Tomatoes & Shell Beans

I don’t remember eating black-eyed peas as a child, but somewhere along the line, I developed an intense love for them. They sell them fresh at the farmer’s market in the mountains and I experimented with them a few times many years ago, but couldn’t quite figure out how to cook them properly. No one in my family knew what to do with them, so after a few discarded batches, I gave up.

A few years later, I was living on my own and discovered that they sold them during the summer at one of my local Whole Foods stores.  I figured out how to turn them into hoppin’ john, which became my regular summertime lunch from then on. It took some time, but I eventually convinced Jeff that yes, he does like shell beans, and also, hoppin’ john does in fact make a delicious and satisfying meal.

Strawberry Salad

Growing up in Florida, we had access to some of the earliest and best strawberries around. The season there begins in December and is over by April. Out of loyalty, I have always chosen FL strawberries when local ones aren’t available, especially when they are from Plant City. Many years ago my family visited the strawberry festival held there. Memories are vague, consisting of walking around in a barn-like setting, petting some horses, and listening to bluegrass. One thing I do remember was a build-your-own shortcake bar. Mmmm….

Living now in NC I am forced to wait until April for strawberries. Here in Durham we have some excellent local strawberry farms. My favorite berries come from Vollmer Farms. Since strawberries are one of the foods on which the pesticide residue is the highest, I like that Vollmer Farms grows their berries organically. Each year I vow to make a pick-your-own trip so I can can some strawberry jam. I missed the opportunity yet again this year. But I did discover a mix of ingredients that makes a divine strawberry salad. I brought it to this year’s Hootenanny, where it was well loved.

Pomegranate-Grapefruit Salad

I don’t know about you, but in the winter I eat citrus by the barrelful. I could take it or leave it the rest of the year, but in the dead of winter when the rest of the fruit in the store looks pale and lifeless, oranges just scream “Pick me! I’m juicy and flavorful!” Growing up in FL my grandpa would bring us big white buckets full of oranges and grapefruit from his yard every time he visited. I miss that homegrown fruit but am still plenty happy with the grapefruit, tangelos, and clementines that have made up a large part of my diet these past few months. I put together this salad with grapefruit segments, slices of avocado, toasted pecans, and pomegranate seeds. To dress it I whisked some of the juice from the grapefruit and pomegranate with olive oil and salt and pepper. It’s a great way to transition from the flavors of winter to the lightness of spring.

A New Favorite Salad

Right before Christmas we had a few folks Jeff works with over for lunch. Hoping to serve something fresh and satisfying, we prepared flank steak, assorted citrus, and a grilled potato salad. I’d been saving this salad recipe for just the right meal. It was given to me at my wedding shower by Ann, a family friend, whose culinary talent is much renowned. She notes on the recipe card that several items are adaptable. It’s really about the method; the ingredients can be adjusted according to your tastes. The key, I think, is choosing really great ingredients. It would be good regardless, but the baby greens from our farm share, fresh cow feta, heirloom fingerling potatoes, and thick cut black forest bacon took it to the next level.

This one is a keeper. Next up is the dessert from that day…

Farmer’s Market Salad

This was another salad recipe from Real Simple that piqued my interest. I made lots of additions using various goodies from the market. We used some baby yukon gold potatoes, added mixed yellow and green beans, barely steamed, and tossed in some mixed cherry tomatoes that had been halved. I subbed red wine vinegar for the white because I was out of white wine vinegar. It made a great lunch several days last week. 

And yet another shout-out to Brinkley Farms. We bought some of their pork kielbasa at the market on Saturday and grilled it this weekend with some mixed vegetables. It was super tender and flavorful – not even the same species as grocery store fare! 

Now back to the salad…

 

Salad Detox

Whew! We’re back from 2 weeks of travel and I sure am happy to see my kitchen again. Both Jeff and I come from families who love to cook so we had many delicious meals. And while it wasn’t much different from what we eat at home (well… minus the barbecue sandwiches one of us consumed daily at lunchtime… I’ll let you guess which one of us that was) we were both ready for some back-to-basics meals this week. We started with a southwestern style salad inspired by a recipe I saw in Real Simple. 

No recipe required, just: mixed baby greens, a chopped tomato, an uncooked ear of corn cut off the cob, sliced avocado, a can of rinsed pinto beans, a sliced chicken breast, and some chopped cilantro. I tossed it with some olive oil, lime juice, and salt and pepper. The bad news is that my garden isn’t doing so well (minus the cucumbers… expect to hear about pickles sometime soon) so these tomatoes weren’t mine. But it was delicious all the same, full of fresh, summery flavors. 

Summer Chicken Salad

I usually like apples in my chicken salad but was intrigued by this recipe. I had it for lunch over some baby spinach. I roasted a chicken breast in the oven instead of using rotisserie. While I really enjoyed the mix of flavors, I found myself wishing my nectarine was a little bit on the firmer side. I’m sure it’s all a matter of preference. Enjoy!

Curried Chicken Salad with Nectarines
Serves 6

3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
2 cups (1-inch) cubed nectarine (about 2 large)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fat-free buttermilk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine mayonnaise and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle mayonnaise mixture over chicken mixture; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with almonds.

From Cooking Light

Jasmine-Rice Stuffed Peppers and Cherry Salad

Last week at the Durham Farmer’s Market we picked up some ground beef from Brinkley Farms. I used it in these stuffed peppers. Partially cooking the rice keeps the filling nice and moist. We used all beef for the filling this time. I’ve also made them before using only ground turkey. Pretty easy and foolproof!