Corn Salsa

 3 cups corn, freshly cut off the cob or frozen

1/2 cup chopped sweet or red onion

1-2 finely diced jalapenos, remove seeds and membranes for less heat, leave some for heat

1/2 cup chopped cilantro, or if you are cilantro opposed, use parsley

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice, about two small limes

1 TBS vinegar, I use garlic rice wine

1/2 tsp salt

fresh ground pepper, if desired

Stir all ingredients together. Adjust seasonings as desired. Can add chopped avocado. Refrigerate a couple of hours before serving for best flavor.

Arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. sugar

5-6 oz. baby arugula

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup shredded or shaved parmesan cheese

Mix dressing ingredients. Put arugula and parmesan in a bowl and pour dressing over. Mix well. 

Green Beans w/Roasted Veggies

I wanted to try roasting green beans with some veggies. I wasn't sure how well they'd hold up, so instead roasted onions and peppers and mixed with steamed/boiled green beans. They were a hit.

1 lb. Green Beans (I used string beans)
1 onion, slivered
1-2 Bell Peppers, sliced (Red, Orange, or Yellow or any combination)
2 TBS Olive Oil
Coarse Ground Salt & Pepper

Toss onions and peppers with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. While these are cooking, bring a pot of water to boiling.  Add a tad of salt and green beans. Boil 4 minutes. Drain.

Mix the green beans with the roasted vegetables, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.

Easy GF Green Bean Casserole

2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 cup sour cream
3 cans French style green beans, drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onions in butter until soft. Add the salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Heat gently until sour cream is melted smooth. Mix in green beans until they are coated with the sauce.

Transfer the mixture to a buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese and crushed chips over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot.

Cucumber Tomato Salad w/Avocado

This is a twist on Tomato Cucumber Salad

1 french cucumber, sliced or chopped

1-2 chopped tomatoes

1/2-3/4 cup sliced peppers, green, red, orange, yellow whatever you decide

1-2 stalks celery, sliced 

1 avocado, chopped

Dressing:

3 TBS white wine vinegar 

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 TBS sugar 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cut up vegetables, except avocado. Mix dressing ingredients and blend into vegetables.  Cut up avocado and gently blend.  Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Caprese Salad

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
1 lb sliced mozzarella cheese (or slice it yourself
3-4 tomatoes, sliced
Fresh basil leaves
salt & pepper
olive oil

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In a small pan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium-low heat. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes, or until balsamic vinegar is reduced to a thick glaze. Remove from heat and cool. 

Arrange alternating slices of tomato, cheese, and basil leaves. Drizzle with balsamic reduction, olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden make this a wonderful summer salad.

Carrot Salad

2-3 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/3 cup mayonnaise, or to taste
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
1/2 apple, diced or grated (optional)

Put grated carrots in a large bowl; toss with remaining ingredients. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Carrot Salad serves 4 to 6.

Asparagus with Vinaigrette

1 bunch asparagus
1/2 onion, sliced
1 egg, hard boiled and chopped 
1 TBS olive oil
1/4 tsp. course ground salt
1-2 TBS basil, chiffonade

Vinaigrette:
1 TBS red wine or rice wine
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
Dash of salt

Toss onions and asparagus with oil. Sprinkle with course salt. Can grill in a grill pan over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Or place on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Mix vinaigrette. Place asparagus and onions on a serving platter and pour vinaigrette over. Top with egg and basil.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Mushrooms
4-6 oz. Cream Cheese with chives (buy premade or follow this recipe)
1-2 TBS Real Bacon Bits
Butter or Coconut Oil
GF Panko Style Bread Crumbs

Remove stems from mushrooms, leaving the caps ready for filling. Mix the cream cheese and bacon bits and fill caps. Top with bread crumbs. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Sun Dried Tomatoes

Fearing our tomatoes might be ruined in a moment with the changing of seasons, Michael and I tried our hand at sun dried tomatoes. (In the dehydrator)

Perfection!

GF Panzanella Salad

I had never heard of panzanella salad, but with all of these lovely tomatoes from my garden, I went in search of a tomato salad recipe.  I was a bit disheartened to find recipes with french bread when we are gluten free.  That is until I realized I had a loaf of GF bread that was going to get moldy if I didn't eat it up quick.  Now that two more daughters and my mother-in-law has moved out, it wasn't very likely that the two of us left would finish the loaf. so I used PW's recipe for Panzanella (with a few obvious and not so obvious changes) to make a bread salad that was also gluten free.

