Delicious Summer Soup

Wild passion flour I found growing in my yard. One year we were able to eat the fruit, but you have to catch the pod at the perfect time, in order to enjoy the sweet fruit.
Herbs picked from the herb garden awaiting their fate in the soup.
Assorted squash from the csa, which were perfect for this summer soup.
For the summer soup, I sauteed chopped onions in olive oil, allowing them to slightly caramelize. I added some minced garlic, and then about 1/2 cup of white wine. I allowed the wine to cook down by about half. Then I added 4 medium potatoes and covered with vegetable broth, simmering until the potatoes softened. I added in chopped herbs, including herb flowers (parsley, cilantro, thyme, chives and basil). I then added assorted chopped summer squash and covered with vegetable broth. The soup was simmered until all vegetables were soft. Then I blended the soup with an immersion blender. I seasoned with salt and pepper, then garnished with chives and chive blossoms.

I served the soup with a homemade pimento cheese (organic raw cheddar, mayo and fresh peppers from the csa and lots of freshly ground black pepper) on flat bread crackers and one of our first cucumbers from our garden!

Twice Baked Potatoes and Tabouli

When my daughter came home from camp, she requested twice-baked potatoes and tabouli.

These are foods she ate when she was younger, and I haven't made either in years.

The potatoes are baked, then hollowed out. The insides are mixed with a stick of butter, chopped fresh herbs (whatever I have in my garden), chopped scallions and a chopped raw onion. I mixed in a little sour cream and seasoned with salt and pepper.

After the mixture is scooped back into the potato skins, they are baked again, giving the nice golden brown tops.

For the tabouli, I soaked the bulgur wheat until soft. I then proceeded to chop and chop and chop. I used 2 tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, a bunch of parsley and 4 scallions. I made a dressing with fresh squeezed lemon juice and olive oil and some freshly ground salt and pepper.

Lemon Dill Deviled Eggs

Inspired by the Real Food for Real People blog I came across, I made these lovely lemon dill deviled eggs.

I used

6 hard boiled eggs

1 Heaping Tbsp. mayo

1 Tbsp. Sour Cream

1 tsp. stoneground mustard

Lemon zest

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill

Simple Roasted Chicken

A whole chicken sprinkled with freshly chopped herbs was roasted in the oven. When there was approximately 30 minutes cooking time left for the chicken, I added french fingerling potatoes, pearl onions, turnips, kolrabi and carrots.

Fresh green beans cooked on the stove were the perfect accompaniment for this traditional meal.

Vegetable Curry

This Thai-inspired vegetable curry is a great way to incorporate whatever vegetables I have on hand from the csa. Here I roasted the squash, kohlrabi and turnips in the oven. In a large pot, I sauteed onions, lemongrass (always take back out because it can't be chewed) and an ancho pepper, added garlic, chopped carrots and chopped greens. I poured in a can of coconut milk.

In order to maintain the Thai philosophy of including sweet, salty, spicy, sour and bitter in the dish, I added a little agave nectar, fish sauce, chili paste, fresh ginger (from my garden), spicy basil and fresh lime juice. With the addition of the roasted veggies, it had a lovely flavor. We poured it over brown rice, and there were no leftovers.

Hummus Lasagna

I had quite a few csa veggies I was looking for a way to prepare. I decided to try just unloading them in a lasagna. I replaced the ricotta layer with hummus for a healthier version, and I didn't have any ricotta on hand. I used loads of swiss chard and other greens as well as squash I roasted in the oven with chopped onions.

I added some fresh chopped basil from my herb garden in the layers.

I topped the lasagna with a tomato sauce and sprinkled some parmesan.

Surprisingly, the entire family enjoyed this strange lasagna hybrid. They even took seconds.

We love to top off a meal with a rustic fruit tart made with fresh summer peaches and berries.

Overloaded Vegetable Quiche

I lined a springform pan with a crust I made. In a separate bowl, I combined lots of fresh eggs from around the corner with a little rice milk. I finely chopped all the vegetables in the refrigerator that no one was interested in. I added some carrots and finely chopped broccoli. I mixed the eggs with the veggies and poured into the crust. After baking at 350 until the quiche was firm, it was pulled out and rested until dinner.