Tag Archives: Salad

Off the Shelf: October Magazines

Posted by The Cooks Next Door in Off the Shelf and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The weather is cooling and filling the house with good smells is one of the best activities! Our October magazines arrived and fall is officially ushered in – at least in our kitchens. We talked about magazines we would review and we have chosen four but the reality is – you can’t go wrong with any of the fall magazines. I have Bon Apetit and Cooking Light in my menu plan ideas with several recipes marked. All of the magazines have wonderful, seasonal recipes and there is a good chance you will see a few more recipes featured here during October and November.

Everyday with Rachael Ray (Alaina) – This magazine has a great variety of recipes. It was such a tough choice of what to make. The Pear & Goat Cheese Crostini, Spiced Squash with Browned Butter Glaze, Maple-Walnut Chicken Thighs & Cheddar-Apple Rice, and Apple Tart Tatin were all tempting. I think I’m just ready for the fall fruits and vegetables!

Mini Meatloaves Smothered with Onions finally made the cut and they were delicious. The combination of beef, dates, bacon, and onions with worcestshire sauce and balsamic vinegar made for flavorful and moist meatloaves.

MINI MEATLOAVES SMOTHERED with ONIONS
(Everyday with Rachael Ray, October 2010)
Print This Recipe

1/2 cup pitted dried dates, chopped
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 1/3 pounds ground beef
3 onions, 2 thinly sliced and 1 finely chopped
3 slices cooked bacon, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 375°. In a bowl, combine the dates and breadcrumbs, working the mixture through your fingers to separate. Mix in the beef. Mix in the chopped onion, bacon, egg, worcestershire and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Divide into 4 mounds and, on a baking sheet, shape into loaves. Place on the upper rack and bake for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, on another baking sheet, toss the sliced onions with the butter and season with salt; spread out evenly. Bake on the lower rack, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 30 minutes. Serve the meatloaves with the onions.

Food Network Magazine (Alaina) – I love this edition of Food Network. The recipes all look wonderful and again it was such a hard decision. How can you go wrong with a pull-out full of 50 delicious Panini ideas?! And the use of fall ingredients is impressive.

I’m still planning to make the Pumpkin Waffles with Trail Mix Topping and the Slow-Cooker Squash Stew and perhaps a few more!  The Caramel Apple Cake, Pumpkin Pie Parfaits, Honey-Mustard Chicken & Apples, and Portabella Fries all sound so good.

After many requests for more side dish recipes, I decided to try a couple of the recipes included in this magazine. So, we enjoyed Sweet Potato Mash and Sesame Broccoli. We really liked both dishes.

SWEET POTATO MASH
(Food Network, October 2010)
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Pierce 4 sweet potatoes with a fork; microwave 8 minutes. Scoop the flesh into a bowl, then mash. Brown 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet, then add 8 sage leaves and fry until crisp; transfer to a plate. Cook 4 chopped scallions with salt and pepper in the browned butter. Drizzle over the sweet potatoes; top with the sage.


SESAME BROCCOLI
(Food Network Magazine, October 2010)
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Cook 1 bunch broccoli spears in a steamer set over simmering water, 10 minutes. Pulse a 1-inch piece peeled ginger, 1 garlic clove, 2 tablespoons each water and sesame oil, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, and a pinch each of sugar and salt in a mini food processor. Drizzle over the broccoli and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Midwest Living (Heather) — Although Midwest Living is not technically a food magazine, the Sept/Oct issue included a huge spread focused on cranberries. The article was so beautiful and inspiring that I felt it was worth mentioning here.

The cranberry article included things such as cranberry scones, cranberry layer cake, and cranberry apple sweet potatoes. I chose to try the Crimson Slaw and it was delicious. The color, taste, and texture were right on and paired perfectly with my baked ham, roasted sweet potatoes, and steamed green beans.

CRIMSON SLAW
(Sept/Oct Midwest Living 2010)
Print this recipe

1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. dry red wine (optional — but added a great depth)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
4 cups shredded red cabbage (1/2 of a medium head)
1  6-ounce package dried cranberries (I used half this amount)
1/4 to 1/2 of a medium red onion, thinly sliced

For vinaigrette: in screw-top jar, combine oil, sugar, vinegar, wine (if you like), salt, pepper, and mustard. Cover and shake well.