So here is my version:

• 1 loaf Gluten Free Bread
• A variety of  Tomatoes, Cut or sliced (I used about 3-4 cups)
• 1 cup Basil Leaves, sliced or gently torn
• 1/2 cup smoked Gouda Cheese, cubed
• 1/2 sweet onion, slivered
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
• Salt And Pepper
• Olive Oil, For Drizzling

Because I didn't have french bread, I cubed the bread and spread it on a cookie sheet. I warmed it in the oven at 275 degrees for about 20 minutes so it was more like croutons, then cooled.

Place the bread in a bowl.  Add onion and tomatoes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Add cheese and basil and mix gently. Cover and allow to sit until ready to serve. (If it's going to be more than a couple of hours, you may refrigerate but tomatoes lose flavor and texture very quickly when chilled. My advice is never to chill/refrigerate tomatoes.)

Enjoy!

Tomato Salad

Am excited to harvest a variety of tomatoes this year.  We have Roma, grape, yellow pear, and regular but I don't remember the exact varieties of these that we have. Having just returned from a week long trip to Phoenix and trying to cook something from what I had on hand, I picked these tomatoes and made a salad.

About 2 cups Tomatoes, sliced or cut up
1/4 cup sliced Kalamata Olives
About 1/4 Fresh Basil Leaves
Fresh Ground Pepper

Dressing:
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 TBS Rice Wine Vinegar, garlic flavored

Place sliced/chopped tomatoes into a bowl. Add olives and basil.  Mix dressing and drizzle over salad. Grind some fresh pepper on top.

P.S. Don't refrigerate tomatoes.  They lose flavor and texture.

Three Bean Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 

1 1/2 cups cooked green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces

3/4 cup smoked Gouda Cheese, cut in cubes

1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:

2 TBS honey

1 TBS rice wine vinegar (I like the garlic flavored)

1 TBS dijon mustard
1 TBS olive oil

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp pepper 

Mix dressing ingredients.  I find that if I warm the honey slightly, it is easier to mix. Place remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Add dressing, coating all. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or more. Mix gently before serving. 

Creamy Potato Salad

In May, I was in New Orleans to celebrate my son's graduation from Tulane Law School. The graduation was spectacular, but ran nearly 3 hours.

 My daughter-in-law and son had planned to prepare Jambalaya for lunch, but since that afternoon was the smaller law school ceremony they picked up BBQ. Lauren mentioned the potato salad at this restaurant was her absolute favorite.  Instead of the usual mustard potato salad I'm familiar with this was made with a sour cream base. 

On Monday, I attempted this type of potato salad.  Did I mention it has bacon in it? I had planned to start with this recipe, and make changes based on my own taste.   Unfortunately, I bought what I thought were red potatoes, but they turned to mush while boiling.  At that point, I was so frustrated I didn't bother trying to mix and taste.  The more I mixed or stirred, the more mashed the potatoes became.

I had two helpings.  I think it was the bacon.  Who doesn't love bacon???

Potato Salad

3 lbs. Red Potatoes
3/4 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup Mayonnaise (Original recipe uses light sour cream and light mayo, which I did NOT do.)
6 Green Onions, Sliced
4 Slices Bacon, cooked and chopped
Coarse salt and pepper

Cut up potatoes and boil in salted water until just tender. Mix sour cream and mayo. Drain potatoes and fold in mayo mixture.  Add green onions and bacon. Can be served warm or chilled.  If chilling, add bacon right before serving.

It's funny, as I'm looking at the original recipe, the potatoes look kind of mashed.  I guess if I'd garnished my salad for the picture, the two wouldn't look that different.

Menu for Tuesday & Wednesday:

Tuesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Toasted garlic bagels, Salad
Actual: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Garlic Toast, Green Salad, Watermelon & Blueberries
Wednesday: Grilled Salmon, 3 bean salad w/smoked Gouda, Baked Potatoes
Actual: I stuck to the menu!

