Cucumber Dill Salad

My cooking club theme this month was fresh herbs, and I made this cucumber dill salad. It is a very simple dish, and a nice change from traditional salads. The taste of the dill was fairly subtle, so I may add a bit more next time. I did not salt the cucumbers since the recipe reviews recommended skipping that step.

The rest of the meal featured Simon and Garfunkel chicken (with parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, get it?), rosemary potatoes, pesto pasta salad, fresh salsa with cilantro, and a beautiful mint-infused cream tart with fresh berries. Now that summer is here and fresh herbs are bountiful, this theme was a great way to celebrate. More recipes which use fresh herbs are coming this week!

Apple Pear

This is my first product review from the produce department. I was looking for a piece of fruit, and stumbled upon an apple pear. I had never seen one, but found they have a Latin name and Asian origin. While it was shaped like an apple, it tasted more like a pear. It held up well, traveling around the city in my bag, and made a wonderful snack, no cooking required!

Won Ton Cinnamon Crisps

Did you have a chance to make these egg rolls yet? I made them again this weekend when I was with my family, and they were even better than the first batch. But, there were just a few leftover egg roll wrappers. My Mom and sister decided to bake a snack the following day, brushing the wrappers with butter and then sprinkling cinnamon and sugar. They used this recipe as a guide, and even took pictures for the blog.

‘Before’ and ‘After’ baking:

This is the final product, served with some of my sister’s delicious fruit salad:

This was the perfect treat, very crispy with a hint of sweet. Very creative, thanks guys!

Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley Salad

I know I made this recipe before, but can’t remember when. Since it has so many ingredients I like – eggplant, zucchini, and barley, I found it again and made it last weekend. I omitted the cherry tomatoes and the coriander, and used red pepper flakes in place of the cayenne pepper. Be warned that this recipe makes enough to feed a large crowd! While the flavors are enjoyable, the texture is fairly soft, so you may want to accompany this with a crunchy green salad.

Grilled Mango Salsa

My sister and her husband teamed up to make Grilled Mango Salsa based on this recipe from the Food Network. I really love the taste of mango, and this was a great addition to our meal. The ingredients all tasted very fresh, and this was the perfect way to kick off the summer grilling season! You may want to cut back slightly on the cilantro, so as not to overpower the other flavors.

2 large mangoes, cut into thick slices
1 large red onion, cut into thick slices
2 T olive oil
Salt
Pepper
5 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped into 1/2″ pieces
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1/2 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 T lime juice
Juice of 1/2 orange
1/4 c. cider vinegar
Lightly coat mango and onion slices in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill for 2 minutes on each side, on medium-high heat.
Remove from grill and let cool slightly. Chop mango and onion and place in a large mixing bowl with all remaining ingredients. Chill for 30 minutes and then use as a topping for grilled chicken or fish, such as salmon as pictured here:

Baked Beans

Happy Memorial Day! Homemade baked beans are a great complement to any barbecue, and in my opinion, much better than any canned version. I posted this recipe last year, and made it again this weekend. While these taste great the first day, I think they are even better as leftovers. Enjoy!

Squash and Potato Torte

I think this is my favorite new recipe of 2009 – it’s that good. The torte was very thin, but bursting with flavor. The original recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, a wonderful site with many great recipes and food photos. I only made a few changes, substituting whole wheat flour for white, and using dried thyme instead of fresh. Although the instructions look long, this was very easy to make. I highly recommend that you try this one soon!

3 Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced, divided
1 yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
3 t olive oil, divided
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 T whole wheat flour
1/2 bunch scallions, sliced
1 t dried thyme
3/4 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

Mix cheese, flour, scallions, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Lightly coat a cake pan or pie plate with cooking spray. Add the following layers in order:
1/3 of potatoes
1/2 of summer squash
1 t oil
1/3 of cheese mixture
1/3 of potatoes
1/2 of summer squash
1 t oil
1/3 of cheese mixture
1/3 of potatoes
1 t oil
1/3 of cheese mixture

Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 40 minutes at 375F. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 20 minutes at 375F.

Raisin Walnut Overnight Oats

This is another version of overnight oats, and I liked it even better. I added a dash of cinnamon and Splenda in the morning. This was also a portable breakfast, and it’s so thick you don’t need to worry about any spills.

1/2 c. oats
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/3 c. milk
1 T raisins
1 T walnuts

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and leave in the refrigerator overnight.