Lemon

Stuffed Tomatoes

Submitted by Amanda on

Stuffed Tomatoes and Cauliflower with Raisins


A friend brought me four beautiful tomatoes. And while I planned to serve them as a salad, I changed my mind. I through together this fairly easy dish to go with the cauliflower. While neither dish might be considered a main course on their own, I think they worked well together for a light supper.

Recipe for Stuffed Tomatoes with Quinoa

  • 4 tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup fresh spinach, sliced
  • 1 large banana pepper, diced
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon good Italian seasoning
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon lemon juice, to taste
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Garnish: Shaved Parmesan cheese, optional

Combine quinoa, water, and garlic in a small pot. Cook according to manufacturers directions. (Likely like this: get to boil, turn down to low, simmer until the water is gone, about 15 minutes.)

Meanwhile, cut the tops off the tomatoes and put them aside. Remove the seeds and flesh from the inside of the tomato. Reserve this for the quinoa.

Heat the oven to 350°F. When the quinoa is cooked, lightly grease a small oven-safe dish with sides and place the tomatoes inside. Add lemon juice, seasonings, banana pepper, spinach, and tomato flesh to the quinoa and stir to combine. Stuff the quinoa mixture into the tomatoes, mounding it. Replace tomato tops and bake for about 20 minutes until the tomatoes are heated through. Remove the tomato tops and garnish with shaved Parmesan.

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Okra and (Successful) Collards

Submitted by Amanda on

Successful Collard Greens! And Louisiana Okra!


How I finally learned to like Okra

Fill a pot with water and place a steaming basket on top. I actually use my pasta pot and allow a touch of water to come into the holes in the bottom of the pan. Bring the water to a boil. With tongs, place the okra in the pot and steam until very soft when pinched with the tongs. These large okra stems took about 10 minutes. When okra is done, remove and plate. Drizzle fresh lemon juice on top and sprinkle with kosher salt. Small ones classify as finger food. Larger ones may require a fork and knife. By the way, the tops aren't so tasty. Use them as the handle and leave them behind.

What was so great about these was how tender they were fresh out of the garden. Most of the time, this size doesn't steam well and gets really stringy.

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Cucumber Couscous Salad

Submitted by Amanda on

Cucumber Couscous Salad


I made this for a lunch with friends last week, and since one of them called for the recipe yesterday, I thought I'd better make up the recipe and show the picture. The beauty of salads sometimes is that you can through anything into it and make it work. Moreover, it's very forgiving provided you have a great dressing. Also, I've loved having banana peppers on my patio because I can just cut the hot ones and add them to the salad instead of using crushed red pepper, which feels so "coarse" in what is mostly a soft and simple salad.

Recipe for Cucumber Couscous Salad

  • 1 cup cooked whole wheat couscous
  • 1 small-to-medium cucumber, thinly sliced (like on a mandolin)
  • 2 banana peppers, sliced
  • 1/4 cup sweet onion, diced (Green onions may work well, too.)
  • 1 tomato diced
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated parsley
  • 1 tablespoon fresh mint (or about 10 large leaves)
  • 1/2 teaspoon herbed salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Drizzle olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder, optional

Combine ingredients in serving bowl. Stir carefully. Serve immediately or chill to marinate flavors

Serve with hummus/hommus on pitas.

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Morrocan Quinoa Salad

Submitted by Amanda on

Morrocan Quinoa Salad


Recipe for Morrocan Quinoa Salad

  • Quinoa about 1.5 cups uncooked
  • 1 cube frozen celery onion mixture
  • 1 lb. carrots
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 olives, sliced
  • 3 banana peppers, sliced
  • 1/8 cup red onions, diced just large enough to appreciate the color
  • 1.5 teaspoons cumin
  • .5 1 teaspoon herbed salt
  • 3 T Olive Oil
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • Parsley or cilantro garnish

Slice carrots equal size and put in microwave safe bowl. Add the cube of frozen celery instead of additional water. Microwave on high 4-5 minutes until carrots are easily pierced with a fork. Remove bowl from microwave, add half the cumin and all the garlic. Stir. In serving bowl, put quinoa, add carrots scraping liquid and flavors out, too. Add olives, onions, and peppers. Stir. Drizzle olive oil, lemon, and sprinkled and remaining cumin salt over top. Stir. Serve room temp to warm. Garnish if desired.

