Spicy Watermelon and Pistachios

Toss 2 cups cut-up watermelon with 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest.  Sprinkle with a pinch of cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons chopped unsalted roasted pistachios.

Serves 1; 126 calories.

VERDICT:  This was billed as a healthy snack, but we ate it as a side for Peanut-Crusted Tacos.  The combination of pistachios and watermelon seemed odd, but it worked out very well.  Keep.

Peanut-Crusted Tofu Tacos with Tangy Slaw

• 1 (14-ounce) package water-packed extra-firm tofu
• 1/2 cup salted, dry-roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage 
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• Lime wedges (optional)

Cut tofu lengthwise into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. Place tofu slices on several layers of heavy-duty paper towels. Cover tofu with additional paper towels; let stand 5 minutes. Cut each tofu slice, lengthwise, into 1/2-inch-thick strips; cut strips in half crosswise.

Place peanuts in a food processor; process until ground. Combine peanuts and panko in a shallow dish, stirring well. Combine milk and egg in a shallow dish, stirring well. Place flour in a shallow dish.

 Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Dredge half of tofu in flour; dip in egg mixture. Dredge in peanut mixture. Add coated tofu to pan, and sauté 4 minutes or until golden and crisp, turning to brown on all sides. Remove tofu from pan, and drain on paper towels. Repeat procedure with 1 tablespoon canola oil, tofu, flour, egg mixture, and peanut mixture.

Combine cabbage and the next 4 ingredients (through jalapeño). Drizzle the cabbage mixture with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates; top each tortilla with 1/4 cup slaw. Divide tofu evenly among tacos. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Serves 4 (2 tacos); 506 calories.

VERDICT:  The first of several recipes to use up Andrea's grandpa's cabbage.  These are probably as close to fish tacos as I'll ever get, and they were great.  I will probably not make them often since the dredging and frying was kind of a pain, but keep.

Mediterranean Vegetable Stew Over Soft Polenta

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cups (1/4-inch) slices zucchini
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup dry polenta
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) preshredded fresh Parmesan

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and garlic, and sauté 30 seconds. Stir in black pepper, tomatoes, and chickpeas; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While stew cooks, bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add polenta, stirring with a whisk. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese. Serve stew over polenta.

Serves 6 (2/3c. polenta, 1 c. stew); 351 calories.

VERDICT:  Another recipe for Harrison's zucchini.  I used fresh garlic, and mistakenly bought regular stewed tomatoes instead of Italian-style.  I added some oregano, sage, and crushed red pepper, but still thought it was bland.  Toss.
 

Fresh Vegetable Barley

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped onion (about 1 small)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 cup uncooked pearl barley
• 1 3/4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock
• 1 1/2 cups chopped zucchini (about 1)
• 1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add barley; cook 1 minute. Stir in Homemade Chicken Stock; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in zucchini, tomatoes, salt, and pepper; cover and cook 5 minutes. Ladle 1 cup barley mixture into each of 4 bowls. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons feta and parsley, if desired.

Serves 4; 177 calories.

VERDICT:  I made this to use some of Andrea's grandpa's zucchini, and it's a winner.  It uses one pot, two measuring cups and two measuring spoons.  I did not use homemade stock, but it still turned out to be savory and delicious.  Not so good cold, but if you left the feta off, should reheat well enough.  Keep!

Tinto de Verano

• Ice cubes
• 750 ml bottle inexpensive Spanish red wine, like Rioja
• Sparkling (naturally sweetened) lemonade or any not-too-sweet lemon-lime beverage, like Lorina
• Fresh lemon slices

Fill each glass (juice glasses work well) with as many ice cubes as you can fit.  Add 1/2 c. of wine and 1/2 c. of sparkling lemonade.  Stir.  Taste.  It should be light and refreshing and not overly juicy in flavor.  Sometimes the less expensive wine you get here in the States is very concentrated and grapey.  If that is the case, dilute the mixture with a bit more sparkling lemonade as desired.  Serve with a lemon slice.

VERDICT:  I would not have believed it, but mixing Rioja and lemon sour makes a more-than-passable alternative to sangria.  Keep.

Summer Veggie Rice Bowl

• 1 1/3 c. cooked brown rice, cooled to room temperature
• 1 c. frozen shelled edamame, thawed
• 1 c. grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 c. torn fresh basil
• 1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 3 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 T. olive oil, divided
• 2 c. chopped zucchini
• 1/2 oz. fresh Parmesan cheese, shaved

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl, and toss until well blended.  Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1 T. olive oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add zucchini; saute 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add zucchini and remaining 2 T. oil to rice mixture; toss.  Top with shaved Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 (1 c.); 305 calories.

VERDICT:  Lemony goodness!  I used a rice blend, which I did not let cool to room temperature.  I also left off the 2 T. of olive oil at the end--it seemed to have plenty of oil without it.  Finally, I added way more Parmesan than was called for.  And it was excellent.  Keep.

