My husband and I both love lamb and we love ragu. We had roasted a fantastic lamb shoulder from our favorite local meat market and of course, I froze the leftovers. I personally think the lamb really makes this recipe, but if you aren’t a fan you could easily substitute about any of your favorite meats. We also made homemade pasta for the first time to go with this ragu that made it even that much better, but I made several completely different meals with this ragu that all turned out fantastic!
I think you are all going to be completely shocked when you hear how this recipe starts…. olive oil, diced onion and minced garlic – surprise! 🙂 About 2 tbsp oil, 1 onion and 1/4 cup minced garlic. Then, I add in about 1.5 cups of diced carrots. I prefer the organic, colored carrots – I swear they taste better, have a better consistency and of course, I’m growing them in my garden right now! You can use whatever carrots you prefer.
Next, add in about 1 pint of sliced baby bella mushrooms. Then comes the fun part.. add in your heirloom tomatoes, about 8 medium to large. You crush them by hand over your pot. Be careful – sometimes they like to squirt across the room or into an eye!
Add in a whole bunch of fresh parsley – just remove from the stems and throw it in. Then add your meat. We had pre-cooked lamb that I diced into large bite size pieces. You could add beef or chicken or really anything you like, but the lamb is the best. 🙂 Add about 2 tablespoons of dried oregano (I save mine from the garden and I also swear it’s way different than what you buy at the store), 3/4 can of tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika, ground peppercorn to taste and crushed red pepper flakes. (again depend on your spice tolerance)
Simmer this down for about 15 minutes and add about 1.5-2 cups of a dry red wine. Simmer for another 20-30 minutes or longer. I always say the longer sauces simmer the better!
Serve over pasta or like we did the following weekend – over potatoes topped with an egg for a breakfast hash. Both were delish! And several friends enjoyed some of the leftovers as well – including ones that had never had lamb before.
Lamb Ragu
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1/4 cup minced garlic
- 1.5 cups diced carrots
- 1 pint baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 8 heirloom tomatoes medium-large
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley
- 2 cups pre-cooked lamb or other meat approx
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 3/4 can tomato paste small can
- 2 tbsp smoke paprika
- ground peppercorn to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- 1.5-2 cups dry red wine
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in pan and add onion and garlic. Dice carrots and add to the mixture. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add mushrooms. Crush the tomatoes by hand into the pot. Have a towel handy as this can get messy!
- Add in parsley and your cooked meat (lamb). Stir together well.
- Add in dried oregano, tomato paste, smoked paprika, ground peppercorn and crushed red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Add in about 1.5-2 cups of wine and simmer for another 20-30 minutes.
- Serve over pasta, potatoes, rice or share what other ideas you might have. ~Enjoy!
Tomato Basil Bisque
I’ve always loved tomato soup, especially paired with a fancy grilled cheese. I’ve found that it freezes well, so when I have extra tomatoes from the garden this is one of the things I make with them. I’ve made quite a few different versions of this, some spicy, some sweeter and some with cream and some without. This one is somewhat in between all of the versions – feel free to play with your seasonings or amounts as with all of my “recipes.”
Seems like most of my recipes start out with this… 2 tbsp of olive oil heated in a pot, add 1 onion, diced and 6 small garlic cloves, minced. Heat until the onions start to sweat. In this pot I used 3 small, sweet bell peppers, diced and added to the above.
Next, I added my basil. You can use fresh or dried. I love basil so I dumped quite a bit of it in my pot. I used fresh from the garden and cut up with my herb scissors. Of course you can chop, tear or sprinkle in your dried as well. Next, I took my heirloom tomatoes – about 7-8 medium to large – and quartered them or smaller. Add these to your pot.
Yum.. I could eat these just like that! If you like spicy – I add a dash or two of cayenne pepper here. Cook the tomatoes down for about 15 minutes and then add in about 1.5 cups of chicken broth. Cover and simmer for up to 2 hours. It should look something like this..
