I have a friend who refuses to eat “cute” foods. Rabbit? Nope. Lamb? HAVE YOU SEEN HOW CUTE THEY ARE? But there is a loophole: the adorable mini-donuts for sale at the Ballard Farmer’s Market. These cakey little o’s are not only cute, they’re absolutely delicious fresh and hot out of the fryer. Try them tossed with cinnamon and sugar, rolled in powdered sugar or enjoy them naked, with barely a hint of sweetness and not a drop of grease.

And if you see a long line, look on the bright side: you’ll have more time to watch them being made. The process is mesmerizing and totally mechanized. First the dough is squirted into hot oil, then a little metal fin flips them over and finally, a little conveyer belt transports the freshly fried donuts onto a rack. Even the cooking process is kind of cute. ½ dozen/$1.75, 1 dozen/$3. Ballard Farmers Market. [Photo Credit]

Remember in “Adventures In Babysitting” when the straight faced blues singer said, “Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.” No? So you didn’t see that movie 16 times in 1987? Well, it doesn’t matter because my version is more like, “Nobody leaves the U-District Farmers market without eating a pupusa.” More specifically, the Plato Guanaco from Lily’s.

You get one chewy, freshly made pupusa of your choice (try one stuffed with pork, bean and cheese , made with local pork, or the mild and melty zucchini and cheese), a tender fried plaintain and the most soulful rice and beans in the city. Spear a bit of everything on your fork, add a bit of tangy, pickled cabbage slaw and Lily’s thin, red salsa and you’ve got the most perfect bite at the market. Plato Guanaco/$9; Two pupusas with slaw and salsa/$7.50. Columbia City and U District Farmers Markets. [Photo Credit]

There is nothing Loki can’t do with a slab of salmon. They pickle it, smoke it, can it, dry it until it’s called jerky and, of course, sell the very best pieces fresh and ready for you to prepare at home. But the thing that will have you pushing past market strollers, their arms full of beautiful bargain bouquets, is the scent of their salmon sliders.

Petite, glossy rolls are topped with tender grilled salmon and perhaps a smear of apple aioli, bacon and peppery arugula. A slider topped with fennel, carrot and jalapeno slaw smacks of banh mi, and a stroll around the market is greatly improved if you’re toting a teeny tiny salmon sandwich topped with lemon aioli, radicchio and feta.

Chef Brent Davis’ rich salmon Chowda’, made with salmon stock from sockeye heads, is so swoon worthy, it’s been selling out on 90 degree days. Slider/$4.50 Chowda’/$5 Ballard, Broadway, U District, and West Seattle Farmers Markets. [Photo Credit]

It’s nearly impossible to pass someone bent over a giant, fluffy oval of naan topped with a rainbow of masala, red lentil dhal, basmati rice and mango chutney without wondering where the hell they got that amazing looking meal from. They got it from Tandoozy, and you should, too.

The naan, rimmed with chewy dough bubbles and tinged green from a brushing of garlic cilantro sauce, serves as an edible plate. It’s smothered with a complete meal, enough to feed one starving person, two hungry pals or three people who want to taste a few dishes from different market stalls. Everything is vegan, unless you go with the chicken tikka masala, and the naan and chicken are freshly cooked in a traditional, portable tandoor oven. $13/plate with chicken $9/vegetarian plate. Columbia City, Fremont, Phinney Ridge, Queen Anne, and U District markets. [Photo Credit]