Tabbouleh

Tags

bulgur, bulgur wheat, cucumbers, food, foodie, mint, parsley, recipe, salad, side, side dish, tomatoes, vegan, vegetarian

It’s difficult to find bulgur wheat here, so it’s been a while since I whipped up a batch of tabbouleh. I recently found a decently price on-line supplier, so it’s time to indulge again.

Tabbouleh

Ingredients:
1 c. bulgur wheat, 1 c. hot water, 1 medium cucumber, 1/2 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, 1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes (julienne strips), 1/4 c. chopped green onion, 1 1/2 c.  chopped parsley, 1/2 c. chopped mint leaves, 2 lemons, 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, olive oil, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, romaine lettuce (optional), feta (optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together bulgur and hot water. Allow to sit for an hour. Juice & zest lemons. Cut cucumbers and half tomatoes. Toss together all ingredients (except romaine & feta) and chill.

Serve over romaine lettuce and sprinkle with feta.

Now it’s your turn:
What’s for dinner tonight?

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Dear Readers, Are You Listening? It’s Me, Young Wifey

Tags

gardening, spiders, sunchokes, tomatoes

Where does one begin after a two month hiatus from blogging? My Our stress levels have been through the roof these past few months. We’ve kept so busy, that I haven’t had time to share anything with my readers (if I still have any…). It dawned on me today that it’s October. October?! OCTOBER!!! It’s been TWO MONTHS?! I used to be the type of person who would add a completed task to my to-do list, just so I could cross it off… It gave the illusion that I was more productive. Then I started blogging, and by sharing recipes, crafts & other updates, I felt more productive. I desperately need to get back in habit.

Now summer is gone… where did it go? Today, I bring you a little garden update…

Our cherry tomatoes have produced like crazy all July, August & September. Often  Pumpkin and I would eat them all before bringing the bounty to the house. Poor Hubster got his first tomatoes this past week. Only a few peppers grew this summer… these being the only three.

Possibly Our Last Harvest

The sunchokes are in bloom and we’re getting ready for an autumn harvest.

Sunchokes Greeting The Sun

After stumbling upon this beast amongst my tomatoes, I was done harvesting for a while…

I named this huge scary spider Charlotte…

Spiders… a definite sign of autumn!

What did I miss in your world?

Attn: Fellow bloggers, it might be a while before I can catch up on my reading. Please send me the link to your favorite post from the past two months.

Black Bean Soup

Tags

beans, black beans, dinner, food, foodie, peppers, postaday2011, recipe, soup, tomatoes, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian

I’ve mentioned several times before that Hubster isn’t a soup fan. Since soup was my father’s forte, I just can’t accept Hubster’s dislike. And soup in summer? It just tastes incredibly better with garden fresh veggies. Besides, our nights do get chilly here…

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:
1 qt. vegetable stock, 4 c. cooked black beans, 2 medium tomatoes, ½ c. shredded carrots, ½ red pepper, ½ green pepper, 2 scallions, 1 lime, fresh cilantro, ½ tsp. cumin, ½ tsp. coriander, fresh cracked black pepper, fresh ground sea salt

Version 1 Directions:
Dice tomatoes and peppers. Chop cilantro and slice scallions. Zest and juice lime. In a large soup pot bring vegetable stock, lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, scallions, salt & pepper to a boil. Add beans, tomatoes, carrots and peppers, cover and allow to simmer. Serve hot and garnish with a spring of fresh cilantro.

What’s not to love about fresh garden veggies?

Summer Veggie Pasta

Tags

dinner, food, foodie, light fare, lunch, pasta, postaday2011, recipe, side dishes, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, vegan, vegetarian, White Cat wine, zucchini

Everyone has their own favorite summer veggie pasta dish, the perfect light balance for a hot summer evening. Mine always varies depending on which fresh vegetables I harvest from my garden or purchase at the farmer’s market.

I prepared the linguini al dente according to package directions. Then, I sautéed a small minced shallot in White Cat wine (I also love cooking with Red Cat wine) and added fresh sugar snap peas, wedges tomatoes and sliced zucchini. I sprinkled in some dried basil (from a plant I harvested earlier this summer). Finally, I tossed the pasta into sautéed veggies and served with fresh grated pecorino romano.

