Zucchini & Roasted Red Peppers
Side Dish or Over Pasta
It’s Sunday! Pasta Sunday to be exact! Yes, a favorite side dish layered over angel hair for a quick Pasta Sunday Dinner. Deliciously Vegan!
Beet & Arugula Salad with Feta
And Bacon, if you’re into it
104 degrees today and an ongoing drought have me thinking lighter more hydrating meals. This means fruits and vegetables. Are you thinking what I’ve heard many times before beets taste like dirt. I consumed my fair share of dirt as a toddler, so I’ve been told, and I can honestly say it’s not sweet and while red beets are earthy they lack the grittiness. Still fearful? For a less earthy taste try the golden beet.
Make this recipe an easy quick fix with jarred baby beets (not pickled) or use fresh with a little added prep time. Make this completely vegetarian or add a little cooked bacon. Just a great dinner salad for a hot hot day.
Eggplant Parmesan and More
Eggplant Parmigiana
These beauties, pictured two summers ago … but I can tell you I’m up for a good crop this year too. I love eggplant but only if it’s tender … not chewy and tough as it can be if certain steps are skipped when preparing. I know there are those who swear the salting process is not necessary but I’ve tried to skip this one, you guessed it, with chewy tough results. So get out your colander, salt 1/4 inch eggplant slices heavily on both sides and place into the colander for draining for at least 30 minutes. Pat liquid and dust off salt with paper towels (or rinse with cool water and pat dry) and you are good to go. An old dish that never grows old.
Not The Usual Slaw
Rutabaga or Turnip
Have you ever heard of mashed rutabagas in place of potatoes for a Thanksgiving side dish? Or was it Christmas? Well, I have! What do you know about this vegetable? Maybe more than I because my knowledge is slim. Not so many years ago I’d be looking for turnips for a recipe and unknowingly pick up a rutabaga. (It’s ugly cousin.) When my “turnip” cooked up yellow … yikes! If the top hadn’t been removed (I tell myself now) and I hadn’t thought they were turning a bit yellow because they were getting old I wouldn’t have made such a mistake. Ha!
Did you know this root vegetable is a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. So, guess what! This slaw is versatile … make it with cabbage, turnips or rutabagas. And don’t fear the ugliness of the rutabaga … it cleans up nicely and really doesn’t taste much different from a turnip … neither having a strong flavor in my opinion. My excuse for ground black pepper!
Broccoli Chicken Salad
or
Broccoli Side Salad without Chicken
This salad is as beautiful as it’s nutritious and delicious! Revised from the good old days of raisins and sunflower seeds to a main dish with chicken. But works as a side dish without the chicken if you prefer. Crunchy multi-flavor with a sweet-n-sour dressing. Perfect for the barbecue season ahead!
Enjoy!
Santa Maria Beans
It’s pretty obvious beans are a favorite of mine and my family … well, at least most of the family anyway. This is the time of year for barbecue and tri-tip. In the sunny Santa Barbara area of California Santa Maria barbecued tri-tip and poquito beans are on the menu. Add these beans to your barbecue for a tasty side dish. I like to cook these as a main dish too.
Italian Flat Bread
Flat Bread Pizza
Another Rizzo inspired recipe! A glass of red wine and an Italian Flat Bread Pizza … Nothing easier and Nothing better. Add a vegetarian topping for a vegetarian dinner: ragu, grated mozzarella, sliced green peppers, sliced olives and sliced mushrooms … Or add your favorite Italian meats. Can easily go Vegan!
The bread recipe is simple … it does require a resting period but otherwise fixes up in minutes. Enjoy!
Belly Button Mac N Cheese
Tortellini, A Different Style
And then there’s Ina Garten … Cheesy dishes are one of her specialities. When I say cheesy there is no other way to put it. If you aren’t into cheese just forget it! Some years ago my oldest son requested her 5 Cheese Penne Pasta for his birthday dinner. Little did I know one of the guests didn’t like cheese. Can you imagine! She didn’t tell me directly but she stirred her food to appear eaten. With four kids I knew what that meant.
This beats any cheesy recipe Ina has but in reality it’s a make over of her Mac N Cheese. Be prepared … this is so rich just a little will do you.
Country String Beans
Simple food is used to describe this green bean dish. This recipe is from my childhood days … And it actually involved string beans, now modified into the green beans we find today. String beans when snapped had a string along the side of the bean … giving the name. And if I remember correctly these beans were a little tougher too.
This recipe requires an hour of cooking time. The texture and the color are far different from the al dente bright green beans we see today.
Several have requested I post this recipe. The simple truth is I love these beans, too!
Grandma Rose’s Baked Beans
The taste of Baked Beans … rich, sweet, tangy and just a hint of smoky bacon. This is so delicious and put together again for someone special. She’s been ill and requested this recipe!
Thank you Grandma Rose for another family favorite.