After many weeks, I finally returned to my favorite shop for some fresh organic produce. Basil Bandwagon is one of the best health food stores in New Jersey and it’s clear that they are continuing to improve themselves every time I’m there. They have by far the best selection of organic produce at the best prices around (other than buying it on the farm itself). They sell mostly locally grown organic produce and what can’t be found locally is usually produced within the United States. Not only do they carry beautifully maintained fruits and vegetables, they have fresh and dried herbs and spices in bulk. It’s a cooks dream really. Also, there is a wide variety of bulk dried goods including flour, oats, legumes, nuts, fruits… it really seems endless. Of course they have the usual supplements, teas, coffees, soaps, lotions and packaged goods that most health shops have, but they have one thing that many do not… great customer service. I can tell that the people working there do so because they love it. It’s a very knowledgeable group of health nuts that are keeping that store on it’s toes. When Kofi was laid off, I asked about employment there and I was told that they hardly ever hire anyone new, because no one wants to leave. That’s pretty darn impressive for a store. I’m looking forward to cooking up some nutritious and fun spring dishes with all of the lovely ingredients I found there today.

For some reason I never use dill in my cooking, but I love the flavor so I’m giving a new recipe a shot this week that I found in ‘A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen’ by Jack Bishop. I am loving this new cookbook that I bought yesterday at Borders. It’s all about cooking seasonally and locally. They are recipes that can be made within an hour and with pretty basic, fresh ingredients. He’s a food connoisseur, a cookbook editor and a father of 2 young girls. He does the majority of the cooking in the house and does it with zest. I decided that I would choose 6 recipes a week and test their ease and likability. My husband is somewhat of a finicky eater, so it’s never an easy task to keep us both happy at the dinner table. Miles will eat most everything unless it’s too hard to chew (only having 4 teeth on top and 2 on the bottom). So today the experiment begins with carrot apple soup. It definitely something that I know we will all enjoy and will be a breeze to whip up after Kofi gets home from work.

There are still 5 more ingredients that I need to pick up at the local super market that were too costly to buy at the Bandwagon in order to make all of the dishes that I’ve chosen. My plan is to try out each dish and give a review here and on my facebook Recipe Exchange. Yay Spring!!