Fruits & Veggies Monday {Southern Style Bowl w/ Peach BBQ Sauce}

Happy Monday everyone!  I was already peeking around @lenasveganliving's #fruitsandveggiesmonday contest, and wow there are some really fantastic entries this morning!  With new people entering and all of the regulars continually stepping up, if you like food at all you need to check out what everyone is serving up.  I am inspired and motivated every week by Lena and everyone else who takes part to keep this Monday tradition thriving.



This week I have a yummy bowl full of goodness that will hopefully inspire a few of you, as well.  If you follow me regularly, you know I am having a glorious foodie summer immersed in all of the local produce.  Between going fruit picking multiple times and hitting up the farmers market like clockwork every Saturday, my little heart is satisfied and my cup is full...and my plate...and my bowl.  If @dksart isn't going with me, he knows to grab the big cooler and stick it in my trunk before I head out Saturday morning to stash all my goodies while I go in to work.



I grabbed a few different things this time around.  The cantaloupe was making its first appearance, so I have something up my sleeve for that juicy bit of fruit later this week.  I also got some Zephyr squash because it was just so pretty.  I finally got my hands on some of the baby eggplants, as well!



Of course there are a few summer staples I just can't pass up each time.  The lady peas, pinkeyes, and butter beans are on my regular menu now.  I made a yummy dip last week with the lady peas, so this week thought it would be nice to leave them whole to provide texture and the protein element for my latest BBQ bowl concoction.  They cook up at the same rate as the pinkeye peas, so I simmered those together for my bowl.



No bowl comes together without a good sauce.  I had been thinking about using peaches for a BBQ sauce ever since I made a strawberry version a few months ago.  Luckily we still have some of our harvest from last week left that are now perfectly ripe and juicy!  I'll share the sauce recipe first, then we can put together the bowl. :)



Peach BBQ Sauce

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

  • 4-5 ripe peaches, pitted & quartered
  • 1 chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce
  • 1 small fresh jalapeno, seeded & roughly chopped (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons organic tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari or liquid aminos
  • 2 tablespoons black cherry balsamic vinegar (sub regular balsamic if needed)
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until completely incorporated and smooth.  Taste and adjust any ingredients to your liking.



Pour into a medium saucepan.  Bring just to a boil, then simmer on low for 30 minutes to let all of the flavors meld together. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.  Use as is for a sauce, or slather over your favorite veggies and beans to cook some more!



To put together my bowl, I sliced up the eggplant and slathered on a little of the sauce before placing it on a grill pan.  Cook about 5 minutes on each side, or until done.  I also roasted chopped sweet potato for a starchy element.  So the bowl included:

  • chopped kale
  • roasted sweet potato
  • cooked lady & pinkeye peas
  • BBQ grilled eggplant
  • sprinkle of pecans
  • drizzle of peach sauce


Yeah, it was as good as it looks!  A little spicy with the peppers in the sauce, but the sweet peas and potato helped to balance it out.  @dksart thought the eggplant was bacon at first.  I wasn't necessary going for that, but it works. ;)

The local fruits and veggies are definitely my muse right now.  I am sure I will hit some lulls in creativity again at some point, but right now I am feeling quite inspired to continue making my own take on classic produce!

Have a healthy and happy week everyone!



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Those eggplants are super cute!!;)

They are too cute. Taste just like the bigger ones, though, so no difference on that end. ;)

Great post and your sauce sounds very delicious 👍

Thank you for stopping by! The peach sauce was delicious, but I made a raw meal with a peach dressing that was just as good last night. I'll be sharing that in the next day or so!

Aww, that's cool - I'm excited to check it out 😉

Oh my goodness, this is a stunner! The barbeque sauce with peaches? Wow, I am drooling, lol. Beautiful, beautiful!

It came out so well! Just a bit of heat, but not so much that I couldn't enjoy it. I've always been so jealous of all the tropical fruits and exotic ingredients that many people have access to, but this summer I'm realizing just how wonderful all of the simple local produce around here can be! I think I might finally have become a proper Southern woman! ;) With a healthy, plant-based spin of course, ha!

This looks super delicious!!! Congratulations dear!

Thank you dear Maru! It was quite a pleasant meal. :)

I hope you do! Let me know if you give it a go! :)

Thanks! It turned out quite delicious!

Congratulations your post is featured in this week's edition of the Make It Healthy Curation Magazine!

Thank you so much for taking the time to curate all of the great healthy posts! 🤗

You're welcome, though I'm not sure how much good its doing... not much support for the project now :-( Not sure what else I can do!

It seems as though voting is down all around. I have more followers than ever but it's all the same solid people who interact and vote. The few golden people like you make it worthwhile! Hopefully they'll be an upswing again at some point.

Yes you're right, sorry to moan yesterday, I should keep positive because we've seen it jump from crap to great before, so fingers crossed it will happen again! But if not, at least I've got some good friendships and a way to express my creative self, and despite votes being down I still get more response here than from my FB friends!!! Thank you for reminding me to stay hopeful :-) And thank you also for always saying such nice things and being a supportive and loyal friend to me :-)

No need to apologise! I get frustrated, too. Especially when you consistently put a lot of time and effort into something and then feel like it's not valued. That's the good thing about finding your "people" though. I know I always have something to give and get plenty back from the true friends I have made on here! 🤗

Oh Katie! This looks so delicious! I'm so glad about the recipe for peach BBQ sauce!! I was waiting for that!! Thank you for sharing!

I have recently also bought baby eggplant. It's sooo cute!

Very happy to share! It was fun to finally bring it out of my head and onto the plate (or bowl...)!

They are such cute little plants! They had white ones, too, but I know the purple have more anthocyanins with the dark skin so I opted for slightly higher nutrient content. :)

I haven't seen the white ones yet. And honestly I guess I won't buy the purple ones anymore as it's crazy expensive here. I paid 6 USD for 6 pieces. I will have to stay with the big ones as otherwise I would go bankrupt soon :D

Haha, yeah, always fun to try different things but budget trumps novelty any day! :)

That looks so delish! Wanna try that peach barbeque sauce looks so delicious and sweet, yum! Thank you for your recipe.

Thank you! It was the perfect marriage of sweet and spicy! I might need to bottle it up and sell it. ;)

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