In the summer, my diet revolves around fresh veggies like these I recently picked up at the Grandview Farmer's Market*

Soup isn’t something I typically eat in the summertime. To me, it’s a hot food meant to be eaten on cold days. I’m not even a fan of gazpachos and other cold soups because I don’t like their texture. But sometimes, a soup recipe catches my eye in spite of the high temperatures, especially if that soup focuses on seasonal produce (aka corn, tomatoes, zucchini and/or summer squash). The most recent Food Network Magazine has a recipe for Triple Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup that I had to try ASAP. I already had tomatoes that needed to be used up and Jared made this incredible Savory Zucchini Bread from the “What Geeks Eat” blog the other day. I just needed to pick up the Muenster and I was ready to make this recipe.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is comfort food to me. It always has been. Like many Americans, I grew up eating the tomato soup in the red and white can accompanied by melted American cheese on white bread. If that’s what you’re expecting, this is not the meal for you. For one thing, it’s much less salty. For another, this soup actually tastes like tomatoes! Jared and I both really enjoyed this meal, especially once we had doctored the soup a little bit.

Triple Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup
Makes 4 servings

Soup Ingredients
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 lb. tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. chipotle chile powder
1/2 tsp. cumin

Sandwich Ingredients
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
Kosher salt & black pepper
4 slices muenster cheese
1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
8 slices thick bread
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

Directions
1. In a saucepan, combine olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, onion, sugar, chile powder, cumin and one teaspoon of salt. Cook over medium heat for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally. Add cheese and stir to combine.
2. Puree soup with an immersion blender and season with salt and pepper. Return soup to stove and keep over very low heat while making sandwiches.
3. Combine mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Split equally among 4 slices of bread, and use one slice of muenster for each sandwich. Top with remaining slice of bread. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Cook sandwiches, adding more butter as needed. Sandwiches should be done after 4-5 minutes per side.
4. To serve, dip sandwiches in soup. Enjoy!

My thoughts & Suggestions

• As usual, I made some changes to the recipe. After combining the original ingredients, Jared and I decided the soup needed more flavor. So I added cumin and chipotle chile powder. I also thought it needed a little creamier texture. Since I had no cream, I melted a little cheese into the soup instead.
• Like I said, we used homemade savory zucchini bread for this recipe. You could use any good sandwich bread. But I think a homemade or artisan bread elevates this above plain old grilled cheese.
• Since there are only two of us, I did cut the sandwich recipe in half. I made the full soup recipe, providing us with leftovers to take to lunch. I don’t usually cut recipes since Jared & I are both fans of leftovers for lunch.

*As you’ve seen in several of my past photos, my everyday dishes are black. I’ve been meaning to buy white plates and bowls. While I love my black ones, they’re not so conducive to food photography. I couldn’t get a decent shot of tonight’s meal. But I prefer to use my own photos whenever possible. This is why you’re getting a photo of seasonal veggies instead of soup and a sandwich.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Food Network Magazine, September, 2010

No cows were harmed in the making of this burger

Thursday was a ridiculously long and crazy day. By the time I got home that night, I just wanted to laze on the couch with a book or my laptop. Cooking did not sound appealing at all. Then again, neither did pizza or Thai or any of our usual too lazy to cook standbys.

Black bean burgers had been on my list of things to try making for awhile. So I took my tired self into the kitchen and started chopping and mixing. In maybe 40 minutes, including prep time, I’d made these burgers, plus the guacamole and oven fries to go with them. By the time everything was done, I was nice and relaxed from my time in the kitchen. Then my husband and I sat down to enjoy a meal that was better and better for us than anything we would have ordered from a restaurant.

Southwestern Black Bean Burgers
Makes 2 burgers

Ingredients
1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, half minced and half cut into rings
1-2 jalapeños, minced
1/4 c. breadcrumbs
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. minced garlic

Toppings
Cheddar or pepper jack cheese
Avocado slices or guacamole
Lettuce leaves
Onion slices
Tomato slices
2 hamburger buns

Directions
1. Put all ingredients into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir to combine, then mash bean mixture.
2. Form bean mixture into burger patties.
3. Cook patties on the grill or in a skillet for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.
4. Place burgers onto buns and top with cheese and vegetables. Enjoy!

My Thoughts & Suggestions

• These burgers are great with oven fries, which are ridiculously easy to make. Just wash a few potatoes and cut them into 1/4 inch thick strips. Coat them with a little bit of olive oil and season with Adobo (or salt, pepper, garlic and cumin. Or whatever). Bake at 450° for 35 minutes, flipping halfway through.


