Farm Market Veggies and Leftover Spaghetti
August 4, 2011 - Written by Diana
My son’s specialty is now making spaghetti with sauce. The most difficult part was NOT overcooking the pasta, believe it or not. He’s not too keen on figuring out portions, which is why he just makes a whole box (pound) of pasta every time. While this could cause some problems with waste, I’ve found a way to take the leftover pasta and make another meal with it using farm market and garden veggies. Saute a few veggies, add in the pasta, a little more oil and white whine, toss until heated along with some herbs from the garden and voila you have a great dish. We served this topped with a luna burger. I had the garden thyme, my husband had a barbecue . My daughter said she wanted real meat, but my son crumbled the burger up and mixed it in with the pasta. My husband and I just broke off pieces with the fork then grabbed up some pasta and veggies on the same fork and ate it that way. Let me tell you, it …
Melon & Blackberry Fruit Salad Tossed with a Mint Simple Syrup
July 24, 2011 - Written by Diana
We were invited to my brother in law’s for a small family cookout, and I wanted to throw together something cool and delicious for a side dish. We bought melons and blackberries at our local farmer’s market. The mint is something my daughter and I have been trying to cultivate in our garden. Mint can get out of control easily, so we’re planting patches of mint down at the bottom of the legs of our deck. It can go out of control all it wants down there. We have one mint plant my husband mowed totally down to the nub and after it grew back, then my son scalped it with the weed whacker and it’s back again. I need hardy plants with the two of them around because they can’t tell the difference between weeds and herbs. I am loving all the different things I can put mint into, it’s so tasty.
Quick Quinoa Burgers
January 28, 2011 - Written by Diana
Quick Quinoa Burgers is from The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth by Jonny Bowden and Jeannette Bessinger. When Deb, Desiree and I were younger, my dad tried the meatless burger thing. He used birdseed – or rather millet, but they were dry and not very tasty. I tried this meatless burger thinking it would end on the same note, but I really was surprised at how good they were. No, they don’t taste like burgers, not at all, but they are packed with flavor. Where the recipe said to use a quality salsa – I used my canned salsa. Where it said to use canned kidney beans, I substituted pinto beans that I made up earlier in the week, and it had a little garlic flavoring in it. I also topped the burger and sauce with chopped avocado. Deb are you listening – this meal had quinoa, avocado and salsa in it, you will like it.
Ingredients:
(Burger)
- 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans
- 1/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
- 2 oz grated or crumbled cheese (or 1/4 cup nutritional yeast for a vegan option)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup cooked heirloom …
Big Bowl of Whole Grainy Dinner Goodness
January 27, 2010 - Written by DianaTonight’s dinner was inspired by a store bought frozen lunch I had today. It had beans, whole grain orzo, dried cranberries, spinach and a little bit of cheese. I enjoyed it quite a bit and thought I would use it as inspiration to create my own big bowl of whole grainy goodness. Even though the barley and quinoa stuck to his braces, my son thought it was delicious. My husband also liked it a lot too. I know my daughter would have enjoyed it, and that she would have grabbed the leftovers thrown salad dressing over top and had it cold for lunch the next day. One thing I would have changed would have been to add in more chard. I dug through the snow to find what chard I could from the raised beds in the garden. I found some small leaves, only about 7 or 8, but it was enough to give it a little color and flavor. I just wish I had more. It’s so cool to go dig through the snow for chard in the middle of winter, but your fingers get awfully cold and you have to be careful that they don’t stick to the …
Gingered Carrots & Kohlrabi
November 15, 2009 - Written by Diana
Kohlrabi, kohlrabi, kohlrabi, kohlrabi, kohlrabi, kohlrabi, kohlrabi. There’s a joke that goes – If you say the name of something 7 times it’s yours for life, and then some girl says – John, john, etc. It doesn’t matter how many times I say kohlrabi, my mental picture doesn’t match up with that name and I go blank trying to remember. Kohlrabi is a nice crunchy vegetable, similar to a turnip, but tastes more like a cross between cabbage and turnips to me with a little bit of sweetness. My sister in law adds it to salads, or just peels and slices it up for people to chew raw. My dish was baked, bringing out another level of flavor.I peeled off the leaves, scraped off the skin and julienned the kohlrabi along with some carrots. I used my frozen ginger in this dish, which smells so wonderful when grating. I did all the mixing right in the baking dish, so it’s truly a one pot dish. Even though this would have served more , with my …
Lemongrass-Basil Yellow Squash and Potatoes
September 1, 2009 - Written by DianaIs there another name for yellow squash? I only know it as yellow squash, but it’s so tasty I think it deserves a nicer name. Since it’s major harvest and put up time, soccer season, football and band season, I find my dinners are rather lackluster and repetitive. I have lots of stuff, but my inspiration is waning as I think about my days and evenings ahead. Last night though, I had my Yellow Squash and Potatoes out, trying to decide what to do and then it hit me – Lemon Grass and Basil are just sitting in the herb beds waiting to be used. Well not so much the basil since the Japanese beetles have been munching away at it, but I’ve flicked them into the soapy water bath. Best way to take care of those things is with a bowl of soapy water. I do tend to use a lot of the same ingredients over and over, because they come from our garden. I keep expecting my son to say – No Not Chard AGAIN!!! and run off screaming into the night, but so far he hasn’t.
Anyway, this tasty side dish was divine with our steak …
Shredded Vegetable Bake
July 28, 2009 - Written by DianaI tried out this recipe from the Vegan Cook’s Bible by Pat Crocker. We’re not Vegans, but we do enjoy all different types of dishes. While my kids and husband are good about trying all different types of meals unlike their friends, they are really great about eating meatless meals. The Shredded Vegetable Bake was delicious and used vegetables from my garden. We served it with a tomato, cucumber salad on the side.
Ingredients:- 3 potatoes shredded
- 1 onion shredded
- 1 carrot shredded
- 1/2 rutabaga shredded (I used two turnips)
- 1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
- 2 tbs nuts
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbs olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly oil 2 9X13 in baking pans.
In large bowl …
Bean salads: healthy fast food
August 6, 2008 - Written by RobinThis took me all of five minutes to make!
I ate this with a toasted whole wheat roll, avocado slices and some fresh corn on the cob. Bean salad is great when it’s 90 degrees out and you want something super easy to prepare. You could also stuff it in a pita and have it for lunch. It’s also a great side dish for a more ambitious meal.
I used:
1 can or drained and rinsed cannellini beans (2 cups cooked dried beans if you like)
1 TBL olive oil
1 TBL balsamic vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic (use one if you’re not a garlic addict like me)
1/2 of a small vidalia onion, finely chopped
seasoning to taste: Mrs. Dash Italian Blend, kosher salt, and shredded fresh basil or whatever you feel like. Parmesan cheese is also optional.
To prepare, stir everything in a bowl and serve. You can even serve it in the mixing bowl (as I clearly did!)
