Lancaster, Chocolate and Irresistable Farmer's Markets

The only thing worse than a garden full of zucchini that keeps on giving is a morning of farm-stand hopping that results in having purchased several weeks worth of fruit and vegetables!  I couldn't resist the gorgeous fresh summer produce from the local farms in Lancaster.  More on this later, but first an update on the diet. 

Normally when my husband and I travel, all bets are off on dieting.  But having been to the Amish country several times over the years, we've eaten our fill of delicious Pennsylvania Dutch specialties like chicken pot pie, funnel cakes, apple dumplings and pretzels plus chocolate in every shape and form.  So we decided to see how well we could follow the 17 Day Diet on vacation.   We were traveling with my brother and his family, so we didn't want them to miss out on any of the fun food places in the area.  We started out in Lititz, Pa. and had lunch at Cafe Chocolate.  We chose the chili and meatloaf options and were satisfied we didn't stray too much from the plan.  After we all earned Official Pretzel Twister status at the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery and did some deep breathing at Wilbur Chocolate, we toured the Amish Country.

Keeping our dieting resolve, we stayed away from the 'all you can eat' buffets and selected restaurants in the area that allowed us to choose a salad and fresh fish or poultry.  Our hotel included a complimentary breakfast and thankfully they had fruit and yogurt among the offerings.  So I feel we stayed on track while we were on the road for the last 2 days.  I'll see what the scale says tomorrow....

Now back to all that produce, specifically the squash which is my go to vegetable for grilling during the summer.  I usually buy a mix of yellow and green and grill enough to have leftovers on hand for a quick toss in a salad or a side dish later in the week.  At my local supermarket, the salmon was $1/pound off if you purchased 2 pounds or more.  Although that's more than we can use in one meal, I'll cook it all off and use the extra for lunch with a tossed salad during the week.  I'm going to grill the salmon sprinkled with a dry rub on a cedar plank and serve it with the squash and some sliced tomoatoes with basil....yum! 

Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon

Makes 8 servings

1 cedar grilling plank

2 pounds fresh Atlantic salmon fillets

3 tablespoons Smoky Grilling Dry Rub, recipe follows

1. Soak plank in water for at least 30 minutes.
2. Place salmon, skin-side down, on soaked plank.  Season with Smoky Grilling Dry Rub.

3. Set plank on preheated grill over low to medium heat; close the grill lid.  Grill for 10 to 15 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Smoky Grilling Dry Rub: Mix 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 2 packets Splenda (R), 1 tablespoon ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and 1 tablespoon smoked paprika.  Store in airtight container.

Grilled Summer Squash

Green or yellow summer squash

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

Balsamic vinegar

This is a recipe that you can adjust to the amount of squash you have. I usually purchase 1 to 2 squash per person depending on their size. Diagonally cut each squash into 1/2-inch-thick slices.  Sprinkle with some kosher salt, then drizzle with a little olive oil.  Grill slices over medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until tender.  Remove squash to a serving platter and drizzle with some balsamic vinegar.  Refrigerate leftovers.