Fries: Ready for the oven

• Because there were lots of veggies and guacamole on these burgers, I didn’t use mayo or any other condiments. A spicy or chipotle mayo would be fabulous on these though.
• I haven’t tried it yet. But I’m imagining these would freeze well. I’ll make extras next time and may even post an update about how that goes.

One of my favorite meals

Hummus is a refrigerator staple in my household. Besides being one of my favorite foods, it’s easy to make and stays good for a long time. Served with sliced veggies and pita wedges, it’s is a quick and healthy weekday lunch or light dinner. It’s great to have on hand this time of year, when it can get too hot to cook. And it’s awesome with the fresh, in-season and locally grown tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers that are currently available.

I’ve been eating and making hummus since high school when it was an important source of protein for my then-vegetarian diet. My mom refused to cook me vegetarian food, which meant I had to learn to do it if I wanted to live on more than salads and grilled cheese sandwiches. So I subscribed to Vegetarian Times and bought a copy of their cookbook. I actually keep meaning to get that cookbook back from my mom’s house because it has so many great recipes. Anyway, the first hummus I made used a recipe similar to this one. I’ve been playing with it since then and finally got around to writing it down last week after I made a particularly good batch. This is a fairly classic hummus recipe. There’s no spinach or roasted red peppers, just chickpeas accented with tahini, garlic and lemon.

Lemon-Garlic Hummus
Makes 3 cups

Ingredients
1 15 oz. can chick peas
scant 1/2 c. juice from the chick peas
3 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. tahini
1 lemon, juiced
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and combine until smooth.
2. Enjoy immediately with fresh veggies and pita wedges, or cover and refrigerate.

My Thoughts & Suggestions

• I usually eat my hummus with pita wedges, tomatoes, cucumbers and red bell peppers. Other veggies that go well with it are cauliflower, broccoli, celery and green bell peppers. While I’m not a fan of hummus on carrots, a lot of people do enjoy it.
• My other favorite way to use hummus is as a sandwich topping. Spread the hummus on a pita, then add lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, bell pepper and feta cheese. Yum yum!
• This recipe is fine to double. I usually make a big batch of it and eat it for lunch all week. As long as it’s kept cold, it stays good for 5-7 days.

Burritos themselves aren't very pretty to look at. But I think that lots of colorful veggies are. (and yes, that is my trusty jar of Adobo in the corner).

Though my husband and I aren’t vegetarians, we eat meatless meals several times a week. We do this partially for health reasons, partially for cost reasons and partially because vegetables are so darn tasty. I’m also biased in favor of them because I think food should be attractive. Veggies are generally prettier than chicken breasts or bacon. The problem is that produce doesn’t keep for very long. So I’m often looking for ways to use it up before it goes bad. Soups and stir-fries are obvious options. But there are times, like tonight, that neither of those sounds appealing. So I raided the fridge and cabinets for a few staples, starting chopping and sautéing, and came up with these veggie burritos. I had no idea they would turn out as well as they did.

Black Bean & Veggie Burritos
Makes 4 large burritos

Ingredients
1 large zucchini
1 large yellow squash
1 large onion
1-3 jalapeño peppers
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. Adobo with cumin
1 32 oz. can of black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed
Juice of one lime
Large flour tortillas
1 1/2 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
Sour cream & salsa, for serving

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Wash and dice zucchini, squash and onion. Wash, seed and dice peppers.
3. Add onions, garlic and peppers to skillet. Cook until slightly softened. Add zucchini and squash and cook an additional 3 minutes. Finally, add black beans and corn and cook until everything is heated, about 5 minutes.
4. Heat tortillas. Fill with vegetable-bean mixture, cheese, salsa and sour cream (if desired). Enjoy!

My thoughts & suggestions

• OK. I realize that I’ve now contradicted my recent mini-rant against premade spice mixes. But there is one mix that I keep around – Goya Adobo. This mixture of salt, pepper, cumin, garlic power, oregano and turmeric is a staple in my kitchen. I use it in chili, on grilled chicken and in almost anything Mexican-inspired. It’s also great on home fries and french fries. Be careful, though, because it is salty. A little goes a long way.
• I used 3 jalapeños and still thought the filling was a little mild. I actually think a habanero pepper would be quite good in this.
• I don’t have a whole lot else to say. Cooking doesn’t get much easier than this. I did consider adding more Adobo, or at least more cumin. But the vegetables have so much flavor on their own; and I didn’t want to overpower them. I know that I’ll be playing with this idea in the future. I’m sure lots of other vegetables would be good in this. I’ll probably throw in some diced tomatoes next time. I definitely think the filling could use fresh cilantro. Avocado would also have been a great addition. But those are things that tend to get eaten quickly, meaning I didn’t have any lying around. Since this recipe was, above all, a way to clean out the crisper drawer, I’m not too worried about it.

