Easy Caprese

Green tomatoes, red tomatoes, jalapenos, and banana peppers—all picked this week!

 Yesterday I made it sound like our garden was kaput, and some of you might have thought, "Wow, she's in a bit of a funk."

So to those of you who may have stopped by for the first time after seeing my Zucchini Enchilada recipe over on Whole Foods' blog, I want to say welcome to the Sustainable Diet Kitchen and Garden! Please stick around—there's plenty of cookin' and growin' going on.

This morning, I picked about a pound of perfectly ripe tomatoes (Romas, Black Cherry, and one lovely Purple Cherokee), almost two pounds of peppers, and one muskmelon. Full disclosure, I've been Googling, "When to harvest cantaloupe" for about a week now, trying to figure out when to pick the durned thing. Fingers crossed I made the right decision.

Black cherry tomatoes ripened on the vine. They have more of a purple tint in real (non-Instagram) life.

And oh, the tomatoes. We have so many! It's wonderful! This weekend's plans involve canning a couple of jars of Romas from our one plant. Last weekend, I watched my 8-year-old niece snack on cherry tomatoes and found myself thinking how awesome it was that she'd just sit there and plop them in her mouth, no Ranch dressing required. Ah, the little things in life.

We aren't growing any lettuce right now—it's way too hot for leafy greens in our yard, though my mom has been able to keep some growing well in the shade—but that doesn't mean we're salad-less.

Easy Caprese salad and some zucchini-arugula tortilla pizzas for a quick weeknight meal.

A quick Caprese salad is a great way to use some of our fresh tomatoes and basil. It's fantastic, even without mozarella on hand. A little shaved parmesan, a spritz of lemon, some ground pepper and sea salt, and voila! A garden-fresh salad.

For my next trick.... might I suggest a Caprese tortilla pizza. Maybe we can just call it a tortilla margherita pizza? Not to be confused with the other kind of tortillas and margaritas... Just a tortilla, topped with diced tomatoes, julienned basil, a little bit of cheese (I'm going to try goat cheese for a new kick), drizzled with olive oil and baked at 450 until the cheese is melted and the mini pizza crust is nice and crisp. I do believe I just came up with our dinner plans.

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Fancy Shmancy: Balsamic-Marinated Strawberries, On a Weeknight

Gettin' fancy with grilled cheese.

Here's a little-known fact: I love balsamic vinegar. I may have an unhealthy obsession with it. If there's a bottle of it near me, I will pour it all over my plate and sop it up with anything—spinach, bread, crepes—until it's gone, or I can't feel my teeth, whichever comes first.

It might be my favorite grown-up flavor profile. Add something sweet and maybe something sharp, and I'm in heaven. So imagine my sheer delight, my beside-myself-excitement, to happen upon a very enticing recipe on Pinterest. (Oh yes, I'm addicted. You can follow my kitchen addictions here.) 

Back to my balsamic love affair. I saw this Pin for grilled cheese with balsamic-marinated strawberries and basil. Just so happens, I keep cheese in the fridge at all times (for emergencies, of course); a loaf of organic wheat bread was waiting for its time to shine; I'd just purchased fresh, organic strawberries at the grocery; basil is growing like a weed in our herb garden. 

I won't go so far as to say the stars were aligned... but indeed, the conditions were perfect. 

Dinner was ready in a flash, and as we sat to enjoy these seemingly fancy sandwiches, I looked over at my other half and remarked, "We certainly do eat well."

"Tooting our own horn, are we?"

Well, this one was worth it. Don't be afraid to add a little extra balsamic vinegar to your plate. And if at first you wonder, "Sharp cheddar? Basil? Strawberries?" Just relax, and understand that after you make this sandwich, your palette will be soooooo elevated. You'll practically be a food critic. Goodbye, pedestrian taste... Hellloooo umami!*

Strawberry-Basil Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Five large strawberries, sliced 

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

12 leaves fresh basil

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

4 slices whole wheat bread

1 to 2 tablespoons butter or heart-healthy buttery spread**

Slice the strawberries and put them in a small bowl. Pour the balsamic over the berries, and let them marinate for about 30 minutes (they only get better with time). Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Spread the butter on one side of each slice of bread.

