Archive for June, 2009
Sunday Linky Goodness
Summer squash gratin recipe here.
The Simply Sugar and Gluten Free blog. Can’t wait to try the tortilla soup!
Spinach Pesto recipe. Looks yummy!
Freezing Yellow Squash
Yellow squash also blanches at three minutes in boiling water and then three in ice water before freezing. If you grate the squash instead of chopping it you only needed to blanche for 1/2 minutes.
There is a LOT of really good information about blanching all kids of vegetables here.
Pasta With Pesto and Grilled Chicken
This is a super easy pasta dish recipe I saw in the BHG special publication magazine Mixing Bowl. I used pesto from my freezer but you can also make your pesto fresh or use prepurchased. While the water is boiling for your pasta, grill or pan cook a couple of chicken breasts. I cut off all the fat and sprayed each breast lightly with olive oil then sprinkled it with Montreal Chicken Seasoning. I threw them on the George Foreman grill (alsp sprayed with canola oil) and grilled them until cooked through, about 8 minutes or so (this will depend on the width of your chicken breast, so you can check with a meat thermometor or just cut them open to make sure they are no longer pink inside).
While the pasta was cooking, I sliced the chicken breast and put the thawed pesto in the bottom of the bowl.
I tossed the hot pasta with the pesto and added the chicken breast slices and parmesan cheese on top. Delicious!
A Note On Pasta
(picture blurred to protect the guilty)
Once you open a box of it, use the glass jar to put the rest in. It stays fresh and keeps bugs out, etc. If that’s too much work, at least turn the box around and close it as well as possible so the next person pulling out the box knows that it is open and to be careful so it doesn’t spill.
Freezing Green Beans
Green beans are probably my family’s favorite veggie. They are equally loved by all, unlike other delicious things that some weirdos that I married and gave birth to don’t like, like cucumbers) but we have green beans coming out of our ears in the garden and I finally realized I couldn’t eat them as fast as we were picking them, especially since we left to go camping this weekend. Fortunately, they are easy to freeze! Just blanche them in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain them and transfer them to ice water for another 3 minutes to stop the cooking process. Freeze and enjoy them later in the year!
Sunday Linky Goodness
Top 10 reasons to buy from a local farm.
Top 10 reasons why organic vegetables are better and healthier.
Mark Bittman’s veggie burger recipes. The bean burger looks delicious!
Pasta With Clams and Criminis
I’m so lucky to have a local mushroom purveyor, I ordered these from Greenling but starting this week they will be selling directly at my farmer’s market!
While your water is boiling, chop up a pound of mushrooms (I used criminis, use whatever you like) with half an onion and three cloves of garlic, all finely chopped in a little olive oil and sautee until tender.
While the pasta cooks, add two cans of chopped clams, juice and all, to the mix. Simmer and serve over the pasta with lots of parmesan cheese. You ALWAYS need lots of paremesan cheese!
Stay Fit Salad Container
I spend most of my work day in the car which makes packing my lunch practically impossible since it’s so hot in South Texas that in less I carry a cooler, everything spoils. However, this salad container includes a gel insert that you can stick in the freezer that holds the veggies seperate from the rest of the salad and has a place to keep the dressing so I can carry a salad with me, even in the car! Best part? It’s under seven dollars at Wal-Mart!
Sunday Linky Goodness
Peak Season Map – find what local ingredients are fresh in your hood thanks to Epicurious.
Native Seeds is a clearinghouse for native seeds and other goodies. Seeds are three dollars a pack retail or 1.50$ a pack if you have Native American ancestery.
More southwestern foods at Adobe Milling….beans, etc, at great prices.
Blueberry Hil: A good food blog, lots of GI friendly recipes.
