Dips and Sides

Summer Orzo Salad

cmgift Leave a comment

I just love summer!  We are right in the thick of it now with temps in the 90s and humid.  But I’m not complaining. I’m thankful for the season of laid back summer days, running around in the yard well into the evening and taking in the small moments.  Even if it’s for just a few minutes, I take time to be in the garden a few nights a week.  This is my meditation in the summer.  This week we’ve harvested plenty of cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes and green beans.   And I took some time to be present and appreciate this season.  These moments are the beautiful, ordinary stuff of life.

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

 

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

This salad is great for summer picnics and will not take a lot of time in the kitchen! I take this salad to so many picnics and potlucks because it’s so easy to make.  The “dressing” is really versatile and you can change up the vegetables to what you have.  I’ve made this with asparagus, spinach with or without the cucumber, different herbs…you name it.

 

 

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

 

 

Ingredients:

Dressing:  1/4 c. red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tsp honey- whisk this all together in a bowl or shake it up in a jar

1 lb of orzo, cooked, drained and cooled

1 quart of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 cup of fresh basil, chopped

1 cucumber, seeded and cubed

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup chopped green onion or chives

Mix it all together and enjoy!!

 

 

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

Salsa, Roasted Tomato Sauce and Why it’s ok to not deal with the tomatoes…

cmgift Leave a comment

First of all, I wanted to post this a few weeks ago. I hope you all still have tomatoes and can enjoy these recipes!!  Just the story of my life right now!

The other week I looked at my kitchen counter and saw all of the tomatoes and I’m like, I just can’t.  I can’t deal with the tomatoes.  In a previous life (a mere few months ago actually), I would take joy in arranging these tomatoes in a nice scattered yet organized way on an old tray or cutting board and take pictures in preparation for a blog post.  Then I would cook something up that’s simple and nutritious and tell the world, hey, this is soooooo easy guys.  There is no excuse to not eat this way.  And the other day, I threw a away a whole bowl of tomatoes that rotted on my counter…..this is not ok.  What IS okay, is not dealing with the tomatoes.  If you love to grow tomatoes and you can’t deal with them, give them away to a neighbor, take them to work, put a table out of “free tomatoes”.  Or just don’t buy the tomatoes.  Buy a jar of sauce, cut up a few vegetables and be done with it because you have chosen to do other things with your time at the moment.  Maybe you have said “yes” to a big project that is taking your time, maybe you are being present with your family, maybe you are just busy enough with everyday life.  Whatever it is, it’s ok and you can’t do it all.  Obviously, this is not about the tomatoes but intentionally saying yes or no to the important things in your life and being okay with it.  Here are two very easy recipes so you can deal with those tomatoes without too much thinking involved!

DSC_0504

Salsa

6 Larger Tomatoes, diced

small red onion, minced (about 1-2 tablespoons)

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

Dash of balsamic vinegar

1 small jalapeño paper, minced (optional)

bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Combine the onion, lime juice and salt in a medium bowl first (this mellows out the onion).  Then mix all of the ingredients together.  Eat with tortilla chips and it’s also excellent with eggs!!

 

DSC_0526

Roasted Tomato Sauce

Tomatoes, quartered (around 2 lbs) or 6-8 larger tomatoes

1 onion, quartered

any type of pepper, quartered

fresh oregano and rosemary (or dried Italian herbs)

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375.  Chop all of the vegetables and toss with herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet with sides and line with parchment paper if you prefer easy clean up.  Roast for 45 min-1 hour.  Remove the vegetables and place in a pot and either puree with an immersion blender, place in a blender or just smash with a fork or potato masher if you prefer chunky  sauce.  Eat with pasta or over zucchini “noodles” or an easy dinner!

DSC_0529

Simple Chickpea Salad

cmgift Leave a comment

Yesterday we were at our parents house spending our Sunday relaxing outdoors and at the pool and I finally finished a blog post that I started, um…two weeks ago!  I love writing outside listening to the birds, woodpeckers and…who am I kidding…the kids bickering at the pool. But it’s all music to my ears. I do love the summer and I am loving the fresh produce of the season, but struggling with balancing my time to both cook it and write about it! My meals these days are super quick, simple, full of greens, but nothing fancy.  Actually, this is the way I prefer it.

Now that we are in the full swing of summer and summer swim,  I need to be prepared with easy go-to meals that can be prepared in minutes.  With fresh herbs and vegetables in the garden, it’s so easy to whip up a quick salad like this one.  Make a double batch of this to eat by itself or over greens though the week.

I used whatever fresh herbs were spouting out of my garden at that time…some parsley, cilantro and garlic chives.  If you don’t have a red pepper, use tomatoes instead.  You can add avocado or eat over greens or add feta cheese.  This salad is very versatile.  I like to grill extra vegetables when we grill out to use for salads like this.

DSC_0371

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can of chickpeas

1 small red onion (a tablespoon or 2 is plenty)

a bunch of fresh herbs, chopped (I used parsley, cilantro and garlic chives)

juice of 1 lime

1/2 red bell pepper, roasted

olive oil

1/4 tsp of cumin or to taste

salt and peper to taste

To roast a red pepper, cut into strips and toss with olive oil.  Place under boiler for 20-30 minutes until roasted around the edges.  OR grill the red pepper strips.  Drain the chickpeas and add toss all of the ingredients together.  I don’t measure the olive oil, just give it a drizzle.  I also don’t measure the herbs, just use as little or as much as you like (but don’t skimp on these, the herbs make the salad!).  Season with cumin, salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy on a beautiful summer evening!!

