Bean enchiladas

Do you have an enchilada recipe you love? We are so simple with ours, it is a bit embarrassing. First, we go get some fresh corn tortillas from a local tortillaria, make some guacamole, make pico or salsa, shred some cheese, and get the beans.

12 corn tortillas
Refried beans or 1 can
2 C shredded cheese
Salsa or Green chile sauce
Guacamole
Chopped onion

Spread beans on the tortillas, top with cheese and roll. Put into baking dish, cover with green chile sauce, cheese, and chopped onions. Bake on 375 till bubbly.
Serve with salad, salsa, and guacamole.

**We say yum. I canned the salsa in the late summer this year.

Polenta with Roasted Tomatoes and Chard

I switched up this recipe a bit- it originally called the polenta to be cooked on the stove. I think baking it in the oven is so much simpler- especially with a recipe like this that calls for a softer polenta. You can find the original recipe here on food network. The baked polenta recipe I got from Martha Stewart. 
You can do them both at the same time in the oven. I have amended the recipes below to how I made them.

Polenta:

• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 T butter

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In an ovenproof saucepan with a lid, whisk together 3 cups water, cornmeal, salt, and pepper. Cover, and bake 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Whisk in the butter when you pull it out of the oven.

Roasted Tomato and Chard 

• 28-ounces plum tomatoes, cut in half (you could also used canned)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 bunch Swiss chard
• 1 7.5-ounce package farmer cheese, crumbled

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425. Toss the tomatoes, olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large ovenproof skillet. Roast in the oven until the tomatoes are charred around the edges, about 25 minutes.

Chop the chard and add to a skillet with the tomatoes. Saute until the chard is tender. If your tomato skins are a bit tough, you could chop them up a bit with an immersion blender.

 Divide the polenta among 4 bowls. Top with the tomatoes and chard. Season the cheese with salt and sprinkle over the top.

**Absolutely delicious! It just about used up all my romas! A definite keeper! I will be curious how it tastes with tinned tomatoes.

Chana Saag- Chickpea spinach curry

I got this recipe from one of the magazines you pick up at Vitamin Cottage. I couldn't find the exact recipe on the web (there are many to choose from). Here is one that is close from Group Recipes. I have amended the recipe below to how I made it.

• 1 lb fresh baby spinach
• 1 15-oz. can chickpeas
• 2 T fresh ginger, grated
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T ghee
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 5-6 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 cup onions finely chopped
• 1 can tomatoes chopped (I used fresh)
• 1 T curry
• .5 tsp cumin
• .5 C coconut milk
• 1-2 green chiles, chopped (oops- I forgot)

Rinse chickpeas and roughly chop baby spinach.
Heat oil and ghee over medium-high heat. Add cardamom, cinnamon, curry and cumin. Stir for a minute.
Then add onions and sauté until golden. Add garlic, green chiles, ginger, salt and pepper, cook for one minute.
Add chickpeas, tomatoes, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook covered for 10 minutes until chickpeas are soft.
Add spinach, stir, cook for 1-2 minutes or until just wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

 **Very nice. Good flavors. Easy to make.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

I couldn't resist picking up some chorizo at World Market this weekend. What a perfect way to use it! This soup looked great online at bbcfood and it uses all the right vegetables for the Los Poblanos box this week. It calls for crusty bread- I almost made some GF rosemary bread sticks...
I used 4 small turnips for this dish and fresh tomatoes. The leeks came from my garden as did the thyme. If you don't have an herb garden at your house- I'd recommend you put some flat leaf parsley, thyme, and rosemary into the ground or a container. Staple herbs!

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 25g/1oz unsalted butter
• 1 leek, cut into small chunks
• 1 large carrot, cut into small chunks
• ½ large turnip, cut into small chunks
• 1 sweet potato, cut into small chunks
• 1 celery stalk, cut into small chunks
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes (I used fresh romas)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• small bunch thyme, tied together with string (I tied mine with a leek stalk)
• 570ml/1 pint vegetable stock
• 150g/5oz green beans, trimmed (and cut into more bite manageable pieces)
• 1 raw chorizo sausage (about 110g/4oz), cut into small chunks (Optional)
• crusty bread to serve- Optional

Preparation method

1. Heat the olive oil and butter together in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the leek, carrot, turnip, sweet potato and celery and fry for 10-12 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften but don't colour.
   
2. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the cumin, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, thyme, vegetable stock and green beans. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 40-45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
   
3. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the chorizo for 10-12 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown.
   
4. Remove the thyme from the soup and stir in the chorizo. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
   
5. Ladle the soup into warm soup bowls and serve with crusty bread on the side.
   
   
   
    Starting to simmer
   
   
    **The finished product. I'd say the chorizo is definitely optional with the richness of the broth-so I took it out of the title. Wow! This soup was fantastic.
   
   
   
   

Lentil soup with roasted tomatoes and eggplant

With the weather turning colder today, a soup sounds nice. I pulled the last of my eggplant from the garden and I easily have the three pounds of tomatoes sitting on my counter. We got a nice bunch of kale this week, more than last week, so it will be going into the soup as well. I found this recipe on line at Nourished Kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups green lentils, picked over and rinsed well
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 lbs heirloom tomatoes, halved and seeded
• 1 lb eggplant, any variety, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons unrefined extra virgin olive oil , plus extra to serve
• 2 tablespoons clarified butter/ghee
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced thin
• 3 ribs celery, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon powdered mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 quarts roast chicken stock or filtered water
• 1 bunch kale, trimmed and coarsely chopped

1. Pour lentils into a large mixing bowl and cover with hot water by two inches.  Stir in vinegar, cover with a kitchen towel, and allow the lentils to soak for eight to twelve hours.  After they’ve soaked for eight to twelve hours, drain off the water and rinse them well.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Arrange tomatoes and eggplant on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about thirty minutes or until the tomatoes begin to caramelize.
3. Melt ghee in a heavy-bottomed stock pot and stir in onion and celery. Fry the them in ghee until it softens and becomes translucent, six to eight minutes, then stir in mustard, cumin and coriander.
4. Pour chicken stock into the pot over the onions and stir in soaked lentils. Ad the bay leaves. Cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, about twenty minutes.  Once the lentils are tender, stir in roasted tomatoes and eggplant and continue simmering, covered, for a further twenty to twenty-five minutes.
5. After twenty to twenty-five minutes, turn off the heat, stir in the kale and cover.  Allow the kale to wilt under in the ambient heat of the soup.  Season the soup to taste with unrefined sea salt, coarsely ground black pepper, and additional olive oil.

YIELD: about 8 servings | TIME: 8 to 12 hours (soaking), 30 minutes (oven), 45 minutes (stovetop)

**This soup is really good! I'll be making it again. Next time, if I don't have eggplant, I'll substitute mushrooms. 

Chicken Tortilla Soup- Slow Cooker

What a great way to use green chiles, the last of the tomatoes from the garden,  and some leftover corn tortillas from last week. I used this recipe as a starter but I've amended the recipe below.

1 pound chicken breasts 4-5 fresh chopped tomatoes 1 medium onion, chopped Good amount of chopped green chile 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 C chicken broth 1 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn-make sure it is organic! Corn tortillas- white is best to stay GMO safe

Directions:

1.	Place chicken, tomatoes, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, and salt. Stir in corn. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours.
2.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3.	Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4.	Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.  **I have yet to do the tortilla crisping. My husband just put chips on his. I ate it plain. This was a great soup. Very easy and tasty.

Chile Verde- Slow Cooker

After grinding some pork for the meatloaf, I had extra pork shoulder. This looked like a great recipe to try, especially with the green chiles we received in the harvest box this week and the tomatoes I still have in my garden. This recipe comes from the cookbook, Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Entertaining. I couldn't find the recipe online, but you can get the cookbook at Page One.

