Coleslaw

 

I am in constant search of the best coleslaw. The tanginess of vinegar or citrus juice on crisp, uncooked veggies is just wonderful during hot summer days. I was looking for something I didn’t have to cook to heat up the kitchen, and also to use our green onions, which are basically the last things remaining in our poor August garden.

One of our raised garden beds is devoted (unintentionally) to only green bunching onions. We planted them two years ago thinking they were white onions–the ones that would produce a big head that we could pull all at the same time, braid together and store in a dark place for months to come. But nope, they weren’t white onions; instead they were green bunching ones. Instead of making one big head, the plant just puts on other green onions right next to it propagating itself. So we harvest a couple from a plant at a time, and the plant keeps on producing. Hence, we have a whole bed devoted to only onions. Oh well. They end up in just about every dish we make.

Ingredients:

1 one-pound head of green cabbage, cored, and cut into strips
1 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 c sugar
1 c grated peeled carrots
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/4 c mayonnaise
S&P

Instructions:

Put the chopped cabbage in a bowl. Add the vinegar and sugar and toss. Cover and let it stand for 30 minutes. Drain. Toss and let it stand for 30 more minutes. Drain again. (At this point, you can let it sit in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.) Next, add the carrots, green onions, mayonnaise, and S&P. Enjoy!

Thai Basil Chicken Stir-fry

When living in Iowa, I would always wish that July was 60 days long. I loved the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, and the wonderfully warm weather. Well, I guess I got what I wished for since I now have a seemingly endless July with sunshine and garden growth nearly year round. Despite our abundance of warm weather, I still do relish this month when it returns.

This dish makes use of Thai basil, which is slightly different than sweet basil. Thai basil has purple stems and flowers, and is said to have a more stable flavor under high or extended cooking temperatures.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 fresh red chilies, chopped
3 T white wine
2 green peppers, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 c Thai basil (or sweet basil), chopped
2-3 T cooking oil

Sauce:
3 T oyster sauce
2-3 T soy sauce
1 T fish sauce
2 T brown sugar

Instructions:

First, combine the sauce ingredients together and set aside. Chop your chicken. Put 2 T of this sauce over chicken and stir. Set aside to marinate a few minutes while you prepare your other ingredients. Set remaining stir-fry sauce aside.

Next, heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and wait for it to heat, then add the garlic and chili. Stir for one minute to release the fragrance, and then add the chicken plus a splash of white wine. Cook the chicken for 3 minutes (or until the chicken is opaque). Add a little more white wine as needed to keep pan moist.

Add the bell peppers and zucchini, plus 3/4 of the sauce. Cook until vegetables have softened but still retain some of their crispness (about 2 minutes). Reduce heat to medium-low, add the onions and remaining sauce. Next, remove from heat and fold in the fresh basil (basil will wilt down into the hot sauce).

Serve with plenty of rice, a splash of lime, and garnish with more Thai basil.

Blueberry Cordials

What’s a fun celebratory 4th of July drink? Blueberry cordials, of course! However, I’m about a month too late in posting this recipe, for you need at least 4 weeks to make it. But if make your cordials now, by August 4th you can relive the July 4th glory! Invite the neighbors over, pour some cordials in tiny glasses, get out the last box of sparklers, and you’ve got yourself a party.

The last post I did about blueberries showed our pathetic crop. Boo. So I had to supplement with local berries instead.

This recipe came from Epicurious.

Ingredients:

1 c sugar
2 c vodka
3 c blueberries

Instructions:

Wash the berries. Wash a quart mason jar well. Combine all ingredients in the jar. Make sure the lid is on tight and shake well. (The sugar won’t dissolve right away, which is fine. It takes days to do this.) Store in a cool, dark place for at least a month (or more). Once it’s ready, discard the berries. Pour into small glasses and serve as a desert drink or with tonic as a cocktail. Garnish with a strawberry or a wedge of watermelon. Keep it in the freezer where it will last a long time.

Pasta Salad with Kale

Cold pasta salads are a great summer staple. When the temps are warm, throwing some meat on the grill + this easy salad makes for a light and delicious meal.

We (still!) have kale and green onions growing, and our tomatoes are just starting to produce. I used all of these of course, but you can add just about anything you grow in your garden either cooked or raw. I think it would be great with roasted peppers, squash, eggplant, blanched asparagus, you name it.

