Tag Archives: vegetables

Zucchini Fritters with Lemon Mustard Aioli

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Zucchini Fritters with Lemon Herb Aioli

  • 2 medium zucchini
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon (1 lemon) freshly grated lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh herbs – flat leaf parsley, basil & chives
  • 1 medium clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  1. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate zucchini into a medium bowl. If you have really juicy zucchini, make sure to drain out liquid by allowing it to rest in strainer, or wrap in a towel and squeeze liquid out. Add salt, lemon zest, chopped herbs, garlic, pepper, and eggs. Mix well to combine. Slowly add flour, stirring so no lumps form.

  2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until oil sizzles when you drop a small amount of zucchini mixture into the pan. Carefully drop about 2 tablespoons zucchini mixture into pan; repeat, spacing fritters a few inches apart.

  3. Cook fritters until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Turn fritters, and continue cooking until golden, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer fritters to a plate; set aside in a warm place. Cook remaining zucchini mixture, adding more oil to pan if necessary. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges, if desired.

  4. Serve with lemon/herb/mustard aioli.

Aioli:  Combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp grainy dijon mustard, 1 tsp horseradish, juice of 1/2 a lemon, generous amount of freshly chopped herbs.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Italian Bread Salad (Panzanella)

Aside

This salad is the perfect way to really enjoy the fresh tomatoes and cucumbers in your garden right now!</h3>

panzenella italian bread salad 2

Vinaigrette/Dressing

  • 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic (at least!)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup good olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake well to blend.

I like to at least double this recipe and keep it in the fridge – a really great, simple dressing that tastes fabulous on vegetables, grilled chicken or fish, or just plain greens.

1 cup bread cubes

2 cups roughly chopped vine ripened tomatoes

1 cup roughly cut cucumber

1 tbsp. capers

generous amount of fresh basil – torn into smaller pieces

very thinly sliced red onion

small amount of feta – crumbled

Toss all vegetables together with a small amount of the dressing and allow to rest just so the tomato juices flavor everything right through.  I like to wait until just before serving before I add in the bread cubes and a bit more dressing – I love my croutons still crunchy!

For the bread I prefer to make croutons out of slightly stale bread – just chop them into your favorite crouton size piece and toss in a plastic bag with a variety of herbs, salt and Pepper – drizzle with a little olive oil and give it a good shake.

Toast in a toaster oven, or in a fry pan until the bread is really well toasted and crunchy – allow to cool.

Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

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It is really important to taste, taste, taste when you are making this vinaigrette – each different variety of sun dried tomato will give a different flavour. This should be FULL of taste, so if not – make adjustments.

Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

1/4 cup drained, oil packed sun dried tomatoes – finely minced

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 lemon (juice of)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Give all ingredients a good, vigorous shake in a jar and slowly add the olive oil. Taste and adjust for seasonings.

This is great on a tossed salad, and perhaps even better on a pasta salad.  If you want a smoother texture, place all ingredients (except oil)  in a blender and process for a few moments before slowly adding the oil.

pasta with sun dried tomato vinaigrette

Italian Salad Dressing

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P1110070

4 tbsp. minced red onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 cup good quality olive oil

Soak minced red onion in cold water for 15 minutes, and drain well

Combine all ingredients except olive oil.  Using blender or immersion blender, blend all ingredients until smooth.  Gradually add the oil until creamy – taste for seasonings.

This keeps well in the fridge to use on anything from salad dressings to grilled vegetables – try brushing it over grilled steaks after removing from the grill.

 

Red Wine Vinaigrette

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P1090588

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp pepper

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

7 tbsp good quality olive oil

Whisk together dry ingredients and slowly drizzle olive oil until incorporated.

This dressing is my basic house dressing – used for everything.  Salads, marinades, dressing up a bit of grilled baguette …. use your imagination…

(I also love this for tossing vegetables in it before and after grilling)P1100664

Tomatillo Corn Salsa/Relish

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Are you wondering what to do with a prolific crop of tomatillo plants??  We make lots of Salsa Verde to can for the winter months, and love it in a fresh cilantro salsa also, but this dish is incredibly good – serve with taco chips or as we did – over grilled steaks that have had an ancho chile rub applied before grilling.  It would be equally tasty served with grilled chicken or fish.  My husband loved it just as a salad!  

8 medium tomatillos, husked and chopped

2 tbsp red onion, finely diced

1/2 jalapeno – seeded and diced (use the seeds if you like it really spicy, but taste before adding them!)

3/4 cup of corn, removed from cob (for extra flavour grill the corn first!)

