This is the time of year when eating is like an orgy every day. The number of fresh, fabulous tasting fruits and vegetables is at its peak. Our CSA box is brimming with locally grown organic veggies each week. The farmer's markets are a treasure trove of home-grown goodies like heirloom tomatoes, multi-colored carrots and of course sweet corn!
Sure, it can be a challenge to use all that great produce up but it's a good challenge to have! One of my favorite ways to use a lot of veggies in one meal is to make a big Nicoise-type salad. I usually include tomatoes, baby potatoes or purple potatoes, beets, green beans or snap peas, cucumber, red onion as well as olives, hard-boiled eggs and maybe salmon or tunafish. Mmmm...it's the best!
Speaking of summer deliciousness, we served this Watermelon Feta salad at the beach camping party we attended recently. It's from an amazing cookbook called Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi that was a gift from my aunt. Ottolenghi is a renowned chef and author from London and his vegetarian recipes involve creative combinations of ingredients that most people would never think of. You'll buy this cookbook for the recipes but you'll keep it on your coffee table for the photography which is incredible! On my must-make recipe list:
- Watercress, pistachio and orange blossom salad
- Green pancakes (spinach!) with lime butter
- Soba noodles with eggplant and mango
- Multi-vegetable paella
What are your favorite summertime recipes?
(Credit for the top photo of a meal we ate at the beach goes to my friend Simon Burrows)
This looks fabulous! The kids are learning to (mostly) appreciate what we're picking from the garden these days. The tomatoes are finally producing a lot and I want to can some.
Posted by: Anne | July 27, 2012 at 09:22 PM
Hi Anne - Isn't it nice to have homegrown veggies! And I agree - it's important for kids to see how food is grown.
Posted by: Micaela | July 28, 2012 at 03:24 PM