Our friends from KC are in town to celebrate Sophia's birthday and we are having so much fun with our food! Karrin brought me a treasure trove of her own homegrown veggies and herbs. Combine that with my normal farm share goodies and I'm beyond being in heaven.
Right when they got here, we whipped out all of the loot and started cooking. I made the creamy potato recipe and added sauteed shallots and fresh thyme. Meanwhile, Nat and Karrin concocted a fabulous salad made of fresh cherry tomatoes, Hansen's Dairy cheese curds, fresh basil, olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. We also served up the cole slaw recipe, grilled corn on the cob and grilled steaks and pork chops. Yum!!! NOTE: We added bok choy to the cole slaw recipe and it was a wonderful twist on this new favorite. Also, you can chill the potato recipe and turn that into an instant cold "salad."
This morning, we made a trip to the Cedar Falls farmer's market and bought everything we need to make a glorious Mexican feast for tonight -- more tomatoes, a purple pepper, pearl onions, zucchini, jalapenos and squash. Everyone adored the farmer's market and spent quite a bit of time shopping and chatting with the local vendors and artisans. We are so lucky to have such passionate, talented people who are dedicated to this market!
We've realized that this is the best time of the year to whip up all manner of salads, and I've been whipping up a lot! Gus even got in on the fun and helped me make and taste test the cole slaw. You can pretty much make a salad out of any combination of our farm share veggies. Here are a few of my latest summer salad creations.
Three Bean Salad
1/4 pound green beans, cut
1/4 pound yellow beans, cut
1 can kidney beans
1/4 cup diced onions
1/2 large clove fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon honey
Boil beans for seven minutes until tender-crisp (or microwave in a covered dish with 1/4 cup water for three minutes on high). In a separate bowl, whisk together all other ingredients to create the dressing. Pour dressing over green beans and kidney beans. Chill for at least three hours, mixing occasionally.
Macaroni Salad
1/2 lb elbow macaroni, cooked
3 or 4 diced carrots, steamed
1 or 2 heads of broccoli, steamed
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup nayonaise
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
4 oz. pepper jack cheese, cubed
Whisk together sugar, nayo, sour cream, white wine vinegar to create the dressing. Pour over macaroni, cheese and veggies. Stir well and chill for at least two hours.
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