I went on a tour of Specialty Produce in San Diego and had so much fun learning their story of fruits and vegetables. The most awesome thing about Specialty Produce is that they provide most of the produce for San Diego Restaurants AND it’s open to the public! I loved the variety of fruits and veggies available and that you can select as much or little of the item you want.

The vibrancy of the ingredients was amazing. I have so not wanted many veggies lately but this little tour really made me want to eat healthier again. I picked up a bag of kumquats for snacking since they tasted like a sweet/biter orange candy. The pomello was delicious too and I am so not a grapefruit person. I love the added sweetness and flavor it has. The photo below was my take home of the produce box with a few extras I added.

The Farmers’ Market Box is only $20 and you can add specialty add-ons from local companies like Sadie Rose Baking Co., Cataline Offshore Products and Jackie’s Jams. Farmers’ Market Boxes can be picked up at their location or if you get a group of friends together that want to order the boxes they will deliver to you.

I cooked with my specialty produce box ingredients all week but my favorite recipe was the roasted cauliflower and leek soup that the kiddo and I made over the weekend.

Roasted Cauliflower & Leek Soup

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Ingredients

• 1 large head cauliflower, cored and chopped into small pieces
• 1 Large Leek, cleaned and chopped into small pieces
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Roast cauliflower, leeks, olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper and garlic on 400 for 20-30 minutes.
3. In a large saucepan, heat butter, flour and garlic until combined.
4. Slowly add milk, chicken broth and cream.
5. Add seasonings and roasted cauliflower mixture.
6. Blend with immersion blender?.
7. Simmer for 12-15 minutes.
8. Add cheddar cheese and cook for one minute.
9. Serve.

You must try out this Roasted Leek and Cauliflower Soup and let me know what you think. We actually roasted the veggies the day before making the soup and stored the veggies in the fridge. It is super a simple meal to bring together any night of the week.

Have you been to Specialty Produce? What do you think?

Specialty Produce (Open 7 days/week)
1929 Hancock St., Suite 150,
San Diego, CA 92110

I was given a tour and a produce box for media consideration. All opinions are my own.