Strawberry Merlot Vinaigrette

I shared our recent Strawberry Picking trip yesterday.  We brought home about a gallon of fresh berries and lots of ideas of what to do with them all.  Since I had just gotten a new Merlot Vinegar at the Farmer's Market on Thursday, I thought that the vinegar mixed with the berries would make a great summer salad dressing.

Ingredients:

6-8 Strawberries hulled

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Merlot Red Wine Vinegar (Or a red wine vinegar of your choice)

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon dried basil

pinch of sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Put the strawberries, honey, vinegar, oil, basil, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender.  Pulse until it is liquefied.  It's really that easy.  Add more honey if you want it sweeter.  You could use fresh basil too, I just didn't have any on hand. 

Pour over your favorite salad and enjoy!  

Those are carrots, not cheese;-)

Even my kids loved this dressing, and usually the only kind they will eat is ranch. This is definitely one that we will be making a lot this summer!

Green Bean Casserole~In Time For Thanksgiving

I included this recipe in another post last winter, but since Thanksgiving is coming up, I wanted to share it again as it's own post for those that are looking for a Dairy Free version of this holiday favorite.

*You can make this Vegan by using vegetable bouillon instead of chicken.

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE:
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups soy milk
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 carrot, diced
any of the following you want to add:
basil
garlic
marjoram
oregano
pepper
sage
salt
thyme
3 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
2 or 3 tablespoons cold water
2 cans French cut green beans
1 can fried onion ( I prefer the Trader Joes brand, but I have also found that a Garlic Pepper flavored kind works great too)

Method:
1. In a saucepan, heat the soy milk and veggie bouillon.
2. Stir until bouillon cube disintegrates.Be careful to not scald the milk.


3. In a separate skillet heat 1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil.
4. Add the onions, mushrooms, and carrots; saute until the onions are translucent.



5.Add the herbs and spices-basil, garlic, marjoram, oregano, pepper, sage, salt, and thyme.
6. Make a thickener by combining the flour and cold water, mixing well.
7.Pour into the milk-bouillon mixture. Stir well and often, because this will coagulate quickly once heated.
8. Combine the green beans, sauteed veggies, and half the fried onions. Then add the milk mixture, mixing well. Top with fried onions.
9. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the French fried onions begin to brown.



Makes: 4 to 6 servings

My husband has said this version is actually better than the traditional one using canned soup. I have to agree. I love that there are more veggies in it, not just green beans.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Beat the Heat with Watermelon Salad

Perhaps the best thing about summer is watermelon. And we certainly take advantage of that all summer long! I have 3 watermelon in my overflow fridge right now that I am sure will get eaten in the next week!

Last summer I came across a recipe for a watermelon salad that is so simple, yet so good. I cannot remember where I got the recipe, and in fact I cannot find my copy of it, so I made this from memory using the same basic ingredients but I am sure it's a little different than the original.

Ingredients:
1/2 watermelon- cubed
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 green onions chopped
a handful of fresh mint, chopped



Directions:
Cut the watermelon into cubes. This is a very messy process so I find that putting a towel under the cutting board helps.


Add the green onion and mint.

In a measuring cup whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Pour over the melon.

Mix well. If the melon is already cold you can serve immediately, or you can chill for an hour before serving.



This is such a simple salad, but it is so refreshing and makes a great dish to share at cookouts.

Skillet Cornbread with Fresh Sweet Corn and Basil

This week I am awash in fresh fruits and veggies- not that I am complaining! There are few things better than a fridge completely full of fresh, organic, locally grown fruits and veggies. Wednesday is CSA delivery day and this week this was in our bag:


Not only do we belong to the CSA, but my in-laws also have their own huge garden, and access to a wonderful farm stand, so they bring us fresh fruits and veggies when they come to visit. On the same day we got our CSA bag they also brought us 13 ears of fresh, organic sweet corn and the most delicious cantaloupe.


I was in the mood to bake and experiement in the kitchen the other day ( as I am most days), and decided I wanted to make corn bread to go with dinner, which was also going to be a new recipe-black bean and squash enchiladas ( recipe to come as part of our vegan challenge). Lucky me- I happened to have a bag of Bob's Red Mill Cornbread mix in my cabinet. (It's gluten and dairy free too!) I didn't want just plain cornbread so I decided to change it up a bit- by using some of my fresh corn and a handful of the basil I have growing in my garden.

For this I just followed the directions on the bag, and added in my extras. Easy Peasy! Not really a "recipe", but more an idea of how to change things up on your own.

Ingredients:

~1 bag Bob's Red Mill Cornbread mix
~2 eggs
~cooking oil*
~2 cups fresh corn
~soy milk*
~handful fresh chopping Basil
~Vegan Margarine

*Amounts are on the bag




Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Place 1-2 tablespoons margarine in oven safe cast iron skillet and place in heated oven to melt the margarine.



In the meantime, mix up the cornbread mix according to the directions on the package.

Once all the orginial ingredients were mixed well I added my corn and chopped basil, and folded them in.

Pour the mixture into the heated skillet, and bake according to the time on the package. I had leftover batter, so I filled two mini loaf pans as well. Those two mini corn breads are currently in my freezer. They will be great for lunch, or to go with my Black Beans and Rice.


It wasn't the pretties corn bread I've ever made, but it sure was delicious! Next time I won't put quite so much batter in the skillet, and I will dot the top with some margarine to help it brown up more.

