Summer Feast for Four

Watermelon Gazpacho, Farmers' Market Panzanella, Yogurt BBQ Chicken Skewers with Minty Lemon Pepper Sauce, Strawberry Chocolate Chip Ricotta Popsicles - a great refreshing summer meal!

Watermelon Gazpacho

1 – ½ pound tomato, seeded & chopped (about ½ cup)

1 ½ pounds seedless watermelon (about 3 cups)

1 – cucumber, peeled, seeded & diced

¼ cup olive oil

10 to 12 mint leaves

2 T fresh lemon juice

Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until a smooth, but slightly chunky consistency.

*Present this soup with a dollop of plain yogurt, splash of lemon olive oil and sprinkle of black pepper – or top with feta and fresh finely chopped mint.

Farmer’s Market Panzanella

4 c of crusty bread in ½” cubes

1/4 c + 1 T  olive oil

½ cup chopped of each: red pepper, baby green zucchini, baby yellow squash, radish, & red onion

2 T fresh orange juice  

2 T white balsamic vinegar

3 to 4 basil leaves, finely chopped

Salt & pepper

2 cups microgreens or mesclun mix (optional)

Toss bread cubes and 1 T olive oil in a medium bowl then spread across a cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Broil on low for 3 to 5 min just until bread starts to toast. Cool completely.

In the medium bowl, whisk together ¼ cup olive oil, orange juice, and balsamic vinegar.  Add vegetables and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

10 mins before serving, toss bread cubes and basil with marinated vegetables.

If desired, serve over a small amount of microgreens or mesclun.

Yogurt BBQ Chicken Skewers w/ Minty Lemon Pepper Yogurt Sauce

Cut 1 lb chicken breast tenders into 1” pieces and marinade, for no less than two hours, in the following mixture:

1 c plain yogurt

¼ cup olive oil

2 T lemon juice

1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 T fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Prepare Sauce by mixing the following:

1 c plain yogurt

2 T sour cream

Zest of two lemons

Juice of one lemon

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 T fresh mint, finely chopped

1/2 T black pepper

1 tsp salt

Let chill at least 2 hours

Grill chicken pieces for 2 to 3 mins per side, until juices run clear. Let cool for 1 to 2 minutes before skewering several pieces onto a bamboo or metal skewer. Serve with chilled dipping sauce.

For an extra touch, I squeezed some lemon juice over the chicken before serving and put a small dot of sriracha (chili pepper sauce) on the plate for some kick!

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Ricotta Popsicles

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

1 15 oz container whole milk ricotta cheese

½ cup mini chocolate chips

¼ cup sugar

1 T fresh lemon juice

Place strawberries, ricotta, sugar and lemon juice in a food processor and run for two minutes until mixture is smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into ice cream molds and freeze for 4 to 6 hours before serving.

Grocery List

1 1-lb package chicken breast tenders

1 loaf crusty bread – such as French or sourdough

16 oz plain yogurt

1- 8oz container sour cream

1- 15oz container ricotta cheese

1 small seedless watermelon

1 pint strawberries

1 large tomato or 2 medium tomatoes

1 baby zucchini (about 5 inches long)

1 baby yellow squash (about 5 inches long)

1 red bell pepper

1 bunch radishes

1 English cucumber

1 small red onion

1 small bag of microgreens or mesclun

1 garlic bulb

3 lemons

1 orange

Fresh Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Mint

1 small bag mini chocolate chips

Olive Oil

Sugar

Salt

Pepper

Recipes adapted from: New York Times, Stonyfield Organic, mybakingaddiction.com, and epicurious.com

Limoncello & Lemon Ginger Syrup

Limoncello

5 lemons

2 cups vodka

1 ¾ cup water

1 ¼ cup sugar

Rinse lemons then peel carefully into long strips with a vegetable peeler. Using a sharp knife trim away any white pith from the peels. To a large glass bowl or pitcher, add peels and vodka. Cover with plastic wrap or airtight lid and let steep at room temperature for at least 4 days. Use the leftover lemons to make the Lemon Ginger Simple Syrup below.

After four days, stir water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Cool completely then add to the peel/vodka mixture. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight.

Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer, discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to a 1 liter glass bottle and refrigerate until cold. Enjoy for up to 1 month.

Enjoy as a cordial or on ice with a splash of soda water.