Please excuse the random noodle on the side of the plate. My food photography skills are a work in progress.

When it comes to cooking, I am very much my mother’s daughter. I constantly catch myself saying and doing the same things she does in the kitchen. It’s gotten to the point that my family calls me her Mini-Me when they see us in the kitchen together, bossing everyone around and instructing them on proper (in our opinion, anyway) culinary techniques. In spite of this, we are at odds regarding recipes. She firmly believes that they should be followed exactly, especially the first time they are made. On the other hand, it’s rare for me to make a recipe without tweaking it a little, even when I’m trying it for the first time. It’s generally something small – adding garlic or heat, or using brown instead of white sugar. But sometimes I get so far away from the recipe that the meal becomes my own creation. This is how Thai Tofu & Green Beans was born.

The night I made this meal, I had planned on making a great Thai Chicken & Green Beans recipe that I found online last spring and have made a couple times. That recipe has since disappeared into Cyberspace. So I found another, similar recipe. But then the husband suggested using tofu. I thought it needed peanuts. Pretty soon, I had completely abandoned the recipe and was making things up as I went. I flavored the rice noodles, made extra sauce, and decided the whole thing needed to be hotter. When this was done, it reminded me a little of Pad Thai. It’s an intricately-flavored, spicy meal that has made me a little more confident in my ability to make Asian-inspired foods without a recipe.  It occurred to me that maybe I should record the ingredients so I could repeat this dinner, and play with it, in the future.

Thai Tofu & Green Beans
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
6 tbsp. fresh Persian lime juice (approx. 3 limes)
6 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. corn starch
6 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. Thai chili sauce
1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. minced garlic
12.3 oz. package firm tofu, drained
4 tbsp. fish sauce
1 12 oz. bag frozen green beans, thawed & drained
1/2 c. peanuts, crushed
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
12 oz. rice noodles, softened

Directions
1. Whisk together lime juice, brown sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium heat. Once oil has heated, add chili sauce and stir to combine.
3. Stir fry onions and garlic until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
4. Add tofu and and fish sauce. Stir fry for an additional 3 minutes.
5. Add green beans, lime mixture, and 1/4 c. peanuts. Continue cooking until everything is heated and tofu begins to brown. Add vinegar and stir to combine.
6. Serve over rice noodles. Garnish with lime wedge and remaining peanuts. Enjoy.

My Thoughts & Suggestions:
This recipe has a lot of flavor. It’s hot and tangy. It would be fine served over plain rice noodles. But I find plain noodles a little bland. So after the noodles were softened, I tossed them with a little lime juice, Thai chili oil, turmeric, cilantro and kosher salt before topping them with the tofu and green bean mixture.

In my household, stir-fried dishes are a weeknight staple, due to their versatility and easy preparation. The most time-consuming step is cutting up the ingredients. To save time, I often use frozen vegetables, especially in the winter when there isn’t as much flavorful fresh produce available. But even when I do use fresh vegetables, it’s rare for a stir-fry to take more than half an hour to prepare and cook.

In general, I take lunch to work with me. My job doesn’t lend itself to going out to lunch very often. So I try to make my lunch break a true break. It’s nice to take time during the workday to relax and enjoy good food while catching up on blogs and Facebook or chatting with coworkers. Lunch at work is especially nice when you take the time to prepare something fresh and tasty rather than run out for a sandwich or heat up a frozen meal (though I admit I do both of those things on occasion). Since mornings are so hectic, I like to prepare my lunch the night before. Leftovers are the obvious easy workday lunch. Just pack them up when dinner is over, reheat and you have a tasty lunch.

Big salads are another great lunch option. There are endless combinations of vegetables, add-ins and dressings. Salads are filling and healthy, as long as they contain a good mix of fiber, carbs and protein. Just go easy on the high-fat cheeses and dressings. It’s simple to prepare a couple salads at once, and can even be done a day or two in advance. Finally, one of the best things about lunch salads is that they are easy to adapt to the season. This winter salad is a favorite this time of year.

Winter Salad
Makes 2-3 Servings

Ingredients
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 tomato
1 small onion
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 c. shelled walnuts
2/3 c. dried cranberries
8 oz. bleu cheese
2 tbsp. turkey bacon bits (optional)
Freshly ground sea salt & black pepper
Light balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

Directions
1. Wash lettuce and dry well. Chop roughly. Wash and chop tomato, onion and bell pepper.
2. Combine walnuts, cranberries, bleu cheese and bacon bits (if using). Mix thoroughly.
3. Portion lettuce into 2-3 resealable containers. Add the other veggies. Top each salad with an equal amount of the walnut/cranberry/cheese mixture. Grind a little salt & pepper on top.
4. When ready to eat, add dressing to salad. Place lid on container. Shake to thoroughly combine salad dressing and ingredients. Enjoy!