I plan to try a few more variations as well.

Hope you enjoy!

8 Ball Squash Stuffed with Basmatti Rice and Veggies

Don't look now- it's another squash recipe! It's definitely squash season in our area, and we've been getting a lot from our CSA the past few weeks. Not that I am complaining at all- I happen to love squash. And so does our youngest daughter!

Last week we got some beautiful 8 ball (Or round zucchini) squash. They were absolutely perfect. I didn't want to just chop them up and throw them in something. I wanted to try something different with them. So I got online and started searching for recipes. I came across several stuffed 8 ball squash recipes. Some were very involved- using several ingredients I didn't have on hand. So I searched through my cabinets and came up with my own recipe.

I only used 2 of the squash because I was sure the kids wouldn't each eat a whole one. They ate the mixture we stuffed them with instead.

Ingredients:
2 good size 8 ball squash
1 small onion- diced
2 cloves garlic - pressed
about a cup of peas
1 cup Trader Joes Basmatti Rice Medley
Vegetable stock
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste
teaspoon dried Rosemary
teaspoon dried Thyme


You'll notice a yellow squash in the picture- I ended up not using it.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
1. Start cooking the rice first, since it takes the longest. Instead of using water, I used vegetable stock for more flavor. Follow the directions on the package

.

2.Prepare the squash. Cut the tops off, then cut the squash out in cubes. Set aside because you will be using this in the veggie and rice mixture.


3.Start preparing your veggie mixture: Preheat a skillet and add 1-2 tablespoons EVOO. Add your diced onion and pressed garlic. Let cook until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the peas and squash. I added a little dried Rosemary and dried Thyme at this point. I would had used some fresh from my garden but it had been monsooning for a couple hours, and we were having quite the storm while I was preparing this.
Cook until the onions and squash soften. Once the rice is cooked, add it to the veggies and combine well.


4.Put the squash in a baking dish. I spray the baking dish with olive oil spray to prevent sticking. Brush the insides with a small amount of olive oil, and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.


Fill them both with the rice and veggie mixture:


And put the tops back on:


5.Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender.

You'll be able to tell when it's done- the outer skin will be a tad darker than it was before it was cooked.

We served ours as the side dish to Slow cooker Braised Short Ribs (that recipe will be posted as well.) My husband and I both agree that the rice and veggie mix tasted like Thanksgiving stuffing- it was so good!

We always teach our children not to play with their food, but this time my husband just couldn't help himself.


And then he ate his masterpiece:-)

Macaroni and "Cheese" Casserole

One of the hardest foods for me to give up when I had to completely give up dairy 4 years ago was macaroni and cheese. Mac and cheese has always been one of my favorite foods, ever since I was a child. It was one of the first things I learned how to make on my own, and I practically lived on it in college. During my first year out of college as a high school teacher, mac and cheese with hot dogs or ground beef was a regular meal for my husband (then fiance) and I.
This one simple dish was such a huge part of my childhood and young adult life, and when I couldn't have it anymore it was really hard to find something to replace it. I could live without pizza, or cheesecake, or even nachos but Mac and cheese? I had to find an alternative to it.

I have been on the hunt for a good dairy free mac and "cheese" for 4 years now. I tried Amy's-it's good but too much soy or something in it gives me a stomachache. I tried a couple of recipes and they didn't turn out well. The flavor or the texture was way off. Then I stumbled upon the recipe I am going to share with you. I found it on Go Dairy Free. If you have not yet visited this site and you are looking for information on being dairy free, this is the best resource on the web!

I made this dish a couple weeks ago as an experiment. When it turned out so much better than I expected, I emailed Alisa- the chief editor of Go Dairy Free- and asked if I could please share this recipe on my blog. She is so incredibly sweet and told me that yes, I could share it with you all.
So thank you Alisa, for first sharing this recipe on your site, and now allowing me to share it on mine.


So here it goes- the BEST mac and "cheese" I've had in 4 years.
Serves 5
30 minutes: 10 minutes to cook macaroni and make sauce, 20 minutes oven and grill time.
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups dried macaroni
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup plain white flour
3 1/2 cups boiling water
1 tsp salt, added gradually to taste
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
Pinch Turmeric
1 cup nutritional yeast flakes



Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Cook macaroni in boiling, lightly salted water according to directions on package. When cooked, drain in colander and return to pan to keep warm.
3.While pasta is cooking, melt margarine over low heat.

4.Beat in flour with a wire whisk


Continue to beat over a medium heat until the mixture (called a roux), is smooth and bubbly.


5.Whip in the boiling water, salt, soy sauce, garlic, and turmeric, beating well to dissolve the roux.


6.The sauce should continue to cook until it thickens and begins to bubble.


7.Whip in the yeast flakes.


8. Mix part of the sauce with the cooked macaroni


And put in a casserole dish. (I lightly spray my casserole dish with non-stick spray first)


9.Pour the rest of the sauce on top, sprinkle with paprika (I used smoked paprika for more flavor).


10.Bake for 15 minutes. Put under the broiler for a few minutes until the sauce thickens and gets stretchy.


I served it as a side dish last night with marinated, grilled chuck steak and sauteed sugar snap peas with chive, shallots, and lemon.


My husband, who is very picky about "fake" cheese really likes this dish. So if a cheese eater likes it, that says a lot!

You can find this recipe here.

Happy Cooking!