Grilled Veggies

Little helping hands... good technique, if I do say so myself!

To quote Jack: "Ta da!"

Ingredients:

squash

zucchini

yellow onion

mushrooms of your choice 

bacon

olive oil

salt 

pepper

lawry's seasoning salt

worchestire sauce

To do:

• Coarsely chop the zucchini, squash, and onion
• Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and lawry's. 
• Drizzle/Rub the mushrooms with worchestire sauce and wrap each individual mushroom with bacon before spearing it (that just sounds violent) with a tooth pick or other small wooden skewer. 
• And grill. We like to use a grilling basket... nothing better!

Summer Pasta with Chicken

Lest you think I'm a vegetarian...there is chicken in this dish. I promise.

1 small box cherry tomatoes
1 large cucumber
6 carrots
2 boxes whole wheat pasta
3 chicken breasts, cooked (I boiled the chicken with salt and pepper the night before)
1 green pepper
1 8 oz. block mozzarella, cubed
1 bottle Italian dressing + 1 Good Seasons Italian dressing packet (prepared)... so basically, Italian dressing to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Chop all the veggies, cheese, and your chicken into bite-sized pieces. Combine pasta, chicken, and veggies in a large bowl and marinate in the bottle of Italian dressing for at least an hour or two.

Add the cheese just before serving.

Serves: 10-ish

When I pulled this out of the fridge to taste it again before serving, it definitely needed more pop, and I was out of bottled dressing. I did, however, have seasoning packets for Italian seasonings dressing in the pantry.

A Very Veggie Sandwich

A perfect marriage.

Voila!

In an effort to begin the tradition of "Meatless Mondays," I am attempting to convince Sam that he really does love vegetarian meals. And you know what? So far, thanks to meals like Chickpea Spaghetti and this sandwich...it's working.  I never thought I'd see the day! 

1/3 c mayo

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP lemon or lime juice

1/4 to 1/2 c balsamic vinegar

1/8 c olive oil

2 green peppers, chopped (or red, yellow, or orange!)

2 zucchini (and/or squash)

1 purple onion

feta cheese (1/2 to 1 c)

pesto (about 2 TBSP-- really, it just depends how much you like it). 

6 burger buns  

Slice the veggies and soak in the balsamic vinegar for at least 30 minutes. While the veggies are soaking, whip up your garlicky (is that a word?) lemon mayo by combining the lemon/lime juice, minced garlic, and mayo in a small bowl. 

Slice your buns in half and spread the garlic lemon mayo on each side. On one side add a layer of feta and on the other spread as much pesto as you please. Leave the buns open-faced, and place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until good and toasty. Layer the sautéed vegetables atop and assemble your sandwich. The leftovers are every bit as good! 

Tip: If making your own pesto and buns, make the pesto the evening before as it keeps very well in the fridge.  With a food processor, it took me about 10 minutes total. Jack and I made the buns during the morning, so by the afternoon, all we had left to do was chop veggies and marinate them while Randy approved from his bouncy seat.

Serves 6 (or 3 if you live in our house:)

Adapted from a Passionate Homemaking recipe

Pesto.

Summer = pesto. 


Here's the first batch this year thanks to the tried and true Joy of Cooking! I wish I could say that the basil was home grown, but at least it's fresh. This pesto looks a little "blonde" if you ask me, so I may have too "loosely" packed the basil? Fortunately, it still tasted great despite its pale complexion. 


Combine the following in the food processor:
2 c fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
1/3 c pine nuts
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
While processing, add approximately 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil. 


Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Our favorite uses of pesto: as a sandwich spread, on pasta, on pizza, and smeared on toasted bread with melted feta or goat cheese...


Stores for about a week in an airtight container in the fridge, or so they say. It's never lasted that long at our house. 


Maybe, just maybe this took me 10 minutes?