Home » Posts filed under summer
Posted by
yanti on Thursday, September 3, 2015
My pepper plants are producing an endless supply of peppers (finally). I typically make one of two things with sweet peppers... some sort of fajita tacos, quesadilla, casserole... or stuffed peppers. You can change up both meals enough for it to feel like you aren't eating the same thing you had for dinner the night before. You won't hear a single complaint out of our house if tacos are in the menu for the third time this month, but you'll probably hear some sighing if I said "stuffed peppers". And I can understand, the filling to pepper ratio can be a little off for certain preferences. For me it's the fact you have this beautiful dinner package and then the first thing you have to do is cut it up for three minutes to be able to eat it. Why not just serve it all cut up to begin with? Because it's not as cute that way!
Well here comes mini sweet bell peppers to the rescue! It's like combining our not-so-favorite anymore standby with the fun of jalape�o poppers for something that works for dinner or an appetizer! Also, we normally have done either quinoa or ground turkey for the filling. Now I have completely converted to sausage. We get local sausage delivered by GreenBEAN Delivery and it is so good with bell peppers! Of course we're going to add a little more vegetables for flavor and nutrients... and there you go... a dinner you can eat with your hands. No more cutting up the cute presentation, just eat it!
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Posted by
yanti on Saturday, December 27, 2014
I looove cookies... but seriously, I need a break from them right now. Too many Christmas cookies!
So we were running through the produce section of our grocery store the other day (really just to grab some lettuce for tacos) and I noticed cherries. I have always associate cherries with summer. Cherries are the kind of fruit you can't have year-round in the produce department, so I looked into it, and it is currently the Southern hemisphere's cherry season (makes sense)! I guess Australians associate cherries with Christmas, which made me think... Christmas is really different down under, wearing shorts in the height of summer season and celebrating Christmas... strange thought!
Any way... there are a lot of birthdays around Christmas and I have been thinking about making cake pops, but instead of a pop, a cherry stem. So I grabbed a bag of cherries and made these super rich and chocolaty cherry bombs! And I mean they are really gooood. This is coming from someone who doesn't typically like chocolate cake or cherries... but these are the bomb! (Haha... pun intended!)
Just so you know, the stems are a little finicky. I really wanted mine to look like little cherry bombs, so I tried my hardest to keep the stem on throughout the process (specifically when dipping them in the chocolate). These would be just as delicious balled up without the stem or even put a pop stick in them.
So before your New Years resolutions are set, get in one last indulgence!Read more �
Posted by
yanti on Thursday, August 7, 2014
One of the fun things that comes along with having a CSA share is the random fruits and vegetables you get. The first year we got kohlrabi... we got tons of kohlrabi. I had never heard of it before. It kind of looked like a turnip, but didn't look like a root because of the leaves. And the only real recipe available on the internets was roasted kohlrabi... so we had that often.
Now that our bin is customizable (which happened the second year), we no longer get kohlrabi... but we certainly glad we tried it!
This year's new vegetable is okra. I have seen it before and have heard it is great in stews and fried. But summer is no time for stews and I'm not going to fry it either. I have also seen it growing in the community garden and the flowers on okra plants are beautiful! So it was time to try this elusive veggie.
What better way to try this southern favorite than in a way that is completely southern... in cornbread! The okra adds some color, a little different texture, and some crunch to your normal corn cake. On the first time trying okra we landed on a winning recipe... yippee!Read more �
More about → Okra Corn Cakes - total time 30 minutes
Posted by
yanti on Monday, August 4, 2014
I love peaches! Everything about them, the flavor, the smell, the fuzzy skin... so good! In fact, back in the day I used to use Peach Nectar body lotion from Bath & Body Works (before they retired it) and because I smelled like peaches all of the time, people started calling me peaches.
