Hello garden goodies! It's that time of year when the zukes, squash, and tomatoes and abundant in gardens across the land. And I've got the p.e.r.f.e.c.t recipe that will use them all up in one shot! There's just something about a chilled orzo salad during the summertime it just makes my tongue, my tummy and my heart happy! Orzo is the perfect size, texture and does … [Read more...]
How to Seed a Tomato
If you need to use a tomato without all the drippy, seedy parts, try this quick and easy way to remove the seeds from the tomato. Simply slice the tomato along it's equator, then gently squeeze out the seeds. By slicing longways, the seed pods should be broken and should fall out easily. The seeds from some varieties of tomatoes might not fall out so easily, so … [Read more...]
Caesar Romaine Wedge Salad
So I have been racking my brain, trying to figure out what to do with this week's Grow. Eat. $ave. post about lettuce. I feel like I've been eating or talking about salads for weeks. (See Strawberry Spinach Salad, Asian Spinach Salad with Mandarins, plus I've been making lots of the salad dressings that are in my Breakfast and Lunch Cookbook over the past 2 months!) But I … [Read more...]
Garden Reminder – Fertilize and Hydrate
Just a friendly reminder to continue to keep your garden nice and hydrated as we move into the dog days of summer. If you feel thirsty, chances are your plants are thirsty too! On the hot, hot, hot days, don't be afraid to water twice. I will often do a light misting in the morning, then a good heavy soaking in the evening. Also, it's middle of the summer...perfect time … [Read more...]
Vegetable Lasagna with Spinach “Noodles”
Summer finally arrived and all of my cool weather crops reacted to the heat by bolting. One nice thing about spinach when it bolts is that the leaves along the flower stalk are flat making them a great substitute for noodles in lasagna: I overlap the spinach leaves to create a layer. If you only have curled spinach leaves you can flatten them out a bit by making small … [Read more...]
Pasta with Kale, Lemon and Parmesan
The last couple Fridays, I've shared some grilling ideas and grilled pizza recipes. But this Friday, it's all about the light. the tasty. the refreshing. And simple too. It's a "boil the kale, boil the pasta, then toss with some lemon and Parmesan" kind of simple. Serve like this...or with some fresh fruit...or with a side of grilled chicken slices. Whatever … [Read more...]
Baked Zucchini Sticks
I do believe I have a new favorite snack. And I do believe that the boys have a new favorite snack! And what perfect timing...it's about to be high season for zucchinis...when the farmers will practically be giving them away at the markets. Next time I pick up one of the monster zucchinis for $1, I'll be sure to grab two...so I can make a couple batches of these … [Read more...]
Lasagna with Kale, Zucchini and Garden Herbs
Kale. Have you ever cooked with it?! It kinda fits in the spinach category...at least in terms of how you can use it and in what recipes. It works well with pasta (I'll be sharing another recipe later this week. But not too many after that, because I fear that kale will take over the site if I share more than 2 in a short time frame!) I grew kale for the first time this … [Read more...]
Squash & Zucchini Pizza Bites
Mini. Mini can be good. Unless said "mini"-whatevers is so delicious that you eat so many that "mini" is no longer relevant. And you might as well have made mega bites. Instead of mini bites. Oops. (Not that that happened to me. Or anything.) Slice up the zucchini and squash. (I sliced up 2 of each, but didn't need them all...I ended up sauteeing the … [Read more...]
Marinated Vegetable Pasta
This is a great light summer recipe that is loaded with vegetables from the garden or farmer's market. We make a version of this dish at the Cooking Class that I teach for our hospital. It is always delicious and is a great way to highlight summer produce. I used Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta for this dish. It is also great with whole wheat pasta for added fiber … [Read more...]