This time of year our family eats a lot of fresh vegetables. A lot. I have to get creative with the bounty that’s coming out of the garden, or else I hear “I’m so tired of eating ____” (fill in the blank). I have to keep everybody’s dietary needs in mind (paleo grain-free for my teen daughter, low sodium for Mom) so our meals end up being really healthy and delicious.
Right now I have loads of cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, basil, onions and squash. Friends have let me visit and pick apples from their trees. Watermelons are starting to come in, and if our honeydew melons don’t split this year, we will have tons.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes for garden veggies and fruit. I hope it helps you to make the bounty from all your hard work in the garden more exciting for your family. Most of them are pretty easy and straightforward. You can always modify the recipes to fit your tastes and produce. For example, substituting fresh tomatoes for canned tomatoes, adding extra basil or onion, and such.
Eggplant-
Soak eggplants in salt water, then grill on low heat on the grill, brushing with olive oil
Thai Fired Eggplant With Basil (stir fry from Epicurious.com)
Eggplant Parmigiana (recipe by Mario Batali on the Food Network website) l
Moussaka (grilled eggplant from AllRecipes.com)
Squash-
Calabacitas con Elote (Zucchini With Corn from AllRecipes.com)
Apples-
Fresh apple cider (Just place apples in a Vitamix or juicer, freeze pulp for baking)
Cucumbers-
Easy Refrigerator Pickles (from MyRecipes.com)
Cucumber and Tomato Salad (recipe by Rachael Ray onthe Food Network website)
Tomatoes–
Gazpacho Andaluz (Andalusian Cold Tomato Soup from About.com)
Basil-
Classic Pesto (from Epicurious.com)
Bruschetta With Tomato and Basil (from SimplyRecipes.com)
Watermelon or melon-
Melon juice(Liquefy in a blender and enjoy, maybe add mint or basil)
Cucumber and Melon Salad With Mint (from The Splendid Table)
Watermelon Gazpacho (from Food & Wine)
Kale-
Dry in the sun or oven on pans to add to dishes in the winter
Marinated Kale, White Bean and Tomato Salad (from Yummly.com)