Fresh Herb Fruit Salad

The Farmer’s Markets are booming with all kinds of amazing fresh ripe fruit and veggies this time of year! September has got to be one of my most favorite months! The weather is perfect, the crops are in full production and I only wish it would last a little longer! This salad will win any crowd over! It’s packed full of flavor and brightness! It’s definitely a happy salad! 🙂 You can add any of your favorite types of fruit. Just make sure you have a variety of colors and you simply can’t go wrong!

1 pineapple chopped

1 cantaloupe chopped

3-4 fresh peaches sliced

2-4 cups strawberries hulled and quartered

1-2 cups fresh blueberries

1-2 cups fresh raspberries

2 cups green grapes or 4 chopped kiwi fruit

Dressing

Zest and juice of 2 limes

2 tablespoons raw honey (add more if needed)

1/2 cup fresh chopped mint or 1/4 cup lemon verbena

Gently mix all fruit and dressing together. Place in a pretty bowl and enjoy!

September 11, 2013

Zucchini Bread 3 Ways!

It’s that time of year when the zucchini is coming out of our ears in the garden! There’s so much and if you’re like me I’m not always willing or have the know how to deal with it all! I came across a fabulous basic recipe and altered it a bit to create a few more delicious varieties of zucchini bread. The family loved them all!

Basic Perfect Zucchini Bread

(This recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen with a few alterations)

2 cups shredded zucchini

3/4 cup organic sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat, spelt, oat or barley flour of your choice ( or do it all with whole grain flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 cup yogurt or milk of choice

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

5 tablespoons melted butter or organic canola oil

2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a bread loaf pan with Pam or grease with butter.

Shred the zucchini and place in a strainer over a bowl. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar into the zucchini and mix. This will pull the excess water out of the zucchini so it doesn’t make the batter to wet. Squeeze out the excess moisture and continue making the batter until ready to add.

Mix together all the dry ingredients and then gently add the rest including the zucchini. Smooth in prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack. Completely cool and serve.

This one is really a dessert. You could get away with making it with all whole grains and even applesauce to replace the oil or butter.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

2 cups shredded zucchini

2 1/2 cups flour of your choice

1 cup organic sugar

1/2 cup good cocoa powder (dutch processed is always best for baking)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter or organic canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a bread loaf pan with Pam or grease with butter.

Mix together all the dry ingredients and then gently add the rest including the zucchini. Smooth in prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack. Completely cool and serve.

This recipe is one that reminds me of the beginning of fall! The flavors of orange, spices and cranberries with white chocolate are just wonderful! A fabulous treat to bring to any gathering!

Cranberry White Chocolate Orange Zucchini Bread

2 cups shredded zucchini

3/4 cup organic sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat, spelt, oat or barley flour of your choice ( or do it all with whole grain flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 cup yogurt or milk of choice

Zest of one orange plus 1 tablespoon juice

5 tablespoons melted butter or organic canola oil

2 large eggs

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a bread loaf pan with Pam or grease with butter.

Mix together all the dry ingredients and then gently add the rest including the zucchini, cranberries and chocolate. Smooth in prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack. Completely cool and serve.

September 5, 2013

Raspberry Jam (with or without jalapenos)

The past week I have canned, preserved, dried and slaved over the hot stove! But every jar has been worth it! We will be enjoying the fruits of our labors for months to come! This recipe is intense and wonderful, with or without the hint of jalapenos! Try using it as a spread with cream cheese on crackers as an appetizer!

Recipe

4 cups organic sugar

4 cups fresh raspberries

2-4 jalapenos, chopped and seeded ( I used 2 and it turned out mild)

Place sugar in an ovenproof shallow pan and warm in a 250 degree oven for 15 minutes. (Warm sugar dissolves better)

Place berries in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat, mashing the berries with a potato masher as they heat. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add warm sugar, return to a boil and boil until mixture will form a ge, about 5 – 10 minutes.

