Genesis 1:11-13 “And God said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.”
Maybe you love growing a garden and enjoying God’s bounty from the soil each summer, or maybe you enjoy produce from a local farmer’s market or grocery store. If you are like me, you are always looking for different ways to enjoy fresh vegetables and fruits. I’ll be sharing some recipes with you on this page that will hopefully add some new favorites to your menu options. Some options will be healthier than others; some recipes will be my own and others will not; all of the dishes will be tasty! Remember to thank God for the food that nourishes us!
Index of Recipes
- Blackberry (or Blueberry) Crumble
- Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cranberries and Almonds and Lemon Vinaigrette
- Cucumber Salad Recipes – Sesame Cucumber Salad, Cucumber Quinoa Salad with Feta, Mizeria (Polish Cucumber Salad)
- Greek Pasta
- Marinated Summer Squash Salad
- To Die For Blueberry Muffins
Marinated Summer Squash Salad
It seems that some common garden vegetables are bell peppers, onions, cucumbers, and varieties of squash, so I thought I would share a recipe for a dish I recently concocted that uses all of these yummy veggies. I’m calling it a Marinated Summer Squash Salad, because summer squash is the main ingredient.
I started with one medium sized summer squash and sliced it into very thin slices. Use whatever method you choose for slicing. You can add some zucchini squash slices as well. I did the same with bell pepper and onion, adding thin slices but in smaller amounts than the summer squash. Sometimes I add thin cucumber slices and fresh mushroom slices. I also add sliced black olives and chickpeas at times, as you can see in the pictures. All of the amounts can vary according to your preferences. For the marinade, just use enough of Olive Garden’s Signature Italian Dressing to lightly coat the veggies. Toss everything together and let the mixture marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving (but I think it would still be good even if you ate it immediately). The salad will create more juices as it sits, and it will still be good even after a few days in the refrigerator. I like to sprinkle crumbled feta cheese on a serving before eating, and I think adding some diced tomatoes before eating would be good, also. Just be creative and enjoy!
I was actually wanting to fix myself a vegetable sandwich one day and was trying to figure out a way to make it flavorful, so I decided to try the Italian dressing with the thinly sliced vegetables. I placed my veggies with dressing on both halves of a ciabatta bun and baked in a 350 degree oven until I thought the bread was toasted enough. Then I added some tomato slices and avocado slices before eating, and I did have a flavorful (and messy) sandwich. You could add your favorite cheese and/or some pepperoni and ham slices or other lunch meat before baking as well. And deli-sliced peperoncini peppers are always a great addition. Anyway, I had some veggies and dressing left over after my sandwich was finished, and I discovered they made a wonderful marinated salad. So, try a salad or a sandwich or both! Oh, and I bet you could toss some pasta with the veggies, peperoncini peppers, pepperoni, and Italian dressing for a great pasta salad, too!
Greek Pasta
Here’s another yummy recipe that can use some of those fresh summer vegetables, from your own garden or someone else’s. I’m sorry that I don’t have exact ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions, but I just vary things according to my tastes and according to whatever things I have on hand for a given day. For the pictures shown here, I started with a 12 ounce package of bow tie vegetable pasta (hence the different colors) cooked according to the package directions. I made a version of this dish for me and a different version for my husband (because we like different vegetables), so I used half of the pasta in each version.
No matter which version I make, I always start with sauteing bell peppers (any color), onions, deli-sliced peperoncini peppers, and minced garlic with a little olive oil. I like to keep the onions and peppers (and any other vegetables) sort of chunky, or in large slices – not finely diced. For my version, I added summer squash, zucchini, and some red pepper flakes to the onions and bell peppers. I also added sliced black olives and fresh mushroom slices once the other vegetables were getting tender. When everything was cooked to the extent I wanted, I stirred the cooked pasta into the skillet, along with some cherry tomato halves. (If you add the tomatoes when you add the other veggies, they get too soft and mushy.) Once the pasta was tossed and heated enough, the dish was ready to eat. I love to sprinkle feta cheese over a serving before eating, but Parmesan works well, too.
