Skip to main content

Easy Garden Recipes

Coming off of my post about growing your own garden, I thought I might share some quick and easy recipes for sides or appetizers that I make frequently with fresh veggies from my garden.

Garden Fresh Pesto


Basil is always a strong herb in my garden; no matter how much I plant, we always end up with a bush taller than me. It's a good thing we like pesto! The above picture is of whole wheat rotini noodles with pan seared chicken, garden fresh tomatoes, mushrooms and pesto made from the recipe that follows.

3 cups packed fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I add extra cheese liberally, it's kind of my thing)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (also picked from the garden)

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor, I prefer the Magic Bullet, and blend until smooth.

I love tossing this pesto with rotini because the ridges of the pasta pick up the creamy sauce quite nicely.

Spicy Garden Salsa
The picture may not be super flattering, but I promise this salsa is easy and delicious. This recipe is adapted from the Magic Bullet's Seven-Second Salsa.

6 -8 cherry tomatoes (or 1/2 cup)
1 jalapeno pepper (the original recipe calls for 1/4, but we like the heat)
1 -2 garlic clove(s)
3 sprigs fresh cilantro
1/2 cup onion (the onion balances out the pepper)
salt and pepper to taste

Place the above items in a blender or food processor in the order listed. Once again, I use the Magic Bullet, which makes pulsing the salsa super easy. I pulse the salsa rather than completely blend because I like it to be chunky. Feel free to blend, pulse or chop to the consistency of your choice. Serve with Brad's Organic Multigrain Tortillas. Super yummy.

Easy Breezy Cucumber Salad
This year, my garden seemed to have been overrun with cucumbers. Here's a great recipe adapted from All Recipes for your extra cucumbers picked at the peak of ripeness that lasts, well, a really long time.

3 medium cucumbers, sliced (I quarter the slices)
1 cup sugar (I substitute Splenda)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
3 tablespoons minced fresh dill or parsley
1/2 onion, finely chopped (this is my own addition)

Place cucumbers, onions, sugar and dill in a medium size plastic Ziplock container. Pour water and vinegar over ingredients. Snap the lid, and shake! I prefer to let this sit overnight to give the flavors full time to develop. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Be Here

I read a book recently that reminded me if we are always waiting for the next good thing -- a "better" house, a "better" job, a "better" location, a "better" spouse, the next vacation, your child's next developmental milestone -- you are never fully in the moment and, therefore, you never fully appreciate what you have. We live in a society that teaches us that bigger is better, surplus is superior to enough, wants are more important than our needs, and the next step will make us happier than where we are. But what happens when you reach that next step? Is all that glitters gold? Does chasing happiness bring us joy? Or does reaching that next step leave us in search of the next best thing? The next hit? The next high? What would life look like, then, if we put our focus on where we are? If we chose joy in any and all circumstances? I'm not saying that we should not have goals to improve ourselves or that we do not deserve to be happy. W...

The Gift of Prayer

I believe that prayer is a powerful gift and tool. It is how we are in relationship with God. We have a direct line to the creator of the universe and an advocate on our behalf that sits at the right hand of the Father. We go to God in prayer to say thank you when things are good and to ask for healing when friends and family are sick, but do we go to him with our everyday hopes, struggles, or anxieties? There was an incident earlier today that troubled me for the better part of the day. I was sitting at the local coffee shop with a friend while Silas played nearby. A woman walked in with two little girls, one of Silas' age and the other about half his age. She came and set her stuff down at a chair at the table where we sat. Her older daughter immediately reached for a toy stethoscope Silas had been playing with. He grabbed onto it and said, "noooo" with a whimper and made eyes at me. I said something along the lines of, "I'm sorry, Silas was playing with that...

Heaven is Paradise

Judah and I managed to make it out to ladies bible study yesterday where we briefly discussed the idea of what heaven may be like. We ultimately decided that heaven will appear differently to each of us. While I know that Heaven is an unfathomable place, I find myself daydreaming (with a sleeping baby on my chest) about what Heaven will be like. The bible tells us there will be no pain, tears or heartache. Jesus is preparing "rooms" for us there where he will greet us and dwell with us. The streets are paved with gold, the gates are made of pearl, and the walls made of precious jewels. We will spend our days worshipping the glory of God. I like to think that Heaven is at the foot of a mountain. I'll greet, and in some instances meet loved ones for the first time, in a field where a river flows. The air is crisp and smells like new babies . There is no age in heaven -- we will all be recognizable and we will know one another fully, without the hindrance of sin, the wa...