Quick trip to the West Side

My arrival in Cleveland was honored by Le Bron's departure. I returned to a city which was standing proud, its people bonding together to say, "We are still strong without you." However, this message came mostly in the form of bars and restaurants promising free drinks in exchange for Le Bron jerseys, which would provide some entertainment for the evening as they were shredded or burned before the crowds....similar to the burning at the steaks by the witch hunters. The fury subsided over the next few days.

    After 30 minutes of looking for a parking spot, and then choosing one that would end up causing me to narrowly escape a ticket ....on Saturday I made my first venture to the much talked about West Side Market.  The West Side Market is a huge indoor farmers market split between two long buildings. In one, there is the fresh, local (mostly) produce and in the other larger building there are small permanent food shops selling prepared, or other specialty foods. I was really impressed with all that there was offered: homemade sausages, varieties of cheeses, fresh cannoli, hot gyro. I'll be going back soon and I'll actually get some pictures this time.

   In this first trip, all of the beautiful produce inspired me to make tabbouleh from a recipe that I had just recently found.  Fresh roma tomatoes, local Ohio cucumbers, lots of fresh mint and parsley (only $1 each at the market!), organic garbanzo beans, bulgar wheat, toasted unsalted almonds, lemon, garlic, olive oil, onions, and a few spices to bring it all together.  The best part was that I was able to get all of the ingredients at the market. Can't wait to make the next trip.