Cucumber, Tomato, and Pineapple Salad with Asian Dressing
1 large garlic
clove
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 (2-inch-long) fresh jalapeño chile
minced, including seeds
1/4 tsp. Asian fish sauce
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise,
then thinly sliced crosswise
2 C. pineapple chunks
1/2 C. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 C. coarsely chopped fresh mint
1 lb. tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
Mince
garlic, then mash to a paste with salt using the side of a large heavy
knife.
Whisk together lime juice and sugar in a large bowl until sugar is
dissolved, then whisk in oil, garlic paste, chile, and fish sauce (to
taste).
Add remaining ingredients, tossing to coat, and add salt to taste.
Recipe modified from www.epicurious.com
Bean Salad with Chunky Tomato Dressing
and Feta Cheese
3/4 lb. wax beans,
trimmed
3/4 lb. green
beans, trimmed
2 C. chopped
tomato
1 tbsp.
sherry vinegar
2 tsp.
extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp.
black pepper
1/2 C. thinly
sliced fresh basil
1/2 C. (2
ounces) crumbled feta cheese
Cook beans
in boiling water 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse in cold
water.
Combine the
tomato and next 4 ingredients (tomato through pepper) in a bowl.
Divide the beans evenly among 8 plates. Spoon 1/4 cup tomato mixture over
the beans.
Sprinkle
with 1 tablespoon sliced basil and 1 tablespoon cheese.
Recipe modified from www.cookinglight.com
Fried Okra
1/2 C.
cornmeal 2 lb. fresh okra,
1 C. all-purpose flour sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. buttermilk
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 6 C. oil,
for frying
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Heat oil in a
large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven to 350 degrees F. (You may not
need to use this much oil; do not fill the pan more than halfway with oil.)
In a medium
bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, and seasonings.
In small batches, dip okra in buttermilk; lift out with a slotted spoon to
drain excess buttermilk. Dredge in cornmeal-flour mixture to coat well.
Gently shake off any extra flour mixture.
Carefully add okra in batches to the hot oil and cook until golden brown.
Remove from oil, drain on paper towels, and then serve immediately.
Recipe by Paula
Deen, modified from www.foodnetwork.com
Zucchini Crisp
Filling: Crust:
8 C. peeled zucchini 4 C. flour
thinly sliced like apples 1 1/2 C.
margarine
(remove seeds) 2 C. sugar
2/3 C. lemon juice dash salt
1 C. sugar 1 tsp.
cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Combine
zucchini and lemon juice, cook in pan until tender (about 30 min.) During
last 10 min. of cooking add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Combine all crust ingredients except cinnamon. Add 1/2 C. of the crust
mixture to the cooked zucchini.
Press half the remaining crust mixture into a 13x9 inch pan and bake at 375
degrees for 10 minutes.
Remove the crust from the oven and spread the filling evenly over it.
Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture and then the cinnamon on top of the
filling. Bake for 30 min. Recipe
by Christina Gagne
Zucchini Cucumber Soup
1 lb.
zucchini, chopped
3/4 lb. seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped (2 C.)
1/3 C. chopped sweet onion such as Vidalia
1/4 C. white-wine vinegar
1/4 C. water
1 tsp. chopped fresh hot green chile
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 C. sour cream
Purée
zucchini, cucumber, onion, vinegar, water, chile, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2
teaspoon coriander in a blender until very smooth.
Whisk
remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon coriander into sour cream.
Serve soup topped with dollops of sour cream.
Recipe
modified from www.epicurious.com
Pretty
Peach Soup
1 C. fresh raspberries
3 C. fresh peaches
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 C. peach nectar
1 C. plain yogurt
1/4 C. sugar (optional)
1 tsp. almond extract
Place
raspberries in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Strain and
discard seeds. Cover and refrigerate puree.
Place peaches and lemon juice in the blender; cover and process until
smooth. Transfer to a bowl; sit in nectar, yogurt, sugar if needed (if fruit
is tart) and extract. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
To garnish as shown in the photo, drizzle 1 tablespoon raspberry puree in a
3 inch circle on top of each serving. Use a toothpick to draw six lines
toward the center of circle, forming a flower.
Recipe
modified from www.allrecipes.com
Hot Curried Fruit
1 lb.
pitted dark sweet cherries
1 lb. pears, halved
1 lb. peaches, halved
20oz. can pineapple chunks (or substitute your favorite fruits in equal
amounts)
3/4 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. butter, melted
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
Drain pineapple, reserving juice.
In a greased 2-qt. baking dish, combine all fruit.
Combine the brown sugar, butter, curry, cinnamon, nutmeg and reserved juice.