Kale Salad

I have only eaten kale a few times.  I found a bag of Kale with carrots cut in matchsticks and some red cabbage shreds.  The color was a lovely dark green, so I decided I needed to try it.  I even found a recipe on the back for dressing.  I wish I could remember who packaged it.  I tried googling it, but didn't find it.  I tweaked the dressing recipe as per usual.  My sister was here for dinner and had seconds (or thirds.)  I ate it the next day for lunch, and it was better than the first day.

8 oz. bag dino kale
2 TBS toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (I like the garlic flavored)
 1/4 cup olive oil
1  TBS sesame oil
1/2 TBS sugar
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper


Mix dressing in container with lid.  Shake to combine.  Pour over salad and toss.  Mix in sesame seeds.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more before serving.  Can be made a day ahead and kept in refrigerator.

Neon Green Coleslaw

I couldn't sleep the other night. I happened upon a cooking show. I don't normally watch cooking shows. I know, one would think because I enjoy cooking that I'd like to watch the experts at work. I don't.

Guests were asked what their last meal would be if they could eat anything, anywhere they'd like. One of them said, "a BBQ Sandwich from ___." (I promptly forgot the name.) It was a small diner, somewhere in Memphis, Tennessee that served BBQ sandwiches with coleslaw plopped atop and oozing out the sides of an enormous bun. Neon green coleslaw.

I had never heard of such a thing. I searched online for and sure enough, it was called mustard coleslaw. Not being a big coleslaw fan, but loving pulled pork BBQ, I thought I'd give it a try.

I made a big batch of Carnitas. They were delicious, but my goal was to have enough leftover to make BBQ Pork the following day. I wanted to concentrate my efforts on making the neon green coleslaw. And here it is:

I chose my ingredients based on what would work best to achieve the neon color. Having never tasted this before, this seemed the best way to come close to the original version of this dish. Maybe one day, I'll serve this to someone who has actually eaten in the South and see how it compares. In the meantime, it was delicious served next to a stack of BBQ.

Carrots & Spinach

I found this recipe on Flip Cookbook, a blog I recently ran across. I was craving spinach and needed a side dish. I saw this recipe with collard greens and thought I could substitute spinach. With a few carrots and onion, it was a nice side dish. I might experiment with the seasonings a bit next time, but this hit the spot.

1 9 0z. bag spinach
1 cup sliced carrots
1 onion, sliced or chopped
2 TBS peanut butter
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 cup hot water
1 TBS olive oil

Blend peanut butter into hot water. Saute onions & carrots in oil for a couple of minutes. Add cumin, coriander and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. Add the spinach into pan until wilted. Pour peanut butter over and cook a few minutes until carrots are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Simply Spinach

1 lb. spinach
1 TBS olive oil
3-4 minced garlic cloves
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until the garlic begins to brown. Add spinach to the pan, cooking and turning with a spatula, adding more spinach if it doesn't all fit in pan initially. Cover the pan and cook for an additional minute until completely wilted. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

Tomato & Asparagus Salad

1 bunch asparagus
2-3 cups grape, pear, or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, chopped
1 cup basil leaves, cut in ribbons
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella balls quartered, or crumbled goat cheese (optional)
1 TBS pine nuts (optional)

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. dijon mustard, can use honey mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Steam or microwave asparagus until tender. Rinse with cold water. Cut into 1 1/2-2 inch pieces. Place in bowl with sliced tomatoes, basil, and cheese. Mix dressing and pour over salad. Blend to coat. Gently fold in avocado. Top with pinenuts if desired.

(I first saw a version of this salad at Elana's Place, who adapted it from Cooking Light.)

Spinach Salad

I bought a huge container of spinach this week. I thought I'd make a salad one day, then maybe some creamed spinach. But after making this, Michael declared it his new favorite salad, you'd think I could remember to take a picture. We've eaten this 3 times this week. I still have fresh spinach leftover. Guess I'll have to eat the rest of it cooked.

A bunch of spinach, however much fills your salad bowl
2-8 slices crisp cooked bacon (this week I had precooked, shredded bacon I wanted to use up, but it would be even tastier with fresh cooked)
1/4 of a sweet onion, cut in slivers
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Mix salad ingredients in a bowl. Add dressing to coat spinach, as desired. Mix gently.

Red Dressing:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (I like the garlic flavor)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 TBS ketchup
Mix ingredients together in a container that can be shaken. Shake vigorously until well blended. Store in refrigerator. Recipe can be doubled.