Then, I break out my immersion blender. This makes life so much easier! Just start blending until it’s a smooth consistency. *If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can scoop out your soup and use a regular blender. I’d wait for it to cool enough first so that you don’t risk your glass cracking. Then put it back in the pot and bring back to a simmer.
After blending, I let it simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and then I stir in some heavy cream. You could use a regular heavy whipping cream, a nut based like an almond cream or a coconut cream. I used about 1/2 cup in this pot. You can add slowly and taste as you go. Either serve right away or wait until cool and pour in a zip lock bag for the freezer.
If you freeze with the cream, it’s important to note that you will want to re-heat the bisque very slowly on the stove so that the cream does not curdle. ~Enjoy!
Tomato Basil Bisque
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 small garlic cloves, minced
- 3 small sweet peppers, diced
- basil A LOT
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 7-8 large heirloom tomatoes
- 1.5 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1/2 cup heavy cream regular or coconut cream
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pot. Add onions and garlic – heat until onion begin to sweat.
- Add diced peppers and your basil – liberally.
- Quarter your tomatoes (or smaller) and add to the pot. Top with cayenne pepper if you choose. Cook down for about 15 minutes.
- Add your chicken broth, cover and simmer for up to 2 hours.
- Use your immersion blender until you have a smooth consistency. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in your heavy cream. Serve immediately, or let cool completely and pour in zip lock bag to store in the freeze for future.
“Game” Day Chili
I know most people have a favorite chili recipe. I have some “secret” ingredients we like to use, but honestly it never turns out exactly the same twice. This one turned out to be one of the top 3 in our long chili history so I decided I should record this recipe for future and in case you are looking for some different chili ideas.
Even though it is still rather warm here in Arizona – it is still football season! We love college football in this house – go MIZZOU! And chili just seems like a fitting meal during this season. This is something I like to make the day before or early in the morning so it can simmer for hours. Chili just gets better the longer you cook it and the more times you re-heat!
Ok – this is easier if you gather, dice, mince your ingredients beforehand, but also not necessary. First thing to do: set your oven to broil. Place a poblano (or similar variety) pepper close to the top of the oven on a pan. Keep an eye on it – when it starts to turn about 1/2 black, flip it over and char the opposite side.
Once it’s charred at least 1/2 way on both sides, remove from the oven and place in a food safe plastic container, paper bag or my preference – a sandwich or ziplock bag. Let it steam for approx 5 minutes and until it’s just cool enough to handle. The steam helps separate the skin which you are then going to peel off. You can see in the picture above, I’ve peeled almost all of the skin off – I left a tiny bit at the bottom (for the picture)so you can see what we are talking about. Once it’s peeled, dice that sucker up. No need to remove the seeds, but usually when you remove the top of a poblano pepper the seeds follow easily.
While your poblano pepper is in the oven – go ahead and heat some olive oil in your pan. This makes a huge batch so you are going to need a large pan. I prefer my large dutch oven, but anything with a lid works fine. Add about one medium onion, diced and one large jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced to your oil. Stir until the onions begin to sweat. Then, add in about 3 cloves of minced garlic. We like garlic in this house so I may have used more! Add in your poblano pepper and stir together well – keeping your pot over medium heat.
Ok – isn’t this already looking amazing? To the pot above, I added a blend of hot sauces. I like to see whatever different ones we have on hand and just mix a few in. I kept this batch pretty mild and added in a green chili and another medium sauce local to AZ – probably 2 tablespoons each.
Next, I added a small can of tomato paste. Stir the mixture until combined well and let cook for about 3-5 minutes until you have a pretty thick paste like mixture. Then, I added in my meat. In honor of game day we kept with the theme and used venison, bison and lamb – a pound of each, ground. I warned that this makes a big batch! (but soo good leftover, even frozen). Mix those together well and as they start to cook let’s add in our dried seasonings. I used 2-3 tablespoons of each: ground coriander, chipotle chile pepper, cumin and chili powder.