Ladle into hot jars and process for 10 minutes.

September 5, 2013

Perfect Scrambled Eggs with Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce

My mom used to make this chili sauce for us as kids. The jar was empty in one sitting! This recipe is so good on scrambled eggs! Here is the recipe for both the eggs and chili sauce!

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

2 fresh eggs

sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

homemade onion powder

2-3 tbsp. shredded mozzarella cheese

In a medium frying pan sprayed with Pam, crack eggs over medium high heat. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a pinch or two of onion powder and the cheese. Stir gently with a fork and serve once thoroughly cooked. Serve with sweet chili sauce.

Sweet Chili Sauce

25 large tomaotoes diced (blanch with skin removed first)

4-6 large onions

4 large green bell peppers, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped with seeds removed

1.5 oz. jar of McCormick’s Pickling Spice wrapped in cheese cloth and tied with string

2 cups apple cider vinegar

3 cups sugar

2 tbsp. sea salt

Add all ingredients into a large stainless steel pot. Cook down to a good consistency until it has thickened to about half in volume. Put in jars no bigger than a pint jar. Process for 10 minutes in caner.

September 5, 2013

Homemade Onion Powder

When I first learned that I could make my own onion powder I was amazed at the simplicity of it. I had to laugh a bit because I hadn’t thought of it before! I harvested all my onions the last few weeks and kept the larger ones for cooking and the smaller ones I chopped into half moon shapes and dried. Here is how I did it!

Wash onions well and cut off stems so the onion is flat on one side (don’t cut off the root side). Cut the onion in half directly through the root end. Turn the onion so it’s sitting flat and cut in half moon slices. Place on dehydrator trays and dry over night at the highest temperature setting. This can also be done in the oven. Set the oven to the lowest setting (about 170 degrees or lower if you can). Onions may dry faster than overnight so keep an eye on them.

Once the onions are completely dry remove from dehydrator and pulse in blender or food processor. Store in a clean glass jar. Use for all your favorite savory dishes!

August 19, 2013September 4, 2013

Cucumber Dill Chips

These are just as good as regular bagged chips in my opinion! They are full of flavor and so easy to make! You just have to be willing to wait for a day while they dry in a dehydrator before eating them!

Recipe

5 lbs. fresh cucumbers, sliced

Olive oil

Fresh dill, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl mix together the cucumbers, fresh dill, olive oil (just enough to coat the cucumbers) and sea salt and pepper to taste.

Place the cucumbers on trays of a dehydrator evenly so that none are overlapping. Dry with the setting on between 135` and 140`. Check after 12 hours and then every 4-6 after that until they are crisp and done. Enjoy!

August 13, 2013September 4, 2013

Oven Dried Tomatoes

Its that time of year when the temperatures start to cool off a bit at night and the tomatoes and other plants really start to set fruit! I’m a little crazy about tomatoes! They are the essence of summer… along with peaches and basil and okay any other delicious fruit, herb or plant you can grow in your own backyard! 🙂 This year I started my tomatoes from seed under lights in February and planted them under walls of waters at the first of April. 18 different kinds of heirloom tomatoes all in the space of a 4×14 garden box! That’s a lot of tomatoes and not really a lot of space. They are doing well and I have to say I have been pretty proud of myself this year! As the tomatoes come on more and more I have often wondered in the past what to do with them all. There really hasn’t been enough at one time to can and there’s too much to eat all at once. So I came up with this recipe and have been loving and enjoying every single tomato I grow for a few years now! It’s so simple and delicious you may just eat an entire bottle in one sitting! … not that I’m guilty of that or anything… do ta do. 🙂

Recipe

Chop 5lbs. tomatoes into fairly large pieces (they will significantly decrease in size). I usually cut my large ones into 4-6 pieces and cut the smaller ones in half. Place into a large gallon size ziplock bag.

In a large ziplock gallon size bag drizzle about 1/4 cup olive oil, 3-4 T. Balsamic dressing, sprinkle about 1 T. Italian Seasoning and add Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste.