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Dilled Potato Salad

Submitted by Amanda on

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Running low on time and with a cranky baby, I searched online for a simple dilled potato salad recipe. Finally, I realized I was wasting too much time and gave up the search hoping I could make up a good one on my own. It worked! And I was proud to say it was about as simple as I could ever imagine.

Recipe for Dilled Potato Salad

  • 5 small-medium russet potatoes, diced bite-sized
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/8 teaspoon lemon
  • 1 teaspoon dry dill
  • 1 teaspoon herbed salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, optional but recommended
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, optional but recommended

Boil potatoes in water until soft. Drain, rinse in cold water, and drain again. Put in large bowl and refrigerate to cool. When cooler (doesn't have to be completely cold), add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir with a spatula so as not to mash or break the potatoes. Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with sweet peppers, fresh dill, or item of your choice.

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Tomato Corn Salad

Submitted by Amanda on

Corn Tomato Salad


As I mentioned last week, we sat with my grandmother over Memorial Day Weekend while my parents went away. My grandmother has difficulty chewing, and I was looking for soft foods that would pack on much of the summer flavor, but not be too difficult for her to enjoy. The zucchini tart and accompanying salad really fit the bill. I've even made the salad again since then. The key is to have the freshest ingredients. It helps when it comes out of your own garden! I believe the fresher the ingredients, the less salt and pepper you have to add.

Recipe for Tomato Corn Salad

  • 2 ears corn
  • 3 Patio tomatoes
  • 2 Tablespoons chives, chopped (or more if you've got it!)
  • Dash lemon juice
  • 1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 twists pepper grinder

Cook corn in microwave. My mom's took 1:30 for one. Peal the corn and stand the ear up in a bowl. With a good knife, cut kernals of corn off cob so they fall into the bowl. (This is easier than it sounds.) Dice the tomatoes. Add all ingredients together. Serve immediately or chill one hour before serving.

Meal Cost Per Person: 

0.20

Eating Vegetarian: 

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Asparagus Lemon Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper

Submitted by Amanda on

Asparagus Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper


Yep. It's for real. I still like roasted red peppers. Only took me 28 years to learn this. This time I tried it chilled. Nope. Warm to room-temp is best. But still like it. Paul called it perfect. Wow! Don't think he describes much I make as perfect. Can I serve it every day?

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Mexican Pizza in Two Households

Submitted by Amanda on

Mexican Pizza

Mexican Pizza by designerBrent

Sometimes, the photos of a meal go up on flickr before I get around to posting the story behind it. Our dear friend, Brent, had the kids by himself over the weekend while Lisa, his wife, was away with her family. Brent saw our picture of the Mexican Pizza, guessed how to make it, and made one for the kids. He said Kyle liked it, and he loved it. Apparently, Elena wasn't so sure about it. Therefore, I can actually post the opinions of this dish beyond our household. The first photo was from our dinner and the second is from Brent and the kids' dinner.

Recipe for Mexican Pizza

  • 2 Burrito-sized Flour Tortillas
  • 1/8 onion, sliced
  • 1/4 small bell pepper, sliced
  • 1/4 cup sliced black olives
  • 1/3 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
  • 1/3 can Refried Beans
  • 1/2 cup (more or less) cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place one flour tortilla in the center of a jelly roll pan (I like a pan with edges so juices don't run). Spread refried beans over the tortilla. Lay the onions, bell peppers, and black olives around over the beans and top with one layer of cheese (optional). Place second tortilla over the toppings (like a quesadilla), and top with the tomatoes and additional cheese. Bake in oven 7 minutes or until edges are brown and cheese is bubbling.

Meal Cost Per Person: 

0.86

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Dutch Baby-Gourmet Magazine

Submitted by Amanda on

Dutch Baby in the Oven

Dutch Baby with Frozen Blueberries

You can locate the Gourmet recipe for a Dutch Baby found in the April 2009 at the Gourmet.com website. I wanted to try the recipe for weeks before I finally had the time and energy to work on it. Paul really enjoyed it. He said his mom used to make them on special occasions. I can see why. It is a bit of work. But it's worth it to see him smile. Notice in the photo how it puffed up in the oven?