Next, instead of adding salsa or canned tomatoes, I had a large bunch (about 1.5 pint+) of cherry tomatoes. I sliced them in 1/2 and added to the pot. I want these to completely cook down – so if you don’t have as much time for your chili to simmer you might consider cutting them into smaller pieces. Next into the pot goes about 1/2 cup of brown sugar and then your beans. I used 1 can each of pinto, red kidney and chili beans.
And we are getting closer to putting the lid on this pot for several hours.. The remaining ingredients added in after the beans were: 1/4 cup yellow mustard, 1/4 cup dark, pure maple syrup, 1/4 cup Worcestershire, 1/4 cup of liquid aminos and 1 chocolate beer – I used Sam Adams chocolate bock. Any dark beer would do, but I liked the idea of the chocolate flavor. That might be a “secret” ingredient in my other chili recipes..?
That’s it for now – stir it together well and put the lid on that pot! Let it simmer for preferably 2-3 hours minimum 🙂
This chili is good as is, but my favorite way to serve it is “Cincinnati style” which means over pasta topped with cheese (cheddar), sour cream and diced onions – yum! I love the crunch from the diced onions. My husband loves to top with Fritos – specifically the twist ones. We like to make it almost like a taco bar with all of the topping options and let friends pick however they want to build their bowl.
“Game” Day Chili
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 jalapeno large, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 poblano pepper large
- 4 tbsp hot sauce mixed varieties or your preference
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 1 lb ground venison
- 1 lb ground bison
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 2-3 tbsp ground coriander
- 2-3 tbsp chipotle chili pepper
- 2-3 tbsp ground cumin
- 2-3 tbsp chili powder
- 1.5-2 pint cherry tomatoes sliced in 1/2
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 can red kidney beans
- 1 can chili beans
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup dark, pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire
- 1/4 cup liquid aminos
- 1 bottle beer Sam Adams chocolate bock
Instructions
- Broil Poblano pepper in oven on high until turning black – about 1/2. Flip and do same to other side. Once finished, remove and place into plastic baggie to steam. After about 5 minutes, once cool enough to handle, peel the skin off of pepper. Remove top, dice and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Add onion and thinly sliced jalapeno. Stir over medium heat until onions sweat.
- Add in minced garlic, diced poblano pepper and your hot sauce and mix together.
- Add the can of tomato paste and stir together until mixture is a thick almost paste.
- Add your ground meat and mix together well. Add your dried seasoning: coriander, chipotle chili pepper, cumin and chili powder.
- Once your meat is all cooked and there is no more pink, add in cherry tomatoes. Stir together well and add in the brown sugar.
- Now add in your beans: pinto, red kidney and chili
- Add in your remaining ingredients: yellow mustard, maple syrup, worcestershire, liquid aminos and your beer.
- Stir everything together well. Make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of your pan. Turn heat down to low/simmer. Put the lid on and simmer for 2-3 hours (at least). Check and stire every once in a while so nothing sticks to the bottom of your pan.
Creamy Roasted Tomato Sauce over Zucchini
Ok – I realized this is extremely similar to a recipe I have already posted. However, it turned out quite a bit different. Just a few small changes this time. I guess I will leave both recipes up so you can see the variations and pick what sounds best to you!
I know I have given several “zoodle” recipes already, but it’s summer time and there is nothing better than garden fresh veggies! I was visiting my parents last week and picked up lots of goodies at the local farmers market including these beautiful heirloom tomatoes, zucchini and yellow summer squash. This recipe is a favorite of mine and it’s so easy!