3 lbs boneless pork shoulder trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 T oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic crushed
2 large ripe or 5-6 canned tomatoes, chopped (I used my romas from the garden)
12-15 roasted green chiles, cut into 1/2 to 1" wide strips
pinch ground cumin
1/2 t salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pat the meat dry with paper towels. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 T oil until hot. Add the meat in batches and cook until browned on all sides, 4-5 minutes, adding the remaining oil as necessary. Transfer to the slow cooker along with all but 1 T of the pan juices.
Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring, until limp; add to the slow cooker along with the tomatoes, chiles, and cumin. Add water just to cover (or a bit less) Cover and cook on low until the pork shreds easily when pressed with a spoon, 6-8 hours. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

**Very tender, but needed to be spicier for me. The green chiles just weren't hot enough. The next day I tore up a corn tortilla and mixed it up with the chile verde. That was tasty. If I make this again, I will use stock instead of water.

Pasta Puttanesca

We love this dish at our house. It is so easy to make. And it is great if you have a bumper crop of romas!
I did a quick search and found this recipe on another blog, Cooking with Amy.

Pasta alla Puttanesca
makes enough for a pound of pasta (I used brown rice pasta)

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
3 anchovies (from a tin)
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
1 Tablespoon capers
1 - 2 pinches chili flakes (depending on how spicy you like)
1 28 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes- I used fresh- chopped
optional: a few fresh bail leaves or oregano leaves

Mince the garlic finely. Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, and add the anchovies and garlic, stirring to break up the anchovies and keep the garlic from burning. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and the anchovies melt. Roughly chop the olives and add them, the chili flakes and the drained capers to the pan. Stir and then add the tomatoes, crushing each one in your hand before adding it to the pan along with the juice. Simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Sauce should be thick and rich. Toss sauce with penne, spaghetti or bucatini over medium heat for a couple of minutes before serving to allow the pasta to absorb some sauce. Add torn basil leaves or oregano if desired. Note: This sauce does require need salt or cheese, because of the salty flavors of anchovies, capers and olives.

**Delicious and super easy

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

A perfect end of summer soup. I was able to use the fresh tomatoes from my garden and a jar of romas that I had canned earlier. You can find the original recipe on the Food Network. I've amended the one below.

• 3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 quart chicken stock 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. 

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and chipotle chile powder for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Coarsely blend with an immersion blender.  Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

 Tomatoes ready to be roasted.

Soup starting to cook.

**Finished product with some no-knead bread. Delicious soup. My husband said it tasted a bit like pizza sauce. Must be that fresh basil and garlic!

Pizza with Swiss chard, olives, and tomatoes

This was an easy pizza to make. The dough recipe is already on the blog.

Good handful or two of chard, cut up
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
olives- a nice salty variety, pitted is best
2-3 roma tomatoes, sliced thick
cheese, your choice

Saute the chard with the garlic.
Then, layer it all on the pizza.
Bake at 400 for 20 or so minutes (until it is brown and bubbly)

**Here it is before going into the oven. It was delicious!

Butternut Squash and Potato Pie with Tomato, Mint and Sheep's Milk Cheese

I got three butternut squash out of my garden this summer- I saw this recipe and thought my squash coupled with my mint, parsley, and tomatoes and LPO's potatoes- this was sure to be a winner! I have amended the recipe below (less mint than originally called for).

Butternut Squash and Potato Pie with Tomato, Mint and Sheep's Milk Cheese
Serves 6 as a side dish or 3 to 4 as a main course

2 sprigs fresh mint leaves, shredded
5 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 pounds butternut squash, quartered, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
1 large ripe tomato, halved, seeded and grated, or a few spoonfuls of drained, diced tomatoes from a can
2/3 cup grated hard sheep's milk cheese, like Greek mizithra or Spanish manchego
1/4 cup fresh ricotta
1 1/2 pounds red or Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the mint, parsley, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, or a little bit more to taste, and the pepper. Remove and reserve half the mixture. Add the squash to the bowl and mix well. Add the tomato, and the hard and fresh cheeses and toss to combine.