In a large bowl, toss together cabbage, cranberries and onion. Pour the vinaigrette over cabbage mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. (I had to serve it immediately and it was great.)

Serves 6.

Victoria (Heather) – Victoria has always been my favorite magazine. The beauty and romance of its pages capture my heart. I enjoyed flipping through this magazine while on our recent “staycation”. Since I am a devoted Anglophile (more precisely a UK-phile), I particularly enjoyed this issue.

Page 38 contains a beautiful photo of an amazing cake: who knew it was gluten-free?! I had to make it. The result was beautiful, but strangely tinny. After some reflection I realized the recipe had been altered in translation and the “tablespoons” should be read as “teaspoons”, especially where baking powder is concerned!!! So, if you’re going to make this cake, be sure to follow the recipe below, or remember the proper translation when you read the magazine!

APPLE AND CINNAMON CAKE
(Victoria Magazine, Sept/Oct 2010)
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1 1/2 cups butter, softened (margarine can be used if you can’t use butter)
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose, gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill with great results)
4 tsp. gluten-free baking powder
2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 large eggs
4 apples, peeled and coarsely grated

garnish: 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped; 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and line two 9-inch cake pans.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment at medium-high speed, beat together butter and sugar until smooth.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, and cinnamon. Add to butter mixture, and mix at low speed until combined and smooth.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs and grated apple; fold into butter mixture.

Divide batter between prepared pan, and bake for 40 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool cakes in pans for 15 minutes. Transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

To assemble cake, place one cake layer on plate and spread half of the icing over top; top with second cake layer, and spread remaining icing over top. Garnish with walnuts and dried cranberries, if desired.

ICING
(Heather’s Recipe)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a mixer and whip (slowly at first) until cheese is thoroughly mixed in and mixture has thickened.

Weekend Fare & Foodie Fridays

Posted by Alaina in Foodie Friday, Weekend Fare and tagged with ,

For our family gathering, I had a few food assignments and one was a side dish or salad. I went with the salad and we really like it! The ingredients of this pasta salad are reminiscent of a supreme pizza thus the name. The original recipe  is by Rachael Ray and I adapted it slightly for what we had. It went together so quickly and it’s great because it won’t spoil if it sits out for a bit. Perhaps my favorite ingredient was the fresh mushrooms – so good!

SUPREME PIZZA PASTA SALAD (adapted from Rachael Ray)
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2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red or sweet onion, chopped
8 fresh white button mushrooms, sliced
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped 
40 pieces pepperoni, roughly chopped 
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, small diced
20 leaves fresh basil, torn or thinly sliced
1 pound pasta, cooked to al dente and cooled under cold water, then drained

Dressing:

1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon Italian dried seasoning
1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, eyeball it
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, peppers, pepperoni, mozzarella, basil and pasta in a big bowl. Whisk garlic salt, oregano or Italian seasoning, tomato paste and vinegar together. Stream in extra-virgin olive oil while continuing to whisk dressing. When oil is incorporated, pour dressing over pasta salad, add a few grinds of black pepper to the bowl, then toss salad to coat evenly. Adjust your seasonings and serve salad.

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FOODIE FRIDAYS!

We are so excited to give this feature a try. There is so much we can learn and share from one another! I find myself inspired by reading other blogs. We hope you will find this feature encouraging and inspiring.

Here are just a few guidelines for participating in Foodie Fridays:
1) Leave a link to your post with Mr. Linky.
2) Your entry can include a recipe, a kitchen success, an ingredient, a tradition, a book/magazine/restaurant review, a favorite (or not) tool or gadget, food photos, recipe website, a food memory, a cooking or eating experience or anything food related.
3) Please link back here in your participating post.

Hope you have fun, meet new people, learn a few things, feel encouraged, and find inspiration as you cook, bake, and entertain!

Market Fresh: Melons

Posted by Alaina in Market Fresh and tagged with , , , , , , ,

I will admit that I’m not very creative when it comes to melon – usually, I cut them and serve them. For this post, however, I decided to step outside the box since you probably don’t need tips on how to cut your melon into 1-inch pieces.

