Of course as a gardener, we want to enjoy the fruit of our labor. I love garden to table simple suppers. They make summer so sweet. These are some of my favorites. They are tried and true and kid approved! All just use simple ingredients and are perfect for the beginner or most advanced gardener to enjoy!
Tabouleh
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
- 1 cup cooked pearl couscous
- 1 container cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 purple onion or 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 1 large or 2 small cucumbers
- 1 cup feta cheese
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
This recipe is just prep and mixing! Chop all vegetables and parsley very small and add to large bowl. Cook couscous according to package and let cool. Juice lemons and set aside. When couscous is cool, add a little olive oil to the pot to loosen and add to vegetables. Add lemon juice and olive oil and stir really well. I like to use my hands. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Finally top with feta cheese and serve! Delicious!
Summer Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- cucumbers and tomatoes
- Balsamic vinaigrette or Italian dressing
- salt and pepper
Directions
Slice and peel cucumbers and cube or quarter tomatoes. Then add to a bowl and mix with salad dressing. Add salt and pepper and serve. There is just nothing better!
Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients
- 10-12 medium sized jalapeno peppers
- 1 lb. breakfast sausage
- 1 block cream cheese
- 1 lb. bacon
Directions
Preheat oven to 425. Cook breakfast sausage in a small skillet until no longer pink. Set aside. Create slit in peppers lengthwise and remove seeds. Combine sausage with cream cheese in mixing bowl. Using a small spoon, stuff cream cheese mixture into each pepper. Once all peppers are stuffed, wrap each with half a piece of bacon and place on sheet pan and cover with foil.
Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and broil to get the bacon crispy. You may need to turn the poppers over to brown the bacon underneath half way through broiling. This should only take a couple minutes, so stay close and watch it.
Once bacon is brown, serve it up!
Grilled Squash or Zucchini
Ingredients
- 4 or more large zucchini or summer squash
- olive oil
- Tony’s seasoning
- salt and pepper
Directions
Slice veggies lengthwise about 1/4″ thick and cover with olive oil. Sprinkle Tony’s and salt and pepper on the top side and lay, Tony’s side down, on a hot grill or stovetop griddle. Cook 2-3 minutes, or until you see grill marks, and turn over. Sprinkle Tony’s one more time, and cook 2-3 minutes again. Once you see grill marks, it is done! The perfect summer side dish!
Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
- 10-12 medium sized banana peppers
- 1 lb. breakfast sausage
- 1 block cream cheese
- 1/2 pound of fresh mozzarella
Directions
Preheat oven to 425. Cook breakfast sausage in a small skillet until no longer pink. Set aside. Cut peppers in half lengthwise, remove stem and seeds. Combine sausage with cream cheese in mixing bowl. Using a small spoon, stuff cream cheese mixture into each pepper.
Top each pepper with a slice of mozzarella. Then place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. You may need to broil for the last 3-4 minutes if the cheese isn’t completely melted. Delicious!
Squash Pie
Ingredients
- 2 – 9″ pie crusts
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 2 onions, diced
- 6-8 medium summer squash, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 cup mayo
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup green onions, diced
- 1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Sautee onions in butter until translucent, add squash. Salt and pepper to taste, add sugar, and cook 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Place pie crusts in pans. In measuring cup mix mayo and eggs. Grate cheddar and mozzarella cheese and combine in a large bowl. Add green onions and mayo and egg mixture to squash. Put half of the cheese mixture in the bottom of each pie crust, leaving the other half of the cheese to top pies with.
Split the squash mixture between the two pies and finish off with the grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until crusts are golden brown. Enjoy!
P.S. These pies freeze perfectly. Just let them cool completely and remove from pie pan. Store in a gallon ziploc in the freezer.
Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 1⁄4 cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups thickly shredded zucchini (about 2-3 medium zucchinis)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 9-inch baking pan lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the wet ingredients (vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla) until smooth. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix it all together until just combined. Don’t over mix.
Shred the zucchini and wrap it in a clean kitchen towel to squeeze out any excess liquid. Fold the zucchini into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about an hour. Cool on a wire rack until completely cool, about 30 minutes. Cut like cornbread and eat it up!