2. Toss the potatoes with the reserved garlic-herb mixture and add another 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place half the sliced potatoes on the bottom of a generously oiled 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Taste a small bit of the squash-tomato mixture for seasoning, adjust if needed, and spread on top, covering with the remaining potatoes. Pour the milk over all, dust with the flour (preferably through a sieve) and drizzle the oil on top.

3. Bake for 40 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue to bake for 30 minutes, or until the gratin is brown and the liquid is nearly absorbed. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

**Delicious! I would recommend using your food processor for most of the prep work-otherwise you'll be grating and slicing for a long time...

Hearty Green Autumn Bowl

What a great way to eat autumn greens! I used the swiss chard from the harvest box for this dish. I couldn't find dry cannelini beans so I substituted northern whites instead. I didn't build the toast on top, but instead used slices of hearty country bread. You can find the recipe online here. I modified it below.

Serves 4

• 1 bunch Kale (or mix Kale and Swiss Chard) stems removed and leaves shredded
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil plus more for bread
• 1 Onion (medium) chopped finely
• 1 Carrot (Medium) chopped finely
• 1 Celery Stick chopped finely
• 1 Clove of Garlic minced
• 1 cup Dry White Wine
• 3 cups Cooked Cannellini Beans (canned is fine but rinse well - 2 cans)
• 1 Lemon, cut in wedges
• 4 Slices Chunky Wholesome Bread 
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Chili Flakes or more if you like
• 2 tablespoons Rosemary finely chopped
• 1 liter Chicken Stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Vine Ripe Tomato Medium chopped finely

1. Finely chop onion, carrot and celery and put in a pot with oil and fry over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic, bay leaf and wine. Reduce until no wine is left in the pot. Add Salt, pepper and chili flakes. Now add tomatoes, beans and rosemary. Mix well. Now add stock.
2. Once the stew comes to a gentle boil add the kale and/or Swiss Chard and cook until wilted (about 3-5 minutes) 
3. When ready, serve soup in large bowls and add a squeeze of lemon juice. 

**This picture is from thespicegirl from the food blog Food52. It shows the dish with pine nuts and lemon peel- I didn't do that. Nevertheless, you get the idea. The recipe is delicious.

Mung Bean Dal

This is a nice dal recipe, very versatile. I used regular mung beans that I put in the pressure cooker for one minute, then turned the heat off and let sit for 10 or so minutes. Then I let the pressure off and cooked the beans as in the recipe.I used one whole LPO hot pepper (fresh).

1 1/2 C red or brown lentils, yellow or green spilt peas, or split, hulled mung beans
4 C water
2 dried chiles, whole
1/4 t turmeric
1/2 t salt

2 T ghee
1/2 t cumin seeds
1 C chopped onions
1 t grated peeled fresh ginger root
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/2-1 t garam masala
1 C chopped tomatoes

Cook the lentils, peas or beans, until tender with the water chiles, turmeric, and salt.
When the lentils/peas/beans are almost cooked, heat the ghee or oil in a small pan, add the cumin seeds, and cook for 10-15 seconds. Stir in the onions and ginger and cook until onions begin to brown, about 5-10 minutes.Then add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
When the lentils/peas/beans are tender, remove and discard the hot peppers. Stir in the onion mixture, lemon juice, garam masala, and salt to taste. Serve, passing additional garam masala to sprinkle on top if desired.

**Not a great photo, but delicious dal.

Tomato Cobbler- Savory

I was feeling a bit overrun by cherry tomatoes this week. I found this recipe on the Lottie + Doof blog. Seemed perfect since it calls for 2 1/2 pounds of cherry tomatoes! I will use spelt flour and milk as substitutions. I will also use garlic oil and cut back on the garlic cloves and I will use a fresh hot pepper instead of red-pepper flakes.


Tomato Cobbler (adapted from Martha Stewart Living, July 2011)
Filling:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2.5-3 pounds cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Biscuit topping:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Coarse salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (2 1/4 ounces), plus 1 tablespoon, for sprinkling
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, plus more for brushing **I used milk

Make the filling: Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool.
Toss onion mixture, tomatoes, flour, and red-pepper flakes with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and some pepper.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Make the biscuit topping: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small clumps form. Stir in cheese, then add cream, stirring with a fork to combine until dough forms. (Dough will be sticky.)
Transfer tomato mixture to a 2-quart baking dish (2 inches deep). Spoon 7 clumps of biscuit dough (about 1/2 cup each) over top in a circle, leaving center open. Brush dough with cream, and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon cheese. Bake until tomatoes are bubbling in the center and biscuits are golden brown, about 50-60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 20 minutes.

