Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Gazpacho!

So this was the first time I've made gazpacho, I don't know why, given that there are a bazillion recipes out there, and it always seemed like I was out of one or two things, but today, faced with a bevy of veggies and not enough time/appetite to eat them all, gazpacho came to mind.

My ingredients:

  • Fresh from the garden tomatoes (yes, it's almost September and I FINALLY have ripe tomatoes)
  • Cucumbers
  • Zucchini
  • Carrot (only one carrot, that's all that was in the fridge)
  • Celery
  • Onion
  • Lemon Juice
  • Worcestershire Sauce
  • Hot sauce
  • Horseradish
  • Minced garlic
  • EVOO
  • Salt & pepper to taste
Roughly chop all veggies and place them in a food processor and pulse for a moment until everything is blended.

I added the following:
  • 2T lemon juice
  • 1T Worcestershire
  • 1T Hot sauce
  • 1/2T horseradish
  • 1/2T garlic
  • Drizzle of EVOO
  • Salt & Pepper
Blend again until everything is combined.

The result?  Pretty good!  It's got just a little bit of heat to it, but I want to see how it tastes tomorrow before I decide to add anymore.   (And the jury is in, it's got the perfect amount of heat for me.  You may want to cut back if you don't want a lot)  What a super simple way to use up veggies, have a super delicious meal and feed a crowd!


Thursday, August 11, 2011

Zucchini pasta

No grains?  No problem!  Vegetarian?  This is the meal for you!

This is one of those creations where I am kicking myself a little for not properly measuring things out, but I guess that's when some of the best stuff happens.  And I didn't want to wait to post it until I made it again, so here you go. Obviously you can use whatever you have on hand and play around with the seasonings, this is what I had.

Ingredients:
  • Zucchini (I got an awesome julienne peeler and I love it!  I sliced 3 zucchini the other day and used a little more then half of it for this dish)
  • Mushrooms, rinsed and diced
  • Red onion, thinly sliced (I used about 1/4 of one)
  • Kale (there was some kale ready to be picked in the garden, so this was a great dish for it)
  • Sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • Capers (a couple of forkfuls) 
  • Lemon juice (I used about 3 capfuls)
  • Lime juice (another 3 capfuls, so maybe a teaspoon each?)
  • EVOO
  • Coconut oil
  • Salt, pepper and lemon pepper seasoning
In a large skillet, add a couple tablespoons of coconut oil and add the zucchini, mushrooms, onions, kale and tomatoes.  Saute for a few minutes until everything is tender.  Add the capers, lemon juice, lime juice, a drizzle of EVOO and season to taste.

Makes 2 servings.