Lemon Ginger Simple Syrup

Juice of 5 lemons – about ¾ c

¾  cup water

1 cup pure cane sugar

2 inch section of ginger, peeled and cut into small sticks

In a small sauce pan, boil water, sugar and ginger uncovered, stirring occasionally until reduced to about 1 cup, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Strain through a mesh strainer, pressing hard on the ginger to release juices. Pour into a 1 liter glass bottle, cool and chill, covered. Enjoy for up to two weeks.

Great for cocktails, teas, colds, or fresh lemonade…

Lemon Ginger Lemonade

¾ cup water

3 to 4 T lemon ginger syrup

2 T fresh lemon juice

Mix all in a small glass filled with ice. Enjoy!

Bourbon Nut Blondies

1/2 cup salted butter, melted
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
4 Tbsp. bourbon or whiskey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease an 8×8-inch pan or line it with parchment paper with extra hanging over the sides – this makes for easy removal and slicing.

In a medium bowl, stir together the butter and sugar, then add the egg, bourbon and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Add the flour and salt and stir until almost combined. Fold in chocolate and pecans just until blended. Spread evenly into the pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides and the middle is set. Cool at least 30 mins before cutting into squares. 

Makes 9-16 blondies.

Adapted from a recipe from www.dinnerwithjulie.com

Crab Pasta Bake

4 cups cooked egg noodles

2 cups prepared spinach and artichoke dip

1 – 6oz can crab meat ( ¾ cup)

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup green onion, chopped

1 tsp lemon zest

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 T butter, melted

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together dip, cream cheese, crab meat, parmesan cheese, green onion, and lemon zest. Carefully fold in the cooked noodles. Pour into an 8 x 8 baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix melted butter and bread crumbs. Evenly spread over the crab/noodle mixture. Sprinkle Old Bay over the top.

Bake for 30 mins or until bread crumbs are golden and the bake is bubbling.

Morels in Basil Cream Sauce

Serves 2

12 to 14 morel mushrooms, rinsed and dried

 2 T butter

1 T olive oil

1 T flour

1 cup heavy cream

1 T sherry or white wine

2 T chopped fresh basil

Salt & Pepper

4 – 4 inch pieces of toasted bread, such as French baguette or ciabatta, drizzled with olive oil

In a small skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Saute morels for about 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove mushrooms. Add flour to the skillet, and mix thoroughly, making a roux or paste. Cook for about 2 minutes or until golden. Slowly pour in cream, whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. When mixture begins to boil and thicken, take off the heat. Add sherry or wine and chopped basil. Stir for another minute before adding the morels. Spoon over toasted bread. 

Cauliflower and White Bean Soup

Serves 4

1 - 16oz (1lb) bag frozen cauliflower

1 - 15 oz can great northern beans, rinsed/drained

¼ cup finely chopped onion

4 cloves garlic – 2 finely minced, 2 quartered

1 - 3” sprig fresh rosemary, or 1 tsp dried

1 cup whole milk or half & half

½ cup chicken stock

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 ½ tsp sea salt

Olive oil

Black truffle infused oil (or infused oil of choice)

Heavy cream

In a large microwaveable steamer place cauliflower, chicken stock, quarter garlic cloves and rosemary sprig. If you don’t have a steamer, place in a large microwaveable bowl covered in plastic wrap. Steam for about 10 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Take out the rosemary sprig, remove the leaves and finely chop.

In a medium pot, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another two minutes. Add beans, the chopped rosemary, and 1 tsp black truffle oil and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

In a blender, pour milk, salt and pepper, and both the cauliflower and bean mixture. Remove the top plug from the blender lid before securing. While covering the opening with a small towel, blend the mixture until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Return to the mixture to the pot and warm the soup on medium heat until bubbling hot. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Serve this soup with a drizzle of heavy cream and truffle oil along with some crusty bread or croutons. 

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 c. sugar

¼ c. butter, melted

2 eggs

1 c. ripe bananas, mashed (3 med or 2 large)

½ c. sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1½ c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

½ - 1 c. chocolate chips

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray large loaf pan with cooking spray. Beat together sugar and butter. Add eggs, banana, sour cream and vanilla, blending well. In a small bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add to wet mixture and stir just till combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts if desired. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick pricked into the loaf comes out clean. 

Let cool for 30 mins before turning out of the pan.

Recipe from thirtyhandmadedays.com

Lighter options:

Use light sour cream or low fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream

Substitute ¾ c whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour