The Dallas Farmers Market...

and cooking fresh produce with the Shen sisters make any day relaxing and enjoyable. Though it is not my first time at a Farmers Market, 22 years of living in Dallas, Texas has not increased my visits to this produce palace. My first trip to the Dallas Farmers Market was a pleasant surprise--I ate a full meal of fruits. Yum.



Shed 3 filled with stands of farmers' picks!



Taste testing fruits and vegetables.



Seeing brim filled baskets of fruits puts a smile on my face.



We chose eight-ball squash for dinner!



And fresh peaches for dessert.



Hollowing out the squash before stuffing.



Making peach cobbler.



Stuffed Eight-Ball Squash with Chipotle Pesto and Pan Seared Lime Pepper Scallops



Fresh and healthy.



Very guilt-free summer eating.



Peach Cobbler with a drop of whipped cream.

Pan Seared Lime Pepper Scallops

1 clove minced garlic
4 Tbsp lime pepper seasoning
8 large sea scallops

Defrost scallops at room temperature in a water bath. Dry the exterior of the scallops with paper towels. Season both sides of the scallops with lime pepper seasoning. Heat a skillet on medium high heat coating the bottom with olive oil. Flavor the oil with minced garlic before adding the scallops into the pan. Let the scallops sear on both sides for about a minute and a half until crisp on the outside.

Stuffed Eight Ball Squash

5 eight ball squash
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup canned corn
3 tsp oregano
1/2 cup bread crumbs
5 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper

Fill a big pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Trim off the end of stem end and reserve the top. Scoop out the pulp to create a 1/4 inch shell. Reserve the pulp. Boil the shells in salted water for 2 minutes. Remove and drain. Preheat oven to 350 F. Finely chop the reserved pulp. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped pulp, onion, corn and oregano and sauté until tender. Remove from heat and combine with bread crumbs, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Spoon filling into hollowed squash shells. Place stuffed eight-ball halves in the prepared pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Peach Cobbler

Streusel

3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Filling

2 cups sliced peaches
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375 F. Lightly butter a baking pan. Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture readily clumps together when pressed. Toss in the nuts. Coat the fruit with a few tablespoons of sugar and strain out any excess liquids. Spread the fruit into the prepared baking pan. Cover nut topping over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling in the center and the topping is crisp and well browned. Cool slightly and serve warm with fresh-made whipped cream.