Garden Gazpacho

I love Gazpacho. In EVERY form it come in. But there is nothing like this wonderful chilled soup on a hot summer day made from vegetables fresh from your garden.  To try to make this soup a little lower in WW points, I've omitted the olive oil found in most versions of this dish.

Garden Gazpacho

Ingredients 

• 2 large fresh tomatoes, sliced and seeded 
• 10 grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, quartered, and seeded
• 1 large orange bell pepper, quartered and seeded
• 1⁄2 medium red onion, peeled and quartered
• 28 fl oz V8 100% Vegetable Juice, Low Sodium
• 1⁄3 cup(s)red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1⁄2 cup cilantro, chopped (1/4 cup reserved)
• 1 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1⁄8 tsp hot pepper sauce (couple of drops) 

Instructions 

1. Pulse each vegetables individually in a food processor until desired consistency. 
2. Gently mix all processed vegetables and all remaining ingredients (except 1/4 cup reserved cilantro) in a bowl just until combined. 
3. Chill in refrigerator no less than 2 hours to let flavors mingle.
4. Serve garnished with reserved cilantro on top.
5. Serving size = 1 cup. Approx. 6 servings.

Photo courtesy of familyfoodonthetable.com

Red, White, and Blue Salsa

This is the other recipe I brought to the July 4th potluck. It was another Pinterest find, and I was so excited to make it since our local market just started carrying jicama.

I was pleasantly surprised by the nice crisp bite, and mix of sweet and slight heat, in this patriotic salsa. Credit for this festive recipe and the colorful photo belong to Two Peas and their Pod. I will certainly be exploring more of their site!

Red, White, and Blue Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh Blueberries
• 1 cup diced Strawberries
• 1 cup diced Jicama
• 1/3 cup chopped Cilantro
• 1/4 cup finely chopped Red Onion
• 2 TBSP finely chopped Jalapeno Pepper, stemmed and seeded
• Juice of 1 large Lime
• Salt, to taste
• Tortilla chips, for serving

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine blueberries, strawberries, jicama, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, and lime juice. 
2. Stir until well combined. Season with salt, to taste. 
3. Serve with tortilla chips at room temperature or chilled. Best eaten the day it is made.

Tortellini Vegetable Saute

I LOVE pasta dishes, but there is nothing I enjoy less than a recipe that uses every pot/strainer/utensil in the kitchen.  So when looking for a simple, light, pasta recipe that wouldn't completely dirty the kitchen, I decided to create my own.  Enjoy!

Tortellini Vegetable Saute

Ingredients

• 8 oz. fresh/refrigerated Cheese Tortellini* 
• 4 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1/3 cup diced Red Onion
• 1 tsp minced Garlic
• 1 medium Zucchini, diced
• 1 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved
• Basil and Parsley, to taste*
• Freshly ground Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a deep, 12 in. skillet, boil enough water to generously cover tortellini; about 2 quarts.
2. Add tortellini to skillet, and boil according to package directions.
3. Prep vegetables while tortellini is cooking.
4. When tortellini is done, transfer to strainer to drain.  
5. Immediately return skillet to stovetop, and heat two TBSP olive oil.
6. Saute red onion and garlic until softened and translucent; about 2-3 minutes.
7. Add zucchini, basil, parsley, and then saute until zucchini slightly softened; about 4-5 minutes.
8. Add remaining 2 TBSP olive oil to veggie saute, and then tomatoes and tortellini.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste, and saute 3-4 minutes until flavors blend.
10. Serve warm, sprinkled with fresh parmesan or similar cheese.

Serves 2-3

* I recommend the following Vermont products for this recipe:
Vermont Pasta/Pastabilities Tortellini
Teeny Tiny Spice Company of Vermont's Shepherd Herb Mix

Willing to make a little more mess? Why not make your own tortellini! 

You can find a yummy recipe and tutorial here.

Photo by Taste of Home

Orzo Salad

I was recently looking for a light and easy recipe to bring to a work pot luck. I had never made orzo, and thought this recipe by Giadia De Laurentis would be fun to try.  In the end, our neighborhood market had no orzo, fresh basil, OR mint, so I substituted small shells, and dried basil. The end product was still good, so I can't wait to try again with the correct ingredients.

Orzo Salad 

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups orzo
• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe below)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. 
2. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. 
3. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. 
4. Drain the orzo through a strainer. 
5. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. 
6. Set aside to cool completely.
7. Once cool, toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. 
8. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. 
2. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. 
3. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Yield: 1 3/4 cups

As an alternative, I might try this with the house vinaigrette my old friend, The Naughty Chef, makes at his workplace!

Summer Vegetable Tian

I made the following recipe (courtsey of Williams-Sonoma) for dinner tonight, to utilize a wonderful bounty of summer squashes and tomatoes, and served it with whole wheat pasta. The dish could easily be transformed into a vegan delight be excluding the cheese or exchanging it for a soy-based one. I also used Panko breadcrumbs for a slightly nuttier texture. Enjoy!

Summer Vegetable Tian

Originating in Provence, a tian is a French word that describes a shallow earthenware casserole as well as the food it contains. Traditionally it features a variety of vegetables, herbs and cheeses that are layered and then baked.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup olive oil, plus more for greasing pan
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch strips
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3 small zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch rounds
• 2 small crookneck squash, cut into 1/8-inch rounds
• 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 lb. plum tomatoes, cut into 1/8-inch rounds
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup fine dried bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F. 
2. Lightly coat a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil.
3. In a fry pan over medium heat, warm 5 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. 
4. Add the bell pepper and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. 
5. Transfer the onion-pepper mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Set aside.
6. In a bowl, combine the zucchini, crookneck squash, 5 Tbs. of the oil, the rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to coat evenly. 
7. Arrange the zucchini, crookneck squash and tomato slices on the onion-pepper mixture, overlapping the rows. 
8. Drizzle with the remaining 2 Tbs. oil and bake for 30 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together the cheese and bread crumbs. 
10. Remove the baking dish from the oven and sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top. Bake for 15 minutes more.
11. Turn the oven to broil and broil until the cheese is golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. 
12. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.