CORN

Was gifted bag loads of fresh off the farm corn! Looks like I will be trying out every corn recipe I can find!

Day 1- Started off with a grilled corn, peppers, jalapeño salad with quinoa and feta.

Day 2- added day 1's salad to a bed of spinach

Day 3- crustless broccoli and corn quiche in the slow cooker!

Next up? I'm thinking black bean & corn tacos, corn chowder...the possibilities are endless.

Buffalo Bite Salad

Grilled asparagus sandwich

Grilled asparagus tossed with feta/ manchego cheese, toasted walnuts/ hazelnuts, and a lemon olive oil dressing!

Veg Broth

I used to constantly be buying cartons of vegetable broth. I always need some on hand whether it be for soups or imparting flavor to rice and other grains. Then I was at a friends house cooking when she saved the ends of some leeks I normally would have thrown out, to use towards making broth later. Ever since then I started saving up my leftover vegetable scraps (onion and garlic skins, mushroom stems, kale stems, celery ends, pepper tops, etc) in the freezer. It's kind of amazing how quickly it all builds up. After a couple of weeks I easily have enough scraps to make a batch of veg broth.

(Hint- a jalapeño top is a great addition to give the broth a bit of a kick!)

I simply dump all my frozen odds and ends in my large pasta pot. Sometimes I sauté it briefly with or without olive oil and then fill the pot with water until it covers all my veggies. I bring it up to a boil, add a few peppercorns, bay leaves, and a little salt. Stir the pot to make sure everything it covered then reduce the heat and let it simmer uncovered for about 1 hour. Sneak a taste at some point and add more salt if needed.

Then turn off the heat and let cool. Use a cheese cloth or dish towel to drain and squeeze all the water out of the veggies. Then I bottle it all up, date it, and freeze most of it. I find small jars work well for me so that I can defrost small amounts at a time and not waste anything. Once defrosted the broth should be used in 3-7 days.

Taco Night

These tacos were inspired by the 'lime cilantro portobello tacos' from a house in the hills blog.

Portobello mushrooms were marinated in olive oil, lime juice, chopped cilantro, and salt. They would have been great grilled, but I baked them in the oven (6 minutes per side) instead and they still came out great.

We topped them with a black bean mango avocado salsa (ah-mazing!),  tzatziki sauce, and a few thinly sliced red onions, jalapeños, and cilantro stems.

Yum!

Black beans, avocado, mango, tomato, cilantro, squeeze of lime, cracked pepper, salt, and a pinch of cumin and coriander

Sliced mushrooms and a few of the toppings

Greek yogurt, grated cucumber (peeled and innards scooped out), pressed garlic, salt, drizzle of olive oil.

Buffet style set up with warmed tortillas at the top.

Voila! Taco!

My Brother's Brew

While visiting my brothers house this weekend I had the pleasure of sampling this home brewed IPA. It was nicely hopped and paired well with portobello mushroom burgers.

Ravioli with tomatoes, beans, and spinach

Got this recipe from the Y bulletin board