You can use any size tomato for this recipe – so if you are growing multiple varieties and want to use cherry tomatoes and large heirlooms go for it! If you have cherry tomatoes, I like to cut in half and if they are larger, just cut down accordingly – maybe into quarters. Spread them on a jelly roll pan. (that’s a baking sheet that has a lip around the sides) Drizzle on some olive oil, red wine vinegar, about a tablespoon or a little more of minced garlic, a dash of kosher salt and some red pepper flakes. The pepper adds some nice heat, if you are sensitive to spicy, then go light on the pepper flakes, but don’t worry we will balance out the heat later. Shake the pan around to make sure your tomatoes are all coated. Throw in the oven set at 375 degrees and bake until they are starting to burst. (cutting them in half saves some time here)
Next, let’s make our “zoodles.” And – oops! I forgot to take a picture so here is an old one so you can see what type of “zoodles” I used this time. My mom bought the same spiralizer I have and I thought it had the blade for the noodles that are more like spaghetti style set up, but it was the ribbon blade and I decided that was even better! I actually used about 3 small zucchini and one larger yellow summer squash combined.
Squeeze any excess water out by placing between paper towels. These really didn’t have much excess water as they were super fresh! Heat some ghee butter (or olive oil if you prefer) over medium-high heat and add your “zoodles.” Stir well to coat in your butter and then cover. I actually added a dash of water to help mine steam as I said these were super fresh and had almost zero excess water. If your zucchini is watery you won’t need to add any! These took about 10 minutes to cook through.
Once your tomatoes are starting to pop, you can pull them out of the oven and add to your cooked veggies. I use a spatula to scrape all of the bits from the pan as the juices make a nice, light sauce for summer.
Stir together your veggies and the “sauce” and then add some crumbled goat cheese. This makes for a super creamy, but still light sauce and also helps cut a little of the heat from your crushed red pepper flakes.
I like to sprinkle a little extra on top of each bowl just before serving. That’s it – I hope you enjoy! I’ve also made a similar sauce on top of regular pasta if you have been “zoodled” out like my husband would say.
Creamy Roasted Tomato Sauce over Zucchini
Ingredients
- 3 small zucchini
- 1 medium yellow, summer squash
- 1.5 pints tomatoes any size, add more if you like
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1.5 tbsp minced garlic
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp chrushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp ghee butter can substitute olive oil if you prefer
- 5 oz goat cheese approx
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut your tomatoes into pieces and spread on a jelly roll pan. Add your olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss together to coat the tomatoes well and put in the oven.
- Make your zoodles. We used the ribbon blade on the spiralizer and loved the texture for this recipe. Squeeze any excess water between paper towels.
- Heat the ghee butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add your zoodles and stir to coat them in the butter. Cover with a lid and let steam for approx 7-10 minutes. The cook time will depend on the water content of your veggies. (the more water the faster they will cook).
- Once your tomatoes are starting to burst, remove them from the over and add to your cooked zoodles. Use a spatula to scrape off all of the extra bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Crumble the goat cheese and add about 1/2. Stir together well. Add more of the cheese to taste and top with a few crumbles before serving if you like. ~Enjoy!
Peach Caprese Salad
I hadn’t even thought about posting/sharing this one.. I was assuming it was universal. But.. I had multiple people ask for the recipe. So – here goes nothing. This may be my shortest/easiest one yet. And not many pictures to share outside of the above.
Fresh peaches.. I mean it’s summer. We were grilling leg of lamb and I wanted a nice, refreshing, light side. I grabbed a few fresh peaches from the store. Sliced into small pieces. In Arizona, mid-summer, gardens don’t grow so amazing… I mean, I can’t complain. My tomatoes are still growing, but most of them are smaller. So.. I didn’t have the large gorgeous heirlooms to slice for caprese. Instead, I just do a bite size caprese. Slice/dice your peaches.. then same thing with your tomatoes. I bought the pre-made mozzarella in the little pearls/beads. You can also slice/dice larger mozzarella. Next, Basil. That is one thing that is growing so well for me this year. I have an abundance planted with my tomatoes under my shade cloth as well as about 10 volunteer plants that have popped up throughout the garden. Maybe I can thank the birds, maybe the wind, maybe the bunnies?? Either way, I’m happy! I just tear the basil or use some herb scissors if you have them. Mix your peaches, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella together. Drizzle with some fresh, local honey and some good quality balsamic.
