Jazzy Summer Salad

This summer salad has some poppin' sweet crunch and will make your taste-buds go ZING-ZIP-POW!  Holy corn-tomato combo Batman, we have lift-off!  The subtly-sweet corn accompanied by a hint of lemon and some fresh onion makes this a wonderfully refreshing treat in the woeful summer heat.

 

Recipe:
-4 ears corn, kernels cut off
-1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
-1/2 small onion, minced
-salt and pepper
-olive oil
-juice of 1 lemon

->Combine corn, tomatoes, and onion.  Add a splash of olive oil and the lemon juice and then season to taste.  You could also blanch the corn or saute your onions, but we like them fresh from the garden for this dish.  Enjoy as a side to your favorite summer meal!

*TIP:  Make it even jazzier by adding some of your favorite chopped herbs, like cilantro, sweet basil, or lemon basil.  *~

Everything Greek Orzo Salad

We are back after a stint of summer madness!  For our return, we decided to do something light and fresh to offset the heat of summer and use up some tasty ingredients from both the pantry and the garden.  Amanda's roommate, Rachel, used to always make a delicious Greek orzo salad in the summer.  This Greek orzo salad can be done in a number of ways, and we made many additions to her original recipe.  For example, we switched up the beans from a more traditional chickpea (or garbanzo) to pinto beans because that is what we had on hand, and we opted to add tuna for a change of pace.  This is a great summertime meal that is served best chilled and makes great leftovers for lunches!

Recipe:
-2 c orzo, cooked according to package directions
-1-12 oz can beans (we used pinto), drained and rinsed
-juice of 2 lemons
-chopped, fresh herbs (such as mint, parsley, and/or cilantro)
-salt to taste
-8 oz of crumbled feta cheese

+Any or all of the following:
-tomatoes, chopped
-cucumbers,chopped
-roasted red peppers, drained and diced
-canned artichokes, drained and chopped
-Kalamata olives, drained and chopped
-can of tuna, drained

->  Toss warm orzo with beans, lemon juice and herbs.  Add some liquid from artichokes, if using.  Season with salt and chill in the refrigerator (or freezer if you're in a hurry like us!).

Once chilled, add remaining ingredients and mix.  Enjoy all week!

~*TIP:  If you have picky eaters, keep all of the "toppings" on the side, and then everyone can put whatever they like in their bowl.  This is also a fun way to serve it when entertaining!  *~

Tomato Basil Brie Panini

This makes for a delicious, quick and easy summer meal with infinite possibilities for variation.  I think Derek doubted whether a cheese and tomato sandwich really qualified as "dinner," but after the first bite, he was convinced.  Since then, panini night has quickly become a weekly tradition.  I've left out amounts on the recipe below because you can easily adjust it for however many sandwiches you are making.  The key to this one is starting with high-quality ingredients - local tomatoes, basil from the garden, and most importantly, delicious crusty bread from a local bakery...

Recipe:

-onion, chopped finely

-garlic, minced

-slices of your favorite crusty bread

-grape tomatoes, halved

-fresh basil, torn

-brie cheese, thinly sliced

-olive oil 

-salt and pepper

->  Saute onions and garlic in oil over medium heat until soft and translucent.  

Layer onion-garlic mixture with tomatoes, basil, and brie on crusty bread.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Brush outside of bread slices with olive oil as well.  Cook until bread is golden and cheese is melted, either over medium heat in a skillet on the stove top, flipping once, or in a panini maker if you have one.  

~*TIP:  Use left-over grilled vegetables like eggplant and summer squash for another delicious alternative.  Also feel free to switch up the cheese you use or add pancetta for extra flavor.  *~

Gimme the beet blue-green apple salad

I can't get enough of fresh salad greens from the garden these days.  I am picking my Forellenschluss, Australian Yellow, Red Oak Leaf, and Flame lettuces as much as they can stand without completely picking them to death. My Ruby Streaks Mustard has bolted, but I still use small amounts of their frisee-esque leaves, despite their growing spicy, bitter taste, and their flowers add a spicy punch of yellow to my salads as well.  In this salad, green apples, blue cheese, and my Grandma's pickled beats top off fresh salad greens mixed with onions and herbs from the garden, all coated in a simple vinaigrette.  

Recipe:

-Several cups of torn salad greens

-Chopped green onion

-Chopped fresh herbs (I used dill, fennel, mint, and cilantro)

-2-3 Tbsp vinaigrette (I used a lemon juice, Dijon, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper mix)

-1/2 green apple, quartered and sliced thinly

-2 Tbsp blue cheese, crumbled

-4-5 small pickled beets

-Toss greens, onions and herbs together and coat with vinaigrette.  Top with apple, blue cheese, and beets.  That's it!

