Late summer calls us to harvest fully ripened bountiful veggies and mingle their delightful flavors in all our meals! Here are some of my inspired lunch and dinner recipes for this time of year. What have you been making?!
Ratatouille: Melt 4 T organic extra virgin Coconut oil in a large pot. Thinly slice 3 medium Onions, and sauté until translucent and just beginning to color, about 25 minutes. Cut, add, and sauté for 10 minutes: 2 small Eggplants into large chunks. Seed, slice, add, and sauté for 10 minutes: 2 sweet Peppers. Cut into large chunks, add, and sauté for 10 minutes: 2 small Zucchini. Add and sauté for 10 minutes: 4 coarsely chopped Tomatoes, 4 sprigs of fresh Thyme, and 4 Garlic cloves. Dissolve 2 pinches of Saffron. Let sauce mingle and rest for 10 minutes. This summer sauce freezes well. Serve over wild Rice and with a fresh side salad. Alternatively, loosely chop these same ingredients in a lesser quantity, toss in oil, salt, pepper, and shredded raw cheese, and bake at 350 for an hour to make a delicious veggie bake! Top with fresh pesto.
Alternative Burger: Mix 2 C organic cooked slightly mashed black Beans, ½ minced Onion, 1 shredded Carrot, 2 minced Garlic cloves, ½ - 1 t hot Pepper, depending on how spicy you like, 1 T tamari, 1 t Cumin, ½ t sea Salt, ½ t black Pepper, 1 Flax egg (1 T ground Flax seed w/ 2.5 T water), sprinkling of Buckwheat flour. **To make a Salmon burger instead, replace Beans and Flax with leftover wild caught Salmon and egg. Melt Coconut oil in a cast iron pan and bake or pan fry until done, 5-10 minutes on each side. Serve topped with homemade guacamole, tartar sauce, or aioli along with a fresh side salad and Sweet Potato fries.
Tacos: For tortillas: Mix 2 C masa harina, ½ t sea Salt, 1 ½-2 C warm water (dough should be springy to touch, not dry or sticky) and cover with a wet paper towel for 1 hour. Divide into two inch balls. Sandwich ball between saran wrap and use a tortilla press (or rolling pin) to flatten. Cook on medium heat, about a minute on each side. Layer on your favorite toppings! I love fresh local Lettuce, fresh homemade salsa (chopped Tomatoes, minced Onion, minced Garlic, minced Jalepeno Pepper, Salt, Pepper), fresh homemade guacamole (smashed Avocado, Lime, minced Garlic, Cumin, Paprika, Salt, Pepper), local fresh sour cream, and a protein (Beans, grass fed steak, pulled Chicken, or local fresh Fish are some of my go tos).
Salmon & Fresh Veggies: Potato Salad: Cube 2 Potatoes and boil 10 minutes. Drain. Toss with 1 T Apple cider vinegar and let cool. Once cool, mince and add ½ an Onion or Scallions, fresh Parsley to taste. For homemade Mayo: blend 1 Garlic clove, 1 Egg, ½-1 freshly squeezed Lemon, ¼ C organic extra virgin Olive oil, ⅛ t ground Mustard seed, ⅛ t Turmeric, ⅛ t Salt, ⅛ t ground Pepper. Add mayo to Potato mixture, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Salmon: Cut fresh wild caught Salmon into serving size steaks. Rub with mixture of minced Garlic, Coconut oil, fresh squeezed Lemon, Salt, Pepper. Pan fry on high heat or bake at 425 until done, about 10 minutes. Serve with fresh local Broccoli and a fresh local Corn cob!
Pesto Galore: Food process 4 cloves Garlic. Blend in 4 C greens (some of my favorites are Basil, Kale, Parsley, Violet leaves, Chives, Cleavers, Dandelion greens). Blend in 1/4 C nuts (your choice of Pine, Sunflower, Walnuts, etc.), 1 freshly squeezed Lemon. If tolerated, blend in up to 1/2 C raw cheese (parmesan, sharp cheddar, asiago, etc.) Scrape out mixture, and stir in organic extra virgin Olive oil and Salt to taste. Stir pesto over Cassava noodles, wilted fresh local Spinach, halved fresh local cherry Tomatoes, and sautéd local organic sausage. Serve with fresh local side salad.