That’s it – enjoy! So fresh, so yummy, so summer.. I’m not even putting a recipe card together for this one 😉
Stuffed Garden Peppers
Peppers are easy to grow in the garden. I have had success with them both in the Midwest as well as in Arizona. Currently I am growing.. jalapenos, serranos, poblanos, bell peppers, anaheim, about 6 banana pepper plants (because they grow so well and there is soooo much you can do with them) and then what I thought was pepperoncini, but still have yet to determine what they actually are. I have stuffed all varieties, but find my favorites for this recipe are the banana, poblano , bell and anaheim peppers. I had one large poblano, a couple very large anaheim and quite a few medium size banana peppers ready to go so that is what I used this time around.
I cut the top off of each pepper, slit almost all the way down, but not cutting in half and remove as many seeds as you can. These are all pretty mild peppers so you don’t need to spend too much time worrying about removing each one. Then, I took some tomatoes, also from the garden, and squeezed them into a bowl. They need to be ripe enough for this, that you can actually squeeze them. I then threw in some of my dried oregano (also from the garden) – it has become one of my most favorite spices. I am growing extra right now so that I will have plenty to dry and store again before I use it all up! Next goes in the fresh parsley (a can is fine as well if you don’t have fresh). One thing I have learned about Italian cooking is that all of the best Italian recipes are heavy on fresh parsley. A few sprinkles of some smoked paprika and some fresh ground pepper finish of your mixture in the bowl.
I used ground pork again, you can use whatever ground meat you prefer or keep on hand. I like the mild flavor of the pork in this recipe and it also tends to be one we have on hand the most. I diced up a few of my smaller peppers and threw them into a tiny bit of oil and heated for a minute before adding my pork. Cook the pork all the way through and then add in your tomato and seasonings from earlier.
Stir together until heated through. Then, we stuff the peppers. Line the stuffed peppers in a baking dish. Top them with your favorite marinara sauce. Homemade is great, canned is just fine. If I am going to use a jar one of my favorites is the Sprouts Brand – organic, tomato basil. Come to think of it, I probably should have added basil in our spices above. I guess the sauce will help make up for that!
Try to spread your sauce out as evenly as possible, covering as much of the peppers as you can. This will help them become a little softer as they cook. Lastly, sprinkle some shredded Parmesan cheese on top. I baked these at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. We seem to think these are very filling and one large pepper is more than enough for a meal for myself! They are pretty darn good leftover as well.
Stuffed Garden Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 dozen peppers assorted sizes and kinds
- 6 fresh tomatoes medium size, approx
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/4 cup dried oregano
- 2 tbsp parsley fresh or jar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tbsp fresh ground pepper
- 25 oz marinara sauce fresh or jarred (standard jar size)
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut the top off of your peppers and cut a slit down one side, almost all the way down. Wash out and remove seeds.
- Squeeze your fresh tomatoes into a mixing bowl. Peel and all. Add your spices including: oregano, parsley, paprika and pepper.
- Dice a small pepper or two (that you aren't stuffing) and add to the stove with just a bit of oil. Heat for a minute before adding your ground pork. Cook through.
- Add your tomatoes and seasonings from your bowl to your cooked pork and stir together until heated through.
- Stuff your peppers and place them in a baking dish. You can squeeze them up next to each other.
- Top with your marinara sauce. Spread evenly and cover as much of the peppers as you can. Sprinkle the top with fresh, shredded parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes. Enjoy!
Garden Zucchini Bowl
It is such a great feeling when are able to make entire meals (or most of the meal) from your own garden! I had some monster zucchini as my lead producers this year. We were headed out of town and I couldn’t risk them going bad so I spiralized and threw in the freezer to enjoy when we returned.
I love this spiralizer. I borrowed a similar one from a neighbor previously – Lindly. It might be the same one actually.. I ordered from Amazon. Zucchini really holds water and therefore tends to lose some density, especially when it’s been frozen. Fresh is definitely the best! I used 2 pretty large zucchini for this recipe.
