Roasted Beets with Feta

I did it! I finally took the purple plunge. I've always enjoyed beets, but thought that preparing them seemed a pretty daunting task and just too much work. I'm here to report that it really wasn't that big of a deal. I found a recipe that was pretty easy, simple ingredients, and not all that messy. And my inspiration? My neighbor brought us a "welcome to the neighborhood" bushel of vegetables and melons straight from her garden. After all the heirloom tomatoes were slurped up, all of the squash grilled and eaten... there sat three lonely purple beets. They were just staring at me and begging to be used. I just couldn't let them go to waste. "But what do I DO with them?", I pondered. So after a quick search on the internet, I rolled up my sleeves and went to work.

I attempted a recipe straight from allrecipes.com. I didn't vary a thing, other than I only had three beets instead of four, and I took it easy on the amount of shallots I added to the dressing.

The result was a wonderfully light beet salad, with a slightly "pickled" taste... which is something I really enjoy after growing up in an area with a heavy Mennonite and Amish population. The Pennsylvania Dutch pickle everything, by the way. I'll never forget my husband's disgust as he learned about my obsession with purple pickled hard-boiled eggs! (Yum!) The salad's pickled taste is nicely balanced with the feta cheese, though I also thought I would enjoy it with a creamier goat cheese as well.

If you try this, let me know what you think. And if you are a beet lover, I'd love to hear what YOUR favorite ways to prepare them are!

Roasted Beets with Feta (click the link to go directly to the recipe)

Zucchini Casserole

This little creation was a "fridge clean-up" for me last night... But I think I'll keep it in the current round of awesome summer side-dishes, just for how yummy it turned out. It was light and healthy, but flavorful. And it used all of the vegetables that are pouring out of people's gardens right now, so it shouldn't cost you that much to throw together!

Zucchini Casserole

6-8 side servings (or 4, if you use it as a main dish)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-large zucchini (or about 2 cups sliced)
• 1 cup fresh or thawed sweet corn
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1/4 medium onion, diced
• 2 medium eggs
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 2 TBSP half and half
• 2/3 cup of bread crumbs (or two slices of wheat bread grated in food processor)
• 2 TBSP freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 2 TBSP butter, melted

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lightly spray a 2 qt baking dish, or a deep dish pie plate.
• Wash and cut ends off of your zucchini. With a food processor with the slicing blade (or use a mandolin) slice zucchini very thin (almost ribbon thin). Place slices in a large bowl with your diced peppers and onions.
• Mix together your eggs, HnH, and garlic salt. Season with a pinch of pepper if you like. Whisk together well and pour over top of your vegetables. Stir together to coat the vegetables. Pour into your baking dish and spread them around in an even layer.
• Sprinkle the top with your freshly grated parmesan cheese, then bread crumbs, then melted butter.
• Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

CousCous and Vegetable Stir Fry

This is an easy and healthy meal that takes less then 30 minutes to prep and prepare. It came into being one summer when my garden was overflowing with wonderful vegetables and we needed a quick dinner option. And nothing cooks more quickly than couscous! It recently made another blogger's "Top 25 in under 20 minutes" meal list. This is a versatile dish and can easily be tweaked to fit your taste preferences!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of any Couscous (Optional - preparing the couscous with chicken or vegetable stock to add flavor)
• 3 cups of cut up vegetables – whatever you have laying around that you need to use up. I like to use onions, green and yellow zucchini/squash, and red peppers – great color, but great flavor too!
• 3/4 cup frozen, shelled edamame
• 1/4 cup Pine Nuts, toasted
• olive oil
• 3-4 TBSP grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Lightly toast Pine Nuts in toaster oven or in a dry skillet

Slice up your vegetables and set aside. Prepare Couscous by bringing water to a boil WITH your frozen edamame in the pot. Add CousCous (And flavor packet if there is one. If not, add 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp garlic powder if you have some) and stir. Pull off the heat and allow it to sit covered for the instructed amount of time.

Pre-heat a large skillet with about a TBSP of olive oil. Add your sliced vegetables, cover, and turn heat to low for about 3 minutes. This allows your vegetable to steam lightly. Uncover and finish stir-frying the vegetables on medium heat. Uncover and stir your Couscous and place into a large serving bowl (Optional: an extra drizzle of olive oil helps the couscous from sticking together in big clumps). Top with your stir-fried veggies, toasted pine nuts, and grated parmesan cheese.

**This is also a wonderful dish served cold, as a picnic dish or a side salad to a main dish. It can be made “vegan” by leaving out the parmesan cheese. You could also substitute the Couscous with wonderful, healthy Quinoa, or even a wheat pasta if you don’t keep Couscous in the pantry!

My Favorite Guacamole

I know what you're going to say... I totally missed the boat on posting this for Cinco de Mayo. But here is my theory... EVERY day is a great day for guacamole. Thanks to the fact that our grocery stores pretty much carry avocados year round, you can make this yummy and nutritious treat any time the craving hits! The trick is keeping Avocados on hand in order to allow them to properly ripen. Avocados are best when the flesh yields a little if you squeeze them. If you buy them when they are hard, let them sit on a warm windowsill for a day or two, then stick them in the fridge until you are ready to use them.

After you taste this version, you'll never want to buy the pre-packaged guacamole again!

Ingredients:

• Avocados
• Tomatoes
• Lime
• Cumin
• Salt

Directions (so simple!):

Take two avocados, cut them in half, and remove the seed. Score the fruit in both directions, making little cubes of avocado, while still in the skin. Scoop the fruit out with a spoon and into a bowl. Discard any really dark areas. Add one tomato, diced. 1/2 tsp of Salt. 3/4 tsp of Cumin. Juice 1/2 lime and pour over top. Take a fork and mash and stir the ingredients until well-mixed, but still lumpy.

Serve with (my favorite) Garden of Eatin' Multi Grain organic Tortilla Chips.

Kid tested, Sous-Chef approved!

Best if accompanied by ...

Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas

For those of you not familiar with this wonderful rice and pasta alternative, Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) is a grain-like plant grown for it's edible seeds. Quinoa originated in South America where it had been an important part of the Inca diet 6,000 years ago. It is prized for it's high-protein content, which makes it a great staple for the vegetarian diet. It is also gluten-free, for those dealing with wheat sensitivities. So many reasons to love this stuff! It also has a wonderful nutty flavor and can be mixed with so many different things... it can serve as a side dish, main dish, or even as a breakfast cereal mixed with honey, almonds, and milk! Yum!

Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas, Cherries, and Goat Cheese

Adapted from Debbie Koenig/The San Francisco Cronicle

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups Quinoa, rinsed (or buy a 12 oz box of pre-rinsed)
• 1 Can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 Cup dried Cherries
• 1 red bell pepper, diced small
• ------dressing-------------
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 2 TBSP red wine vinegar
• 1 TBSP honey
• 1 tsp mustard
• 2 tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• ---top just before serving----
• 4 oz of goat cheese, crumbled (you could use feta, if preferred)

Directions:

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add quinoa, and turn down to a simmer (covered) for 10 minutes. Drain over a fine mesh sieve and spread over a large baking sheet to cool and dry. If you don't have a mesh strainer, you can line a regular strainer with paper towels as a substitute.

Combine Quinoa in a large bowl with chickpeas, cherries, and peppers. Mix your dressing and pour over quinoa. You can serve this immediately or chill in a covered container until needed. Don't add your cheese until right before serving.