Butternut Squash Caprese

Fall is right around the corner and the weather here in SC has just been so amazing this week! What I love most about this salad is that it's kind of a "farewell to summer, hello fall" salad. The avocados and tomatoes from the summer garden and the sweet-warmness of the butternut squash is just the perfect expression of this time of year.
 

For such a simple salad, it sure does not disappoint on taste. Everything goes so well together and small mozzarella balls are just the perfect size. There isn't a fancy dressing for this because, simply, it doesn't need one. Just some good olive oil, salt and pepper allows the veggies to shine bright.

As we say goodbye to another summer, I'm looking forward to welcoming my favorite season. This salad was a perfect way to celebrate this in between time of the year!

Summer Vegetable Crêpes

Did you know you could make your own crepes? What about that you can find them already made in the freezer section of most stores? Lastly, did you know that crepes are not just for dessert?

This delicious recipe uses summer veggies; which if you have a garden you might still be up to your eyeballs with, and a tangy sour cream sauce.  If you purchase the crepes, this is a super quick summer time vegetarian dinner.

We loved the flavors and fell in love with savory crepes! Try it and see why!

Lavender Cupcakes with Honey Frosting

A few years ago I purchased a small lavender plant because I love all things lavender and purple. After planting it in front of our house it grew exponentially over the following years. I would walk pass it on my way to the car or to check the mail and smile at the buds and flowers in the summer time. However, I never really did anything with them, that is, until this year.

While working in the yard a few weeks ago, I pruned my lavender bush of it's flower stems. I tied them together in small bunches and hung them in the closet of my craft room with the hopes that I would find something to use them for.

Then, like it was meant to happen, I ran across this recipe on Jessie's Kitchen-Chronicles and the light bulb went off so bright that it burst! I was having company that weekend and this recipe would be the perfect ending to our meal.

The cake is where the lavender is and the frosting is a delicious honey frosting. In my opinion, 2 1/2 tbsp of lavender was a little too much. Next time I'll just include 1 1/2 tbsp. The smell of these cupcakes filled my whole house! It was delightful! The honey frosting was the perfect pairing for this mini cake and really complimented the lavender nicely.

After dinner we served this with a drizzle of honey on top and with a delicious tea made right here in SC. I talked last year about the Charleston Tea Plantation and how to naturally remove caffeine from tea. I highly recommend serving this cupcake with tea. It goes so well together. Our guest's seemed to enjoy the experience of after dinner tea and dessert and I do believe this recipe will be repeated every year when the lavender gets pruned.

Garbage Stir Fry

This recipe is created out of necessity and the notion of not throwing anything away. We've joined a CSA this year and each week we get a bag of goodies, er, fruits & veggies.

There is only two of us but it's a small share. Still, sometimes it's hard for us to get through everything. We try to freeze, pickle, or can the leftovers but we'd much rather eat them fresh. In comes the garbage stir-fry.

We've done this twice now and each time it's been a little different. Here's the concept:

Clean out the fridge!

Seriously, toss everything you can think of into this stir-fry. The stir fry is such an easy throw-together meal and it's so versatile.

Here's what went into our last one: zucchini, cucumber, green pepper, grape and pear tomatoes, green onion, and even some lettuce at the end. We marinaded some beef in soy sauce or teriyaki and threw that in also. Put it all over a bed of rice and you're done!

For a sauce you could use a store bought Asia-style sauce, teriyaki sauce, or make your own by throwing some stuff together. Feel free to use and adapt our Chicken Broccoli Stir-Fry recipe for this purpose!

So clean out that fridge and don't waste an ounce of your bountiful harvest!

Marinated Tomato Salad with Sesame-Crusted Goat Cheese

Our new thing seems to be all things Asian. We recently purchased the book Simply Ming: Easy Techniques for East-Meets-West Meals. This was the first recipe we prepared from it and if this is any indication of how the rest of the book will turn out, I'm excited!

Again, we're following the same theme as the last post with fresh, local tomatoes being the stars of the dish. This makes a great side, light lunch, dinner or even an appetizer. If you can get your hands on heirloom tomatoes, all the better. We used Cherokee Purples and Brandy Wine yellows.

The fresh, local goat cheese is cut into rounds, coated in sesame seeds, and pan fried. It tops off this dish beautifully and the crunchy, nutty sesame crust melts into the creamy, smooth cheese inside.

The book recommends using a thin-bladed knife warmed under hot water then dried to cut the cheese log. We put the rounds in the freezer before frying so it kept it's shape better.


Give this easy but delicious recipe a try, then come back and tell me how delicious it was!

Pasta With No-Cook Tomato Sauce

With tomato season starting to peak, now is the perfect time for this beautiful, simple, and delicious recipe! I can not even begin to describe how lovely this dish is. It speaks to something so nourishing and so simple that it's hard to explain.