Even when using fresh, start by wrapping your spiralized zucchini in between some paper towels. Try to get as much of the water out as you can.
These are the garden goodies I picked this day to use in this dish (minus the peppers – I didn’t include them). That’s fresh basil, oregano, parsley, cherry tomatoes (several varieties) and some fresh thyme.
Heat up some olive oil and add some minced garlic and a diced shallot. Cook for a few minutes and then add in a pound of ground pork. I also threw in some fennel seeds and crushed red pepper. Simmer until your pork is cooked through.
Slice your tomatoes in half or if you are using larger tomatoes you will want to quarter or smaller. Chop up your herbs (Basil, oregano, parsley, thyme) and add the tomatoes and herbs to your pork.
Next, I added approximately two cups of tomato sauce. I had some in the freezer from last years garden. I simply cook the tomatoes down on the stove, pour in a freezer bag and freeze until ready to use. You could use a canned one as well (but it won’t turn out as good – sorry!).
I let this simmer for a couple of hours. The longer the better, but if you are short on time – 20 minutes should suffice.
Lastly, I squeeze out my zoodles. Heat some olive oil and minced garlic for flavor and add the zucchini. It only takes about 7 minutes to cook through – maybe less. That’s it – place your zucchini in a bowl and top with as much sauce as you would like. Enjoy!
Garden Zucchini Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini large
- 2 dozen cherry tomatoes
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot medium
- 1 lb ground pork
- 4 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp fennel seed or more to taste
- 1 tbsp crushed red pepper
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp thyme fresh
- 3 tbsp basil chopped
- 3 tbsp parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp sage chopped
Instructions
- Spiralize your zucchini. Wrap in between paper towels to get the moisture out.
- Heat olive oil in a pan and add diced shallot and minced garlic. Cook until fragrant.
- Add ground pork to pan, fennel and crushed red pepper. Cook pork through.
- Add your sliced tomatoes and chopped herbs. Stir together well and add in tomato sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes or more.
- Heat some olive oil in another pan with some minced garlic. Add the Zucchini noodles and heat through approx 7 minutes. Use a medium-high temp to try and crisp up the zucchini a little more.
- Top the zucchini noodles with your sauce and serve hot.
Creamy, Roasted Tomato and Chicken Zoodles
Like usual, we had a few things in the fridge that needed to be eaten before going bad.. rotisserie chicken and cherry tomatoes were a couple of those things. I tend to overbuy tomatoes anytime I find beautiful heirlooms.. I just can’t get enough! Any day now we will start picking our own right out of the backyard! In my opinion there is nothing better than eating your own homegrown tomatoes. In my family we call the cherry’s “Karen’s candy.” That’s because my sister ate them as if they were candy.
I used a mixture of zucchini and yellow squash zoodles this time. You can make your own or at our local grocery store I like to purchase the Cece’s: https://cecesveggieco.com/products/#noodled. First thing I do is wrap my “zoodles” in paper towels to soak up any extra moisture. Then on to the tomatoes. Set the oven to 450 degrees. Roll your cleaned tomatoes onto a jelly roll pan with some olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, add some minced garlic, crushed red pepper and some vinegar (I used champagne vinegar, red wine vinegar works as well). Toss together well and place in the oven for approx 10 minutes. They are finished when they start popping open.
Next, add a little oil (olive, avocado or ghee work) enough to coat the pan. Over medium heat, add a little minced garlic for flavor and throw in your rotisserie chicken. Stir occasionally until the chicken is heated through. Squeeze your zoodles in your paper towels and add them to your pan. Stir together until the zoodles are cooked through. Should take about 6-7 minutes.
Grab your pan of tomatoes from the oven and stir into the mix. Use a spatula to scrape any bits left on the pan into your mixture. Mix this together well and you are almost done. I wanted to make this a little creamy and decided to add some goat cheese.