For the version I made for my husband, I sliced some turkey polish sausage (half a package) and sauteed it with the onions, peppers, and garlic, so it browned a little while the veggies cooked. Then the pasta and cherry tomatoes were added and heated. No feta cheese for my husband’s version!
I based this dish on the Greek pasta dish from Mazzio’s Pizza. There are lots of variations you could try for this dish. I’ve added broccoli and cauliflower, although you may have to slice those thinner in order for them to cook more quickly. You could use sun-dried tomatoes and/or capers and try different types of meat. Shrimp works very well, and leftover grilled chicken or steak, cut into thin slices, also works well. Use any type or shape of pasta. Sometimes I end up cooking too much pasta when I’m making spaghetti or something, so I freeze the excess pasta. Whenever I want a little Greek pasta, I defrost it and add it to my veggies in the skillet. This keeps me from wasting my excess cooked pasta. Experiment and enjoy!!
Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cranberries and Almonds and Lemon Vinaigrette
I discovered this recipe in the P90X Nutrition Plan, so I have exact ingredients and instructions for it! I love this salad because it’s tangy, crunchy, and a little sweet, plus a whole lot healthy!
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, ends cut off and then sliced
- 1/2 cup almonds, smoked or roasted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 large shallot, diced (I use red onion instead.)
- Crumbled feta cheese (optional – see special note below)
- Lemon Vinaigrette (See the recipe below.)
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
Directions
Blanch the Brussels sprouts in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and set them aside to cool. Once they’re cool, place them in a bowl and add the almonds, cranberries, shallot, and cheese (if using). Toss with the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 2 to 4 servings.
**Special note: I like to add the feta to individual servings, rather than mixing with the entire recipe.**
Lemon Vinaigrette Ingredients and Directions
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 shallot, minced finely (optional)
Puree the lemon juice, oil, vinegar, mustard, and shallot in a blender, or combine them in a bottle and shake well to mix. Makes approximately 1 cup.
To Die For Blueberry Muffins
My husband and I love to visit RidgeRunner Blackberry Farm (Find them on Facebook; located at 400 Creek Road, Floral, AR) to pick fresh blueberries and blackberries each year. I wanted to find a great muffin recipe to try with our blueberries, and I definitely found a winner with this one at allrecipes.com. (You can click the link or see below for the recipe and a few tips/suggestions.)
Ingredients:
for muffin mix (This will make 6 very large muffins or 10-12 small ones.)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup milk, or more as needed
- 1 cup fresh blueberries (but frozen will work also)
for crumble topping (You can cut the recipe in half if only making six large muffins.)
- 1/2 cup white sugar (I like to substitute brown sugar.)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup butter, cubed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. If making a single batch, I use 6 muffin cups for very large muffins, filling the cups right to the rim. I prefer to double the muffin mix recipe to make 12 very large muffins, but there’s no need to double the crumble topping recipe. Combine all the dry ingredients for the muffin mix and then add the egg, oil, and milk. Don’t stir too much – just enough to wet the dry ingredients. The mixture will be very thick.
Fold in the blueberries and then fill the muffin cups according to what size muffins you want.
Combine ingredients for crumble topping and sprinkle over the tops of the muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until done.
BLACKBERRY (OR BLUEBERRY) CRUMBLE
This recipe comes from the RidgeRunner Blackberry Farm, where my family and I try to pick blackberries and blueberries each year. The farm is located at 400 Creek Road, Floral, AR. Try this dish with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or just plain, because it’s just plain delicious! I promise you can’t go wrong!