Whether you have a garden, have joined a CSA, or shop at the farmers market there is nothing that tastes better than a homegrown tomato! So why not highlight that delicious tomato-goodness with this recipe. The sauce is not cooked so all the flavors of the tomato shine!

You can use just about any type of pasta you like, we used whole wheat penne. And the added touch of the ricotta really set this up for yummy-ness! I mixed mine all in and it created this delicious, creamy, tomato-juice sauce for the pasta.

One word of warning though, this is a fresh made dish and it didn't hold well for leftovers. So eat it the day you prepare it and don't refrigerate it at all.

Ode to Zucchini

So you've started your garden and all was coming along beautifully. You water it every day and lovingly tend your veggies in the hopes of a bountiful harvest. Then it happens...

It becomes a zucchini take over!! Before long you have so many zucchini you don't know what to do with them. Sound familiar?

Fair not, dear readers! We have enough delicious zucchini recipes to keep beautiful zucchini from getting bland. Leave a comment here or on our Facebook page and let us know which one are you dying to try?

 

Ratatouille

 

Stuffed Zucchini with Sausage

 

Rustic Summer Squash Tart

 

Sausage, Zucchini and Penne

 

Zucchini with Chick Pea and Mushroom Stuffing

 

Zucchini Pappardelle with Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette, Arugula and Feta Cheese

 

Summer Squash Ribbons with Oregano, Basil, and Lemon

Stuffed Zucchini with Sausage

Got zucchini growing like crazy in your garden and you're looking for some different zucchini recipes? This is your answer! If your growing season hasn't started yet, go ahead and print this one out. Believe me, you'll thank me later.

This quick and kid-friendly healthy meal is super delicious! The Other Williams will throw this on the grill and I'm not sure what she does with it but magic happens some how. However you can put these in the oven also.

I never use to be a big sausage lover but boy have times of changed. The tomatoes and sausage together with the zucchini are just stellar!

So hang on to those zucchini coming in and give this one a go!

Pesto Shrimp over Aromatic Rice

We are in the heart of harvest season. So many fruits and veggies are in season right now. In the past we normally have a rather large garden but over the years shade has crept into our only garden space and it's no longer a viable spot. This year all we have are few tomato plants and a couple of peppers in pots in our front yard.

Fortunately, we "know people". We've done a lot of farmers market shopping and we have some friends and co-workers who unload there leftover veggies on us. This meal was created because we had all these veggies in the fridge and need to get to them before they went bad.

The meal itself was just delicious. We do also grow a few herbs in boxes so the pesto was made from our fresh herbs. Just a little goes a long way in this dish and it was really killer. The corn was roasted in a pan to bring out it's natural sweetness and caramelize it a little. Everything pulled together over some yummy aromatic rice was just delicious, healthy, and beautiful!

Enjoy!

Wine Pairing Suggestion:
Dry Riesling, Viognier, or any light-not to sweet- white table wine.



Serving: 2
Ingredients:
12 med raw shrimp
2 ears fresh corn
1 cup jasmine/aromatic rice, cooked
1/2 lemon

Pesto:
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil

To make the pesto, combine all ingredients except oil into a food processor and process. Drizzle oil in while processing until combined

Peel and devein shrimp. Cook in hot skillet until pink about 1 minute on each side. Remove from skillet

Cut corn from the cob and cook in skillet until caramelized and warm.

Combine corn, shrimp and pesto in a bowl and mix well. Serve corn and shrimp mixture over rice. Squeeze lemon juice over for a brighter flavor.

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Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad is about the easiest salad in the world to make but it looks and tastes like it's worth more effort. We had a caprese salad when we were in Charlotte last month and decided to make our own when Whole Foods put their fresh mozzarella on sale.

You want to use really good ingredients for this because it is so simple, so make sure tomatoes are in season. Homegrown (or farmers market) tomatoes are best for this in my opinion.

It it truly delicious and a great side or first course for just about anything. We took this on a picnic and it worked beautifully. The balsamic is what really kicks this up the flav-o-meter so be sure to get the good stuff. You can also put the balsamic in a pot and reduce it for a more intense flavor but either way is good.

Ingredients
1 tomato
1 ball of fresh mozzarella
8-10 basil leaves
2 tbsp good balsamic vinegar.
2 tbsp good olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Slice the tomato and mozzarella. Layer on a plate, placing a basil leaf on top of the tomato. Mix vinegar and oil and drizzle over salad. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Adventures in Canning

Well we're back from vacation and we didn't waste much time. This weekend we went to Asheville for an Art Show and on the way home we stopped at the farmers market and pick up a case of tomatoes to can. We'd love to can from our own garden, but we've never had good luck growing enough to can because we eat them as they come in. So these very large beauties from just up the road and have good flavor for canning and will work beautifully.