Pour over
fruit.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 35-45 minutes or until heated through.
Recipe modified
from
www.allrecipes.com
Indian-style Okra
3
tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound sliced fresh okra
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
salt to taste
Melt butter
in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender.
Stir in the okra, and season with cumin, ginger, coriander, pepper and salt.
Cook and stir for a few minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and
cover the pan. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until okra is tender.
Recipe
from
www.allrecipes.com
Fruit with Peppered Honey
1/4 C.
honey
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Fresh stone fruit (peaches, apricots, etc.)
1/4 C. soft fresh cheese (goat or sheep)
Combine
honey and pepper in small pitcher; stir to blend.
Cut fruit in half and remove pit. Spoon 1 tsp. cheese into center of each.
Arrange fruit on platter; drizzle with peppered honey.
Recipe
modified from www.epicurious.com
Lamb with Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce
2 lb.
boneless lamb, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 tsp. garam masala
salt to taste
2 tbsp. butter, divided
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric (optional)
1/2 tsp. minced ginger
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 C. water
1/2 C. sour cream
1 tbsp. honey
1 C. chopped fresh cilantro
Season the
lamb with garam masala and salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large
skillet over medium heat. Fry the lamb cubes until browned, stirring
constantly. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Melt the
remaining butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and
season with turmeric, ginger, and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion is
tender and spices are fragrant. Stir in the chili powder and tomato paste
until well blended, then stir in the water. Bring to a simmer and return
lamb to the skillet. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until
lamb is tender.
When the
lamb is cooked, stir in the sour cream and honey. Transfer to a serving dish
and garnish with cilantro.
Recipe modified from
www.allrecipes.com
Peachy Tossed Salad
10 oz. fresh
salad greens
1 medium fresh peach, cut into wedges
1/2 C. thinly sliced cucumber
1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 C. red onion, thinly sliced into rings
CREAMY POPPY
SEED DRESSING:
2/3 C. vegetable oil
1/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. white vinegar
1/4 C. sour cream
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1/2 tsp. salt
In
a large salad bowl, combine the greens, peaches, cucumber, feta cheese
and onion.
In
a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients; shake
well.
Serve with salad.
Recipe from www.allrecipes.com
Grilled Nectarines with Feta
4 nectarines, halved, pitted
Melted butter (for brushing)
1 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese
(preferably sheep's-milk feta)
Prepare barbecue (medium-high
heat). Brush nectarines with butter.
Grill nectarines, cut side down, until grill marks appear, 4 to 5 minutes.
Turn nectarines over.
Sprinkle with cheese, then pepper. Grill until grill marks
appear on bottoms, 4 to 5 minutes.
Recipe
from www.epicurious.com
Summer Bounty Salad
8 ears fresh
corn
1 tomato, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 C. Italian-style salad dressing
Husk
the corn and slice the kernels from the cob.
In
a large bowl, mix together the corn, tomato, zucchini, cucumber, onion and
red
bell pepper.
Pour
dressing over vegetables and toss to coat. Refrigerate until chilled,
at least 1 hour.
Recipe from www.allrecipes.com
Lemon Zucchini and Cucumbers
1 zucchini,
sliced into rounds
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 C. balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 lemon peel for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Steam
zucchini slices for 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the
steamer and cool slightly.
In
a salad bowl, combine the zucchini and cucumber slices. In a separate
bowl,
whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and
pepper.
Pour over the zucchini and cucumber.
Toss
to coat, then garnish with lemon peel.
Recipe
from www.allrecipes.com
Green Bean and Mint Salad
1 pound green beans
(any color**),
broken into 2-inch pieces
¾ C. coarsely chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of
water to a boil over high heat.**
Add the beans and boil them until
they are bright green and tender but still snappy, about 5 minutes. Drain
beans and run them under cold water to stop the cooking.
Toss the beans in a
big serving bowl with ½ C. of the mint and the remaining ingredients. When
ready to serve, toss in the remaining ¼ C. mint so that you have some
perky-looking herbs on the plate.
This salad gets better
if it sits for a while. Make it an hour or so before eating.
Recipe from At
Mesa’s Edge by Eugenia Bone
**Cooking Tips for Purple Green Beans
Once heat is
applied to purple green beans they will loose their color. A lot of home
cooks will take them home, boil them up and are very disappointed when the
color bleeds out and they're left with green green beans.
Most chef's agree
the best way to cook them and have them retain their best color is to
"butter baste" them. If you want to blanch them cookbook author Harold McGee
suggests you add a pinch of baking soda to the cooking water to help retain
their color.
Tips from www.greenbeansnmore.com