During the summer we have a plethora of peaches in the house. Perfect for snacks, fruit salads, topping parfaits, and of course desserts. An easy, no hassle way to make a great peach dessert is to bake them with a little bourbon and sugar. So good! I made these four nights in a row they were so good. Mmm. Might put a couple more in the oven right now. :)Read more �
More about → Drunken Baked Peaches - total time 20 minutes
Posted by
yanti on Saturday, July 19, 2014
One of my friends made this awesome chocolate cake from zucchini and I remember being so surprised that something so sweet could have three cups of zucchini in it. Seriously! That's a lot of zucchini to be in a cake! That was... like... seven years ago. Now I find myself with more zucchini than I want zucchini bread and I thought back to that cake.
This cake is a bit different... it is triple chocolate cake with three cups of zucchini. :) The zucchini makes the cake really moist and you really can't taste it (there was a little bit of a shredded texture, so if you're worried, just shred the zucchini extra fine). But don't tell people they are eating vegetables in their dessert. It seems a lot of people avoid vegetables altogether sometimes. So just leave it at "tripe chocolate cake" and everyone will be happy!Read more �
Posted by
yanti on Wednesday, July 16, 2014
If you have a vegetable garden, chance are you are swimming in zucchini right now! Ours are coming in spurts... I don't notice any in the garden... and then all of a sudden there are a dozen... and half of them are giants! Eep! What to do... what to do?
The great thing about zucchini (besides the fact one plant could feed a neighborhood) is that it doesn't have a distinct flavor, so it works well "hidden" in a ton of dishes.
So of course I'm going to put zucchini in some stuffed shells. I always feel just a little bit guilty eating stuffed shells with all of that cheese. This recipe subs out half of that cheese for some shredded zucchini. That's a great way to reduce the dairy and increase the vitamin A and C, potassium, and fiber. Plus, it's a green veggie... extra healthy points! And you really don't taste it... it's just like normal stuffed shells. You have to try this, it is win-win!Read more �
Posted by
yanti on Friday, July 11, 2014
So before I started reading about nutrition and really learned how to cook, occasionally I would just make some nachos for dinner which involved some chips, lots of cheese, and a little bit of salsa. It was quick, of course. Only about one minute in the microwave. But had no nutritional value what-so-ever.
After reading a couple books about digestion and the ways what you eat can cause certain annoying symptoms, most of which you might blame genetics on like unclear skin, stuffy nose, or trouble concentrating... I realized that there was more to food than just tasting good. Food is really about nourishing your body because it takes a lot just to keep our heart pumping, lungs inhaling, and brain thinking. I started to make a conscious effort to make sure vegetables always had a spot on my plate for both lunch and dinner. I started to cut back on meats and gluten. I tried to limit how much dairy I ate, but I just couldn't give up cheese. It is little steps that make the difference. Going to the extreme will leave you hungry and feeling deprived. Being too strict makes it nearly impossible to enjoy a meal out with a friend. With most things, a happy medium is best.
It's been several years since those old microwaved nachos days, but sometimes you just want what you want. I follow a couple bloggers that plan out their meals as well and one of them posted that they were making nachos for dinner one night. I've been thinking about whether nachos are really dinner food ever since. I decided to make my version of loaded nachos and it was quite filling and loaded with veggies (and cheese!). This makes a great quick meal that you eat with your hands. Perfect for a casual weekend dinner or to have with a couple drinks tailgating. Read more �
More about → Loaded Shredded Chicken Nachos - total time 20 minutes
Posted by
yanti on Friday, July 4, 2014
Happy Independence Day! A day to appreciate our freedoms and be thankful to those who secure that freedom. Secondarily a day to watch fireworks, spend time with friends and family, and grill out.Usually we think of burgers and hot dogs when we grill out... but here are some great vegetarian options to get on your grill today (or any time this summer)!
Grilled Fajita Tacos use skewers to prevent slices from falling in the grill and easily portion individual tacos
Have a great Fourth!
Posted by
yanti on Saturday, June 7, 2014
It's nice and warm outside now (finally), so a quick light pasta is the only kind of pasta that will do.
I planted my garden the first weekend in May and covered it with a hoop house... getting it in the ground early and the extra heat from the plastic cover means I'm starting to get cherry tomatoes already! They're perfect for roasting quickly in the oven along with some garlic and tossing into pasta with basil and parm. So simple and quick, it might end up being your go-to meal this summer!Read more �
