What’s 4 Dinner Solutions Cookbooks – Page 5

Garden Fresh: A Few Grapes For Smoothies

I processed the few grapes I got this year into juice that I then add to my morning shakes. My neighbor gave me a handful of passion fruit, as an exchange for all my plums her toddler loves to eat. So I also added those to my shake this morning.

Not exchange was not necessary, he can have all the plums he wants! He’s a pandemic baby, born just as we went into lockdown, so I have probably seen more of him than I normally would, as mom and dad walked around the neighborhood several times a day and my office faces the street. Socially distant chats were a welcome diversion.

It’s been my pleasure to watch him grow and start walking and now starting to talk, enough to make his desire to pick plums from my tree clear. Still a nice distraction from work, as far as I’m concerned.

This morning’s smoothie:

Mixed Berry Smoothies

1 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup ea: blueberries and raspberries, frozen
4-6 whole strawberries, frozen
1/4 cup fresh grape juice
2 passion fruit (scooped from shell)
opt: 1 tbsp ground flax and 1 scoop whey powder

blender

Add all ingredients to the blender and blend well. This makes 2 thick smoothies. For more of a milkshake consistency, add 6 ice cubes and blend well. I use frozen fruit, so I don’t add the ice cubes, but sometimes a bit of water to make a smooth consistency.

x-posted at What’s 4 Dinner Solutions

Fresh Summer Salsas

The tomato harvest has been lackluster this year. Weird weather has caused the fruit to be small and slow to ripen. Some I’m afraid are not going to ripen at all. The San Marzano, which should be about the size of a Roma, look more like cherry tomatoes. Early Girls are anything but early and no bigger than golf balls. And I have to wonder what the Park Wonders would look like in a good year – beefsteak size for sure. Flavor has been great on all of them, but I take comfort in that.

Since the jalapenos are not only abundant this year, but incredibly hot, I decided to try and roast them to bring out a bit of the sweetness. It wasn’t all that successful, but I did manage to make a couple of jars of pickled jalapeno and freeze them to use sparingly in cooking over the winter.

I set a few aside to make salsas this week. I went with Fresh Salsa (recipe below) and Cucumber Salsa to cut some of the heat (recipe here).

For most of the summer, whenever I grill, I toss an onion on to the grill and let it roast until the grill cools down, so usually about 20-30 minutes on the back of the grate. The flavor can’t be beat and it slips right out of the skin. I refrigerate and add to various recipes. This week, it’s the salsas.

As the weather cools, I may roast a dozen or so and freeze them – they lose their shape but are great in soups and stews and with roasts.

Fresh and Easy Salsa

4 tomatoes, quartered
6 green onions
2 tsp crushed garlic
½ to 1 bunch cilantro, remove stems
2 to 4 jalapenos*, remove stems
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
dash of limejuice if desired

blender or food processor

In blender or food processor, add all ingredients and coarsely chop until blended well**. If you can make a day ahead, it gets even better. Seal in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week.

**If you prefer a chunkier style salsa, you’d be better off chopping vegetables by hand.

How is your garden looking this summer?

x-posted at What’s 4 Dinner Solutions

Summer Favorites: Caprese Pasta Salad

If you’re wondering why I’m posting so many recipes it’s because as I finish up the first Duxbridge Mystery (Recipe for Murder) I am comtemplating what recipes to include. And besides, who couldn’t use a good summer salad mid-August?

X-posted at What’s 4 Dinner Solutions:

This one is a regular at the dinner table. Visiting local farmer’s markets offered me the chance to change this dish up with flavored fettuccini pasta a couple of times.

Pasta Caprese

9 oz linguine or fettuccine
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
4 oz cubed mozzarella
salt & pepper to taste

saucepan and large serving dish

Prepare pasta according to package directions. While it’s cooking, mix remaining ingredients together. Drain pasta completely (dab with paper towels, if necessary) then add to tomato mixture. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors blend. Serve warm or you can refrigerate and serve cold. Add a nice loaf of bread for a complete dinner.

I use a fairly expensive mozzarella for this dish because it’s softer, tastier, and absorbs more flavors. Any locally produced mozzarella would work. Also, my local farmers’ market has a pasta vendor, who hand-makes many flavors of pasta. This dish works very well with flavored pastas – fire roasted chili, lemon pepper, tomato basil, red bell pepper – the list goes on. You can also change-up the cheese to a Queso Blanco (again, use a fairly expensive or locally produced one), use cilantro instead of basil and use a chili flavored pasta for a whole new dish. The possibilities are endless.

Peach Week Dinner Menu: Peach Chutney on Grilled Pork

Jeffrey W Pickled Peaches

Fires and late freezes last year left us with very few peaches from the Western Slope. But this year, a bumper crop means a fresh delivery from the Palisades farms every few days. I buy a few each time, so that I don’t have to many overripening on the counter.

This is one of my favorite peach recipes. Great on grilled pork or chicken.

On the board tonight:

Grilled Pork Chops
Peach Chutney
Green beans in Butter
Couscous

Grilled Pork Chops w/Peach Chutney

4 pork chops, medium thickness
½ tsp crushed garlic
salt & pepper to taste
2 tsp olive oil
½ cup Peach Chutney

Mix together garlic, salt, pepper and oil and brush over both sides of chops. Grill over medium-high coals for 5 to 7 minutes on one side, turn and top with ¼ of chutney on each chop. Grill additional 5 to 7 minutes, until cooked to desired doneness. Serve immediately, with additional chutney if desired.

Peach Chutney

2 large peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
4 green onions, chopped
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp ground ginger or 1 tbsp minced fresh
¼ tsp chili powder
salt to taste

small saucepan

Add all ingredients to saucepan, heat to boiling – stirring constantly, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered, until slightly thickened.

Shopping list:

4 boneless pork chops (medium thickness)
2 large peaches
4 green onions
4 oz golden raisins
16 oz green beans, or whatever veggie might be fresh from the garden
couscous (usually a 6 oz box works fine)

Also: crushed garlic, olive oil, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ground ginger, chili powder

For all the peach week recipes, click here

For JeffreyW’s Pickled Peaches, click here.

x-posted at What’s 4 Dinner Solutions

Farmer’s Market Dinner Menu: Garden Fresh Pasta

It’s my favorite time of the year for cooking when I can choose fresh ingredients from my garden or the farmer’s market. It so easy to toss pasta with fresh produce and have a quick, light dinner.

On the board:

Garden Fresh Pasta
Steamed Zucchini
Crusty loaf
Sliced Peaches (add a touch of sugar to bring out the juices)

Garden Fresh Pasta Sauce

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 teaspoons crushed garlic (start with one, add more as desired)
4-6 medium to large tomatoes, rough chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves – more as desired
2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves (I like a cute little leaf called ‘pizza oregano’) – more as desired
1 carrot, finely shredded
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes if you desire some heat

saucepan & pasta serving bowl

Heat oil in saucepan, add onions and garlic; saute on medium heat until onions are translucent (don’t carmelize onions or scorch garlic). Add remaining ingredients and simmer until tomatoes are soft. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. Add to tomato mixture and toss.

serve with grated parmesan.

Serves 4 generously.

x-posted at What’s 4 Dinner Solutions