Stir in just enough crumbles to make your creamy texture. The flavor of goat cheese is strong enough that you don’t need much. And it soaks up the juices in the pan well. If you are a goat cheese lover like myself, you can add a few extra crumbles on top of your bowl. That’s it – enjoy! How simple right?!
If you don’t like goat cheese you could use cream cheese or even a little plain yogurt. Also on the red pepper flakes – they add heat so if you are sensitive to spicy use sparingly.
Creamy, Roasted Tomato and Chicken Zoodles
Ingredients
- 4 Zucchini and/or squash Large
- 2 Pints Cherry tomatoes
- 4 Tbsp Olive oil Divided
- 2 Tbsp Minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp Red pepper flakes Approx
- 2 Tbsp Red wine or champagne vinegar
- 2 Tsp Salt Himalayan
- 1.5 Cups Rotisserie chicken
- 2 Tbsp Goat cheese Crumbled
Instructions
- Spiralize your zucchini and squash (if not already done). Place between paper towels to soak up moisture.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place cherry tomatoes and 1/2 of olive oil on jelly roll pan. Add pinch of salt, crushed red pepper and 1/2 of minced garlic. Mix together well. Place in oven for approximately 12 minutes.
- Heat remaining oil and garlic in pan over medium heat. Add the rotisserie chicken and stir until heated through.
- Squeeze the zucchini noodles and add to the pan. Mix together well until cooked to desired doneness. Approximately 7 minutes.
- Once your cherry tomatoes are popping open, remove from oven. Use a spatula to scrape all juice and any remaining bits from pan into zoodles mixture. Cook for a few minutes to let flavors mix.
- Add in your goat cheese crumbles. Stir until mixed together.
- If you love goat cheese like we do, top your bowl with a few extra crumbles.
Spiralized Cucumber & Tomato Salad
Last night.. I actually got my husband to eat fresh green beans – and he loved them. Polished off the pan! I am so happy. I will share that simple recipe with you later this week. It’s absolutely gorgeous weather in the Phoenix metro right now. We are all trying to enjoy this and soak up as much as we can before the ovens are turned on.. and ran all summer long. So I often take my lunch to the patio and enjoy it outside this time of year.
Most of the time I am looking for a super quick, simple and healthy lunch option. The spiralizer that I have is so easy to access, use and clean it really helps speed up the process for things like this. I knew that I had a few cucumbers in the fridge and wanted to be sure to use them up while they were still fresh! So I pulled 2 large cucumbers out, washed and cut off one end and started spiralizing. I used the coarse noodles – like spaghetti noodle size blade. So much fun.. I love transforming foods into noodles and such.
If you have ever made a cucumber salad before, or actually if you have ever eaten a cucumber before, you know that they are very watery. So – for the first time, I decided to use a little of the salt method for this. I sprinkled on some Kosher salt and mixed together well letting the (cucudooles) sit while I dug for what other ingredients I had in my fridge to turn this into a salad. Hehe.. I will have to think of a better name for them! About 5 minutes later – I squeezed the cucumbers between a LOT of paper towels to take out quite a bit of liquid. You will never get it all and if you do – I’d like to see what that looks like.
Next, I added some cherry tomatoes, cut in half. I cut them in half because it’s so much better when those tomato juices mix in with everything else. I also had some quick pickled onions already in my fridge – so I added the remainder of a jar. I have found I really enjoy keeping the pickled onions on hand and they are so easy to make!
I then added some dill weed – you can use a dried or fresh. And then top off with about 1/2 cup of plain, non-fat, Greek yogurt. (organic of course) That is something else I like to pretty much always have on hand. Much better than sour cream, so many uses and it really stays fresh for a long time. Mix this all together really well. You might want to cut up your cucudooles if they were in the really long strands. Just like you would cut up a kid’s bowl of spaghetti noodles at a restaurant.
There is is – that simple. It’s great when you eat it right away, but even better when you let it sit at least for a few hours. Great idea for a summer BBQ side or if you are like me, lunch. You could even throw in some rotisserie chicken if you wanted to add some protein for your lunch. This will still get pretty watery – that’s just what you get with cucumbers!
