Sandwich ideas

We've been enjoying a lot of garden tomatoes, 

so BLTs are a staple this time of year for us. 

Here is a link to other delicious sounding sandwiches.

Salami, Basil, Tomato and Provolone

Ham, Swiss, Dijon and Chives

Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato

Hummus and Vegetables

Turkey and Cream Cheese with Tomato, Caraway and Sea Salt

I also saw this idea using cucumber as the bread.

The recipe was Laughing Cow brand cheese with turkey.

I tried it with a mozzarella stick and it was great!

Happy Back to School to Karen and all the grandkids!

Green Beans with Goat Cheese, Tomatoes, and Almonds

recipe and image from here

This is a delicious cold salad that I made tonight!

I didn't have sherry vinegar so I used red wine vinegar

and it was very tasty!

Green Beans with Goat Cheese, Tomatoes, and Almonds

1/2 c. sliced almonds
2 lbs. haricots verts (tiny green beans), trimmed
3 T. sherry vinegar*
2 T. fresh lemon juice
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/3 c. olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 (4-oz.) goat cheese log, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake almonds in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

2. Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge beans into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain.

3. Whisk together vinegar and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until blended and smooth. Add cherry tomatoes, shallots, garlic, and green beans; toss to coat.

4. Top green bean mixture with crumbled goat cheese and toasted almonds.

*White wine vinegar may be substituted.


by Cheryl, Barbara's daughter

Kale with Sweet Corn

recipe and pic from here

Sometimes I post recipes I've tried. Sometimes those I want to try.

I have a lot of kale in the garden right now,

and this sounds yummy with corn and nuts.

Kale with Sweet Corn

1 c. fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears) or defrosted frozen corn
1 bunch kale, tough stems and center ribs removed and leaves chopped
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 c. vegetable broth, no-salt-added or low sodium
1/4 c. chopped walnuts and/or slivered raw almonds, very lightly toasted*
1/8 t. black pepper, if desired
2 T. finely chopped scallions

If using fresh corn, boil ears of corn until tender, about 4 minutes. Cut kernels from cobs with a sharp knife. Set aside.

Steam the kale for 10 minutes or until tender. When the kale is done, place in a colander and press to remove excess liquid.

Heat 2 tablespoons water in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft, about 2 minutes, Add the corn, kale and vegetable broth. Reduce heat to low and cook until kale and corn are heated through, stirring frequently. Toss in the lightly toasted nuts and season with black pepper if desired. Top with finely chopped scallions.


*toast nuts in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for 3 minutes, stirring frequently

I loved making this freezer jam from strawberries

and rhubarb we grew this year!

There is a link to a recipe for an easy cheesecake

at the bottom of this post using this jam.

I'd like to try it. It makes three 'pies',

 so you could have other flavors for the non-rhubarb fans.

I also made apricot pineapple freezer jam this year.

Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam 

3 cups. fresh or frozen, chopped rhubarb into 1/2" - 1"" pieces
1/4 c. water
2 c. chopped strawberries, (do not purée)
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 pkg. (45 gram size=3 T.) No Cook Freezer Jam gelling powder

In a large non-reactive pan, combine the rhubarb and the water.

Over high heat, bring the rhubarb to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered until the rhubarb is tender, about 5 - 7 minutes).

Chill the rhubarb.

In a large bowl, combine the chilled rhubarb and the chopped strawberries.

Gently stir in the sugar and allow the mixture to stand for 15 minutes.

Slowly, sprinkle the gelling powder over the mixture,
a little at a time, while continuing to stir for 3 minutes.

Allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes.

Gently stir again for 1 full minute.

Pour the jam into clean, freezer-safe containers or jars, leaving a 1" headspace.

Seal tightly.

Jam is ready to eat...store it in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks, or in the freezer for up to one year!

A GREAT RHUBARB JAM WITH "LESS SUGAR"!

Recipe from here. The consistency of this jam makes it most suitable for a topping for toast, bagels, waffles, pancakes, muffins, scones, ice cream, cheesecake, and more!

by Dee, wife of Barbara's son Scott

Pineapple Coconut Whips

recipe and image from here

We had three weeks of 'heat' for the Northwest. 

These were awesome!

Pineapple Coconut Whips (or Dole Whip Copycat)
5 fl. oz. unsweetened almond milk
5 fl. oz. coconut milk
1⁄2 c. pineapple juice
21⁄2 c. fresh pineapple chunks, frozen
1⁄4 t. stevia (or sweetener of your choice), optional
1 pinch
salt

Add ingredients to blender jar in order listed. Blend on medium mow for 20 seconds then increase speed to medium high (speed 6) for another 30 seconds or until smooth. You may experience cavitation during blending. If so, you can wait until it catches again or stop blending, remove the jar, shake the contents back down to the blade, replace it and continue blending.Transfer pineapple mixture to a large plastic bag and place in freezer for 30-60 minutes. Cut off one tip of bag and pipe into serving dishes.