A couple notes on picking a melons: For honeydew and cantaloupe, I smell them - if it smells faintly like the fruit, it’s probably good, if it smells really strong, it’s probably past. For watermelon, I really do smack the melon and I can tell by the way it feels if it’s likely a good one.  I want to feel the juice “ripple” inside.

Now on to the recipes for today. I really liked this first one, it seemed like an unusual combination (I adapted the recipe from one I found) but the juicy melon with the classic tomato and basil combination was fabulous. It was a sophisticated and unexpected salad.

 

WATERMELON, TOMATO, & BASIL SALAD
Print This Recipe

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. sugar (next time I would try honey)
1/2 watermelon cut into chunks,
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tb. fresh basil, chopped
2 Tb. Olive oil

Combine the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Combine watermelon, tomatoes, & basil in a large bowl. Pour cooled vinegar mixture and olive oil over the fruit. Gently stir to combine. Can season with salt if desired. Chill until serving.

My sister recommended this recipe and I couldn’t resist trying another fruit soup. It’s so refreshing and quite good. It would be lovely as a light dessert.


CHILLED CANTALOUPE SOUP
(allrecipes.com)
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1 cantaloupe – peeled, seeded and cubed
2 c. orange juice
1 Tb. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Peel, seed, and cube the cantaloupe. Place cantaloupe and 1/2 cup orange juice in a blender or food processor; cover, and process until smooth. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in lime juice, cinnamon, and remaining orange juice. Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour. Garnish with mint if desired.

Off The Shelf: Cooking with Flowers and Lavender

Posted by Heather in Off the Shelf and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Summer is a great time to think about cooking with lavender and other flowers. This week we have two books to get you started in the right direction. (And, if you don’t have lavender growing in your own garden, you can find it in the spice section of any good supermarket, or health food store.)

The Lavender Cookbook by Sharon Shipley has 182 pages full of recipes that ALL use lavender! After the basics (such as lavender rubs, sugar, syrup and butter), there are four chapters devoted to the four seasons with recipes such as: Lavender Scones, Lavender Chicken Breasts, Lavender Lemon Buttered Chicken, Old-Fashioned Cherry Pie with Lavender, California Lavender Pasta Salad, Lavender Lemon Cookies, Hot Lavender Cranberry Punch, Baked Spicy Pork Chops with Lavender and Apple, Lavender Blueberry Banana Bread, and Lavender Roasted Beets.

Not only can you cook with lavender, but you can use a myriad of other flowers to accent and decorate your cooking. This book, with plenty of photos, helps you identify safe flowers you can eat and gives you ideas on how to use flowers such as: yarrow, hollyhocks, borage, chicory, fuchsia, sunflower, day lily, honeysuckle, phlox, rose, red clover, and nasturtium.

I decided to try a green salad with sliced peaches and laced with nasturtium flowers and ‘Alaska’ nasturtium leaves. For the dressing I used a lavender vinaigrette out of the lavender cookbook. The dressing was a nice complement to the salad, and the taste of lavender was not “in your face” as it could have been. Lavender-Honey ice-cream from David Lebovitz was incredible.

LAVENDER VINAIGRETTE
(The Lavender Cookbook)
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1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I used half canola, half olive oil)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. dried culinary ‘Provence’ lavender buds, finely ground in a spice grinder (I just chopped them with a knife)

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, and lavender.

Makes about 2/3 cup.

LAVENDER-HONEY ICE CREAM
(The Perfect Scoop)
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1/2 cup good-flavored honey
1/4 cup dried or fresh lavender flowers
1  1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sugar (I left this out as it is quite sweet with just the honey)
pinch of salt
1  1/2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks

Heat the honey and 2 tablespoons of the lavender in a small saucepan. Once warm, remove from the heat and set aside to steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. Pour the lavender-infused honey into the cream through the strainer, pressing on the lavender flowers to extract as much flavor as possible, then discard the lavender and set the strainer back over the cream.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. [If the custard curdles -- simply whizz in your blender.] Add the remaining 2 teaspoons  lavender flowers (I left these out) and stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, before churning, strain the mixture, again pressing on the lavender flowers to extract their flavor. Discard the flowers, then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes about 1 quart.