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients and toss to blend.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary – you won’t believe how fresh and delicious this is.

Roasted Mustard Potato Salad

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Preheat oven to 400

1/4 cup good quality olive oil                    

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

generous handful of chopped herbs – thyme, rosemary

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1/4 cup grainy mustard

Toss all ingredients in large bowl until well mixed, and add

3 pound fresh baby potatoes – red or white (I like a combination of both)

If the potatoes are on the large size, cut them up.

Mix well with mustard sauce, then turn onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, trying to not get any extra sauce on the baking sheet.  Do not overcrowd them – having some space means they will get nice and crispy. Reserve the mustard mixture in the bowl.

ready for the oven – no overcrowding allowed

Roast until they are nice and crispy on the outside, and a fork goes into them easily.

When they are out of the oven and have cooled down slightly enough to handle, it is time to turn it into a salad.

In bowl with reserved mustard mixture, add more fresh herbs – adding basil right now is a great idea, along with some freshly chopped rosemary (so fragrant!).

Mix into bowl:

1/4 cup chopped shallots (or green scallions if you prefer)

2 tbsp white vine vinegar

4 tbsp olive oil

Mix well and taste – add salt and pepper to your taste.  Don’t be afraid with the salt and pepper, sometimes just a little bit more makes a great dish taste awesome.

Right before serving I squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over top, and toss gently again.

Serve at room temperature.  This is a great dish to make early on a hot day, and just leave it sit – covered – on the counter until you are ready to eat.

Red Curry Corn on the Cob

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When the corn from the garden is fresh in season I usually love it best with just butter and salt.  Today the corn got picked for the first time when I was making dinner inspired by Thailand.  This red curry butter was incredible on freshly picked, steamed cobs of tender sweet corn – next time I will try it on grilled corn!

Freshly steamed corn ready for the red curry butter.

There are lots of fool proof methods of boiling corn on the cob.  Use your family’s method, or mine…. which is pretty forgiving.

Bring a pot of water to boil, with enough space for the cobs to bubble around a bit in the boiling water.  There are lots of people that prefer to add sugar to the boiling water, but I like a bit of salt.  Allow corn to boil gently for 10-12 minutes depending on the size of the cobs.  Remove from heat and allow them to remain in the hot water until serving time so they don’t dry out.

Dare I tell you how easy the red curry butter is?

Soften 1/2 cup butter, add 2 -3 tsp red curry paste – depending on your family’s love of heat.  Taste and add a bit of salt and pepper if necessary.  Allow butter to harden up enough for the curry and butter to be well incorporated when you mix them.

Serve with your fresh corn – so yummy……..as an added bonus any leftover curry butter is amazing tossed with popcorn.

Spicy Thai Sesame Noodles

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I love the flavours in this dish – serve it either hot or cold – even when you are making it the kitchen smells so inviting, you are sure to have company!

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup tahini

Blend well then add:

1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon red chile flakes & 1/2 teaspoon of Siracha (Rooster Sauce)
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1/2 cup canola oil

1 lime – squeezed

1 pound  rice noodles or chow mein noodles – softened or cooked

Amy did an amazing job slicing, dicing and mincing vegetables for the salad

1 English cucumber, halved and 1/8-inch slices
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1/3 cup finely diced red pepper

1/2 cup chopped roasted (salted) peanuts for garnish

1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro and scallions

In a bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, sesame oil, vinegar, chiles, siratcha, and soy until smooth – add lime juice and oil.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Cook or soften noodles

Prepare vegetables – use your imagination when preparing this – I have suggested a few, but go ahead – throw in some snap peas, or carrots, or radishes ….

Combine all ingredients and stir well.  Garnish with peanuts, scallions and cilantro.

This is the perfect accompaniment to Thai Barbecued Chicken – check out that recipe too!

Grilled Vegetable Salad

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This summer salad is ready to go with any number of vegetables – take your pick, and use whatever greens are available to you …. today we are serving it with Sesame Soy Vinaigrette.

Grill an assortment of sweet peppers, zucchini, red onions, asparagus, fennel bulb

Wash and break greens

Toss with vinaigrette and you have a meal ready to go.

Add some toasted nuts – almonds, or pine nuts are great …

 

 

SESAME SOY VINAIGRETTE

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2 generous tbsp tahini paste

2 cloves garlic, crushed

red chili flakes (optional)

1 1/4 – 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Using small processor, or immersion blender combine all ingredients except the oil and blend until smooth – then gradually add the oil until you have a delicious creamy dressing.