Weekend Recipe - Green Tomato Pickles

The weather turned here almost overnight.  We went from 60s and pleasant to 26 degrees at night  in 24 hours. As a result many people harvested tomatoes before they were killed by the frost.  We used to do this too.  Anything still on the vine was removed even if it was green.  Then a week or so later when we recovered from all that harvesting we decided what to do with the green tomatoes.  This was a favorite recipe.

This is a canned recipe so if you have never canned before read up on it in the Joy of Cooking or this great new book I found on canning called Canning and Preserving with Ashley English.  She has a whole section on pickling.

Green Tomato Pickles

1 dry quart of green tomatoes (This is what will fit in half a peck basket or about 1/6 more than a liquid quart by measure.)
2 large onions
1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups vinegar
3 red peppers, seeded and chopped
3 green peppers, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped, not pressed
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp. whole cloves
1 Tbls. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. celery seed
(I use 3 Tbls. of Backyard Patch Pickling Spice instead of these spices to make mine)

Slice the green tomatoes and onions thinly. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of salt and let stand overnight.  This removes the excess water and is important to the preserving process so do not skip this step.  Rinse and drain in the morning.

Bring the vinegar to a boil and add the peppers and garlic and boil vigorously for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes, onions and spices and simmer slowly for 20 minutes.  Pack while still hot into sterilized canning jars and seal immediately with hot sterilized caps.  the process in a hot-water bath for 5 minutes.  Makes 5 to 6 pints of pickled tomatoes.

Creamy Chicken and Wild rice Soup - Weekend Recipe

In my former life as a museum director, I worked at a Native American Museum.  Each year we would have a brunch  in the winter time (in the summer we had a Pow-Wow!)

One of the highlights of the event was corn soup and wild rice soup.  Now since most people cannot get true Indian corn to make the corn soup, I thought I would share the wild rice recipe instead.  I love to get my wild rice from the Ojibwa in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Here is a great website for native food goods: nativeharvest.com.

Right now is Wild Rice or Mahnomin season so the best rice is to be had in the fall.  And this recipe is so very tasty on a chilly fall day.  The prep is best and easiest if you used already cooked chicken meat (dark is good too!) and precooked wild rice.  Making the rice per package direction until the skin splits and the rice curls makes it perfect.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2 tsp olive oil
2  cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
2 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 tsp. dried  thyme
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
1 cup whipping cream, heavy cream, half and half, or fat free half and half
2  tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

In a saucepan at moderate heat, pour in olive oil and heat. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté until onion is clear and vegetables soft. Pour in chicken broth and add the wild rice, thyme leaves, black and cayenne pepper, and chicken. Heat the soup for 10 minutes. Add the whipping cream. Stir in parsley and it's ready.

Weekend Recipe - Pesto Topped Summer Squash

It is the season for making Pesto.  If you Basil is not done for the season it soon will be.  The temps are threatening to drop below 40 in the coming week here so the rush to harvest
the basil is on.

That means much Pesto is in my future.  Check out this post if you want to know a few ways to make and preserve Pesto.

I thought I would share this great recipe that uses yellow or zucchini summer squash with a bit of Pesto.

If you serve this with a side of pasta you have a great meal.

Grilled Summer Squash with Pesto topping

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 medium summer squash, (about 1 pound), sliced diagonally 1/4 inch thick

Canola or olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium-high. 

Combine basil, pine nuts, oil, Parmesan, garlic, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl.  If you chop the basil fine you will not need to use a blender.  If not, you can run all but the nuts in a food processor and stir in the nuts.  I like the nuts whole for this recipe.

Coat both sides of squash slices with cooking spray. Grill the squash until browned and tender, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve topped with the pesto.

Green Beans and Red Peppers - Weekend Recipe

No, I am not rushing Christmas, I just thought since the garden is still producing for a few more weeks this would be a great recipe to use some of that bounty!

Green Bean  and Red Pepper Salad

1 lb. green beans, steamed

1 large red pepper, thinly sliced

½ cup olive oil

3 Tbls. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon balm  (or lemon verbena)

½ tsp. dry mustard

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. granulated onion

Place beans and peppers in a serving dish.  In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon herbs, mustard, paprika and salt.  Toss with beans and peppers.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Weekend recipe - Garlic & Dill Salad Dressing

The summer season is not yet over, but this recipe can carry you into the fall and let you relive the summer's flavors!

Garlic & Dill Salad Dressing

½ cup olive oil (or canola oil)

2 ½ Tbls. tarragon vinegar

2 Tbls. snipped fresh dill (or ½ tsp. dried)

1 ½ Tbls. lemon juice

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. white or black pepper

Place all ingredients in a jar with tight-fitting lid; cover and shake.  Let stand at least 30 minutes.  Shake again before serving.

This dressing is quick and easy to make even in the winter.  Dill always provides a bright summery flavor that will lift your spirits in the gloomy weather of the fall rainy season.

Weekend Recipe - Green Beans with Olives & Dill

Our local Farmer’s Market is every Wednesday.  My husband and I stop on our way to work.  This week there was an olive vender and some great Green Beans.  Combining that with Dill from my garden and I came up with this great recipe for you to enjoy.  Dill’s affinity for beans is obvious in this simple side dish.  I love butter on my vegetables, but have been trying to cook with heart friendly ingredients this year, so I switched to olive oil.  This recipe uses the best of the garden and lots of heart healthy oils.