Weekend Fare: Tomato Basil Bean Salad

Posted by Alaina in Summer Recipes, Weekend Fare and tagged with , , ,

This is an orginal recipe I came up with for a picnic using ingredients I had on hand.  The tomato and basil came straight from the garden. This can be served at room temperature or for fuller more balanced flavors, chill for 1 hour before serving. It is a perfect picnic dish because nothing will spoil. Have a great weekend!

IMG_6580

TOMATO BASIL BEAN SALAD
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1 – 16 oz. can white beans, drained & rinsed
1 med. red onion, finely diced
1/4 c. fresh basil, finely chopped or chiffonade
3-4 c. fresh cherry tomatoes, halved*
1/2 c. mozerralla cheese, small diced or shredded**
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
2-3 Tb. balsamic vinegar

Gently combine all ingredients. Chill, garnish with fresh basil (opt) & serve.  Makes 8-10 side dish servings.

* I used a combination of three types of small tomatoes including yellow pear which gave great color and flavor but is not necessary.
** Since I used everything that I already had on hand, I used shredded Italian Blend cheese.  I would have prefered to use a fresh mozzerella or a block of mozzerella cubed.

Market Fresh: Cherries

Posted by Alaina in Market Fresh and tagged with , , , , , ,

Cherries are perhaps one of my very favorite fruits. I like them sweet or tart and I am hard-pressed to pass up a piece of cherry pie or a jar of preserves. The flavor and texture of this wonderful fruit amaze me every summer. I’m content enough to just sit with a bowl of cherries and eat them by themselves but I wanted to share some different uses for them. And yes, there is a cherry salsa – I thought it only fitting after the yummy blueberry salsa Heather posted a couple of weeks ago! My two-year-old gobbled it down though we all liked it!

I found and adapted these recipes from a couple of cherry grower websites. They were all delicious and showcase cherries in some different ways. It was fun using them in a couple of more savory dishes and the honeydew and cherry salad was very refreshing! Hope you enjoy!

CHERRY ROMAINE SALAD w/SMOKED TURKEY
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1 head Romaine lettuce, medium-chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup diced green onion or chives
1 can (11-ounce) mandarin oranges
1 cup smoked turkey, diced
2/3 cup sweet cherries, washed, pitted and halved (I used Ranier)
balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below)
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper to tasteToss all salad ingredients together except cherries in a large bowl.Whisk all Balsamic Vinaigrette ingredients together in a bowl. Drizzle balsamic vinaigrette over salad, reserving 1 tablespoon of vinaigrette, and toss salad. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over cherries and toss to coat. Arrange salad on individual plates and sprinkle with cherries.Serves 4

MINTY CHERRY & HONEYDEW SALAD
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1/4 honeydew melon, seeds and skin removed, and cut into 1/2″ cubes
1/4 cup minced fresh mint plus mint sprigs for garnish
2 tablespoons light honey
1 1/2 cups pitted fresh cherries
lemon juice
juice of 2 limes

Put the cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and minced fresh mint in a bowl and turn several times. Put the honey in a bowl with the lemon juice and stir until the honey dissolves, a minute or two. Pour this over the melons and turn several times. Add the cherries, turning them in as well. Pour the lime juice over all, garnish with mint sprigs and serve.

Serves 6

FRESH CHERRY SALSA
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1 cup pitted fresh sweet cherries (I used a combination of bing & ranier cherries)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons finely chopped green peppers
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/8 teaspoon salt
dash bottled hot pepper sauce

Chop cherries in food processor or manually. Combine all ingredients; mix well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Makes 2 servings.

Market Fresh: Tomatoes

Posted by Heather in Market Fresh and tagged with , , , ,

‘Tis the season for tomatoes! These days you can have your tomato in a rainbow of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, purple, brown. If you haven’t tried some of these fascinating varieties, now is the time!

My very favorite way to eat tomatoes is in Caprese Salad. I love the flavors and textures of the tomato, mozzarella and basil all mingling together.

