Recipe: Avocado Salad Wraps
Posted by Jenny Lewis Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dishes, Quick Meals, Recipes, Summer Cooking, Fruit, Salad, Vegetables, Vegetarian
It’s summer, and the food lobe of my brain turns to one thing when the weather starts warming up - avocados. Being on the East Coast, avocados are definitely my favorite summertime-only indulgence, and they are well worth the wait in all of their forms. Another recipe from Clean Eating magazine, these Avocado Salad Wraps are fantastic as a light lunch or, when paired with some bread or tortillas, a stove-free dinner on a hot day.
Ingredients:
- 2 T Dijon mustard
- 1 medium ripe avocado, diced
- 1 medium ripe tomato, chopped into pieces the same size as the avocado
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- lime juice (optional)
- 4 big lettuce leaves (romaine works great)
Preparation:
Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl. If the wraps aren’t going to be eaten right away, toss some lime juice into the bowl with the salad.
Divide the salad between the 4 lettuce leaves, wrap and enjoy! Or, if you’re like me, eschew the lettuce altogether and eat the salad straight out of the bowl.
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| Clean Eating Magazine
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Recipe: Summer Pasta Salad
Posted by Jenny Lewis Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dishes, Recipes, Summer Cooking, Cheese, Salad, Vegetables, Vegetarian
This pasta salad is one of my favorite potluck contributions. Because of the fact that the pasta has to be completely cool - at most room temperature - before assembling the salad, it’s a great dish to start at night and finish the next day. Here’s a recipe for a great Summer Pasta Salad:
Ingredients:
- 1 Lb smallish, shaped pasta (rotini, farfalle, macaroni, anything small and easily fork-able)
- 1/2 bottle of Italian dressing (not creamy)
- 4 T Salad Supreme
- 1 12 to 14 inch cucumber or two smaller ones, peeled and seeded
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and halved
- 4 ounces Provolone cheese (this is usually 4 slices of prepackaged sliced cheese)
- 4 ounces salami (again, usually 4 slices of prepackaged sliced meat, but this can also be 4 ounces from a whole salami)
Click to continue reading Recipe: Summer Pasta Salad
Summer Produce: Watermelon
Posted by Jenni Burns Categories: Breakfast, Summer Cooking, Fruit, Vegetarian
One of the things I really look forward to come summer is all the wonderful fresh produce that we have available to us. During the summer I usually buy most of my produce at open market on the corner of Burlington Blvd and Hwy 20. They seem to have the best prices and the produce is fresh and local. My kids have enjoyed sitting down to a bowl full of nice juicy watermelon for breakfast at least once a week. It’s so refreshing to eat just fruit for breakfast, and to be able to eat enough of it to fill you up, you can afford it now because the prices are so good. Take advantage of these opportunities now because in just a few short weeks we are going to be heading (gasp!) into the fall season! Can you believe it?! Well, I’m heading tonight to pick up some of that wonderful juicy watermelon for breakfast tomorrow.
Tip on picking a good watermelon: I was always told that a good tip is to put your ear close to the melon and knock on it. If it is hollow sounding you know that it is juicy. Here is a discussion on choosing a good watermelon. Enjoy!
September Eat Local Challenge
Posted by Jenni Burns Categories: Summer Cooking, Cheese, Dairy, Fruit, Vegetables, Festivals
In my searching for lemons the other day I came across something that I thought was really interesting. The Eat Local Challenge, is a 30-day challenge to eat from your local foodsheds as well as preserving September’s harvest for the winter months. There is nothing better than eating fresh produce that was grown and picked this week at the farm down the road, except maybe growing it yourself! Another aspect of The Eat Local Challenge is to get the message out about the farmers in your area. You can help advertise locally by blogging about what you’ve enjoyed and you can add photos you’ve taken to the flickr Eat Local Pool.
My family and I love to visit our local Farmer’s Market on Saturday to drool over all the delicious fruits, vegetables, freshly baked breads, and wonderful cheeses, as well as all the beautifully handcrafted pieces! Then we usually sit down to enjoy a crepe or two while the kids dance to the country music. It’s a lot of fun, hopefully we will make it this coming weekend and will post some photos! There is something great about community. I think what I love the most about the local markets is that you can shake the hand who planted the veggies you are going to take home to prepare a delicious meal for your family. So this is just a reminder, go and support your local farmers this September, shake their hand and tell them how much you appreciate all their hard work, because without them most of us would go hungry!
Recipe: Caviar and Egg Salad Sandwiches
Posted by Janie Franz Categories: Lunch, Recipes, Summer Cooking, Eggs, Parties
These delicate sandwiches were inspired by a friend who made an egg salad and caviar pie for her guests. The delicate egg salad is a good foil for the tang of the caviar.
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs, hard-cooked, peeled
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp. dill, finely minced
- 3 tbsp. butter, softened
- 1 small jar of black caviar
- 5 tbsp. yogurt
- 10 slices bread
Preparation:
Slice peeled eggs into a bowl and mash with the back of a fork. Add mayo, dill, and salt and pepper. Mix until well blended.