This is one version of mine. I’m sure there will be many more permutations throughout the summer.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c orzo pasta
1 bunch kale, de-veined and chopped
4 green onions, chopped
3/4 c cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c kalamata olives, chopped
2 T Dijon mustard
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c lemon juice
2 t Herbs of Provence
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, shredded
S&P

Instructions:

In a pot of boiling water, cook the orzo pasta for 8-10 minutes, or until done. Strain, and run cold water over the pasta. Set aside. Chop all the vegetables. Mix the dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and S&P. Add the veggies to the pasta, and pour the vinaigrette over it. Add the cheese. This can be eaten immediately, or it can sit in the fridge and marinate for a couple of hours.

It’s best paired with Rosé wine and eaten outside on a hot summer day.

Carrot and Chickpea Salad

I pulled up the last of the carrots this past weekend. To honor their long-lasting season, I made a salad that used them as the focus instead of as just the garnish. This recipe comes from TWO of my favorite food bloggers: Deb Pearlman and David Lebovitz. Deb’s Smitten Kitchen just posted this last week, and of course I had to try it. I didn’t change much–mostly just sunflower seeds instead of pistachios only because I forgot to get those at the store–so most all the ingredients and instructions are Deb’s. It’s a good summery salad that has the right blend of sweet and savory.

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can chickpeas
1 T olive oil
1/2 t kosher salt
2 t cumin
1 lb carrots
1/4 c parsley
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 c lemon juice
3 T tahini
2 T water2 T olive oil
crushed jalapeno flakes  (or crushed red pepper flakes)

Instructions:

First, heat your oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the chickpeas and pat them dry. Combine the 1 T olive oil and 1/2 t salt and 2 t cumin in a bowl. Dump in the chickpeas and coat them well. Put them on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 minutes.

Next, make the dressing. Combine the garlic, lemon juice, tahini, water, and 2 T olive oil, and pepper flakes in a mason jar and shake well. Next, grate the carrots, chop the parsley, and combine in a bowl. Stir in the dressing.

Right before you’re ready to serve, add the nuts and the chickpeas. (If you add them too early, they’ll get soggy.)

We ate it with pork chops, lettuce from our garden, roasted potatoes, and Gary’s homebrewed beer.

 

Related Recipes:

Smitten Kitchen: Carrot salad with tahini and crisped chickpeas

David Lebovitz: Salade de carottes râpées

Chicken Curry with Coriander

An authentic Indian curry, I learned fairly recently, is not the dried yellowish spice that you can find at the grocery store. That is a Western invention. Traditional curry is a blend of spices that do have that yellow color, which comes from the turmeric. Another spice included in the blend is coriander, which we harvested from our garden last week.

The seeds of coriander are from the cilantro plant. They taste nutty, and some say even have a hint of orange flavor. When the seeds turn brown on the stems, they’re ready for harvest.

I wish I knew more about Indian cooking than I do, but the trick I’ve picked up is to saute your spices in your oil first. This flavors the oil and permeates everything else in the dish. I can’t say this is an authentic Indian recipe, but I will say it’s pretty tasty.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c rice
4 chicken breasts
2 T flour
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pepper, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (preferably zesty flavored)
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 t coriander seeds (or 1 t ground coriander, if that’s all you can find)
2 t cumin
1 t mustard seeds
2 t gram masala (or turmeric, or leave this out if you can’t find it)
1 t paprika
1/4 t cayenne pepper
S&P

Instructions:

First, start your rice. Add 3 cups to your 1 1/2 cups of rice, bring to a boil, and let simmer. While the rice is cooking, chop your chicken into bite-sized pieces. Get a skillet hot with olive oil. Dredge your chicken in flour, and saute until done, about 5-6 minutes. Take out of the skillet. Add more oil if you need to (don’t clean the skillet) and add all your spices. (Note: if you can’t find any of the Indian spices, you can cheat and use 4-5 T of curry powder instead.) Add the garlic, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, cumin, paprika, gram masala, and cayenne. (If my memory serves correct, I think the mustard seeds started popping once they got hot. Just a warning.) Stir for a minute or two. Next, add all the veggies: the onion, carrots, and peppers. Saute for 4-5 minutes. Next, put the chicken back into the skillet, and add the can of diced tomatoes. Mix together well. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Place on rice, and use a dollop of yogurt as a garnish.