DSC_0386

Cranberry and Orange Relish with Meyer Lemon

cmgift Leave a comment

I spotted these lovely cranberries and Meyer lemons at the market this week. And my mother-in-law brought some citrus for us, and I instantly thought of cranberry relish. Meyer lemons are one of my favorite foods- a cross between a lemon and an orange and smells heavenly!  I don’t make many jams and jellies, but I do really like cranberry relish.  I wanted to make something simple and found this recipe on the Ocean Spray website that was simply cranberries, a whole orange and sugar. No cooking involved. That is my kind of recipe!  I added the Meyer lemon and that’s it.  I didn’t know how much sugar to add because I only had one cup of cranberries.  I added a full 1/2 cup and it’s a tad too sweet for my taste, so I would reccomend adding less sugar and then add to your taste or use more cranberries. If I had time to “test” recipes, I would have tweaked this a little, but I had one cup of cranberries and one shot at it! I’ve been eating this relish with plain yogurt and walnuts! Very yummy and festive! And I’ll be adding this to baked brie for a simple New Years Eve appetizer!

DSC_0081

Ingredients:

1-2 cups of whole cranberries

1 orange, whole and quartered

1 Meyer lemon

1/4-1/2 cup of raw sugar

Add the cranberries, 1 whole orange (peel on) quartered and zest and juice of one Meyer lemon to a food processor and pulse until desired consistency.  Stir in the sugar to desired sweetness. Store in the refrigerator.  Eat by itself, use as a garnish on a turkey sandwich, add to baked brie or eat with plain yogurt and walnuts as a snack. I love all of the ways this relish can be used! Enjoy!

DSC_0092

Massaged Kale Salad

cmgift Leave a comment

It’s Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer.  I LOVE summer for so many reasons, but for me it can be a time of indulgence.  Vacation and summer is synonymous with seasonal favorites and tasting the local cuisine when traveling.  From the ice cream at the beach to the fresh blueberry pie in Maine, I had my share of indulgence this summer. The summer “vacation” mentality along with the fact that I am training for a marathon and logging a lot of hours running per week (which makes me very hungry) has not helped with the overindulgence!  I don’t believe in total deprivation. I believe there is a season for enjoying these treats and giving yourself grace when you’ve had more than you intended 🙂 But there is also a season for being more strict and taking in real, healthy foods and saying no to the sugar and treats that can weigh you down.  Now that school is back and September is here, it’s time to get back to clean eating.  I feel so much better when I eat real food and little to no sugar and wheat. I feel more energized and focused.  With my marathon only 6 short weeks away, I need to be more strict about how I am fueling my body.  I made this salad to have for lunches this week and have planned out a couple of dinners and snacks for the week so I can stay on track.

I love this salad because it is so versatile and easy!  It will take you minutes to whip up.  Use the ingredients listed or use what you have on hand and make it your own.  Add some chickpeas, chicken or avocado to make it more substantial.   The key to making a kale salad delicious is to massage the kale with olive oil. Don’t skip this step, it makes it so much better!

Ingredients:

4 cups of kale, ribs removed and chopped and massaged with olive oil

olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 carrot, shredded

drizzle of honey

dried cranberries

raw pumpkin seeds, toasted

 

Toast the raw pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant and slightly browned (watch is carefully, they can burn very quickly).

image

Rip the kale from ribs, chop and place in a bowl.  Drizzle the kale with olive oil and massage and “knead” the kale with the olive oil for a few minutes.  This gives a less chewy texture and less harsh and bitter taste to the kale.  Massaging the kale makes a huge difference!  Add the lemon juice, a drizzle of honey, the grated carrot, toasted pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries and mix to incorporate.  This is a great side salad or lunch and it keeps in the refrigerator for days.  Add more olive oil, honey and lemon juice as needed after refrigerated.

 

 

Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad

cmgift Leave a comment

There is nothing like fresh corn, right off the cob!  Here in Lancaster County, there is no shortage of corn.  We eat corn on the cob plenty when it’s in season, and I always make this with the leftovers.  Also,  tomatoes are in season and I am getting cilantro from our CSA the past few weeks.  I took this salsa to the beach this year, and it was gobbled down on the first night there!  You can eat this on it’s own or with corn chips or I love to add some grilled chicken and/or avocado for a quick lunch!  Don’t skimp on the cilantro, it really adds to the fresh flavor of this salad.

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh corn (or more!)

1 can (15oz) of black beans

1 jalapeno pepper, diced (use the ribs and seeds for more heat!)

1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes (or any chopped tomatoes will do)

juice of one lime

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and Enjoy!

cornblackbeansalad

Very easy Guacamole

cmgift Leave a comment

I do not like to eat avocados that are too ripe- they have to be just perfect for me to cut up and eat on a salad, etc.  So the perfect solution is to make this super simple guacamole.  I picked some red onion from the garden and found some cilantro that has come up and I had the perfect lunch!  I don’t measure these ingredients, I usually just add everything to taste so feel free to experiment!  The greek yogurt just adds a creaminess that is so good!

guac2Ingredients:

1 ripe avacado

2 Tbs fresh cilantro

1 tsp diced red onion

Juice from one lime

1 Tbs plain greek yogurt (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mash ingredients together in a bowl with a fork.

It’s that easy!  To mix it up a little, add fresh tomato, or a jalapeno pepper, crushed red pepper or oregano instead of cilantro.  I’ve also used dried cilantro or omitted altogether when it’s not in season and it’s still tasty!

guac