Tasty, Easy, Late Summer Veggie Recipes
Join Me for an Alfresco Dinner From My Organic Vegetable Garden
An Alfresco Dinner Straight From My
Organic Garden
Summer is the
best time for organic gardeners. This summer
is no different. Most days were hot, but
not too hot. Most nights were cool, but
not too cool--perfect for a bountiful and healthy garden. In fact, since the weather has been so
perfect, my vegetable garden is overflowing with delectable goodies just ready
to make their table debut. Tonight
should be ideal for an alfresco dinner on my herb and flower lined patio, so
let's get cooking!
Munchies are an imperative.
Purple eggplant
orbs hang like plentiful ornaments just waiting to be plucked for my culinary
masterpieces. Today's will be a roasted-eggplant-herbal
dip served with freshly harvested carrots, bell peppers, and zucchini cut into
pencil stick pieces.
Slicing the eggplant
in quarters, I sprinkle it with olive oil and salt and roast it on high heat
until done--about 20 minutes. It should be very soft and light brown. While this roasts, I chop fresh herbs from my
garden. The amount or variety of herbs is
a personal decision. I choose a bunch of
Greek oregano, thyme, and parsley. I use
about one tablespoon for this dish and save the same amount for our main course.
Using a hand blender,
I puree the roasted goodness with herbs, salt, and garlic to taste. I adjust the flavor using lemon juice and
olive oil. Yum.
Summer salads don't always have to
include mayonnaise.
Since our garden
is overflowing with tomatoes, cucumbers, lemons and basil, a Greek salad is in
order. Forget measuring cups and
detailed instructions; for this salad, I cube cucumbers and tomatoes and toss
with a healthy dose of lemon juice. Tossing
in chopped basil leaves, drained capers, and crumbled feta cheese to taste,
it's done.
Ah, the smell of barbecue in the evening.
Our alfresco entree
will be my favorite barbecued herbal chicken breasts. Once again, forget complicated instructions
and measurements. This is food, not a
chemistry lesson. Cutting each breast in
half, I then place them in the reserved chopped herbs, salt, garlic and olive
oil. Allow your taste buds to determine how much garlic and salt you use. Though, use enough oil to coat each piece
thoroughly.
You scream, I scream, we all scream for
ice cream.
French vanilla
ice cream topped with freshly picked quartered strawberries and perfectly ripe
blueberries from my garden is a simple and yet delicious dessert.
Time to eat!
Dressing the
table with freshly cut flowers from my garden sets the mood. The many hummingbirds and finches the garden
attracts provide our entertainment.
Since the
chicken takes roughly 15 minutes to cook, it goes on the barbecue right
away. While we wait, I pour a 2012 Geyser
Peak Sauvignon Blanc, which is light, slightly grassy with a bit of citrus
and enough acidity to compliment the earthy, roasted eggplant dip. Thinking ahead, I picked up a rustic batard
-- excellent crusty bread -- from my favorite grocer to pair with the salad and
chicken. Personally, I love to spread
some of the dip on it as well. It's
absolutely heavenly.
A slightly
chilled 2011 Bogle
Pinot Noir pairs perfectly with the herbs on both the chicken and salad. Once the entree is finished, it's time for
dessert. Drizzling each with Grand
Marnier is optional, but decant and delicious!
Perfect late
summer alfresco dinner! What's your
ideas?
It all sounds so good. I enjoyed the vicarious meal - great combo choices and the wine was perfect. Lovely photos, thanks for posting them! - SJ
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's so nice to see your sweet face again :)
DeleteAnd I love the photos on your Google Badge page. I didn't realize how long your hair is - very pretty! Your posts inspired me to get back into the swing of things - Merci beaucoup!
DeleteAll I can say is: YUM! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Delete