Greek Tomato Salad Pita

got the idea from recipes from Simply in Season and Marth Stewart Living, August 2010

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, diced
4 pitas
2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
8 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup feta cheese
1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs; basil and parsley

1. Stir together yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic. Toast pitas.
2. Toss together cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, feta, olives, and herbs. Divide yogurt mixture among pitas, and spread. Divide salad mixture among pitas, roll to close.

Cucumber-Strawberry Smoothie

This was an amazing creation after our long run this morning - I got the idea to put cucumbers in a smoothie after I had cucumber-watermelon juice at Over Easy one morning. I think this is my favorite use for all the cucumbers from the garden.

Just blend these ingredients. Add a little water to get it blending.
1 bag of frozen strawberries
2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar

Pepper Jack, Chicken, and Peach Quesadillas

Cooking Light, August 2010
Photo: John Autry; Styling: Mindi Shapiro

Ingredients
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
1 cup chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
1 cup thinly sliced peeled firm ripe peaches
4 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Combine honey and lime juice in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir sour cream into honey mixture; cover and chill until ready to serve.

2. Place tortillas flat on a work surface. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons cheese over half of each tortilla; top each tortilla with 1/4 cup chicken, 1/4 cup peaches, and 1 teaspoon cilantro. Fold tortillas in half.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place 2 quesadillas in the pan, and top quesadillas with a cast-iron or other heavy skillet. Cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until tortillas are crisp and lightly browned (leave cast-iron skillet on quesadillas as they cook). Remove quesadillas from pan; set aside, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with the remaining quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into wedges. Serve with sauce.

Penne with Green and Gold Zucchini and Ricotta

Local Flavors, by Deborah Madison, p. 142

1 c. whole milk ricotta
2 lbs. zucchini, mixed green & yellow
2 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. marjoram or basil
Salt & Pepper
1 lb. penne pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan

1. Remove the ricotta from the refrigerator and spoon it onto a plate so that it will warm to room temperature. Slice the zucchini on the diagonal a scant 1/2-inch thick, then slice into strips so that each piece resembles the quill shape of the pasta.

2. Set a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil. Add the zucchini and sauté until golden—about 5 minutes. When the squash is done, add the garlic and herbs and toss to combine. Remove from the heat. Season well with salt and pepper.

3. Drop the pasta into 6 quarts of rapidly boiling water seasoned with about 2 Tablespoons of salt. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Add the penne to the pan of cooked squash. Toss, taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Dollop spoonfuls of the ricotta over the surface of the squash and pasta. Scatter the Parmesan over the top and serve from the pan.

Zucchini Brownies

Simply in Season, p. 161

1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine in large bowl.

2-3 cups zucchini, shredded
Stir in.

1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine in separate bowl and beat with fork. Stir into zucchini mixture. Spread evenly into greased 9x13 inch pan.

1/2-1 cup semisweet or mint chocolate chips
1/2 cup nuts
Sprinkle on top of batter. Bake in preheated oven at 350F until toothpick inserted in center come out clean, 35-40 minutes.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Satin Frosting

Joy of Cooking, p. 962

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Fill the muffin cups about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on a rack before frosting.

Chocolate Satin Frosting, Joy of Cooking p. 1004
Break or cut into pieces.
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
Bring to a boil in a small saucepan
1 cup heavy cream
Remove from heat and add chocolate pieces, without stirring. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Add:
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix until smooth. Transfer to bowl. Refrigerate until thickened to desired consistency.

Peach Cupcakes

Martha Stewart Living, August 2010

For the Cupcakes
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Salt
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 medium peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, and finely chopped (1 1/4 cups)

For the Topping
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 medium peach, halved, pitted, and very thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cupcakes: Mix flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir together milk and vanilla.
2. Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs. Beat in flour mixture and milk mixture.
3. Line muffin tin with baking cups. Fill each with 1 tablespoon batter, 1 heaping tablespoon chopped peaches, and an additional 2 tablespoons batter. Bake until edges begin to turn golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool in tin.
4. Make the topping: Whisk together cream, sour cream, and sugar to medium peaks. Top cupcakes with a dollop of cream and peach slices.

Storage: Undecorated cupcakes can be stored at room temperature overnight.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

from Simply in Season cookbook

1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix, then gently fold in
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter or oil
Whisk together, add to flour mixture. Batter will be stiff.

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup walnuts or other nuts
2 tablespoons butter
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix until crumbly and sprinkle over top.

Bake at 425 until light golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, try with warm milk poured on top.

Asparagus and Herb Lasagna

from New York Times, Recipes for Health
Martha Rose Shulman, June 25, 2010

This did take a long time to put together, but I didn't have any other plans on Sunday morning, so why not. It was delicious.


