Tomato, onion & basil salad - made in a bag!

For packing picnics, this is the way to go! Can be made in advance and fits easily in a cooler or bag.

6-8 ripe tomatoes, sliced
2 large onions, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
freshly ground pepper
salt to taste
snipped fresh basil
large Ziploc bag

Pour olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper into the bag. Add onions. Seal and squish onions around to coat with oil and vinegar.





Add tomatoes and squish around gently until evenly mixed in. Refrigerate 2-3 hours to marinate and chill.

Before serving, add basil and squish around one more time. You're ready to go!

Garlic pizza with fresh tomatoes

Rather than the traditional tomato sauce, this pizza uses fresh tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.

1 batch favorite pizza crust
4-5 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
mozzarella
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
fresh basil

Make pizza dough according to instructions thru to spreading out on pizza stone or baking tray.

Brush the crushed garlic and olive oil over the dough, going all the way out to the edges.

Top with chopped tomatoes, then mozzarella. Top with mushrooms.

Bake in preheated oven at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Sprinkle with snipped basil before serving.

Sweet-n-sour chicken with nectarines and apricots

Another product of this year's amazing peach harvest.

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 red pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1-2 nectarines, sliced and cut into pieces
1-2 apricots, sliced and cut into pieces
1 Tbsp oil

Sweet and sour sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup ketchup

sliced green onions

First, make the make sweet and sour sauce. In a large frying pan, mix vinegar, sugar, salt, orange juice and ketchup. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until it has evaporated to the consistency of maple syrup. Add fruit to the sauce and set aside.



Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cook in frying pan until no pink remains. Add red peppers, carrots and onions for three minutes. Add to sweet and sour sauce and heat.

Serve the chicken over hot white rice, with sweet and sour sauce pour over and then topped with green onions.

Fresh mint ice cream

This ice cream is a refreshing treat. We left out the traditional chocolate chips, but didn't miss them. It's a simple recipe that uses both fresh mint and peppermint extract. So far, it's my favorite of of ice cream adventures.



2 cups 2% milk, chilled
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring
1/2 cups chopped fresh mint leaves (not stems)

Heat 1 cup milk is a saucepan. Just as it begins to steam, add sugar, salt and mint. Remove from heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in food coloring and peppermint extract.

Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to instructions.

Roasted chicken & guacamole sandwich

1/2 round loaf of Turkish bread, sliced to form a pocket
roasted chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 avocado
1/2 tsp lemon juice
seasoned salt
sliced tomatoes

Mash the avocado with a fork and mix in lemon juice and a dash of seasoned salt. Spread inside the bread pocket, then add chicken and tomato.

Apricot-topped blondies with salted caramel

I needed to make a dessert and had the ingredients for blondies, but no nuts or chocolate. I had apricots. And I had the ingredients for sauce caramel. Voilà! (Blondies recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes.)

1/2 cup of butter, melted
1 cup of tightly packed dark brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup of flour
1/4 batch sauce caramel
3 apricots, rinsed and sliced
kosher salt

Whisk together the melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Add the egg and whisk. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, mixing it all together.

Pour into a round cake pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven at 350° or until puffy.

Remove from oven and top with sliced apricots. Drizzle caramel on top - don't be timid! Bake for another 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Sprinkle kosher salt over top. Let cool completely before serving.

Grandgarden pasta with summer vegetables

After a quick trip to the garden, I had tomato, basil, zucchini and its blossoms to go along with the goat cheese and garlic from the market and the Chipolata left from breakfast. This is the result. The very yummy, fresh result.



4 small zuchinni, quartered and sliced
1-2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp olive oil
1 Chipolata sausage, cooked and sliced (opt)
4 zuchinni flowers, rinsed and sliced (opt)
fresh goat cheese (chèvre), crumbled
fresh basil, snipped
salt
2-3 cups cooked pasta, hot



Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook crushed garlic for one minute, then add zucchini and sausage. Cook, stirring frequently, until zucchini begins to soften. Add tomatoes and zuchinni flowers. Stir to mix and cook one minute. Taste and salt as needed. Cover and remove from heat.



Serve over hot pasta and top with goat cheese and basil.

Paprika and peach pizza

This was the result of a craving for BBQ chicken pizza at a time that we had leftover paprika chicken fingers and some amazing peaches. The green onions came from the garden and add a nice fresh touch to the sweetness.

1 batch favorite pizza crust
5-6 paprika chicken fingers
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 Tbsp vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
dash hot sauce
mozzarella
1-2 peaches, sliced
green onions, chopped

Make pizza dough according to instructions thru to spreading out on pizza stone or baking tray.

