So, the garden has been producing like crazy! We have tomatoes, cucumbers and I just picked my first two green peppers last night.
Lots of tomatoes and cucumbers mean we’ve been making some of our favorite summertime recipes, which I thought I’d share with all of you again. What are your favorite recipes to make with produce from your garden?
Here are mine:
Tomato Basil Bruschetta
This one is so super easy. Just start with some tomatoes, basil, garlic and onion.
Chop them up.
Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
And enjoy!
This recipe makes approximately 12 servings, depending on whether you add the topping to the bread or people serve themselves.
Ingredients:
* 8 ripe garden fresh tomatoes, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 red onion, Spanish onion or sweet onion, chopped
* 6 to 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* 1 loaf Italian or French bread, cut into 1/2 inch diagonal slices (Jimmy John’s Day old bread works great and is only 42 cents a loaf!)
1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil and olive oil in a bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
3. Arrange bread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Spread with a THIN layer of butter and broil until it begins to brown slightly.
4. Remove bread from oven and transfer to a serving platter.
5. Serve the tomato mixture in a bowl with a serving spoon and let everyone help themselves. Or place some on each slice of bread before serving. If adding the tomato mixture yourself, add it at the last minute or the bread may become soggy.
Roasted Veggies
This can be done with not only tomatoes, but anything else you have growing in your garden like eggplant, peppers, onions or squash.
Wash and slice veggies. Arrange on a foil-lined pan. Drizzle some olive oil, salt, pepper and feta or parmesan cheese. Broil until golden brown — about 5 minutes. yum!
Avocado Salad.
Ingredients:
2 avocados
1 roma tomato (or a fresh garden tomato)
1 t. red onion
lime juice, salt and pepper.
Chop avocado, tomato and onion. Squeeze half a lime, salt and pepper to taste. Toss n serve. Eat immediately and eat it all as it does not keep well.
Garbanzo Pasta Dish
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, or 2 teas. already chopped garlic
zucchini, 1 large or 2 small
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can garbazos
4 oz. spaghetti, or other pasta you have on hand.
1 small can tomato sauce
spinach, 3-4 cups, fresh
fresh or dry basil
Parmesan cheese, feta is nice too.
Boil spaghetti. While that is cooking, heat oil at medium high in a large, deep skillet. When oil is hot, add garlic. Let cook 1 min. Add zucchini. Turn down heat to medium/medium low. Let cook for two to three minutes. Add tomatoes. Stir. Add garbanzos. Stir. Let everything cook for another minute or two. By now, spaghetti should be done. Drain and add to skillet. Add tomato sauce. Stir. Add spinach. Cover. Let it steam for a minute or two, then stir everything together. Top with basil and cheese and serve.
Pesto
Ingredients:
1 cup basil, 2 T olive oil, 2 T grated parm cheese (yes I just use the cheap Kraft stuff), 1 t salt, 1 t pepper (sea salt and freshly ground work nice), 2 cloves garlic (or 2 teaspoon of the already chopped stuff, or I’ve used garlic powder before too, like 1/2 t)
Put all in a food processor or mini chop chop like I do, and viola! Pesto! Mix in warm pasta. It also is good with chopped tomatoes and grilled chicken.
Cucumber Pasta Salad aka Tim Salad
Peel, slice and soak 1 large or 2 medium cucumbers in 2 parts vinegar, 1 part water overnight.
The next day when you are ready to eat, boil a 12 oz package of small salad macaroni. Cook according to package directions until it is al dente. Drain. Let cool a bit, rinse with cool water. Drain cucumbers over macaroni. Transfer everything to a big bowl. Stir in one 16 oz. container of sour cream. Enjoy immediately! It is best right when it is mixed together. Top with salt and pepper.
Sandi’s Favorite Cucumbers
Peel, slice and transfer several cucumbers to a large bowl. Add several rings of red onion (it looks prettiest). Add salt and pepper to taste (about a teaspoon each). Top with 4 T. Kraft Cucumber Ranch. Cover with lid, shake, let sit in fridge for a few hours. Enjoy!
Tim and Sandi’s Vinegar Cucumbers
Peel, slice and transfer cucumbers to a large bowl. (I like to also add several rings of red onion, but Tim hates onions.) Add 1 tablespoon sugar and salt and pepper to taste (about a teaspoon each). Let cure in fridge a few hours. Enjoy! Tim then likes to top his with some sour cream, and I light cucumber ranch. Or they are good plain too.
A Writing, Daydreaming Fool 
Comments