from their menu and offer you samples.

And that's what great about farmers market. You can sample so many new and different things and talk directly to the vendors. They are excited about their product and are more than willing to talk and inspire you.