Maw Maw’s Smothered Squash
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium summer squash
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 1 tbsp. bacon grease
- 1 onion, diced
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
I still remember eating smothered squash at my Maw Maws. This is the old, classic southern recipe that is so simple and nostalgic. All you do is thinly slice 3 – 4 summer squash. Melt butter and bacon grease in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until translucent. Then add squash. Cover the skillet and cook until squash are tender. Remove lid after a few minutes and stir. Replace the lid and cook some more. After doing this a few times, the squash will fall apart. At this point, use a large spoon to cut them up into bite size pieces as you stir. Salt and pepper to taste. If there is too much liquid, just cook a little longer without the lid. Serve it up!
Rosemary Red Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
- 15 or so red potatoes
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 425. Quarter or cube red potatoes, leaving skin on and place on sheet pan. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the potatoes and toss with hands to coat the potatoes on all sides. Sprinkle rosemary and toss again. Add salt and pepper and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Yummy!!
Easy Veggie Pickling
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh vegetables, such as cucumbers
- 2 sprigs fresh dill
- 1 to 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
- a few slices of purple onion
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed or sliced (optional)
- 1 cup vinegar, such as white, apple cider, or rice
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Directions
First, wash 2 wide-mouth pint jars, lids, and rings in warm, soapy water and rinse well. This is important because you don’t want any bacteria to grow inside your jars once you are storing them. Dry them completely.
Wash and dry the vegetables and cut into desired shapes and sizes. Then divide the herbs, spices, or garlic you are using between the jars. Pack the vegetables into the jars, making sure there is a 1/2 inch of space from the rim of the jar to the tops of the vegetables. Pack them in as tightly as you can without smashing.
Place the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Pour the brine over the vegetables, filling each jar to within 1/2 inch of the top. You might not use it all. Always remember to tap the jars against the counter a few times to remove all the air bubbles. Top off with more brine if necessary.
Place the lids on the jars and screw on the rings until tight. Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Place each jar in the boiling water. It takes longer to do this one at a time, but it is so much easier to me. You can do them one at a time or multiple in the pot. It is up to you. Leave in boiling water for 10 minutes. Then remove them from the pot and set aside to cool. The lids must pop on every jar you store. If the lids don’t pop, you will have to refrigerate them. Store pickles at room temperature and the pickles will improve with flavor as they age — try to wait at least 48 hours before cracking them open. There is nothing like a summer pickle!
Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup pine nuts (or chopped walnuts)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 3 teaspoons)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
Directions
Place the basil leaves and pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a several times. Add the garlic and Parmesan or Romano cheese and pulse several times more. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady small stream. Adding the olive oil slowly, while the processor is running, will help it emulsify and help keep the olive oil from separating. Occasionally stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Toss with pasta to serve immediately or store in airtight containers in the freezer.
Fresh From the Garden Salsa
Ingredients
- 2-3 tomatoes (or 10-12 cherry tomatoes)
- 1 quarter of a purple onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp. cilantro leaves
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- salt to taste
- tiny squeeze or lime
Directions
Place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Pulse for just a few seconds to mix and chop everything. So easy! You don’t even have to put in the blender if you like it more fresh. In that case just chop everything and combine. In either case, when the salsa is mixed to your liking, add salt to taste. Always taste test on a chip since the chip will add salt as well.
To store, pour into a pint size jar and place the lid on the jar and screw on the rings until tight. Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Place each jar in the boiling water. It takes longer to do this one at a time, but it is so much easier to me. You can do them one at a time or multiple in the pot. It is up to you. Leave in boiling water for 10 minutes. Then remove them from the pot and set aside to cool. The lids must pop on every jar you store. If the lids don’t pop, you will have to refrigerate them. Store salsa at room temperature.
If you feel frustrated or discouraged with your garden this season, you may need a garden do-over! And guess what? It is the perfect time for you to get one!
On June 5th the Kitchen Garden “Do-Over” Academy will begin and you can have a second spring harvest to start picking by Labor Day!
Don’t let this exciting season get by without your harvest basket being full!!
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