Green beans, Olives & Dill

• 1 pound young green beans
• 2 tablespoons minced Kalamata or ­Moroccan oil-cured olives
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill weed
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives

Rinse and trim the beans. Place a pot of water and the stove and bring to boiling.  Add the beans to the boiling water and cook 3 minutes, or until barely tender. Drain immediately and toss with the remaining ingredients.  Serve warm or cold.

Rhubarb Punch - Weekend Recipe

Last week the Lemon Verbena Lady shared a recipe using her (and my) favorite herb - Lemon Verbena.  That got me to thinking of ways to use lemon verbena and since I have two bigs bags of cut up rhubarb in the freezer from this spring, this is what I came up with.

Rhubarb Punch

A truly unique taste that you'll love.  The lush lemon flavor of the Lemon Verbena accents the tart rhubarb perfectly.

2 pounds rhubarb, chopped

4 cups water

2 Tbls fresh Lemon Verbena, chopped

3/4 cup sugar

Juice from 1 orange

Juice from 1 lemon

3/4 cup soda water

In saucepan, bring rhubarb, herbs, and 4 cups water to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until rhubarb is softened. In cheesecloth lined sieve set over bowl, strain rhubarb for at least 2 hours or overnight. Discard pulp. Stir sugar and orange and lemon juices into rhubarb juice. Transfer to pitcher and refrigerate. Just before serving, add soda water.

Cold Veggie and Pasta Salad- Weekend Recipe

This recipe is quick, tasty and perfect to take on a picnic or to an evening concert.

Cold Veggie and Pasta Salad

1 lb. whole wheat thin spaghetti

2 cups prepared Backyard Patch Italian Dressing

2 tomatoes

1 green pepper

6 green olives

1 cucumber

1 small can pitted black olives

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.  Chop the vegetables.  In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta and vegetables with 1 cup of dressing.  Place olives and cheese over top and chill for 2 hours.  Pour remaining dressing on the salad and serve.  Serves 6.

Mint Green Tea Lemonade - Weekend Recipe

I wanted to give a refreshing beverage you could enjoy at anytime this holiday weekend and I found it in this combo!  This cooling beverage is not too sweet and offers a uniquely refreshing blend of fresh seasonal flavors.

Mint Green Tea Lemonade

1/2 cup packed fresh mint
1 cup sugar
2 cups water, divided
1 cup fresh lemon juice (yes you have to squeeze some!)
8 cups iced green tea (or other iced tea)

Directions:

Combine mint leaves, sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan, then bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Turn off heat and let cool.  Once cool, remove mint leaves and combine with lemon juice.  In a large pitcher, combine iced tea and remaining 1 cup water, then pour the lemon mixture into it.  Serve chilled or over ice, with mint leaves for garnish.

This is my 400th post!  For those who read to the end of a post this is your reward.  Email me your address at marcialautanen@gmail.com and I will send you a package of Sun Tea so you can enjoy a cool beverage!

Weekend Recipe - Kale Salad

With walnuts, cranberries and kale this could easily be a fall recipe, but I find this kind of salad a perfect dish int he spring when I really want garden produce and the garden is not producing yet!

Kale Salad

2 cups fresh cranberries

4 to 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1 /3  cup olive oil

1 /4  cup lemon juice

1 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard

2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel

4 cups chopped kale

2 cups cooked wild rice, cooled

1 small bulb fennel, cored and shaved or cut into very thin wedges

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/ 2  cup thinly sliced red sweet pepper

1 /2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1.      Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil or parchment. Place cranberries and garlic cloves on pan. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil; sprinkle with  1/4 tsp. each salt and ground pepper. Roast, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until garlic is softened and cranberries are browned at the edges and wrinkled. Cool slightly.

2.      Remove garlic peels; finely chop garlic cloves.

3.      For dressing, combine in a screw-top jar the chopped garlic, remaining olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, and lemon peel. Cover and shake well. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

4.      In a large bowl combine cranberries, kale, wild rice, fennel, walnuts, sweet pepper, and onion. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat. Makes 9 cups (serves 12)

Skewered Sesame Shrimp - Weekend recipe

Skewered shrimp are easy to turn during cooking; you can also sauté shrimp on their own. These shrimp are perfect with buttered rice or noodles and sautéed greens. Regular or sugar snap peas would also be a good choice.

Skewered Sesame Shrimp

Serves4

24 large shrimp (about 11/4 pounds), peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

1/4 cup sesame seeds

2 tsp. dried lemon thyme or lemon verbena

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Thread three shrimp onto each of eight 6-inch bamboo skewers. Combine soy sauce and vinegar in a shallow dish, and put sesame seeds on a plate. Dip each skewer of shrimp into the soy-vinegar mixture, and then dip both sides in the sesame seeds.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add skewered shrimp, and cook until shrimp are opaque, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer skewers to a plate. Pour the remaining soy-vinegar mixture into the hot pan, and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 15 seconds. Drizzle sauce over shrimp, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Weekend Recipe - Berry Salad

This is an excellent spring salad to perk up your taste buds and add a burst of fruit flavor to your next chicken maid dish!

Berry Good Salad

Serves 6

l/2 pint fresh strawberries, sliced

l/2 pint fresh blackberries

10 ounces spring salad mix

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1 ounce dried cranberries

1 ounce dried raspberries

1 ounce chopped walnuts

2 pinches coarse black pepper, or to taste

Vinaigrette

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons tarragon or dill herb vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8  teaspoon ground black pepper

1. To prepare the salad, combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Just before serving, add vinaigrette and toss well.

2. To prepare vinaigrette, combine oil, vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk well.