Place two slices of bread, butter-side down, on the skillet. On each slice, pile on a little cheese, half of the marinated strawberries, and half of the basil. Finish it off with the rest of the cheese (so there's melting on both sides of your sandwich), and place the second slice on top—butter-side up this time.

Press down with a spatula and cook on one side until the bread is golden-brown and the cheese has started to melt. Carefully flip the sandwiches and cook on the other side until all the cheese has melted and both sides are golden brown. (The medium-low heat is the key here; don't get your griddle too hot! It's like pancakes!) Cut the sandwiches in half and serve with a side salad. 

Our side salad was simple—just some spinach, arugula, and one lovely garden tomato with an easy vinaigrette. Here's my fail-safe, super-fast, pantry-staple homemade dressing:

Quick Dijon Vinaigrette

4 ounces extra virgin olive oil

1 ounce red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Whisk until combined, or shake well in a jar until the dressing has emulsified. Season with salt and pepper as you like. 

*Speaking of umami, we met this awesome little 3-year-old at the Draught House this weekend. She had a group of us enthralled for a couple of hours, telling us about her approaching fourth, or possibly fifth, birthday. She specifically requested the trip to the "Giraffe House," for the free bratwurst. Her parents explained that she actually had quite advanced taste for her age—a very umami-based palette. 

**Though I love real butter, we often use Smart Balance Light Original Buttery Spread With Flax. Why? Ryan's nutritionist recommended it. I'd like to switch us to the Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread when we're given the green light to do so. Please let us know, Nutritionist...

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Summer Squash Tacos on Whole Wheat Tortillas

It's a good day when Ryan walks in as I'm cooking dinner and says, "Oooh, smells good."

Now, this may lead you to believe that every time it smells good, it tastes good. But I generally take it one step too far in the healthy direction: "You were doing so good with this recipe until you busted out the soba noodles." "Why'd you have to add flax seeds to this?" "I think it's good, just... dense. Did you sub whole wheat flour again?" "Are you sure you should've made this without any oil at all?" "How many vegetables did you put in there?"

Cast iron makes this so much better; I also like to use my invisible hand to stir.

This, however, is a meal that manages both the delicious and healthy factors. For real. This is like, have your cake and eat it too. Or, have your tacos and eat them too. You get the point.

Tiny bowl of spices.

Last night's harvest: two zucchini, two pattypan squash, one bell pepper, one jalapeno, and one banana pepper. Add to that a little store-bought supplements (onion, baby portabellas, and tortillas), and you've got a meal. In attempting to stay ahead of the zucchini and pattypan harvest, I've used a combination of them here. But you can use one or the other if you like.

Summer Squash Tacos on Whole Wheat Tortillas
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 medium pattypan squash (or two small yellow squash), chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
5 baby portabella mushrooms (or one large portabella), chopped 
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons white wine, vegetable stock, or water
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
6 to 8 whole wheat tortillas*
non-fat plain Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, chopped fresh spinach or lettuce, and salsa for garnish

Prep the vegetables. Mix the dry spices together in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat for about two minutes. Add one tablespoon of the canola oil, and after about 15 to 20 seconds, add the onions. Saute the onions until they become golden brown, stirring frequently. Toss in a pinch of salt. Add the bell pepper and jalapeno and saute for a couple of minutes, just until the peppers have color.

Next, add the mushrooms to the pan. They will release some of their own liquids; once the mushrooms have cooked down, add the second tablespoon of canola oil and the white wine. Stir everything well.

Add the zucchini, squash, and spice mix and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until the squash are very tender. The liquid should all cook out and you'll be left with a nice taco filling.

Fill the tortillas with the sauteed vegetables and top with garnishes of your choice. (Pictured: arugula, spinach, non-fat plain Greek yogurt, shredded monterey jack, salsa verde.)

*This recipe will make enough for 6 super-stuffed tacos or 8 normally-stuffed tacos. If you want to make it 8 super-stuffed tacos, add a can of drained black beans just before the squash.

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Lemons and Parsley and Capers, Oh My!

Parsley pesto with lemon and walnuts.