CAPRESE SALAD
(The Cooks Next Door)
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tomatoes
mozzarella (authentically it should be buffalo mozzarella)
basil
salt & pepper
olive oil

Layer slices of tomatoes and mozzarella on a plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil over all. Tear basil leaves and sprinkle over top.

The most common way I fix tomatoes for the family is to slice them on a plate and pour heavy cream over top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and it is finished! Adding chopped herbs makes it even better. If I don’t have any heavy cream I use mayonnaise thinned with a little bit of milk.

Roasted tomatoes are a nice side to have on your plate with something like fish or chicken. They are even delicious for breakfast along side eggs and bacon!

GARLIC-ROASTED TOMATOES
(Everyday Food Magazine)
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4 large beefsteak tomatoes (about 3 pounds), cored and halved crosswise
2 Tbsp. butter, cut into 8 thin slices
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
coarse salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Place tomato halves, cut side up, on a large rimmed baking sheet. Dividing evenly, top with butter and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Bake tomatoes until tender, 40 to 45 minutes.

Serves 8.

My Kitchen View

Posted by Alaina in Kitchen View and tagged with , , , , , , ,

This past weekend, I had a chance to rediscover my love for cooking and baking. Life has been busy enough lately with many things and I have really missed just enjoying the kitchen. It was wonderful. I paged through my new magazines, planned a menu to serve my brother and his girlfriend for Sunday dinner, and then made three new recipes. They were successful, dinner was lovely, and I loved having some creative time in the kitchen!

Our garden is getting closer to having ripe produce and I can’t wait. The green tomatoes are just starting to turn red and yellow and the zuchinni is almost ready to harvest. I’ve been using a lot of basil from my plants and using some thyme as well.

We are looking forward to the Indianapolis Devour Downtown which is August 2-15! You can check out all the amazing restaurants that are participating – they have some delicious looking menus!

I’m going to give you a little preview of the August issue of Saveur and share this yummy Greek Salad. It was flavorful, fresh, colorful, and really tasty. I used less feta then the recipe suggested but put a little extra on the table to pass for those who wanted more. We really enjoyed this salad!


GREEK SALAD (Horiatiki) – Saveur, August 2010
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2 tbsp. roughly chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 1 1⁄2″ pieces  
1 small cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced crosswise into 1⁄4″ pieces
1⁄2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1⁄8 tsp. dried oregano, plus more
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
6 oz. feta, cut into thick slabs
8 kalamata olives
Combine parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions in a bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and oregano; season with salt and pepper and pour over cucumber mixture. Toss. Transfer salad to a serving bowl and top with feta and olives. Garnish with more oregano; season with pepper. Serves 2

Market Fresh: Blueberries

Posted by Heather in Market Fresh and tagged with , , , ,

How I love blueberries! They are one of the chief delights of summer, a time when we can enjoy them fresh rather than frozen. 

Some years we’ve been able to go and pick our own. Most years I buy them on sale and freeze them in quart bags, ready to pop into muffins, pancakes, cobblers, and occasionally a blueberry pie (one of my very favorites!). Blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup and butter soaking in is a golden memory of childhood summers at Grandma’s house.

I do like to enjoy blueberries fresh: eaten straight from the bush, bucket, or plastic shell; dropped into a fruit salad with seasonal melons, sprinkled on morning cereal or oatmeal, and enjoyed for dessert with whipped cream. But, blueberries do gain a different level of delicious-ness when cooked, so be sure to buy enough berries for many different dishes.

I was intrigued to find this recipe for Blueberry Salsa and felt compelled to try it. The result: terrific! The sweetness of the blueberries, mixed with cilantro, lemon juice and red peppers, melded nicely with the salty tortilla chips.

BLUEBERRY SALSA
(Southern Living, Summer 2010)
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2  cups  chopped fresh blueberries
1  cup  whole fresh blueberries
1/4  cup  fresh lemon juice
3  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro
2  seeded and minced jalapeño peppers
1/3  cup  diced red bell pepper
1/4  cup  chopped onion
1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt

Coarsely chop 2 cups fresh blueberries. Stir together chopped fresh blueberries, 1 cup whole blueberries, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, 2 seeded and minced jalapeño peppers, 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper, 1/4 cup chopped onion, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Makes 3 cups.