Trim the crusts from the bread and spread one side of each slice with butter. Put 2 tbsp. egg salad on five of the buttered slices. Spread 1 tbsp. of yogurt over the egg mixture on each sandwich. Top with a half tsp. or so of caviar for each sandwich and spread carefully. Cover with the remaining buttered bread slices. Cut into triangles.
Recipe: Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Tarragon Butter
Posted by Janie Franz Categories: Lunch, Recipes, Summer Cooking, Parties
The ultimate English tea sandwich is made with delicate cucumbers. With the addition of sweet Tarragon Butter, it becomes a heavenly addition to anyone’s summer tea table.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, sliced thin
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 tbsp. fresh tarragon, minced
- 2 tbsp. parsley, minced
- Squeeze of lemon
- Dash of salt
- 14 slices bread
Preparation:
Place cucumber sliced in a ceramic bowl. Add salt and vinegar and toss. Let them stand at least for 1 hour until most of the water comes out of the cucumber. Drain in a colander.
Put the softened butter in a bowl. Add minced tarragon and parsley, lemon, and salt. Mix well.
Spread Tarragon Butter on one side of each slice of bread. Cover with cucumber slices. Close sandwiches. Trim crusts and cut into triangles (halves or quarters). [Note: You may trim the bread before you assemble the sandwiches.]
Muffuletta Tea Sandwiches Recipe
Posted by Janie Franz Categories: Lunch, Recipes, Summer Cooking, Condiments, Salad, America, Southern, Parties
These tea sandwiches are spicy and make a great addition to a summer tea. They are based on the New Orleans favorite Muffuletta, a garlicky olive salad. You can also add thinly sliced meats to the cheese if you wish.
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. steak buns (6) (with sesame seeds if possible)
- Olive Salad - Recipe Below
- 12 slices Havarti Cheese, sliced paper thin
- Herb Butter - Recipe Below
Olive Salad
- 1/3 cup green olives, pitted, minced
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely minced
- ½ tsp. oregano, finely minced
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 drops green pepper sauce
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together.
Herb Butter
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 tsp. garlic, minced finely
- 1 tbsp. roasted red bell pepper, minced
- 2 tsp. parsley, minced
- 1/4 tsp. lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp. Dijon mustard, coarse stone ground
- 1/4 tsp. each, marjoram, chives, oregano, tarragon (or any combination of fresh herbs), finely minced
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients into the softened butter.
Slice buns, if they aren’t pre-sliced. Butter inner side of each bun. Spoon 1 tsp. of Olive Salad on the bottom halves of the buns. Top with 2 slices of cheese each and the buttered bun tops. Slice into quarters. Let the Muffuletta sit for at least an hour and then serve.
Raspberry Tea Refresher Recipe
Posted by Janie Franz Categories: Recipes, Summer Cooking, Fruit, Tea
Raspberries are great in almost anything. When you combine them with iced tea, you have a winning combination.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups boiling water
- 6 tea bags
- ice and cold water to fill a half-gallon pitcher
- one-half cup of frozen or fresh raspberries
- sprig of mint (optional)
Preparation:
Boil the water and add 6 tea bags. Allow to steep for 10 minutes. Add raspberries and let the flavor develop for another 10 minutes. Strain and pour into a half-gallon pitcher. Add ice cubes and enough water to fill the container. Garnish with mint leaves.
A Simple Recipe for Perfect Lemonade
Posted by Janie Franz Categories: Lunch, Features, Recipes, Summer Cooking, Juice
It doesn’t get much simpler than lemonade. It’s refreshing, delicous, and works nicely in any season - particularly summer. While there are many variations, here is a recipe for the perfect, basic lemonade:
Ingredients:
- 4 lemons, squeezed
- 1 cup sugar
- Enough cold water to fill a half-gallon pitcher
Preparation: Squeeze the juice from 4 lemons and pour into a half-gallon pitcher. Add sugar and cold water, leaving room for ice. Stir vigorously to dissolve the sugar. Add ice, and garnish with lemon wedges.
Summer is just the right time to show off your artistic side, not only in an edible collage of colors, tastes, shapes, and textures in your salads, but also in your tableware. Though a colorful salad will look good on any plate or bowl, sometimes you just want to make a more intense visual splash at the table. Salad plates are just one way to slow off your creativity. Smaller than a dinner plate, salad china can match your dinnerware or they can be bold solid colors that complement your tableware. Mediterranean designs and rustic stoneware can also add a summer feel to your salad course. But, serving up a green salad on a sunflower-painted plate or putting a pasta salad on a plate that looks like a cabbage leaf will get your guests talking. This is an especially nice touch to do when you are hosting a summer luncheon or tea. And, if you are having trouble getting your youngsters or even your spouse to eat their veggies, put your salads on red or red-orange plates. Psychologists say that these warm colors stimulate the appetite.
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