Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons

This weekend, my Mom and I visited the South Kingston/URI Farmer’s Market and made quite a few purchases. We actually had to go back to the car to get another reusable grocery bag. But I’ll start with the first local tomatoes of the year, which were destined for this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Do you ever use fresh bread to wipe up the tomato sauce from your plate? You savor those last few bites, right? That is the essence of this recipe. The bread soaks up the best part of the fresh tomatoes in this dish, and each and every bite is that good. We used it as a side dish, but it could easily be a main dish served with a big green salad.

Basil Egg Salad

Egg salad is a lunch classic, especially at the end of the week when the pantry is sometimes bare. To close out a week full of basil recipes, I made egg salad and added chopped basil to the mix. Nothing fancy, but the fresh herb made a nice upgrade.

Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad

Do you still have some basil left? Good. This Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad has an incredible flavor. You get to keep the prettiest parts of the asparagus stalks in the salad, and the rest get blended up with basil, lemon juice, and pine nuts to make a pesto sauce. I left out the nutritional yeast and the tomatoes, although I do think adding another vegetable would be good. And some beans might work to round out the dish. My food processor has gotten a workout this week!

Zucchini Potato Gratin

The second dish I made for our Farmer’s Market meal was this Zucchini Potato Gratin. I loosely followed this recipe, but the only fresh herbs I had on hand were parsley and basil. It’s really important to slice the potatoes as thinly as possible, so that they cook properly. But the end result is well worth it, this was a great dish! I think it would taste different every time you made it, based on the herb combination which you use. It’s not quite as good as the Squash and Potato Torte which I made last year, but it’s still a keeper.

2 large or 3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
5-6 small red potatoes, thinly sliced
Large handful fresh parsley
Large handful fresh basil
2-3 T olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan

Place sliced zucchini and potatoes in a large bowl. In a food processor, combine parsley, basil, and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon herb mixture onto zucchini and potato slices. Sprinkle with cheese. Using your hands, mix well to ensure the vegetables are coated.

Coat an 8″ square dish with cooking spray. Add vegetables slices, and cover dish with foil. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 30-45 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.

Peach, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad

My cooking club theme this month was “Farmer’s Market” and I have certainly been practicing over the last few weeks, enjoying new types of produce like garlic scapes and tat soi, and old favorites like carrots and zucchini. The first dish I made for the dinner was this Peach, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad from Real Simple, which I served over a bed of Romaine lettuce, so that it could be tossed like a more traditional salad.

The mozzarella was made by Fiore Di Nonno in Somerville, which is sold at the Copley Square Farmer’s Market. I snuck a piece while preparing the salad, and there is nothing like the taste of fresh mozzarella. Peaches, basil, and lettuce are all readily available at markets right now, and this salad comes together very quickly. It looks fancier than it is, but it tastes just like summer. Perfect!

Sunflower Tomato Basil Spread

I hope your basil plant is growing like crazy or you have a big bunch on hand, because you are going to need it for most of the recipes this week! I was inspired by this recipe, and the bag of sunflower seeds lurking in my cabinet. The spread made the perfect lunch, served on a whole wheat baguette with plenty of lettuce for crunch.

2/3 c. raw sunflower seeds, soaked for 2 hours
1/4 c. chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1 large handful fresh basil
1 t olive oil
1 t balsamic vinegar
1 t lemon juice
Salt & Pepper

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until a smooth consistency is reached. Add more balsamic vinegar if needed, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Mediterranean Beet Salad

Can you believe this is the third post about beets this year? Here is the first, and second. For most of my life, I have avoided beets whenever possible. 2010 has definitely been a year of learning to love new foods.

After roasting one very large beet in the oven for almost an hour (yes, in this heat!) I peeled the skin and cut the beet into smaller pieces to marinate as directed in this recipe. After a few hours, I served the marinated beets on a bed of lettuce and shredded carrots, topped with a yogurt and dill dressing. The beets in the salad were good, but I think I prefer to eat them warm. Who knows what beet creation will be next!?

Spiced Couscous Salad

I liked the combination of walnuts and raisins in this dish, so I used it again and made this grain salad. I wanted to use millet since I have never tried it before, but I am really trying to use up some of the grains in my cabinet before buying any more. So I used whole wheat couscous, along with roasted eggplant, spinach, raisins, walnuts, chick peas, olive oil, and plenty of garam masala and cinnamon with a dash each of salt and red pepper. It was perfect – just a little spicy, but a filling lunch.

White Bean & Basil Spread

I’ve posted plenty of bean dips and spreads in the past – black beans with avocado, white beans with avocado, white beans with walnuts, and white beans and sun dried tomatoes. I am a fan of these because they are fast and easy to make, and you can either scoop them up with crackers or vegetables, or use them on a sandwich or wrap. So here is one more to add to the list, inspired by the basil which seems to be just about everywhere right now! The photo is from a wrap I made very early one morning, and I looked forward to lunch all day.

1 (15 oz.) can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
Large handful fresh basil leaves, washed
Salt and Pepper

Blend all ingredients in a food processor.

Peanut Butter Banana “Ice Cream”

Who remembers the Banana Ice Cream I made last year? It’s not really ice cream, but frozen chunks of banana blended in the food processor. There is a striking resemblance to soft serve ice cream though! One very hot summer night, I was craving ice cream, and remembered that I had stashed an overripe banana in the freezer a few weeks before. I threw it into the food processor, added a spoonful of peanut butter, and in just a few minutes I had a fantastic frozen treat. But don’t linger, this stuff melts quickly!