2 large garlic cloves, peeled
Salt
2 pounds asparagus
1 recipe olive oil béchamel
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, chervil, parsley, chives, basil, arugula
1/2 pound no-boil lasagna noodles

1. Fill a pasta pot with water, and add the garlic cloves. Bring to a boil while you trim the asparagus by breaking off the woody ends. When the water comes to a boil, add salt to taste and the asparagus ends. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover partially and simmer the asparagus ends for 30 minutes. Remove the asparagus ends and the garlic cloves from the water and discard. Bring the water back to a boil, and add the asparagus stalks. Boil thick asparagus stalks for five minutes, medium and thin stalks for three minutes. Transfer them, using a spider or tongs, to a bowl of ice water. Do not drain the cooking water. Allow the asparagus to cool for a few minutes, then drain and dry on a clean kitchen towel. If the asparagus stalks are thick, cut in half lengthwise first, then cut the asparagus (thick or thin) into 1-inch lengths. Set aside.

2. Whisk 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the cooking water from the asparagus into the béchamel, along with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and the herbs. Add freshly ground pepper to taste and adjust salt.

3. Oil or butter a 3-quart baking dish or lasagna dish. Bring the water back to a rolling boil, and drop in enough lasagna noodles to cover the surface of the baking dish (for my rectangular dish, that’s three lasagna noodles). Boil just until the pasta is flexible (about three minutes for no-boil lasagna). Using tongs, transfer the pasta to a bowl of cold water, then drain on a clean dish towel.

4. Spread a very thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the dish. Cover with a layer of pasta. Stir the asparagus into the remaining béchamel, and spread a layer over the noodles. Sprinkle on 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Parboil another layer’s worth of pasta, and top with the asparagus béchamel, then with another 2 tablespoons of Parmesan. Repeat with one more layer. End with a layer of pasta, and if you have any béchamel left, spread it over the top and sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan. Cover tightly with plastic if storing in the refrigerator.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the lasagna, and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbling. Uncover, and continue to bake until the top just begins to color, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to sit five to 10 minutes, and serve.

Yield: Serves six.

Advance preparation: You can make this up to a day or two before you bake it. Don’t drizzle on the last tablespoon of olive oil until you’re ready to bake. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate. Remove the plastic, and replace with foil before baking.


Olive Oil Béchamel
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot or onion (optional)
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups low-fat (1 percent) milk
Salt to taste
Freshly ground white or black pepper

Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the shallot or onion, and cook, stirring, until softened, about three minutes. Stir in flour, and cook, stirring, for about three minutes until smooth and bubbling but not browned. The paste should have the texture of wet sand. Whisk in the milk all at once, and bring to a simmer, whisking all the while, until the mixture begins to thicken. Turn the heat to very low, and simmer, stirring often with a whisk and scraping the bottom and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, for 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and lost its raw flour taste. Season with salt and pepper. Strain while hot into a heatproof bowl or a Pyrex measuring cup.

Napa Cabbage Salad With Cilantro and Peanuts

from Local Flavors cookbook, by Deborah Madison

THE SALAD
½ cup skinned raw peanuts
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 large carrot
4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
2 cups slivered lettuce leaves
3 thin scallions, including some of the greens, finely sliced diagonally
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons torn basil leaves

THE DRESSING
½ jalapeno chile, finely diced
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup roasted peanut oil

Heat the peanuts in the oil over medium-low heat, until lightly browned after a few minutes. Blot with paper towels and set aside.

Peel the carrot with a vegetable peeler and discard the skins. Then, with the vegetable peeler, continue removing long strips of the carrot until you’vereached the core.

Combine the cabbage, lettuce, and carrot with everything except the nuts.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together and toss with the greens. Add the peanuts just before serving.

Homemade Pita Bread

from Joy of Cooking

Here's a pic of the pitas I made and filled with the cucumber yogurt salad!

Ingredients:
3 cups flour

1 1/2 Tbs sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp yeast

2 Tbs melted butter

1 1/4 c warm water

Directions:
1. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the water and butter. Mix to combine.
2. Knead for 10 minutes by hand, or on medium speed in the mixer using a dough hook. The dough should be a little tacky, but not sticky. Add flour or water to get the right consistency.
3. Oil a bowl, roll the dough around to cover in the oil. Put plastic wrap on top and let the dough sit for about 2 hours.
4. Punch the dough down. Divide it into 8 small balls. Cover with a dish towel and let them rest for 20 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Turn a baking sheet upside down to use as a cooking surface. Roll out each of the 8 balls until they are about 8 inches in diameter and 1/8 of an inch thick.
6. When the oven is hot, spray some water on the baking sheet. Wait 30 seconds. Put the dough on the baking sheet
7. Cook pitas until they inflate into a balloon, about 3 minutes. Wait 30 seconds and take them out of the oven.