~*TIP:  I didn't have them on hand, but walnuts or pecans would make a great addition to this salad, and pears would be a great apple substitute depending on the season.  *~

I'll-Take-Seconds Cucumber Salads

I am usually a little so-so about cucumber salads and even cucumbers in general.  I have to say, these local cucumbers I've been getting in my produce box have changed my mind about cucumbers entirely!  Cucumbers are in the same family as melons...  but I don't usually think about sweet juicy honeydews when I bite into a dry or tasteless or not-so-crispy one I get in the store.  These fresh, crisp, juicy cucumbers are more reminiscent of their melon cousins, and this makes me tend toward gorging myself on them in the way I might a fresh watermelon in July.  There are a few variations below, but whatever you do with them, you'll want seconds on these salads...  you may not even have room for dinner.  

Recipe:
-1 fresh cucumber, seeded, with alternating strips peeled, and chopped
-1/2 a fresh tomato, chopped
-1 ripe avocado, chopped
-Juice of one lime
-1 Bunch fresh cilantro
-Salt and Cayenne pepper

->  Combine cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocado.  Don't worry if the avocado mashes up a bit; it will form a sauce-like consistency.  Add lime juice and cilantro and season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.  That's it!

~*  TIP:  Another favorite variation on this for me is to omit the avocado, and cover the mix of chopped tomatoes and cucumbers with lemon juice, plain yogurt, and handfuls of chopped fresh herbs such as dill, mint, and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!*~

Grilled Veggies and Blue Cheese Couscous

The smell of charcoal grills wafting through the neighborhood is a first sign of spring that seems to appear just as faithfully as the first robin or the first daffodil, and for me, with similar anticipation.  Whenever I get the coals red hot, I can't help but want to throw everything in my fridge on the grill.  I just don't want to waste it!  This dish was a result of one of those nights.  We used tomatoes, asparagus, and red peppers because that is what my roommate Rachel and I happened to have on hand, but just about any mix of grilled veggies would do.  

 
Recipe:
-2-3 c couscous (it will double in size)
-1 1/4 c broth for every cup of couscous
-2 medium tomatoes, halved
-1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed
-1 large red pepper, quartered
-1 c crumbled blue cheese, goat cheese, or feta

->  Coat vegetables with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Put them on grill over hot coals and cook, turning once, until tender with dark grill marks.

Meanwhile bring broth to a boil.  Add couscous.  Stir and remove from heat.  Cover with a lid lined with a dish towel and leave to sit until time to serve.  Then fluff with fork.

Bring veggies in off the grill and chop into bite sized pieces.  Mix cheese into couscous and top with or mix in chopped veggies.

 ~*TIP:  Make use of that remaining grill heat to make a quick and simple dessert!  Quarter a couple of green apples, toss with olive oil, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.  Put them on the grill and cook, turning once, until tender with grill marks.  Plate them up, and top with creamy Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey to finish off your throw-it-all-on-the-grill summer feast!  Also great with peaches and nutmeg!*~

Yes, Kohlrabi Can!

With fewer kohlrabi plants this year, I had the time to make better use of every part of the plant, including the leaves and their (sometimes rather tough) stems that often overwhelmed me last year.  I would generally just chop them up and add them to whatever I was making with kohlrabi that day, but all too often many of them still ended up in the compost heap.  The recipe below makes use of the stems by pickling them similar to how one might pickle asparagus.  Therefore you could use the same process to pickle asparagus or any number of other things.  The process is somewhat labor intensive since I peeled each stem to remove the woody exterior.  These will need to sit in the pantry for a bit longer before I crack open a jar and we really know if it was all worth it.  

Recipe:

-kohlrabi leaf stems, trimmed to jar height and peeled (yes, peeled)

-1/4 c + 1 Tbsp salt

-3 c water

-2 c vinegar (5% acidity)

-2/3 c sugar

-1 tsp mustard seed

-1 tsp peppercorns 

-1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes

-1 slice fresh lemon per jar

-1 clove garlic per jar

-1 bay leaf per jar

->Soak kohlrabi stems in 1/4 cup salt and enough water to cover them.  

Meanwhile, heat water, vinegar, tablespoon of salt, sugar, mustard seed and peppers in medium sauce pot until simmering.  

While that heats, put lemon slice, garlic clove and bay leaf in sterilized jars.  Remove kohlrabi stems from salted water and pack in jars.  

When brine is simmering, pour over kohlrabi stems into each jar, being sure to get some of the pickling spices in each jar.  

At this point, you could either have "refrigerator pickles," by putting the jar in, yes, the refrigerator and eating them within two weeks.  Alternatively, you could can them.  For this, make sure the jars are filled to about 1/4 inch from the top, wipe rim clean with a damp rag, and seal with lids and bands.  Process in a hot water bath for 10-15 minutes.  Once cooled to room temperature, be sure lids have sealed by pressing them in the center.  They should not press down or "pop."  Store them in a cool, dark place.  I would give them a couple of weeks before you pop one open to try them out!  

~*TIP:  I also followed the S&P recipe for pickled kohlrabi leaves from last year, but processed them the same as above.  They will be in the pantry ready to use for stuffed "grape" leaves all year long!*~