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Archive | Appetizers
Preserving the Tomato Harvest
Look at these beauties! The Early Girls are still going in my garden. In fact, I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with and suspect you might too. Here are some ideas for preserving your tomato harvest. If you take time now to do some slow roasting and stewing, you will reap […]
Black Bean Dip!
They say necessity is the mother of invention. That was the case with this Black Bean Dip. I wanted to have something healthy around for snacking and spreading on sandwiches – my mind went immediately to a bean dip – but I didn’t want to go to the grocery store. I opened the pantry and […]
Fermentation Nation: Lemon Herb Cheese & Quickled Vegetables
Yesterday, we spent the day at the SB Fermentation Festival. In addition to catching up with old friedns and enjoying the beautiful day at Fairview Gardens, we tasted fresh kefir (and learned how to make it!) and kombucha too. We also learned about cheese- and salumi-making from our friends at C’est Cheese. We sampled delicious breads from Crazy Good Bread Company – our future neighbor at the Santa Barbara Public Market. Lucky us.
For links to recipes for Lemon Herb Cheese and “Quickled” Vegetables, read more…
New Party Staple: White Bean Tapenade
More often than not, I mess with ingredients in recipes. I substitute this or change that. Sometimes I change things because I want to use what I have on hand instead of buying something new. Often, I make substitutes in order to make healthier choices. But not with this recipe. Nope. I like it just the way it is.
Zucchini Every Which Way
Summer is here and I find myself asking the same old question – what to do with all this zucchini?!
The answer is simple – almost anything! This week, I searched the FP Recipe Archives for ways to use zucchini and was reminded of this summer staple’s amazing versatility. Zucchini is great baked, roasted, sautéed, or grilled. It makes a great addition to soups, casseroles, and salads. It’s also comfortable playing a starring role.
Granny Jane used to make a world-famous (well, we thought so) Zucchini Relish. I am off to find that recipe now. Read more for links to the recipes!
The Meal Maker: Arugula
After harvesting the last of my arugula patch to make room for tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and whatnot, I found myself in wallowing in piles of fresh arugula. No hardship here. Colorful, crunchy but delicate, and peppery (or really peppery, depending on the variety), it’s so versatile. I used it to top pizza, made nice mixed green salads with vinaigrette, and made oodles of arugula pesto. By nature, arugula pesto tastes “grassier” than a traditional basil pesto. It’s a nice twist on an old standard. For menu ideas and links to recipes, read more…
Spinach Puffs
Easy, quick, elegant – and a bit indulgent. These puffs are addictive, so watch it! For this recipe, use a standard muffin pan. I imagine these could also be made using a mini tart pan for bite-size appetizer puffs. Either way, they are delicious. I served them with stew as a vegetable and roll in one. They would also make a nice meal on their own with mixed grens or other fresh vegetable side. These puffs can be assembled, wrapped in plastic wrap and then frozen before baking. Simply add a few minutes to the baking time if you bake them from frozen. For recipes, read more…
Quinoa Patties
I like these patties as a savory breakfast or for lunch or dinner with greens. They also grab and go well if you’re on the run. Quinoa is a complete (gluten-free!) protein, so these little patties seriously satisfy. Here are easy directions for making quinoa. 1 cup of uncooked quinoa yields about 4 cups cooked. Use the search function on our site to find other healthy salads, soups and side dishes featuring quinoa. Enjoy!
Cheese-Stuffed Grilled Peppers
Yield: 4 servings Feel free to substitute cheeses – use cream cheese instead of ricotta or goat instead of Parmesan. I also like to add fresh chopped herbs to the cheese mixture, but that’s optional… Ingredients: 1 cup ricotta cheese (or cream cheese) 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or goat cheese) chopped fresh herbs […]