This may come as a surprise, but I daydream about my garden all the time.

Shocked, aren't you?

When I noticed the first fruits on the vines, a wave of joy came over me. It's another season, and these plants are beginning to feed us. A few weeks ago when I readied the soil and lovingly set each one in the dirt, eating their fruit seemed so far away.

The zucchini and squash plants, which I purchased as young transplants from a local nursery, have taken off and grown so quickly. The leaves on the zucchini plants are extraordinary—I'd forgotten how big they get, and how the stems are covered in tiny little hairs that prickle my fingers when I reach in. The tomatoes are reaching the heights of their cages and green fruits are appearing amid the blooms. It is simply amazing.

Each bed was readied with organic pest treatment, extra compost, pine straw, and organic seaweed-based fertilizer, and the care we took in this step might be what's contributing to the early success of the summer garden. That and the rain, which hit our plants when they were really young and vulnerable. A little rain goes a long way. I am happy to take joy in these plants before summer really hits us; we've already seen 90 degrees this week and that doesn't bode well for the upcoming months.

Part of me still feels like it's spring, and all the recipes that people up north are putting on Pinterest—asparagus tarts, quiches with leeks, parsley and lemon this and that—had me craving something bright and green.

By the time I got home, I found one more zucchini ready for picking on the vine, and decided to put together an entirely green meal. We still have curly leaf parsley in the garden, which I think is so much more fragrant than its flat leaf cousin, so I cut as much as I could for a pesto. This is one of my favorite tricks; rarely do we have pine nuts and basil in the house, but I do love a good herb pasta sauce. Swapping out the basil for parsley and the pine nuts for walnuts (or pecans) makes for a very springy dinner.

Our first zucchini of the season were prepared so simply: I sliced them into quarter-inch-thick rounds and steamed them, then served them with salt, pepper, and butter for a dish that reminded both Ryan and I of summers on our grandparents' farms.

Steamed zucchini with butter. Welcome to summer!

Pasta with Parsley Pesto, Lemons, and Capers

1 cup fresh parsley (curly or flat leaf will work fine)
1/2 cup walnuts
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup grated parmesan (don't skimp here—use the good stuff)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces (half a package) whole wheat angel hair pasta
1-2 tablespoons capers
2-4 lemon wedges
extra parmesan for grating

Set a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

In a blender or food processor, blend or pulse the walnuts, parsley, parmesan, lemon juice and zest, and salt until combined. Pour the olive oil in slowly, and blend or pulse. Keep an eye on the consistency of the pesto. If it's a little too dry, thin with more olive oil until it reaches the consistency you like.

By now the water is boiling. Add your pasta and cook until al dente, about four or five minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the pesto. Serve the pasta and garnish each plate with a spoonful of capers, a little grated parmesan, and a squeeze of lemon.

(This was just right for our dinner; the whole grains go a long way toward filling us up. But if you'd like to add a meat component, this dish would be great with some simply baked chicken or fish.)

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Busy? Healthy Food is Quick!

Last week was a bit wild. There were bikes to pick up, donations to finalize, travel plans to be made, softball games, and more. We were running around like mad—how on earth would dinner ever make it to the table?

One of my favorite ways to deal with a busy weeknight and still get a healthy meal on the books is to turn to frozen vegetables. I toss frozen veggies together with anything fresh we have on hand to make a stir fry (more like steamed vegetables) and serve it with brown rice. Last week, I sauteed garlic and green onions, then added fresh mushrooms, carrots, frozen peas, and frozen broccoli.

I take no shame in my frozen vegetable obsession; it's an easy and economical way to get organic foods into any meal. And let's not forget the time I save in prepping these foods: there's no washing or chopping required. Easy-peasy!

Frozen fruits are great, too; I find the prices on frozen organic berries fit better into my food budget. A favorite snack of mine is 3/4 cup organic Greek yogurt topped with chia seeds and frozen organic blueberries. I bring it to work, put it in the fridge, and by the afternoon when I'm ready to enjoy, I drizzle it with honey. The chia seeds absorb the extra moisture from the now-thawed berries and it all mixes together perfectly. 

What do you use frozen fruits and vegetables for?

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