Sometimes, the best recipes are the simplest ones. This Twist is a great example. It combines crescent dough roll, vegetables and cheese to make an appetizer that is satisfying to eat and pleasing to look at.

Baked Spinach & Cheese Twist
Makes 16 Servings

Ingredients
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
10 oz. package of frozen spinach, thawed & drained
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tomato, seeded and diced
16 oz. (2 cans) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and frozen spinach. Add remaining ingredients, reserving 1/2 tsp. oregano.
3. Unroll crescent dough and separate into triangles. On a baking sheet, arrange triangles in an 11-inch circle, with short sides of triangles overlapping in center and points of triangles toward outside. Spoon cheese mixture onto dough near center of circle. Bring outside points of triangles up over filling, then tuck under dough in center of ring to cover filling. Sprinkle with oregano to garnish.
4. Bake 35 to 40 min. or until filling is heated and crust has browned.

My thoughts:
This recipe is super versatile. The original one called for broccoli and mushrooms. Since neither Jared nor the friends I was having over when I made this eat mushrooms, I used spinach and tomatoes instead. I don’t think it would have been as good with mushrooms and broccoli. On a side note, I was very happy when my finished product looked just like the picture in the magazine I got it out of.

Recipe Source: Inspired by Easy Baked Cheese & Vegetable Twist in the Holiday 2009 edition of the Kraft Foods Food & Family magazine.

Ingredients
1 lb. ground turkey
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon Goya Adobo
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 tomato
1 red onion, sliced
1 15 oz. can black beans
1/2 cup shredded Mexican Cheese
yellow corn tortilla chips
4 tablespoons hot salsa
4 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream (optional)
guacamole (optional)

Directions
1. In a large skillet, brown meat, diced onion, diced jalapeño and spices in oil over medium-high heat.
2. While meat is cooking, wash and chop lettuce and tomato, slice onions and heat black beans.
3. On a large dinner plate, layer lettuce, meat, beans, tomato, onion, sour cream, guacamole and salsa. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

After dinner last night, Jared and I both had a huge craving for something sweet. We don’t keep many sweets around, but the baking cabinet is usually stocked with basic ingredients. I wanted to make something easy that involved chocolate. It also had to be eggless since we didn’t have any eggs. Recipezaar to the rescue! Contributor Chiclet’s vegan brownie recipe was exactly what I needed. This recipe took less than 45 minutes to prepare and bake. The brownies came out gooey and spongy. They have a hint of cinnamon and aren’t overly sweet.

Vegan Brownies
Makes 12 brownies

Ingredients
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup pecans (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine applesauce, sugar and vanilla.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix to combine. Fold in most of the pecans, if using.
5. Coat a 9×9 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread brownie batter evenly into pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and crushed pecans on top
6. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Let cool before slicing.

My thoughts:
1. The original recipe called for walnuts. I was out of walnuts so I used pecans instead.
2. Since I didn’t have vegan chocolate chips, my take on the recipe wasn’t truly vegan. Also, I left the chocolate chips out of the batter. Instead, I sprinkled them on top of the brownies, along with some crushed nuts, to give them some visual interest.

Recipe Source: Chiclet at Recipezaar

These chips are quick and easy to make. They go great with burgers and sandwiches, or on their own as a late night snack. They’re easy to customize with whatever seasonings and toppings you like. I personally like the salty, slightly spicy flavoring of Cajun seasoning.

Baked Potato Chips
Serves 2-4

Ingredients
2-3 large Yukon Gold or baking potatoes
1-2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
Cajun seasoning
cooking spray

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Wash and dry potatoes thoroughly.
3. Slice potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices.
4. In a bowl, toss potatoes with oil.
5. Coat 2 foil-lined baking sheets with cooking spray. Spread sliced potatoes evenly over baking sheets. Sprinkle with a liberal amount of Cajun seasoning.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping chips halfway through.

My thoughts:
1. I use a mandolin to cut the potatoes to the right thickness. After doing some research, I settled on the Large Benriner Mandolin. It’s one of the most affordable and durable mandolins on the market and cuts to the perfect thickness with minimal time and effort. Just be sure to watch your fingers!
2. I’ve made these a few times now, experimenting with different toppings. While I prefer Cajun seasoning, they’re also good seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with malt vinegar.