Agua Fresca de Pepino

• 3 cups chopped seeded peeled cucumber (about 2 medium)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice 
• 1/4 serrano pepper, seeded 
• 3 cups water
• Ice
• Lime slices (optional) 
• Cucumber slices (optional)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Add 3 cups water; cover and refrigerate the mixture overnight.

Strain cucumber mixture through a fine sieve over a pitcher; discard solids. Serve over ice; garnish with lime or cucumber slices, if desired.

Serves 4 (1 c.); 54 calories.

VERDICT:  Refreshing, but not awesome--maybe even a little sweeter than I expected.  Toss.

Cracked Wheat Salad with Nectarines, Parsley, and Pistachios

• 1 cup uncooked bulgur
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced nectarines (about 3)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped pistachios 

Combine bulgur and 1 cup boiling water in a large bowl. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Stir in nectarines and remaining ingredients except nuts; toss well. Sprinkle with nuts.

Serves 6 (about 3/ c.); 188 calories.

VERDICT: As it's in the high nineties, I appreciate a recipe that doesn't require any baking or frying--a little boiling water is all the heat involved.  This recipe also combines two of my favorite things--pistachios and nectarines--and couldn't be easier.  It stores well, and is recommended as a potluck side dish.  Keep!

Sweet Pea Guacamole

• 14 oz. frozen peas
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 oz. red onion
• 2 med jalapeno pepper
• 1/2 c. cilantro, lightly packed
• 1.5 tbsp. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 c. plain, low-fat yogurt

Cook peas according to package directions.  Drain and pat dry.  Peel garlic and cut onion into 1" pieces.  Core and seed pepper.

Use metal blade to process all ingredients except yogurt until finely chopped, about 10 seconds, stopping once to scrape work bowl.  Add yogurt and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Chill thoroughly and adjust seasoning before serving.  Can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.

Serve with tortilla chips or cucumber slices.

Yield: 8 servings (3 oz).  212 calories/cup.

VERDICT: This doesn't really taste like guacamole but it's quite good in its own way--sweeter and fresher.  Plus, it hasn't turned brown yet, which is a plus.  It'd be nice to take to a potluck, I think.  Keep.

Almost Hands-Free Dill Pickles

• 4 Kirby cucumbers (about 1 lb, quartered lengthwise)
• 3/4  cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla), thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2  tablespoons  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  dill seed
• 1  teaspoon  black peppercorns
• 1  bay leaf
• kosher salt

Place the cucumbers in a 1-quart jar or some other container with a tight-fitting lid.

In a bowl, combine the vinegar, onion, garlic, sugar, dill seed, peppercorns, bay leaf, 2 teaspoons salt, and ¾ cup hot tap water. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

Pour the vinegar mixture into the jar with the cucumbers, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 day before serving. The pickles will last up to 1 week.

Yield: sixteen spears

VERDICT:  Amazingly, these really did only take five minutes to make--I had grand visions of myself casually whipping up batches of pickles for friends or potlucks.  Sadly, they mostly just taste like vinegar.  Toss.
 

CLT with Spicy Blackberry Mayo

• ½ c fresh blackberries
• 2-3 t chopped canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• ½ c mayonnaise
• 1 t whole grain mustard
• 1 lb halloumi cheese, sliced into ¼-inch-thick pieces
• 8 slices sourdough bread, toasted
• 4 romaine lettuce leaves
• 2 large heirloom tomatoes, such as Beefsteak, Cherokee Purple, or Early Girl, sliced

In a food processor or blender, puree blackberries, chipotle pepper, mayo, and mustard until well combined.

Heat a large, heavy bottom skillet over medium high heat. Brown each side of the halloumi for about 20 seconds. Set aside. 

Smear one side of each piece of bread with blackberry mayo. Assemble sandwich with cheese, lettuce, and tomato, doubling up the tomato layer if desired. (Do it!)

Variations: Sub blueberries in for blackberries and spinach for lettuce. OR Use bacon in place of the halloumi. (It’s a little too salty with both.) Be sure to crisp it up nice and drain it on a paper towel first. OR Omit bread and stack together tomato, cheese, and lettuce. Thin out mayo with 1 tbsp buttermilk and drizzle over stack for a salad.

Serves 4.

VERDICT:  John gave this a ten!  The halloumi is salty and browned and delicious.  It's also expensive--given that you're buying blackberries, too, not an everyday sandwich.  Still, definitely a keeper.

Green and Yellow Bean Salad with Chunky Tomato Dressing and Feta Cheese

• 3/4 pound wax beans, trimmed
• 3/4 pound green beans, trimmed
• 2 cups chopped tomato
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Cook beans in boiling water 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Combine the tomato and next 4 ingredients (tomato through pepper) in a bowl. Divide the beans evenly among 8 plates. Spoon 1/4 cup tomato mixture over the beans. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sliced basil and 1 tablespoon cheese.

Serves 8; 67 calories.

VERDICT:  Really good!  The wax beans at Lunds looked bad, so I used all green beans.  I also used halved grape tomatoes instead of chopping up a large tomato, and substituted white wine vinegar for the sherry vinegar.  Fresh and easy--keep.