This recipe is in the King George Farmers Market’s “Fields to Table Cookbook,” with Stephanie Weberg credited as the source.

Here are the ingredients for the salad:

• 2 cups fresh cooked green beans
• 1 cup cucumber, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 can (8 oz) of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed

For the marinade, mix together:

• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon of honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of paprika

Mix the vegetables and dress with the marinade. The dish tastes best if it’s allowed to sit in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.

This recipe from Fredericksburg’s Neva Trenis, a wonderful cook, is based on a recipe from The Food Network’s Alton Brown. Brown’s version includes bacon but not broccoli or cranberries. It’s definitely a dish you can tinker with to suit your preferences. Here’s how to make Neva’s version:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced vidalia or other sweet onion
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar ( or a mild white wine vinegar)
• 1/2 cup broth
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• About 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 small head of broccoli  steamed for two minutes, plunged into ice water to stop cooking, drained and chopped
• 1 cup toasted walnuts or almonds

This recipe suggestion comes from registered dietitian Nancy Farrell, of Farrell Dietitian Services in Fredericksburg:

Berry salad with chicken

Combine baby spinach, pecans, diced red onion, sliced strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pear slices and grilled chicken strips. Serve with a light raspberry-pecan dressing.

To save time, you can use store-bought rotisserie chicken. And you can use store-bought dressing, too — Ken’s Steak House brand has a fat-free version. Or, make your own raspberry dressing by trying this recipe from cooks.com:

1/3 c. raspberry vinegar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable or olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds

Combine dressing ingredients except the poppy seeds in a blender. Add the poppy seeds by hand.

Edamame Hummus

This recipe comes from Sandy Mahaffey, who works at The Free Lance-Star and keeps fit by eating well and doing lots of Pitaiyo (a unique fusion of Pilates, tai chi and yoga).

Ingredients:

This recipe suggestion comes from Tamra Knapp, a registered dietitian with Mary Washington Hospital.

For the chicken:

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound of chicken tenders, boneless, skinless
• 1 ½ cup Special K® cereal, crushed
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Salt and Pepper
• Paprika

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• Crush up Special K® cereal in a baggie.  Add in a pinch of salt, pepper and paprika to taste.
• Place chicken in baggie and shake to coat evenly, then line chicken up on baking tray.  Spray each piece with nonstick cooking spray.
• Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

For the Polenta fries:

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of Polenta
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Oregano

Directions:

• Line baking sheet with tinfoil, and spray with nonstick cooking spray (use the same pan you use for the chicken, if you have room)
• Cut up polenta into and place on baking sheet.
• Lightly drizzle olive oil over the “fries.”  Season fries with salt, pepper and whatever other spices you like (oregano works well).
• Bake for about 30 minutes.  Polenta should become slightly crisp, but not dark brown.
• Serve with warm marinara sauce as a dip.

On the side: Round out the meal with peas or a salad.

Cook’s note: Making your own crispy chicken tenders is cheaper than buying them and is also much healthier as you cut out much of the fat and sodium!  Polenta fries (approx. 70calories/serving) have much less calories than their white tuber counterparts as well, and are a fun substitute if you are just plain sick of French Fries.  At Food Lion, Polenta is in the pasta aisle; at Wegmans, it can be found in the produce section.

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This recipe is included in the King George Farmers’  Market’s “Fields to Table Cookbook,” submitted by market manager DeLaura Padovan, who credits “Katrina of Fungi Perfecti” with the idea. (Fungi Perfecti is a company specializing in organic, gourmet mushrooms.)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cups Shiitake mushrooms
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup onion
• enough canola or coconut oil to cover a skillet
• 2/3 pound organic ground meat or nut meat (which can be made with walnuts)
• 2 tablespoons cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1-3 tablespoons red chili powder
• 1 dozen corn tortillas
• 1 medium or large can of enchilada sauce
• chopped onions (optional)
• shredded cheese (optional)

Salmon in blackberry sauce

This recipe was suggested by dietitian Nancy Farrell, of Farrell Dietitian Services in Fredericksburg, who said she used the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as a recipe source. It incorporates fresh berries and salmon into a healthful, tasty dinner. The recipe is simple:

“Mix together blackberries and a splash of red wine, and cook over medium heat until mixture becomes juicy. Add a few tablespoons of brown sugar, and continue cooking until mixture becomes syrupy. Marinate salmon with mixture and broil.”

And that’s it. In general, you broil salmon for 10 minutes per inch of thickness. So, 10 minutes for an inch-thick piece of salmon, 20 minutes for a 2-inch thick piece. You can read more about broiling salmon here:  http://www.ehow.com/how_2250474_broil-salmon.html

This recipe is included in the King George Farmers Market’s “Fields to Table Cookbook.” It comes from Evelyn Durling.

Editor’s note: The dressing uses 1 .5 cups of mayonnaise; if you’re worried about the fat content, use a low- fat version. Or, consider substitutes for mayo, such as yogurt. Here’s an online discussion of mayo alternatives:  http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/foods/substitute-mayo. And here’s an alternative provided by someone on a Paleo diet web site:  http://cavemanforum.com/recipes-and-meal-photos/dude!-homemade-paleo-mayonnaise!/.

Honey chicken salad:

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped, cooked chicken

3 diced celery ribs (about 1.5 cups)

1 cup sweetened, dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1.5 cups mayonnaise

1/2 cup orange-blossom honey

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

garnish: chopped toasted pecans

Directions:

Stir together the first four ingredients (the chicken through the pecans).  Then whisk together the mayonnaise and the next three ingredients. Add to chicken mixture, stirring gently until blended. Garnish with pecans, if desired. Serves 4.

This recipe comes from Tamra Knapp, a registered dietitian who works for Mary Washington Healthcare.

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds of bone-in chicken (depending on family size)

6 Potatoes, peeled, cut in half

1 bag baby carrots

1 ½ cups chicken stock (can use bouillon cubes as well, and can lower the sodium content by getting stock with no salt added)

Directions:

Place chicken in crock pot, add potatoes and carrots.  Pour stock over.

Cook on low in crock pot for 6-8 hours. Voila.

Cook’s notes:

When chicken is on sale, this is a great meal to make. You can use chicken thighs and other bone in pieces that are usually cheaper.  Minimal prep, and great taste!

This recipe comes from the “Fields to Table Cookbook” put out by the King George Farmers’ Market. It’s from Jenna Villforth Veazey, a market volunteer.

Ingredients:

• pasta of your choice — orzo, rotini, elbow, etc.
• grape or cherry tomatoes
• diced cucumbers
• corn fresh from the cob
• goat cheese (or shaved parmesan, cubed Monterey jack or mozzarella)
• shredded chicken, diced ham or bacon crumbles (leftovers work well, but you can also skip the meat if you’re a vegetarian)
• olive oil — enough to coat the pasta
• minced onion — to taste
• garlic powder, dill weed and salt — to taste

Instructions:

• C0ok the pasta according to the directions on the box (or until sufficiently tender). Drain and rinse in cool water.
• Mix together the pasta, vegetables, cheese and meat.
• Add dressing — the olive oil and herbs — to lightly coat the pasta. Italian dressing also works nicely with this dish.

To make the salad gluten-free, substitute rice or quinoa for the pasta.