Spiralized Cucumber & Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large cucumbers
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes approx
- 1/3 cup pickled red onion
- 2 tbsp dill fresh or dried
- 1/2 cup plain, non-fat, Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Wash your cucumbers and cut off one end. Spiralize using the coarse noodle (spaghetti noodle size) blade.
- Sprinkle with Kosher salt and let sit for approx 5 minutes. Squeeze out the water between several paper towels as much as you can.
- Wash and cut your cherry tomatoes in half. Add your cherry tomatoes and pickled red onion to your cucumbers.
- Sprinkle in your dill. Mix in the yogurt and still well.
- Refrigerate for a couple of hours before enjoying. OR – eat now if you don’t want to wait.
Carrot Top Pesto & Cold Stuffed Tomatoes
Along with my smoked beer can chicken, I made sauteed carrot ribbons and cold stuffed tomatoes. I stuffed those tomatoes with quinoa and carrot pesto. I’d honestly never eaten carrot tops before and wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out, but I just went for it. I hate letting those gorgeous greens go to waste.
Look at all off of those greens just from a few organic carrots. This made more than enough pesto to last us for a while. I also recently received a new food processor from my husband, for my birthday, and I always get excited to break it out so another reason for the pesto. Remove the greens from the stems (and carrots) just like you would cilantro. Set aside. Gather your remaining ingredients – you can adjust to your personal preference, but here is what I included: pine nuts (about 1/2 cup), Parmesan cheese (shredded or cubed), minced garlic, crushed red pepper, 1/2 a large preserved lemon, a handful of mixed greens (baby spinach and fresh greens mix), a handful of fresh basil and olive oil.
With the large bowl and large chopping blade in your processor, running on high – put in your pine nuts and Parmesan cheese until chopped. Add your garlic, crushed red pepper and pulse a few times on high. Add in your carrot tops, greens, basil and preserved lemon and pulse about 10-15 times on high. Scrape the sides of the processor and turn it back onto high. Pour your olive oil slowly through your small food feeder until mixed well. I added about 2/3 cup. Mine was pretty salty as most of these ingredients are and the tartness of the carrot greens didn’t help balance that. I decided to add some sour cream. I added about 1/2 cup. If you want it sweeter you could always add some honey or brown sugar.
Next, cut the tops off of your tomatoes and scrape out the inside using a grapefruit fork. Turn them upside down for 10-15 minutes to let the juices run out. You can sit on a wire rack or just a plate works fine.
Cook your quinoa per package instructions. Let it cool. If you are in a rush you can put on a plate in the fridge for a bit. Mix together your pesto and quinoa and stuff your tomatoes. There you have it! I forgot a complete picture, but grabbed one with our dinner. (at the top)
Carrot Top Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 bunch carrot tops
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded or cubed
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 large lemon preserved
- 1 handful mixed greens
- 1 handful fresh basil
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt, plain (or sour cream)
Cold Stuffed Tomatoes
- 3 or 4 tomatoes large
- 1/2 cup quinoa
Instructions
- Cut off carrot tops and set aside.
- Chop your pine nuts and parmesan cheese on high. Add your crushed red pepper, preserved lemon, garlic and pulse on high until mixed well.
- Add your greens (carrot tops, mixed greens and basil). Pulse on high about 10/15 times until chopped. Scrape the sides.
- With processor on high, slowly add your olive oil until mixed well.
- Taste and add any honey or sugar your might want. Pour into a bowl and mix with 1/2 cup of yogurt.
Cold Stuffed Tomatoes
- Cut the top off of your tomatoes and scrape the insides out using a knife or grapefruit spoon.
- Turn your tomatoes upside down for 10-15 minutes to let the juices run out.
- Cook your quinoa per package instructions and let cool.
- Mix your cooled quinoa with your pesto – to taste. about 1/2 and 1/2, maybe a little more quinoa.
- Stuff your tomatoes and enjoy!