White Cat Summer Veggie Pasta

This would be really excellent with shrimp… mmm… Too bad Hubster needs to eat too…

What fresh vegetables are in your summer veggie pasta dish this week?

Colorful Caprese

Tags

appetizer, basil, BBQ, bocconcini, ciliegine, cold food, dinner, entree, food, foodie, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, grape tomatoes, light fare, light lunch, lighter fare, lunch, mozzarella, mozzarella balls, picnic, postaday2011, pot luck, raw foods, recipe, salad, side dishes, tomatoes, vegetable, yellow tomatoes

Caprese is a summer classic, that’s why it’s my go to recipe. It’s always requested, but never the same. You can serve it sliced and stacked, as a kabob or cut and mixed as salad. At the beginning of the year, I served yellow tomato caprese for the teachers’ back-to-school. It seemed only fitting to use yellow tomatoes in my caprese for the end-of-the-year party today! So since I never serve anything exactly the same way twice, I’ll share my current variation. I halved golden grape tomatoes (first time I’ve found these at the store!!!), red grape tomatoes and the mozzarella balls (ciliegine). Then, I tossed them together with extra virgin olive oil, fresh chopped sweet basil, fresh ground sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. Just before serving I will drizzle with some balsamic vinegar.

Colorful Caprese

The hardest part is making sure the caprese is not devoured before leaving the house… with this dish, it’s not just Hubster, it’s also me!

Which summer dish do you prepare multiple variations?

Baked Tortellini

Tags

baked pasta, dinner, entree, food, foodie, lunch, mozzarella, parmesan, pasta, postaday2011, recipe, side dishes, spinach, tomatoes, tortellini, vegetarian

I love tortellini, I love them in pasta salad, soup and even baked. I prefer them filled with cheese or spinach or both. Hubster prefers meat in his tortellini.
This time I made it my way…  (I needed to… in order to get through the last week of school).

Baked Tortellini

Ingredients: 
1 batch of homemade tortellini (or one package), 1 package spinach, 1 small shallot (diced), 2 Tbsp. butter, 1/2 pint heavy cream, 2 large tomatoes, 2 1/2 c. of grated parmesan cheese, 2 c. shredded mozzarella

Directions:
Preheat oven 350°F. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Chop tomatoes and set aside. Chop spinach and wilt. Mix spinach and tomatoes in with tortellini and 1 c. parmesan. Spread evenly into casserole dish. Brown shallot in butter. Add heavy cream and 1 1/2 c. parmesan cheese, stir until thickened. Pour cream sauce over pasta and sprinkle on mozzarella cheese. Bake for 35 minutes. Serve hot with garlic bread or garlic knots.

Do you have a favorite tortellini recipe?

Brunch Eggs

Tags

breakfast, brunch, brunch eggs, brunch recipe, eggs, food, recipe, tomatoes

This post is a little late, but after finally sleeping in on Sunday I made one of my favorite brunch dishes. This was also the first brunch I made for Hubster about 5 years ago, I served it with my brunch salad and he thought I was crazy. Now, he loves the brunch potatoes I make with it and eats the salad without fuss.

Brunch Eggs

 

Ingredients:
4 english muffins or bread, olive oil, 8 fresh basil leaves, 2 c. diced tomatoes, 4 eggs, 8 slices of provolone

Directions:
Coat four small Pyrex ramekins with olive oil. Mix fresh basil with diced tomatoes and divide mixture into each ramekin. Make a small well in the tomato mixture and then crack an egg into each well. Bake the ramekins until eggs are done to your preference (350°F for about 20 minutes). Turn off the oven, top each ramekin with a slice or two of provolone cheese, and place back in the oven for two minutes. Right before serving, flip ramekin over a toasted pumpernickel bread. Garnish with a fresh basil leaf and a sprinkle of grated provolone.

*Usually I serve this on english muffins, however I had a few slices of tasty pumpernickel.

What is your favorite type of bread to use in recipes?