A Back-To-School Farmer’s Market Challenge Menu From The Yellow Table

As much as I love the laid back energy of July and August, I usually get this giddy vibe when back-to-school season hits. Obviously, I’m not actually heading back to class. But even for us childless adults, September brings us back to some reality of sorts.

Weirdly, this summer was crazy busy, so I’m not exactly craving the city workweek crush in the same was as I was in past summers. I am looking forward to sticking around for weeks on end though and getting back into some sort of cooking rhythm.

Though I definitely beasted a good amount of Farmer’s Market produce this summer, I didn’t necessarily keep up with my weekend ritual of making meals for the week ahead. I’m going to try and be better about that as I turn the corner into the final stretch of book writing (AH!). Hopefully, having a few quinoa salads in the fridge will make me less likely to stick my head in the oven.

This week I’m sharing some back-to-school Farmer’s Market inspiration from the lovely Anna Watson Carl of The Yellow Table.

I met Anna last fall at this blogger dinner, and we’ve shared some amazing meals and conversation since. I am honestly so in awe of this lady and all she’s accomplished in recent months. Last year, Anna launched her blog series The Cookbook Diaries, which chronicled her 100 day adventure in creating, shooting, designing, and publishing her own cookbook.

When I was trying to think through how I wanted to bring you in on my journey with the wellness project, Anna’s site was a huge source of inspiration. And now, a year later, her cookbook was bought by a big deal publisher and hit stores nationwide last week!

If you don’t have a copy already, you can order one here or keep your eyes peeled for the beautiful yellow cover wherever books are sold.

As a tasty little preview, Anna has shared some of her elegant veg-centric recipes below (and cute tips in brackets!). As with all the Farmer’s Market Challenge menus, these dishes are great to make ahead, which means they’re particularly good for packing your back-to-school brown bag. I have my eye on those Apricot Chicken Thighs…

Stay tuned for more yummy ways to use your fall Farmer’s Market produce and enjoy the dishes all week long!

Xo
Phoebe

p.s. Check out some of the other inspiration from this series here.

1. Apricot Dijon Chicken Thighs with Couscous & Roasted Broccoli (easy dinner and keeps for days + chicken thighs are cheap!)

2. Lemony Pesto Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Haricots Verts (it’s delicious eaten hot, cold, or room temp and keeps great in the fridge)

3. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Roasted Summer Vegetables (I love making a batch of this and eating for lunch for days)

4. Sprouted Grain Wraps with Hummus & Salad (pre-prep the hummus and salad stuff and make wraps for dinner or lunch)

5. Grilled Portabello Mushrooms Salad with Mixed Greens & Roasted Peppers (great for dinner or lunch, and perfect at room temperature!)

Food photos by Signe Birck (with the exception of the pesto spaghetti – by Brandon Carl) and photo of Anna, by Nate Poekert.