**My crust melted together and then the contents bubbled into the oven. Clearly my pan wasn't big enough! I also had to cook it longer because the dough underneath needed more time to cook. I thought it was delicious. My kids, however, weren't all that excited about it. Maybe it just takes age to love a good tomato pie.

Chile Corn Chowder

This recipe caught my eye because of the corn, since I have a few ears left after my visit to the Nob Hill farmer's market. I also decided to change out the chiles and use our newly roasted green chiles. It is from Harry's Roadhouse Cookbook. This cookbook is fantastic- I'd recommend it for anyone's shelves. And if you find yourself in Santa Fe, please visit the restaurant! I have adapted the recipe a bit to match up my ingredients.

3 tomatoes
1 onion, diced
2 green chiles diced
3 T butter
5 cups corn, divided
2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 qt milk
little grated cheese

In a dry cast-iron skillet, roast tomatoes until charred on the outside and soft inside. Add tomatoes, 3 cups of corn, salt, pepper, and milk. Bring to scalding point (when bubbles form around the edge of the pot and the milk starts to foam). Do not boil. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Puree in a blender. Return to heat and add remaining corn. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with chile strips (optional) and sprinkle with cheese.

**I'm not much of a soup eater- but I have to say this was fantastic and so easy to make! It was a big hit.

Quinoa with olives and roasted tomatoes

I found this recipe on the smittenkitchen site. I changed out the couscous for quinoa and followed the rest of the recipe. Quinoa is super easy to make- remember it is 2 to 1 (liquid to quinoa).


Pearl Couscous with Olives and Roasted Tomatoes
Gourmet, September 2002
Makes 6 servings
For roasted tomatoes and dressing
2 pt red grape or cherry tomatoes (1 1/2 lb)
3 large garlic cloves, left unpeeled
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For couscous
2 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 1/4 cups pearl (Israeli) couscous
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Roast tomatoes and make dressing: 
Preheat oven to 250°F.
Halve tomatoes through stem ends and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Add garlic to pan and roast in middle of oven until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on a rack 30 minutes.
Peel garlic and puree with oil, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup roasted tomatoes in a blender until dressing is very smooth.
Make couscous: Bring broth to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and stir in couscous, then simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes.
Spread couscous in 1 layer on a baking sheet and cool 15 minutes. Transfer couscous to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, dressing, roasted tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.
Do ahead: Roasted tomatoes, dressing, and couscous can be made 1 day ahead and kept separately, covered and chilled. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

**Nice salad. The dressing made the quinoa turn a bit orange. It was OK, quite mellow.

Tomato Corn Biscuit Pie

The beautiful tomatoes we received this week, along with the fresh corn from Corrales at the farmer's market made me want to try this recipe from a favorite Santa Fe restaurant, Harry's Roadhouse. Harry put out a cook book in 2006: Harry's Roadhouse Cookbook.


2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cornstarch
21/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 batch biscuit dough (recipe on another entry)
4 tomatoes, cut in thick slices
11/2 cups grated good-quality sharp cheddar cheese
11/2 cups fresh corn
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons butter, melted


In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice mayonnaise, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Divide biscuit dough in half. Roll out half and fit it into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Lay half of the tomato slices in the bottom of pie shell. Top with half of the cheese, corn, and herbs. Then top with the remaining tomatoes, cheese, corn, and herbs. Spread mayonnaise mixture over the top.

Roll out the remaining biscuit dough and cover the top of the pie. Roll the top and bottom edges of the dough together. Cut off any excess and pinch the sides closed with a fork. Cut six silts in the top of the pie. Brush with melted butter and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. The crust should be golden brown. Let cool for ten minutes before cutting.