Prepare sauce by mixing tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and water. Spread sauce over dough.

Slice chicken fingers thinly. Place them on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, then top with peach slices.

Bake in preheated oven at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Sprinkle with green onions before serving.

Mango-peach frozen yogurt

1 large ripe mango, peeled and cut off the pit
3 ripe peaches, peeled and cut off the pit
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup sugar
3 drops almond extract (opt)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Using a blender, stick blender or food processor, purée the fruit, lemon juice and zest. Add the yogurt and almond extract. Stir until smooth.

Chill for 1 hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Spicy marinated Moroccan carrots

There are many variations on this Moroccan salad called 'Salatat al-Jazar', including both hot and cold varieties. I chilled this one, but we actually preferred it at room temperature. Definitely a new favorite!

1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 clove garlic, pressed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
fresh mint leaves (opt)

First, make the dressing.

Place the carrots in a saucepan, cover with water and add pressed garlic clove. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat about 5 minutes, just until the carrots are crisp-tender. Do not to overcook.

Drain the carrots and place in a bowl. Toss with the dressing right away. Let marinate at room temperature a few hours, or refrigerate overnight and bring to room temperature. Snip mint leaves over top, then serve.

Bagel with goat cheese and fig

This was the perfect breakfast the other morning.

Homemade or fresh plain bagel
1 round fresh goat cheese (chèvre)
1/2 tsp apricot jam (or other)
1 ripe fig, thinly sliced

Apricot buttermilk cake

1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
6-8 dried apricots, cut into thin slices
1 tsp sugar

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs.

In a second bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

Alternate adding dry mixture and buttermilk to the creamed mixture.

Pour into non-stick round baking dish. Place sliced apricots gently on top. Sprinkle with 1 tsp sugar.

Bake in preheated oven at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Toasted turkacadomato sandwich

It started off as an attempt to recreate my favorite Club sandwich from Newscafé in Dakar, but moved off course over to 'let's use this yummy stuff in the fridge'. From there, it quickly made its way into my heart.

toasted sandwich bread
roasted turkey, pulled from the bone
sliced tomatoes
sliced avocado
sliced hard-boiled eggs
lettuce
mayo
mustard (I used Amora brand mild Dijon with warm spices)

Couscous tabouleh with avocado

1 bunch of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
4 Tbsp of fresh mint, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
3 ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2-3 cups cooked couscous, cooled
1 avocado, chopped
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
lettuce leaves (optional)
pita bread (optional)

Optional add-ins: chopped cucumber, chickpeas, chopped bell pepper, lentils, chopped green onions, cinnamon, allspice, crushed garlic



Combine all ingredients, stirring to mix. Serve immediately or, if you prefer, chill first.



Serve tabouleh on a bed of lettuce, accompanied by extra lettuce leaves, lemon wedges and warm pita bread.

Cucumber water

My sister-in-law introduced me to this drink: cucumber slices in water. It's so easy, so refreshing, and a great way to get me to drink more water!

1 glass cool water
2-4 slices of cucumber

Voilà!

Marinated mushrooms with red peppers

1 pound white button mushrooms, rinsed and trimmed, cut into quarters
1/2 red pepper, chopped
3-4 Tbsp Italian dressing
black pepper to taste
snipped fresh basil and/or fresh mint (optional)

Toss well in a large bowl. Let marinate 20 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally.

French toast with apricot compote

Yum!

Compote:
8-10 apricots, pitted and cut into slices
1/6 cup sugar
3 Tbsp oranje juice

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer 10 minutes.

Toast:
6 slices stale bread
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 pat butter

Break eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate; beat lightly with a fork. Stir in milk and vanilla.

Over medium-low heat, heat a little of the butter in a skillet.

Place a slice of bread in the egg mixture for a few seconds, then carefully turn to coat the other side. Transfer the egg-soaked bread to the skillet., cooking it slowly until bottom is golden brown. Turn and brown the other side. Repeat with remaining slices.

Serve French toast hot with apricot compote poured over it.

Kendra's hummus with roasted eggplant

Here's the recipe I make every week...and it disappears every week! It's super cheap and takes 5 minutes and is soooo good. My good friend Kendra gave me the recipe. It pretty much sealed the friendship :)

1 large can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1/2 tsp dried garlic)
1/6 cup water
2-4 Tbsp tahini (opt)
1 Tbsp olive oil
pinch salt
Lemon juice - start with 1/2 lemon and add to taste
1 eggplant, roasted and scooped from peel*

Dump. Purée with stick blender/blender/food processor. Dip.