Cucumber Yogurt Salad

from Simply in Season cookbook

Made this last night with the first two cucumbers from my garden! I didn't let the liquid drain, but should have. Otherwise, it was delicious! I am going to buy some pitas today and stuff the salad in a pita.

Place in a large bowl:
3 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
1/2 cup diced onion
Sprinkle with:
1 teaspoon salt
Allow to stand for 1 hour, then drain off liquid.
Add to the cucumbers and onions:
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or dill weed

Blueberry-Peach Cobbler

Cooking Light, July 2010
photo: John Autry

Use peaches that aren't superripe for this recipe so they'll hold their shape when cooked. The baking dish will be brimming with fruit and topping, so it's a good idea to place it on a foil-lined baking sheet before putting it in the oven.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Ingredients
5 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
6.75 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place peaches in a large bowl. Drizzle with juice; toss. Add 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons flour to peach mixture; toss to combine. Arrange peach mixture evenly in a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon 6.75 ounces flour (about 1 1/2 cups) into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 6.75 ounces flour, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking powder in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and butter in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in blueberries.4. Spread batter evenly over peach mixture; sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Place baking dish on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until topping is golden and filling is bubbly.

Green Bean and Tomato Salad

Cooking Light, July 2010
photo: John Autry

I used probably 2 pounds of green beans and 1 pound of tomatoes and used about 1/2 cup of feta cheese instead of the anchovies. A great recipe for fresh picked green beans!

Inspired by the salad the Manzone sisters enjoyed every summer in Italy, this dish is pure simplicity, a fresh and flavorful use of peak summer produce.

Ingredients
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 pounds beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 anchovy fillet, minced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add green beans; cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Drain thoroughly, and place in a large bowl. Add tomatoes.

2. Combine vinegar and next 4 ingredients (through anchovy) in a medium bowl; gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle over bean mixture; toss gently to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Herbed Summer Squash And Potato Torte With Parmesan

Bon Appetit, June 2001

I found this recipe on epicurious.com. Perfect for all of the summer squash coming from my garden right now! I used a shallot instead of green onion, and I didn't have any thyme, but used a mixture of fresh herbs from the garden: parsley, basil, dill, and sage. My favorite recipe of the summer so far!!

Ingredients
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
12 ounces yellow crookneck squash, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
6 teaspoons olive oil

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter two 8-inch-diameter cake pans. Set aside 1/4 cup sliced green onions. Toss remaining green onions, cheese, flour, thyme, salt and pepper in medium bowl to blend.

2. Layer 1/6 of potatoes in concentric circles in bottom of 1 prepared pan, overlapping slightly. Layer 1/4 of squash in concentric circles atop potatoes. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/6 of cheese mixture. Repeat with 1/6 of potatoes, then 1/4 of squash and 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/6 of cheese mixture. Top with 1/6 of potatoes. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/6 of cheese mixture and press gently to flatten. Repeat procedure with second cake pan and remaining potatoes, squash, oil, and cheese mixture.

3. Cover pans with foil. Bake until potatoes are almost tender, about 40 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered until tortes begin to brown and potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes longer. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cool. Cover with foil and chill. Rewarm, covered with foil, in 350°F oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.)

4. Cut each torte into wedges. Sprinkle wedges with 1/4 cup green onions; serve.

Chocolate Marble Cake (Reduced Fat)

Joy of Cooking, p. 942


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 6-cup fluted tube or Bundt pan.
In a small bowl, whisk together until smooth:
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Sift together:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, beat until creamy, about 30 seconds:
5 tablespoons butter
Gradually add and beat on high speed until lightened in color and texture, 2 to 3 minutes:
1 cup sugar
Whisk together, then gradually beat in:
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add the flour mixture in along with:
1 cup non-fat yogurt
beating on low speed or stirring with rubber spatula until smooth.
Stir 1 1/2 cups of the batter into the cocoa mixture. Using a large spoon, scoop three-quarters of the plain batter into the bottom of the pan without smoothing the surface. Spoon all of the chocolate batter over the plain batter, without smoothing the surface. Distribute the remaining plain batter on top, spacing the dollops so that some of the chocolate batter shows through. Use a table knife to marble the two batters gently without blending them completely.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting
I added this ganache to the cake, which makes it not so low fat.
Bring to a boil in a small saucepan:
3/4 cup heavy cream
Remove from heat and add:
8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Stir until most of the chocolate is melted. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir or whisk gently until completely smooth. Stir in:
1 tablespoon liqueur (optional)
Let stand until spreadable.