**Delicious. The tangy of the sauce with the sweet of the vegies and buttery biscuits...mmmm. Next time I'll add less salt and cut the tomatoes into chunks. Oh- and I didn't have tarragon so I didn't add it.

Grilled eggplant topped with caprese

While I was looking through local food IQ, I ran across this recipe. It is from Dave DeWitt's column, Playing with Fire.

Grilled Eggplants Topped with Caprese 
Eggplants come in a variety of shapes and sizes and this year I planted the long and slender Japanese eggplants, so I’m going to have to slice them in half lengthwise to grill them. Caprese is usually a salad with mozzarella cheese, but here it’s going to be a dressing for the grilled eggplant slices.

For the caprese:
1 Large ripe tomato, seeded and minced
5 oz. Mozzarella cheese, cut into a 1/4-inch dice
8 Fresh basil leaves, minced
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 Tbsp. Fresh lemon or lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
For the eggplants:
4 Small Japanese eggplants, sliced lengthwise (peeling optional)
2 Tbsp. Coarse sea salt
3 Tbsp. Olive oil
3 tsp. Fresh oregano, minced
1 tsp. Coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp. Hot red chile flakes
3 cloves Garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. Italian parsley, minced

To make the caprese, combine the tomato, mozzarella, basil, olive oil and salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside in the refrigerator until needed. After the eggplant is grilled, add the lemon or lime juice and gently mix everything together.

To prepare the eggplants, sprinkle the salt over the eggplant slices and let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse the slices and dry with paper towels. In a bowl, combine the oregano, black pepper, chile flakes, garlic and parsley. Brush olive oil over both sides of the slices and sprinkle them with the mixed spices.

Grill the eggplant slices over medium heat for five to eight minutes per side, depending on their thickness, then remove from the grill and transfer to a serving plate. Allow the slices to cool to room temperature, top with the caprese dressing and serve.

Yield: 4 servings • Heat scale: Medium

**This was delicious!

Pizza with cherry tomatoes, salami, mushrooms and caramalized onions

This was my own concoction.


1 Large portabella mushroom, cut into large chunks
1/4 salami, cut into slices and then quartered
Several handfuls of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 sliced onion, caramelized
mozzarella cheese
Pizza dough (recipe on blog)

Stretch out the dough. Brush a little olive oil on the top. Put all the ingredients on and finish it off with the cheese. Bake at 400 till bubbly and brown.

**Very delicious!

Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin

Perfect dish to try since I made pesto last week with the basil we got in the box. I found this recipe on another blogger's site- Gluten-Free Goddess.

For the topping:

2 cups Crunchy Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs or Cornbread Crumbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fresh or dried Italian Herbs or basil/oregano/marjoram, to taste

For the veggies:

3 medium zucchini, sliced in long pieces, 1/4 inch thick
5 cloves garlic, chopped
A handful of halved artichoke hearts
4 tablespoons prepared Favorite Basil Pesto
2-3 vine ripe tomatoes, sliced thick
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 pinch sea salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (garlic marinated mozzarella rocks)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a gratin dish or large pie plate.

Place the toasted crumbs in a bowl and using a fork, toss with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to coat; season with Italian Seasoning or dried basil/oregano/marjoram.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the zucchini, garlic and artichokes, and sauté briskly just until the zucchini is a bit golden and still tender-crisp. Remove from heat and pour the veggies into a bowl to cool slightly.

When cooled, gently toss the zucchini mixture with the prepared basil pesto, to coat. Layer the pesto veggies in the gratin dish or pie plate.

Spread a scant third of the crumbs on the squash mixture. Layer with slices of mozzarella. Top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle the tomatoes lightly with balsamic vinegar. Season with sea salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the tomatoes.

Bake the gratin until it is bubbly and hot, about 20-25 minutes.

Serve as a side dish or on top of a bed of hot brown rice penne tossed with basil pesto.

 **We ate this without the pasta as suggested.  I only used 3 garlic cloves which was plenty since the pesto was garlicy. It was delicious.