Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese Dip

 One of my favorite grocery stores stocks a snack combo of mini pretzels and garden vegetable cream cheese dip.  I often nab one when I am there because I don't live in the town with that store so I have at least a half hour drive home.  It's good to have a little something to munch on on the way home.  A month or so ago I was craving that flavor combo but I wasn't going to town any time soon.  Plus, I know I can make it for a lot less!  I checked out the ingredients and tested from there.  

It's easy to make and the ingredients are simple.  The spices are the same as my  Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing with the added flavors of carrot and crunchy green pepper.  I was lucky enough to have green peppers from the garden but store bought will do well here too. I didn't include the red bell pepper or cucumbers but it wasn't only because I didn't have peppers on hand and I detest cucumbers (unless they are pickled!)

A little note....I grate the carrot fine and it ends up giving it a slight orange tinge to it.  If you stir the cream cheese and sour cream together first and then add your vegetables the orange won't leak out as much.  It doesn't affect the flavor and I don't mind it. If you are making it for the next day you could wait until then and stir the carrots in.  Honestly, your guests, family and/or friends will be too busy devouring it to take note of it's color. You could also grate it larger if you want more crunch (and less color.) I've given you spice and herb measurements as a guide. Change it up to suit your taste, it's your dip!

I enjoy this dip with gluten free pretzel chips or gluten free pretzel sticks.

Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese Dip

8 ounce pkg cream cheese (I use lite)

1/2 cup sour cream (I use lite)

1-2 Tablespoons milk (as needed for consistency)

1/4 teaspoon dried dill

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

2 dashes onion powder

2 dashes salt

1/2 green pepper, diced

1 small carrot, finely grated

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream and herbs and spices.  You can taste it now, add more spices or change up the flavors to suit you.  Stir in the green pepper and carrots.  It is best to let it set for a couple hours (or longer). Serve with pretzel chips, pretzel sticks or your favorite cracker.  

Chiles Rellenos - Poblanos Stuffed with Cheese

Have you ever tasted chiles rellenos? If you haven't, let me try to describe it to you! They are poblano chiles (some spice but it is a manageable heat) softened with roasting, then peeled, stuffed with cheese, battered with a fluffy egg batter and fried until crispy. A Mexican version of comfort food. 

The restaurant we eat them at serves it with white cheese sauce drizzled on top. I serve mine with a tomato sauce. It helps to cut all the richness of the cheese that is stuffed inside the pepper.  I use my Restaurant Style Salsa recipe for the sauce.  I'll give you more information below on how to adapt it.

Have your sauce ready then fry up the chiles rellenos. You can keep the rellenos on a cooling rack on a jelly roll pan in a 200* oven so you can enjoy them all at once or your family can eat them as you fry them. 

Chiles Rellenos                                                                     Printable Recipe

4 large poblano peppers
2 cups shredded Chihuahua quesadilla cheese (or a mix of other cheeses that melt, like Monterey Jack and Cheddar)
1/4 to 1/3 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
5 egg whites at room temperature
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
lard or canola oil (1/2-3/4" depth in skillet)

Caramelizing Onions and Peppers (without a ton of oil or sugar)

I love caramelizing onions and peppers. It brings out a flavor that just doesn't compare to their regular sauteed versions. They are fantastic on pizzas and of course our favorite, chicken fajitas. As you will see, with a few tips and tricks, you'll have nice soft caramelized veggies in no time and without a ton of oil or added sugar.

Caramelizing Onions and Peppers (without a ton of oil or sugar)   

1 large onion

1 red pepper (or yellow or orange)

1 green pepper

oil

salt

Pizza Zucchini Boats

I have to give credit to my husband for this one.  He came up with the idea on his own.  I helped him carry it out.  We used small zucchini here but you can use larger ones.  You will need to cook them longer to get them soft.  Change up all the toppings as you like them.   I will give you a guide as to how we put our tasty dish together.

