Cucumber Dip

This is a yummy dip from Mara-Liisa. My only tweak was to add a clove of minced garlic.

Ingredients:

● 1/2 cup mayonnaise or half sour cream (I use sour cream)

● 1/4 cup onion, finely diced

● 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely diced

● 1 package cream cheese, softened

● salt and pepper to taste (generally needs a good amount of salt)

● 1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

Mix ingredients and use salt and pepper to taste. Best chilled overnight before serving. Serve with veggies, pita chips, etc.

*Make sure to seed the cucumbers first or it will make the dip too watery.

Pickled Beets

This is the same sauce my friend Kyla uses on her Simple Cucumber Salad.

Ingredients:

5 or 6 medium red beets

1/4 C vinegar

1/2 C sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Cut off tops and bottoms of beets.

Boil beets for at least 10 minutes. Do a fork test to see if tender.

Rinse beets under cold water.

Squeeze beets out of their skin. Should slip off easily.

Slice Beets and put in glass jar.

Mix vinegar, sugar, and salt and add mixture to beets.

Refrigerate until well chilled.

Swiss Chard Bake

Origin: Simply in Season Cookbook

Ingredients:

● 1 lb. Swiss Chard, chopped leaves (discard stalk)

● 4 eggs, beaten

● 1 cup milk

● 1 cup shredded cheese (swiss suggested)

● 1 cup bread cubes

● 1/2 cup green onions, sliced

● 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Boil Swiss Chard leaves thoroughly and drain.

Combine ingredients with cooked greens. (I added 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper to the mixture). Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Cover and bake in preheated oven at 375 until set, 25-30 minutes. (I covered halfway and then uncovered rest of the way.)

Roasted Salmon With Zucchini, Lemon, and Dill

We also made a quick "tartar" sauce by squeezing some of the roasted lemon juice and adding some roasted dill into a couple spoonfuls of mayo. It really helped as the salmon can get a little dry while roasting.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 pounds (about 3 medium) zucchini, cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick pieces
• 2 lemons, quartered, seeds removed
• 8 sprigs fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 (about 8 ounces each) skinless salmon fillets

Directions

1. Heat broiler, with rack 4 inches from heat. Combine zucchini, lemons, and dill on a large rimmed broiler-proof baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat.
2. Nestle salmon fillets among vegetables; season generously with salt and pepper. Broil until vegetables are tender and fish is opaque throughout, 15 to 20 minutes.

Sausage and Kale Soup

I also like to add a little half-and-half or heavy whipping cream before serving, for a little extra creaminess. :o)

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 5 waxy potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bunch kale (12 ounces), stemmed and shredded
• 12 ounces smoked chicken sausage, cut into 1/2-inch half moons

Directions

1. In a large pot (6 to 8 quarts), heat oil over medium. Add onion and cook until soft, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes; cook unti fragrant, 1 minute. Add potatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. In a blender, puree half the soup. Return to pot; add kale and sausage. Simmer until kale is wilted, 10 to 15 minutes.

Simple Cucumber Salad

This is a simple, but yummy cucumber recipe from my friend Kyla.

A perfect summer side!

Ingredients:

2 large cucumbers , thinly sliced

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Wash and thinly slice cucumbers and put them in a medium bowl. Add thinly sliced onion.

2. Mix sauce ingredients (vinegar, sugar, and salt) and pour over veggies.

3. Refrigerate salad to let flavors soak in and marinate.

Enjoy!

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

We also make a quick gravy using some of the meat juice and mixing it with flour, salt and pepper.

Also I rarely have dry onion soup mix in the house, so I just caramelize some onions and toss them in there.


Source: All Recipes

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 pounds chuck roast
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 packet dry onion soup mix
• 1 cup water or beef broth
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 stalk celery

DIRECTIONS

1. Take the chuck roast and season with salt and pepper to taste. Brown on all sides in a large skillet over high heat.
2. Place in the slow cooker and add the soup mix and water. Then add carrots, onion, potatoes and celery half way through cook time.
3. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.

Pesto

Ingredients

Makes 1 3/4 cups

• 1/2 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 cups (2 ounces) lossely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts evenly on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden and fragrant, tossing once, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
2. In a food processor, combine nuts, basil, Parmesan and garlic; season generously with salt and pepper. Process until nuts are finely chopped. With machine running, pour oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process until smooth. Use immediately, or freeze. To freeze, spoon pesto into an ice-cube tray (2 tablespoons per cube); cover with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight, then transfer cubes to a resealable plastic bag; keep up to 6 months. Defrost pesto at room temperature, about 20 minutes (or at 30-second intervals in the microwave). Mash with a fork before using in recipes.