    BLUEBERRY SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE AND PECANS
    (The Cooks Next Door)
    Print this recipe

    10-12 oz. mixed greens and spinach (or just one of these)
    1 pint fresh blueberries
    3/4 cup toasted pecans
    3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

    Dressing (adapted from Country Living):
    3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
    2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
    1/2 tsp. salt
    1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
    1 clove garlic, crushed
    1/4 cup canola oil
    1/4 cup olive oil

    Make Dressing: combine lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, add the oils one at a time in a steady stream. Remove garlic and serve (or store refrigerated up to 1 week).

    Make salad: toss together the greens and blueberries. Just before serving add the pecans and blue cheese. Toss with dressing and serve.

    These amounts feed 8-12 but can easily be halved.

    Market Fresh: Zucchini and Summer Squash

    Posted by Heather in Market Fresh and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

    Zucchini and Summer Squash season are here! I hope you’re not sick of them yet. I resisted nearly every urge to buy them throughout the winter so I’ve been eagerly awaiting their arrival. And now my fridge and counters are groaning under their weight.

    Every year people come up with more uses for these easy-to-grow vegetables. There are saute, stir-fries, breads, quiches, casseroles, tians, pastas, soups, salads, and more that can be made with them.

    One afternoon we tried grilled squash kabobs. We used both zucchini and summer squash and added red onions. We brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Not only were they beautiful, they were also delicious served alongside our grilled chicken.

    This pasta is so good that I can’t wait to have it again. The recipe originally called for just summer squash, but I threw in zucchini too. Either or both would taste fine in this dish.

    CREAMY FUSILLI WITH YELLOW SQUASH AND BACON
    (Everyday Food Magazine)
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    coarse salt and ground pepper
    8 ounces fusilli
    4 slices bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
    4 medium yellow squash (8 ounces each), quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
    2 garlic cloves, thinly slices
    1/2 cup heavy cream
    1/4 cup grated Asiago (or Parmesan) cheese, plus more for serving

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

    While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium. Add bacon, and cook until browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain (leave bacon fat in skillet).

    Place skillet over medium-high. Add squash and garlic to fat in skillet; season with salt and pepper, and toss well. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash begins to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover, and continue to cook until liquid is evaporated and squash is tender, 2 to 3 minutes more.

    Add cream and cooked pasta to skillet; toss well, and cook until cream begins to thicken, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in Asiago, and add enough reserved pasta water to create a sauce that coats pasta. Serve topped with reserved bacon and more cheese.

    Serves 4.

    This salad may look too simple to be good, but don’t be deceived. We loved this salad and thought it was perfect for a summer evening. You must try it!

    QUICK-MARINATED YELLOW SQUASH SALAD
    (Everyday Food Magazine)
    Print this recipe

    3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
    3 Tbsp. olive oil (or mix with canola oil if your olive oil is very strong)
    coarse salt and ground pepper
    2 medium yellow squash (8 ounces each), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
    1 shallot, thinly sliced crosswise (or use green onion or finely chopped red onion)
    1 to 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

    In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add squash, shallot, and thyme. Toss to combine. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

    Serves 4.

    Note: Try this again with zucchini instead.

    Zucchini bread always brings me back to my childhood when we would make 6 loaves at a time in a desperate attempt to use up all of the huge (almost baseball sized) zucchini that grew in our backyard garden. I don’t think we knew about picking them young and tender.

    This is the very recipe we used when I was a child.

    ZUCCHINI BREAD
    (More-With-Less Cookbook)
    Print this recipe

    3 eggs
    ¾ c. sugar
    1 c. oil
    2 c. raw, grated zucchini
    1 Tbsp. vanilla
    3 c. flour
    1 tsp. salt
    1 tsp. baking soda
    1 tsp. baking powder
    3 tsp. cinnamon
    1 c. nuts (optional)

    Combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini and vanilla in a bowl.

    In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

    Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix just until combined.  Stir in nuts if using. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until done.

    Makes 2 loaves.