VARIATIONS

You can replace any or all of the frozen pineapple with another frozen fruit. Some of our favorite combinations are:
Pineapple Strawberry (1 c. of each)
Pineapple Mango (1 c. of each)
Pineapple Blackberry (1 c. of each)
Pineapple Raspberry (1 c. of each)
Strawberry (2 c., omit pineapple juice)

Make a Tropical Whip by omitting almond milk and using 10 fl.oz. of coconut milk.

You may use other milks with this recipe, just know it will change the taste and the texture.

Curried Chicken Pasta Salad

image and recipe from here

I  love it when my friend Joelle makes Curried Chicken Salad.

I looked online and found this recipe by The Pioneer Woman.

I like putting the grapes (halved) into the salad.

Perfect for summer!

Curried Chicken Pasta Salad

3 lbs. chicken, cooked and diced/shredded
6 oz., weight dry pasta, cooked and drained
4 whole ribs celery, thinly sliced - leaves included (use interior ribs)
3⁄4 c. golden raisins
3⁄4 c. slivered almonds
1⁄2 c. mayonnaise
1⁄2 c. sour cream
1 c. heavy cream
3 T. curry powder, more or less to taste
1 T. sugar, more or less to taste
1 t. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Boil chicken to cook. Boil pasta in chicken broth. Dice/shred chicken. Drain pasta.

Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, heavy cream, curry powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until well combined.

Combine chicken, drained pasta, sliced celery, raisins, and almonds in a large bowl. Pour curry dressing over the top. Fold together with a rubber spatula. Make sure it’s all combined, then add more of whatever it needs. Make sure the sweet/savory balance is right for you! (I like mine a little sweet.)

Chill for several hours. Serve with juicy grapes on the side.

Prep: 30 mins Level: Easy Cook: - Serves: 12

Light Chocolate Cake with Berries

image and recipe from here

I saw this recipe posted by our local farmers market. 

I want to make this. I want to make it for our book group, 

for our anniversary, and every other event.

 Actually, I'd love it if someone made it for me! 

If you give this a try, let me know!

Light Chocolate Cake with Berries

1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. applesauce
3/4 c. vanilla yogurt (you can use Greek yogurt)
2 t. vanilla extract
2 c. whole-wheat flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 c. good-quality cocoa powder
3/4 c. milk (I prefer whole, but skim milk will work fine)
1 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 pint fresh strawberries
1/2 pint fresh blackberries
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
2 big bunches of green or red grapes
1 pint raspberries
1 homemade whipped cream recipe (you can decrease sugar if you prefer)
Store-bought chocolate syrup
1 T. confectioners’ sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare (spray or butter and flour) two 8-inch round cake pans.

Warm the coconut oil in microwave for up to 30 seconds; you want it softened or even melted (but not hot to the touch).

Pour coconut oil into stand mixer with paddle attachment.

Add in brown sugar, applesauce, yogurt and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.

With mixer on low, slowly add a third of the dry ingredients into the applesauce mixture, alternating with the milk. Keep alternating until the dry ingredients and milk are gone.

Remove bowl from stand mixer and fold in chocolate chips by hand.

Divide batter between two cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 26 minutes or until an inserted toothpick is removed clean. (Cooking times can vary depending on quality of ingredients and weather conditions.)

Cool cakes in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack.

To assemble cake:

Rinse all fruit so that it is shiny and clean.

Prepare whipped cream (and prepare chocolate sauce if you are making from scratch).

Place one cooled layer of cake on cake stand and cover in about 3/4 cup of whipped cream. Place a strawberry that is a about 1 to 1 1/2 inches high in the center of the cake, upside down. This will help the whipped cream to not schmoosh out when you place the next layer on. Now take some of your fruit and spread it around the edges of the cake. Because this is a naked cake, you will want to pay attention to how you place the fruit on the edge.

Once cake is covered in fruit, place next layer of chocolate cake on top. Starting with a bunch of grapes that are still attached to the vine, place grapes on cake and then start building up around them. Fill in with blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, and place a few more grapes around to balance the color. Finally, place some strawberries around the edge and maybe even one on top.

Drizzle chocolate sauce over cake and chill until ready to serve. If you want to add confectioners’ sugar, sprinkle immediately before serving.