Pizza Zucchini Boats

Small Zucchini
Pizza or Marinara sauce
Ground Beef
Pepperoni Slices
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese or Italian Blend Cheese

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Parmesan Cheese

If you are already grilling other foods you might as well throw some corn on while you are at it and save heating up your kitchen. Now let's talk cheese.  I saw a chef on TV once put Parmesan on his corn and I thought he was nuts.  Turns out the saltiness of the Parmesan is just what this corn needs.  Try it, you won't be disappointed. 

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Parmesan Cheese                            Printable Recipe

Sweet Corn (Husk On)
Butter
Grated Parmesan cheese
Black Pepper (optional)

Dehydrating Tomato Skins to Make Tomato Powder

Waste not, want not!

So you've made some Roasted Marinara Sauce and have some extra bits of skins, seeds, and other goodies that didn't make the cut? It's really simple to make tomato powder.  The uses are endless. Mix even amounts of powdered tomato and water to make your own tomato paste.  Add the powder to soups and stews for some added tomato flavor. I thought this would also be good added to meatloaf mixtures.  I am sure you can come up with even more ideas!

Dehydrating Tomato Skins to Make Tomato Powder

Roasted Marinara Sauce Leftover Bits
OR
Tomato skins removed during your canning process.

Roasted Marinara Sauce

Some of you have asked for my roasted marinara recipe and so I will offer a guide on how I make it. There are no exact measurement as each batch can be different depending on the intensity of the flavor of your tomatoes, onions, and peppers.  I make each batch and taste it until I am satisfied. 

You'll notice no garlic in my recipe.  Italian ladies everywhere are shaking their heads.  You are welcome to add it to your sauce.  My husband cannot have garlic so I do not use it and it is still very tasty.

Roasted Marinara Sauce

Red and Yellow Tomatoes (need to be mostly reds due to acid level needed)
Green  or Yellow Peppers (1-2 per baking dish)
Sweet Yellow Onions (1-2 per baking dish)
Olive Oil
Fresh Basil (good handful if using 3 baking dishes)
Fresh Oregano (small handful if using 3 baking dishes)
Fresh Parsley (optional) (small handful if using 3 baking dishes)
Salt
Sugar
Cayenne Pepper (few dashes per batch)

Baked Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries

First time we had these at a restaurant my child called them "orange fries" and they were fried.  We enjoy having the orange fries at home but I didn't want the mess or calories of frying them so I bake them.  Then we wanted more flavor and we love Parmesan so a little salty sprinkle of cheese and some fun spices and voila, one of our favorite side dishes!

Baked Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries 

1-1/2 to 1-3/4 pounds sweet potatoes (yellow and/or orange)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Sprinkle of paprika

2 dashes cayenne pepper

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Add olive oil to a medium bowl, mix in paprika and cayenne pepper. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into approximately 3/8" sticks. You want to keep your pieces the same size so they cook the same. Toss to coat.

Smoky Baked Cauliflower Bites

Smoky Baked Cauliflower Bites

1 head cauliflower, washed and cut into cut bite size pieces

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

smoked paprika (approx 1 teaspoon)

good pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon bacon grease (optional)

Mix together all but the cauliflower.

Add cauliflower and toss until coated.

Heat jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides) in a 350 degree oven.  Add bacon grease from fridge and let it melt.  Swirling to cover the bottom of the sheet (or I used a baking stone.) The cauliflower will shrink so it's OK if they touch a little.

Bake for 35-40 minutes flipping half way through the cooking until they are soft and caramelized.

 Enjoy!

Pin it:  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/273593746086917166/

Baked Curry Cauliflower Bites

Baked Curry Cauliflower Bites

1 head cauliflower, washed and cut into cut bite size pieces

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon curry powder

3-4 dashes cayenne powder

good pinch of salt

10 drops lemon juice

Mix together all but the cauliflower.

Add cauliflower and toss until coated.

Lay on cookie sheet (or I used a baking stone) so the bites are not touching.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes flipping half way through the cooking until they are soft and caramelized.