Gently toss the tomatoes inside the bag making sure everything is distributed evenly. Place in fridge for 6-10 hours and allow to marinate.

Strain the tomatoes through a slotted spoon and place on a jelly roll pan. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 8-12 hours depending on how big the tomato pieces are. Cook until they have shrunk in size and have caramelized a bit.

Once finished place into 2 pint jars. Drizzle a little bit more olive oil on them (1 T.). Keep in fridge for 2 weeks (if they last that long) or the freezer for several months. I use my oven dried tomatoes for pasta, pizza, bruschetta and lots of other things!

August 10, 2013September 4, 2013

Vegan Asian Rice Bowls

These rice bowls are very versatile! Not only are they fresh, healthy and satisfying but they taste amazing too!

Recipe

Dressing:

In a small sauce pan bring the following ingredients to a quick boil.

6 tablespoons rice vinager

6 tablespoons cooking white wine

3 tablespoons agave

Add off the heat:

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 orange zested and juiced

1 lime zested and juiced

Rice Bowl Toppings:

Cooked brown rice

Black beans

Fresh chopped pineapple or mango

Fresh chopped tomatoes or red peppers

Fresh chopped scallions

Freshly chopped or shredded carrots

Fresh sliced radishes

Fresh chopped cucumbers

Fresh chopped avocados

Crumbled seaweed

Add any tofu, chicken or fish to the dish too (optional)

Pour dressing over the top and enjoy!

August 10, 2013September 4, 2013

Spicy Mexican Salad Bowls

I love this dish! It’s healthy, satisfying and delicious! My mom made it for me a while back and I just had to share! This healthier version of Cafe Rio’s salad with green tomatillo ranch dressing is mouth watering! I like it vegetarian style but you can always add a tender shredded beef or chicken if you want! This recipe serves 6-8.

Cilantro Lime Rice:

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 tsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

zest of 1 lime

2 cups chicken broth or water

Cook all ingredients above in a rice cooker or over the stove in a pan according to directions on the rice package.

Off the heat add:

2 limes juiced

2 teaspoons agave or organic sugar

3-4 tablespoons chopped cilantro (1/2 bunch)

Set aside.

Fresh Tomato Onion Salsa:

In a large bowl mix together:

5 large tomatoes

1/2 white onion, minced

1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Set aside.

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing:

1 cup water

1 cup cashews

Blend well.

Add:

2 tomatillos

1 jalapeno, seeded

1 lime zested

2 limes juiced

1 bunch cilantro

1 package of ‘Simply Organic’ brand ranch dressing mix

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas: (found this great recipe from a friend. It makes 6 large or 12 small tortillas)

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup organic canola oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup warm water

Beat ingredients in an electric bowl fitted with a paddle attachment and mix for 3 minutes. Divide dough into 6 or 12 pieces, roll out into circles with oil on the counter and grill on a hot flat skillet that has been seasoned or oiled.

*Place lots of fresh organic lettuce on the tortilla (melted with cheese, optional)

Add rice and black beans or meat if using

Top with fresh tomato salsa and dressing and enjoy!

August 10, 2013September 4, 2013

Vegetarian Nachos with Fresh Garden Salsa

Easy, fast, kid-friendly and delicious!

Recipe

Organic corn chips

1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed

2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

3-4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Sour Cream

Avocado, chopped

Fresh salsa

On a jelly roll pan evenly place corn chips, black beans and peppers and cheese in that order. Place in oven with it set on broil for 3-5 minutes on the middle rack. Remove from oven, serve on plates and top with avocado, sour cream and fresh salsa.

Fresh Salsa

In a blender or food processor pulse:

1 red onion

2 garlic cloves

2 jalapeno or serrano peppers

1 bunch fresh cilantro or parsley

Add 2-3 pounds tomatoes, pulse a few times, keep it chunky.

Pour into bowl and add the juice of one lime and sea salt and pepper to taste.