Last week I had a terrific opportunity to host a local Farmers' Market tour and lunch party, sponsored by I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.
The farmers' market we chose was at Fairfax Corner, Fairfax, Virginia. It is a brand new market, opened just last year, and hosted by Smart Markets, Inc. A new arrival in Northern Virginia, this enterprise is providing guaranteed producer-only markets, supporting local small farms and sustainable agriculture and educating the local families about real food. Unlike the Fairfax County markets which are only open May through October, the Smart Markets are year-round, held inside during colder months.
The Fairfax Corner market featured excellent locally grown fruits and vegetables, artisanal meats and cheeses, Virginia wine, freshly baked breads and pastries.
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My friends and I, together with the kids, had a great time shopping at the market. We selected some excellent produce for our lunch party, including honey wheat bread, pasture raised chicken, fresh corn, eggplants, tomatoes, raspberries, peaches, and plums.
At the last minute, I spotted some gorgeous cinnamon basil, a kind of basil that has a sweet aromatic taste with hints of cinnamon.
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At home, we prepared a wonderful lunch, utilizing our farmers' market finds and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray and Spread. Both of those products were terrific to compliment the fresh summer flavors of the dishes we made, without adding cholesterol and being low in fat.
The I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray was a new product that we tried, and it was excellent, easy and convenient to use, especially when grilling. We sprayed the chicken, vegetables, fruits, and even bread quickly on both sides, and just threw everything on the grill. With six hungry kids running around, it was a fabulous quick way to prepare a delicious lunch. Everyone loved the extra buttery flavors!
For our main course, we had Sandwiches with Grilled Chicken and Eggplants, Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Cinnamon Basil Mayo on Grilled Honey Wheat Bread.
Buttery Grilled Corn was a terrific side dish.
For dessert, we had Grilled Peaches and Plums.
And a delicious Raspberry Cinnamon Basil Butter Spread on top of grilled bread.
To make the Raspberry Cinnamon Basil Butter Spread: Place 3/4 cup fresh raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 cup of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spread, and 3-4 cinnamon basil leaves into the food processor. Mix well. Place into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
The Farmers' Market Tour and the lunch were definitely a success! Please check out the video, capturing the best moments of our experience.
Disclosure: I Can't Believe It's Not Butter provided a participation package including a gift card to purchase the ingredients, coupons/I Can't Believe It's Not Butter products, shopping bags, and a FlipCam for the video. All opinions in this post are my own.