Ingredients:
- 4 cups blackberries (or blueberries) (can also use frozen)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsps. cornstarch
- Optional – dash of cinnamon
- 1 pkg Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix
- 1 stick + 2 Tbsps. butter
- Optional – 1 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
Layer the four cups of berries across the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ pan. In a mixing bowl, add the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon and mix. Then sprinkle on top of the berries. Do NOT mix into the berries. Cut the 2 Tbsps. of butter into little pieces and place them on top of the sugar/cornstarch mixture. Melt the stick of butter and mix it together with the cookie mix (and pecans). Spread on top of the ingredients in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 45 minutes until brown and bubbly.
CUCUMBER SALAD RECIPES
I love fresh, summer cucumbers straight from the garden! There are so many delicious ways to enjoy them – sprinkled with a little salt, marinated with tomatoes and onions in your favorite Italian dressing, diced with tomatoes and onions and topped with bacon crumbles and Ranch dressing (one of my personal favorites), and many more. I’ve recently discovered some new favorites I want to share with you. Give them a try!
SESAME CUCUMBER SALAD
I love this recipe from Beth at Budget Bytes. Check out her website for lots of great, budget-friendly recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsps. granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 large cucumbers
- 3 green onions ( I usually substitute red onion.)
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts (Both salted or non-salted work.)
Directions:
- In a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, crushed red pepper, and salt. Set the dressing aside. (Sometimes I toss a few sesame seeds in the dressing.)
- Peel and slice the cucumbers using your favorite method. Place the sliced cucumbers in a large bowl.
- Chop the peanuts and slice the onions.
- Add the peanuts, green onions, and dressing to the sliced cucumbers. Stir to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Give the salad a quick stir before serving to redistribute the dressing and flavors. Makes 6 servings.
- For more details and hints, check out the recipe on Beth’s site.
CUCUMBER QUINOA SALAD WITH FETA
This is a hearty, healthy salad with a Mediterranean flair, and it comes from Lorie at Lemons and Zest.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked (about 3 cups cooked)
- 1 red bell pepper diced (but other colors are fine too)
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1 medium English cucumber (or other variety – may have to use more than one)
- 1 1/2 cups feta cheese crumbles, if desired
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- juice of one lemon
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2/3 cup chopped walnuts (I tried almonds and liked them.)
- 1 – 2 Tbsps. fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. cracked pepper
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Directions:
- Prepare quinoa according to package directions and allow to cool. (I cooked mine using half water and half chicken broth and also tossed in some chopped spinach.) Chop veggies and dill. Cucumbers work best cut into quarters. In a medium mixing bowl, combine quinoa, red pepper, cucumber, walnuts, dill and onion and stir to mix well.
- In a small bowl, juice lemon and add garlic, salt, cracked pepper and olive oil. Whisk to combine.
- Pour mixture over salad and stir to coat evenly.
- Add feta and stir to combine (or sprinkle on individual servings).
- Chill for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy! Refrigerate leftovers and toss in an extra drizzle of olive oil/lemon juice if a bit dry when serving next day.
- For more details and hints, check out the recipe on Lorie’s site.
MIZERIA (POLISH CUCUMBER SALAD)
This recipe comes from Lois at The Polish Housewife and it’s very similar to the Creamy Cucumber Salad recipe from Beth at Budget Bytes. You really should check out the Polish Housewife’s link for a history of Mizeria (which means misery), but I promise you that the dish will not bring you misery.
Ingredients:
- 2 cucumbers, medium sized
- salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsps. vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. finely cut chives or green onions
- 1 Tbsp. finely cut fresh dill
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
Directions:
- For ordinary cucumbers, peel, slice lengthwise and remove the seeds. (I did not remove the seeds from mine.) If you are using the thin-skinned hot house cucumbers, just slice.
- Slice as thin as possible, no more than 1/8 inch.
- Spread out the slices and sprinkle with salt.
- After 20 minutes, pat and press with a paper towel.
- Combine the sour cream, vinegar, chives, dill, sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper.
- Toss the sour cream mixture with the sliced cucumbers and chill.
