Every year, we grow vegetables in our garden over the summer. It feels so good to get out there and dig in the dirt every spring, and it is so rewarding when you are able to make dinner entirely of vegetables picked from your own garden! Recent years have been difficult for our garden, as Georgia underwent a severe drought. Luckily, the drought is over (for now), and this summer has been one of the wettest we have had in many years! What did this mean for our garden? An abundance of veggies!

The first budding tomatoes of the season - May 2010

I grew two cherry tomato plants this year, and they produced like CRAZY! Most of them became ripe at the same time, so I was challenged to find dishes that would use these sweet and juicy tomatoes up at their peak of flavor. We love to eat them as a salad, sliced in half tossed with feta, basil, and balsamic vinegar. But they are also great to cook with. This is a recipe that I have tweaked over the years, originally inspired by Cooking Light. It is also great if you add in some diced and sauteed onions….mmmm!

Cherry Tomato Pine Nut Spaghetti
Inspired by a recipe in an issue of Cooking Light magazine

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
3 cups fresh cherry tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3-4 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and toss together lightly. Toast the mixture for about 2 minutes, until the breadcrumbs turn a light golden brown. Remove the toasted mixture from the pan and set aside.

Return the pan to the stove and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the cherry tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes, or until the tomatoes turn wrinkly and begin to soften and release some juices.

Add the remaining garlic powder, the sliced garlic, and the Italian seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for another 1-2 minutes over medium heat; then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let the mixture simmer while you cook the pasta.

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, and drain. Add the hot spaghetti, the toasted pine nuts, the breadcrumb mixture, the fresh basil, and the feta and parmesan cheeses to the tomato mixture. Toss lightly to combine, and serve immediately.

Dear readers, I was eating some beautiful strawberries the other day. They were sliced into beautiful heart-shaped pieces, and it made me think of my oldest friend, who is awaiting a heart transplant. She and I grew up next door to one another, romping and playing together since we were in diapers. She is just barely 29 years old, and is in need of a new heart. Her life depends on the generosity of some yet-to-be determined individual who decided to become an organ donor.

When we were growing up, our moms would take us to this wonderful breakfast place in Atlanta called the Original House of Pancakes. Our moms’ favorite item on the menu was the famous strawberry waffle. Up until recently when my friend’s mom moved away to be with her as she awaits her transplant, our moms  were still in the pattern of meeting every Thursday morning to eat a strawberry waffle at the OHOP and to share news of our families.

This morning, my husband and I had strawberry waffles for breakfast at home, and I thought of my dear friend, waiting for her new heart.

Have a heart? Then I hope you will consider becoming an organ donor today. The lives of my friend and many others depend on our caring and generosity today.

Click on the heart to learn more about organ donation.

Strawberry Waffles for Two

1 cup strawberries, sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 waffles, made from your favorite recipe or a mix
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Whipped cream

In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and the sugar. Toss gently to combine

Make your waffles so that they will be nice and warm when served.

Sprinkle the waffles with the powdered sugar. Top with a dollop of whipped cream. Spoon over the strawberries and any juice. Serve immediately.

Sometimes I like to consider myself a sophisticated foodie:  a worldly woman with high-class taste in food, wine, and the finer things in life.  Other times, all I want to do is sit down in front of the TV with a big bag of sour cream and onion potato chips and an icy cold coke.

Well, you might consider this dish a combination of those two sides of me . . . because these colorful, flavorful, and decadent mashed potatoes actually taste like a delicious sour cream and onion potato chip.  The fresh herbs add a punch of flavor, and the sour cream brings a hint of creaminess.  Leaving the skins on your red potatoes puts that perfect colorful touch on this delicious dish.  Enjoy!

Sour Cream and Herb Mashed Potatoes

4-6 medium red potatoes, scrubbed clean
2/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons chives, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.  Place on the stove and bring to a boil; cook until fork-tender, about 20-25 minutes.  Remove the potatoes to a bowl, reserving the liquid in the pot.  Mash potatoes until coarse.  Add the sour cream, chives, and parsley.

Continue to mash until desired consistency is reached.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Our family strives to put mostly seasonal fruits and veggies on the table.  Not only is it more economical, but veggies that are in season tend to be more nutritious because they don’t have to travel from the other side of the globe before they reach your plate!

Seasonal produce in the spring come as such a refreshing change after the winter.  Asparagus, strawberries, and avocados are such a welcome change!!  Here is a delicious way to prepare asparagus that will tempt even the asparagusphobes in your household.  It also really captures and highlights those fresh-from-the-garden flavors that just sing out “It’s Spring!!!”

Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus

1 large bunch of asparagus, washed and trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Drizzle on the olive oil and sprinkle over the cheese and the salt ad pepper. Use your hands to toss the ingredients together until the asparagus is completely coated with the oil, cheese, and seasoning.

Bake for 10 minutes and serve immediately.

Here is a delicious, figure-friendly soup that will satisfy and comfort you – without breaking any of those New Year’s resolutions!

Veggie-Noodle Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 13-ounce can of sweet corn, drained and rinsed
3 cups low-sodium vegetable (or chicken) stock
1 cup of bowtie pasta
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot,  heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, the carrot, and the celery.  Cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes, until they are nice and soft.  Next, add the sweet potato, the corn kernels, and the vegetable stock.  Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes – or until the sweet potato is tender.

Add the pasta, and return to a boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer for another 10 minutes, until the pasta is tender.  Adjust the seasoning of the soup with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

This is a really fun and easy appetizer that never fails to please a crowd!  The flaky crescent rolls provide a wonderfully flavorful nest for layers of zesty basil pesto.  You won’t believe how simple it is to make these beautiful little treats.

This is a recipe that you can go wild and crazy with . . . substitute your own flavorful fillings and let me know what you come up with!  Maybe some pimento cheese? Or some olive tapenade? Alfredo sauce perhaps? Sundried tomato pesto?  The possibilities are endless, so get creative!

Pesto Pinwheels

1 8-ounce package of refrigerated crescent roll dough
1/2 cup basil pesto
1 egg
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a baking sheet.

Open the package of crescent roll dough and unroll it into a rectangle.  Gently push together the perforations of the dough so that you have one continuous rectangle of dough.  Use a spatula to spread the pesto evenly over the rectangle.  Roll the dough back up in the same direction as it was rolled up in the package.

Use a serrated knife to slice the roll into 1/2″ pieces.  Lay the pieces flat on the prepared baking sheet, about 1″ apart.

In a small  bowl, beat the egg until frothy with a fork.  Brush the egg lightly on top of each pinwheel.  Sprinkle all of them with the grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until puffed up and lightly golden brown.  Remove from pan and serve immediately.

Fiesta Rice

2 cups white rice, cooked
1 cup fresh or canned Mexicorn
3/4 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the rice, the Mexicorn, and the shredded cheese, tossing lightly with a fork.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

I’m not a huge fan of eggplant. I’m not even a medium-sized fan of eggplant. Maybe a small one. Maybe. Sure I like it fried in a crispy curry batter, but in general, nope it’s just not my favorite.

Guess what filled our last CSA basket of the growing-season to the brim? Bunches and bunches of eggplant! So I’m really branching out here and trying to find some good recipes for all of this fresh eggplant. I remembered this one from our CSA Farm Cookbook, and it was just as good as my memories. The prosciutto adds the perfect hint of meaty flavor to this hearty dish. Even I am wild for this stuff – I hope you enjoy it, too!

Eggplant Rollatini
adapted from our CSA Farm Cookbook

1 1/2 cups flour
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2-3 medium-small eggplants (about 1.5 lbs.) sliced lengthwise 1/8-inch thick
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, drained overnight (see instructions below)
2 tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

In one shallow dish, place 1 cup of flour. Next, place two of the eggs in a second shallow dish, and lightly beat. In a third shallow dish, place salt, and half the pepper, and the parmesan in a bowl with 1/2 cup of the flour and and mix with a fork or a whisk until blended. Dip the eggplant slices in the flour, then into the eggs, then into the flour-and-cheese mixture.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large, deep skillet until hot but not smoking. Place the prepared eggplant slices in the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden. Remove from the skillet and place on paper-towel lined baking sheets to drain until cool enough to handle.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the drained ricotta in a bowl and mash it with a fork. Add the last egg, the parsley, half of the shredded mozzarella, the remaining half of the pepper, and mix well. Set aside.

To stuff the eggplant, place one slice of prosciutto on top of the eggplant.

Next, drop a heaping tablespoon of the ricotta mixture on top of the prosciutto at the wider end of the eggplant slice.

Beginning with the wider end of the eggplant, roll up, from top to bottom. Pour 1 cup of the marinara sauce into an 8×12″ baking dish. Place the eggplant rolls side by side on top of the marinara sauce.

Pour the remaining sauce over the eggplant rolls. Sprinkle with the 3 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese and the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella.

Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Note: To drain ricotta cheese, peace it in a sieve or cheese cloth and set over a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight. Discard the whey and use the cheese as directed in the recipe!

For a vegetarian option: simply omit the prosciutto!

I’m always at a loss when it comes to a side dish for Indian cuisine. After making these tasty little fried eggplants thet other evening, I have a feeling that my Indian side dish crisis is officially averted.

These fluffy golden nuggets are crispy, ever so lightly battered, and rich with the flavors of a delicious yellow curry. The juicy eggplant inside perfectly compliments the spicy, golden brown crust. Once you taste one of these, it will be hard to stop.

Indian Fried Eggplant
from my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook

1 medium eggplant (about 1.5 lbs.)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup salad oil

Wash eggplant. Beat remaining ingredients vigorously with a whisk until smooth. Heat oil one-inch deep to 375 in a large skillet.

Cut the eggplant into 1/4-inch slices (we had some long and skinny eggplants from our CSA farm basket, so I just cut them into little medallions). Dip the slices in the batter, letting the excess drip into the bowl. Fry in hot oil until golden brown – about 2-3 minutes – turning once.

Drain on paper towels. If desired, salt to taste.

To keep the slices warm and crisp, place in a 300 degree oven until ready to serve.

Here is a side dish that my green-thumbed hubby likes to make during the summertime when he has an abundance of tomatoes and okra in the garden. He likes to eat it served over rice.

Stewed Okra and Tomatoes

2 cups okra, cut until 1/2 inch slices
2 cups ripe tomatoes, cored and then diced
4 medium cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown rice, cooked

Combine the okra, tomatoes, garlic, and water in a medium saucepan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer.

In true southern fashion, my husband says that you should cook it “until it’s mushy.” But I think about 1-1.5 hours is usually plenty to make the veggies nice and tender, the flavors nice and melded. Stir occasionally and add extra water if your veggies begin to dry out. Serve over hot rice. Enjoy!