Meal Cost Per Person: 

0.24

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Cost to Make Broccoli Egg Lemon Soup

Submitted by Amanda on

Broccoli Egg Lemon Soup

Previously, I have made this soup and loved it. I'm not sure what went wrong this time around, but we weren't as excited about it this time. So I will probably be spending my time trying new soup recipes, which makes a lot of sense when it isn't cold that often in Florida. So many soups, so little time! However, I think the mixture of flavors is still creative and fun for those with more experienced taste as the egg and lemon are quite unusual. For people who have more calendar time to eat soups that warm the inside, I think the creation is worth a try from your own stove.

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Homemade Herbal Tea

Submitted by Amanda on

Homemade Tea

I picked up a sore throat earlier this month, and Paul was so helpful. He said it was time we used some of our own herbs to make tea. Before our herbs had matured, we purchased a variety of teas at Publix. It being Florida and generally hot around here, we don't regularly drink tea. So, we do tend to have an excess of herbal teas lying around. This Sunday morning, Paul made our tea from scratch. He started with enough water for two mugs full (about 2 to 2 1/2 cups) and boiled it in the microwave. Meanwhile, he filled a tea egg with dehydrated herbs I had taken fresh from our garden and put on our dehydrator.

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Guacamole Guest Post by Garrett Nudd

Submitted by Amanda on

GuacamoleGuacamole

Our good friend, Garrett Nudd of garrettnudd.com has an opportunity to be promoted from guest photographer to guest blogger. Garrett also has his own blog (garrettnudd.net), which is so exciting, it needs no guest writers.

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Tabouleh-Cost to Make

Submitted by Amanda on

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I really had a hard time finding a simple and appealing recipe for tabouleh. I finally found an excellent one. I served this as a series of "dips" for a buffet meal to a group of 20. People asked for the recipe when it was over and I overheard one educated individual say "That green stuff is good, too." Tabouleh and a hommus side went well with warm un-pocketed pita bread. I noticed a good number of people making sandwiches out of it.

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Lemon Cilantro Buttered Corn

Submitted by Amanda on

Lime Cilantro Buttered Corn

Just in time for a Labor Day feast, we acquired some fresh corn on the cob and a recipe from foodnetwork.tv for lime cilantro butter to spread over the corn before wrapping in foil and roasting. The product was wonderful. I think that result was fabulous, even if not exceptionally healthy with the large amount of butter.

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Steamed Artichoke

Submitted by Amanda on

ArtichokeVegetable Sandwich and Sweet Potato fries

This is where the internet comes in really handy. I have rarely liked artichokes and never had a desire to learn how to cook them. But Paul wanted one, and I gave him leeway to purchase and cook it himself. He trimmed the tips off of the artichoke and put in a spaghetti pot with enough water in the bottom to boil and steam the vegetable.

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Lemon Zucchini Pasta

Submitted by Amanda on

Lemon Zucchini Pasta

This recipe is from "Moosewood Cooks at Home". It recognizes that lemon juice in a pasta dish sounds odd, but we enjoy it. The recipe does call for spaghetti, but we had bow tie and enjoyed it just as much.

In short, you saute the zucchini in oil and garlic, add lemon juice; pour the mixture over cooked pasta, mix in a shreaded white cheese (we chose Asiago) and serve. My favorite part is where I can add fresh basil from our herb garden. I like to make harvesting the herbs my husband's job so he feels like he is participating in the preparation of our food.

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Broccoli Egg-Lemon Soup

Submitted by Amanda on

Broccoli Egg-Lemon Soup

Compliments of "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home," this is by far my favorite soup recipe ever. I love how the broccoli did not overcook to that darker, nearly brown color--even after sitting a while. I used purple onions and orange bell peppers to create a true variety of color pleasing to the eye and to the taste buds. The color of the broth comes out a rather bright yellow when the egg and lemon are added. I feel you could easily skimp a bit on the egg and do just as well. I chose to use brown rice and was very pleased with the results, but it's nice to have a variety of options for cooking.

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