* The eggplant is optional but SO stinkin' good. It's so creamy. Just wrap the eggplant in foil (well!) and toss it in the oven the next time you bake something. When it soft, it's done. Let cool completely in foil, then unwrap and add to hummus.

Grandgarden salad

big handful of mixed lettuces
1 ripe tomato, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
6-8 mint leaves, snipped
2 rounds fresh goat cheese
freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tsp Italian dressing


Garden fresh!

Baked pork chops and wild rice

Mmmm... comfort food!

6 bone-in pork chops
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
2 onions, peeled and quartered
1 cup brown rice
1/4 wild rice
1/4 cup quinoa
2 Tbsp onion soup mix
1 packet dried mushroom soup mix
1 tsp sage
3 cups water

In a large baking dish mix together rices, quinoa, soup mixes and sage. Add water and stir. Place pork chops on top of rice, then add carrots and onions over them. Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 1 hour. If it begins to dry out, add more water (1/4 cup at a time). The onions and carrots should roast and brown. if they start getting too done, cover dish with aluminum foil.

Thin-crust pizza margherita

We make pizza every Friday, sometimes more often during the summer when I don't feel like slaving over a hot oven. By my estimates, I've made more than 300 pizza crusts in the past four years. We decided to try a thin crust pizza recently and are hooked! Bonus: it can be made in about an hour.

What you'll need:
a large bowl
strong spatula or wooden spoon
2 tsp sugar or 3 tsp honey
2 1/4 tsp yeast
11/4 cup warm water
3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp oil
paper towel
pizza stone or baking sheet

Pour the water into your large bowl.



Heat in the microwave to about 120 degrees, or until hot to the touch, but you can stand to keep your pinkie finger in it.



Dissolve the sugar/honey in the hot water.



Pour in the yeast.





Let stand 5 minutes or until 'fireworks' bubble to the top of the water.



Wait until the entire surface is covered with foam. Stir well to dissolve any remaining yeast granules on the bottom of your bowl.





Add half of the flour, stirring until blended. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to get it all mixed in. Your dough should have a batter-like consistency.

Add another cup of flour and stir until mixed in completely.



Sprinkle salt on the dough. Using the spatula, lift the dough up from the bottom and fold it over the top to trap the salt within the dough.



Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.





Knead until smooth and elastic (about 4 minutes). Add 1 Tbsp of flour at a time as needed to keep it from sticking. When you can knead it ten times without sticking to your hands, it's probably ready.



Shape it into a ball.



Place dough in a large bowl coated with oil, turning to coat top. Cover lightly with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for 15 seconds. Repeat ten minutes later, and again ten minutes later. During this time, preheat the broiler.

Cut dough in half and roll out on parchment paper. Thin, thin, thin!





Top with marinara sauce and cheese.



Broil for 7-10 minutes until browned. Snip basil over the pizza.

Spiced carrot zucchini bread

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 cup purée carrots
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs

Combine flour and the next 5 ingredients (through cloves) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add shredded zucchini to flour mixture; toss well. Combine canola oil, buttermilk, carrot purée and eggs in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined.

Pour batter into a loaf pan coated. Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack then remove from pan.

Lait caillé potato salad

3 large potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2-3/4 cup lait caillé (or plain yogurt)
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
pinch of salt

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Cover, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook 6-10 minutes until just softened, but still firm. Drain water and spread potatoes out on a baking sheet to cool.

In a large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust as needed.

Once potatoes have stopped steaming, pour them into the bowla nd stir to coat. Chill well before serving.

Basil shrimp scampi

Oh. yum.

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/6 cup butter
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt to taste

Rinse shrimp and set aside. Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic 1 or 2 minutes or until softened but not browned. Add shrimp, green onions, wine and lemon juice; cook until shrimp are pink and firm, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Do not overcook. Add chopped basil and salt before serving.

Fresh spring rolls

1 zucchini, grated
1 carrot, grated
1/4 head cabbage, grated finely
1/4 cup fresh herbs (basil, mint, and cilantro are great!)
5-6 green onions, chopped
1-2 cup glass Vermicelli noodles (cooked, drained, cut and cooled)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
pinch ground ginger

1 head leaf lettuce, washed
Spring roll rice papers (galettes de riz)





Toss together all ingredients together (except lettuce and wrappers) in large bowl. Submerge wrappers in hot water until pliable, about 15 seconds. Place about 2 tablespoons of vegetable mix on wrapper and roll them like a burrito.

Place on lettuce leaves to serve (and keep from sticking!). Serve with a dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce recipes