We can for many reasons, the main one is because it taste better than store bought canned tomatoes but also to reduce waste, transportation pollution, and it's a lost art in our opinion that we'd like to continue. We use these through out the fall and winter in tons of dishes so they are never on the shelf for very long. We're actually planning another canning session soon so we have enough to last till next year.

Below is just a quickie course in canning. You'll need to sterilize your jars and figure how long the process time will be in your area.

The first thing we do is core the tomatoes.

Next we carve an X in the bottom to help with peeling the skins.

Beautiful tomato shot

They then get placed in a large pot of boiling water for a 2-3 minutes to loosen the skin. We do this outside to keep the heat out of our house.

The tomatoes are then put directly into an ice bath to stop the cooking, you don't want mushy tomatoes!

The skins are then peeled and should come off very easily.

We've found that the larger you can keep the tomato the better the flavor. Whole tomatoes are even better but you can quarter, diced, or crush them before adding to the sterilized jars. Top with a sterile lid and process in a pressure cooker or canner.

We ended up with around 18-20 jars (pints and quarts) from the box we got.

To read up more on canning fresh produce check out this link!

Summer Squash Ribbons with Oregano, Basil, and Lemon

We used this wonderful veggie recipe as a side dish but it would make for a fabulous veggie entree over pasta or rice. Fresh is always best in our book and growing your own veggies and herbs can be the most rewarding thing. This dish highlighted our herb and vegetable garden. The flavor was just beautifully fresh and bright. We did blanch the squash for a few minutes instead of eating them raw but I don't think they lost a thing in the short cooking process. Enjoy!

Ingredients
3 small zucchini (about 1 pound)
3 small yellow squash (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved fresh Parmesan cheese


Preparation
1. Shave zucchini and yellow squash into ribbons using a vegetable peeler, stopping at the seeds; place ribbons in a large bowl. Discard seed cores.
2. Combine oil, rind, juice, salt, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Drizzle oil mixture over vegetable ribbons; sprinkle with basil and oregano. Toss gently. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup vegetable mixture and 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 50(52% from fat); FAT 2.9g (sat 0.9g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.3g); IRON 0.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 3mg; CALCIUM 62mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.4g; SODIUM 207mg; PROTEIN 2.8g; FIBER 1.3g

Joanne Weir , Cooking Light, JULY 2008

Fresh Herb Sauce

The Other Williams whipped up this yummy fresh herb sauce from the herbs in our herb garden. The flavors were really powerful so this little bit was just enough. If you have an herb garden, you'll really enjoy this recipe on top of just about any meat, fish, beans, or pasta. It'd also be great in a salad, or topped over tomatoes or crusty bread. We didn't add the red pepper flakes or capers and substituted spearmint for mint because that's what we're growing. Use within one week. Or you can freeze this pesto-like sauce in ice cube trays, transfer cubes to a zip-top plastic bag, and keep frozen for up to two months. Simple and easy to make, this one is certainly a do-over at our house!

Ingredients
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons loosely packed mint leaves
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Dash of crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil

Preparation
1. Combine all ingredients except oil in a food processor, and process until herbs are finely minced. With processor on, slowly pour oil through food chute; process until well blended.

Yield
1/2 cup (serving size: 1 tablespoon)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 35(93% from fat); FAT 3.6g (sat 0.5g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.5g); IRON 0.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 12mg; CARBOHYDRATE 1.1g; SODIUM 64mg; PROTEIN 0.3g; FIBER 0.3g

Bill & Cheryl Jamison, Cooking Light, JUNE 2008

Heirloom Tomato & Avocado Stacks

This was just beautiful and totally YUM! We served this for The Other Williams' dad on Father's day and it was just beautiful. Now that tomato season is coming this is a great way to try heirloom tomatoes. This was our first time with heirloom tomatoes. We just grabbed what looked neat and colorful and were not disappointed! The dressing was just too perfect. We did modify the recipe, our modifications are noted below.

Serves: 4

Ingredients
Dressing:
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk (we used milk and vinegar)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Basil
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground red pepper

Salad:
3-4 medium heirloom tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup very thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 cup diced peeled avocado (about 1 small) (we did slices)
Coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Preparation
1. To prepare dressing, combine first 9 ingredients in a small food processor or blender; process 30 seconds or until pureed, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Cover and chill.

2. To prepare salad, slice each tomato crosswise into 4 equal slices (about 1/2 inch thick). Place 1 tomato slice on each of 4 salad plates; sprinkle slices evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Top each serving with a few onion pieces and about 1 tablespoon avocado. Repeat layers 3 times, ending with avocado. Drizzle 2 tablespoons dressing over each serving; sprinkle with black pepper, if desired.

Cooking Light, JUNE 2008