Roasted Carrots

It’s toward the end of carrot season here. All that is left in our garden is the gnarled ones that are hard to peel.

{This carrot has legs! And it’s a little boy carrot, to be exact.}

This recipe came from The Forest Feast. Her carrots are far more beautiful than mine–the dish looks great when they’re oval cut–but I think the taste is probably comparable.

Ingredients:

6 carrots, peeled and cut into ovals
1 t paprika
1 t chili powder
1 t garlic powder
pinch of cayenne (optional)
2 T olive oil
S&P

Instructions:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop and peel the carrots. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Pour the olive oil over the carrots, and then the spices. Stir, and put on an insulated cookie sheet. Cook for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Related Recipes:

The Forest Feast: Roasted Carrots

Blueberry Pancakes

We have two young blueberry bushes in our yard that just started putting on fruit! But unfortunately, the amount of berries shown here is actually all of the berries on the entire bush–just enough to top my pancake. Although we don’t have many to share, North Florida has a bumper crop of blueberries this year. The local blueberries are so incredibly cheep so I’ve been buying lots and freezing them in order to have delicious tasting blueberries for pancakes and smoothies for months to come. Hopefully better luck next year with our two bushes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c flour
3 T sugar
1 3/4 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 1/2 c milk
3 T butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 c blueberries

Instructions:

Combine the wet ingredients in one bowl, and the dry ingredients in another. Mix the liquid ingredients in with the dry ones. Pour 1/4 c batter onto a hot skillet. Immediately toss a few berries on the top of the pancake. Flip when ready. Serve with syrup & more berries.

Green Beans with Olives

It’s green bean season around here! When I pick beans, I can’t help but sing that song about beans I learned as a kid:

Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart.
The more you eat, the more you fart!
The more you fart, the better you feel, so eat your beans for every meal!

So, yes, eat those beans and flaunt your flatulence! It’s good for you.

This recipe came from Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs green beans, trimmed
1 c green olives (or 1/2 c green olive tapenade, like I used)
1 c fresh parsley, chopped
2 anchovies
3 T olive oil
1 T red wine vinegar
S&P

Instructions:

First you need to blanch your beans. Bring a pot of water to a boil. And get a bowl of ice water ready. Throw your beans into the boiling water for 5-6 minutes, or until the beans are bright green. Strain the beans, and throw them into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

In a food processor, put the rest of the ingredients. In a bowl, mix the pureed mixture with the beans. They’re then ready to eat!

Related articles:

Martha Stewart: Green Beans with Olives

Shrimp and Grits

To pair with the collards I made earlier this week, I chose shrimp and grits. Shrimp and grits are another one of those typical Southern dishes. But I always shied away from making it because I could only find recipes that were loaded with butter and cream. As an experiment, I decided to omit nearly all of both in the shrimp and the grits, and you know what, it turned out pretty dang good. So I might not get five stars from Paula Deen, but oh well. My cholesterol level thanked me for it instead.

I used our green onions instead of a large white one. But large white onions will work, too.

Ingredients:

For the shrimp:
1 lb shrimp, shelled and de-veined
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions (or one onion), chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T paprika
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 T herbs of Provence
S&P
1 T coconut oil (or other oil)
1/4 c white wine
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 c chicken stock

Grits:
1 c corn grits (or polenta)
3 c water
1 T butter
S&P

Instructions:

First, start your grits. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a small stock pot. Add the salt and pepper. Next throw in the grits. Turn down to a simmer, and stir occasionally for 20 minutes. Don’t turn off the heat until you’re ready to serve, otherwise it will become hard.

Next, shell the shrimp and rinse. Coat with the paprika, herbs, cayenne, and S&P. Heat the T of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Throw in the seasoned shrimp. Cook 2 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet. Next throw in the pepper, onion, and garlic. Saute for 5-7 minutes. Add the wine, chicken stock, and Worcestershire. De-glaze the pan with the liquid. Throw the shrimp back in momentarily–just to heat them up–and then it’s ready to serve.

It’s great with collards or a big green salad.