 Enjoy!

Cornbread Casserole

Everyone loves a good corn side dish.  Our usual go to is the scalloped corn but this family recipe is a nice change.  For something even different and better add some shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Cornbread Casserole

1 egg
1 cup sour cream (light is OK)
1/2 stick butter, melted (original recipe had 1 stick!)
1 can whole corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 box cornbread mix

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a 9x13" greased baking dish.

Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If you are topping with cheese you could put that on the last 10 minutes. 

I think next time I will probably use a bit smaller dish to make mine thicker. 

Roasted Vegetables

Your house will smell so good as this cooks! Try different squashes to suit your taste. These potatoes were raised in my garden.  Yukon gold potatoes are my favorite since they keep their shape when stirred and/or flipped around.

Roasted Vegetables                                                                      Printable Recipe

1 medium sweet potato

3 medium Yukon gold potatoes

1/2 medium yellow onion

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt (more later to taste)

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium bow, stir together seasonings, oil, and vinegar.

Peel and chop your sweet potatoes into 3/4 to 1" cubes.  Chop your Yukon golds the same way, leaving the peel on those. Cut your onion half into two slices and then 3/4 to 1" pieces. Add to marinade. Toss to coat veggies.

 T

Dump onto jelly roll pan and spread into an even layer. Cook for 20 minutes, flip or stir and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are soft.  

They are going to look a little browned but that is the delicious caramelization of the veggies and the balsamic vinegar.  Sprinkle on more salt to taste.

Sweet Lime Pickles

These pickles take a few days to make but they are yummy!  I started mine at 5 pm on a Wednesday and processed them on Friday morning. They are crispy and a fun color!

Sweet Lime Pickles

7 pounds cucumbers (wash, cut off ends, slice 1/4" thick)

2 cups pickling lime

2 gallons water

2 quarts white vinegar

9 cups sugar 

1 teaspoon canning salt

1 Tablespoon mixed pickling spices*

Homemade Salsa

Everyone has their own tastes and interpretations when it comes to salsa.  I was given a salsa recipe from a friend.   It contained quite a bit of sugar.  We don't use much sugar so I went on with the task of lowering the sugar. It also contained a thickener that dulled the color of our salsa.  I removed it so our salsa is more like fresh salsa, but canned. 

Taste your salsa before you can it.  If you wouldn't eat it fresh, you won't like it canned. 

Homemade Salsa

20 cups chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes*
1 to 1-1/2 cups minced onions (onions can be strong so ease in slow)
1-1/2 cups minced green peppers
7 banana peppers, minced
5-6 jalapenos (if they are hot, use less --if you can't tell start off with fewer, you can always add more), minced
2 Tablespoons sugar
2-1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
5-6 dashes of red cayenne pepper
1-1/2 cups vinegar
2 Tablespoons salt

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Béchamels (fancy name for a white sauce) are a great base for many soups  I lightened this one up a bit and added more flavor by replacing some of the milk with chicken broth. 

Broccoli Cheese Soup                                                                          Printable Recipe

1 small head broccoli

3 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk (I used goat milk)

1 cup chicken broth

4 ounces Velveeta or 1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Steam broccoli until tender.  It will not cook any more in the soup so be sure it is how you like it.  Also keep in mind that the softer you have it the more it will break up as you stir it into the base. 

In a large pot melt the butter.

Stir in flour, heat and stir until smooth.  Cook for 1 minute.

Gradually add milk and broth, stirring constantly until thickened. I find it easier to have the liquid warmed to prevent burning on the bottom.

This is with about half of the liquid. It will be a little thinner than this in the end.

Add cheese and stir until melted.  Gently stir in broccoli.  Add salt and pepper if you like. Ladle and serve.

If you have leftover ham you can chop some up and put it in the soup too!

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

This is a great way to use some of your fresh garden tomatoes. 

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

1 unbaked pie crust

4 ounces chèvre (goat cheese) (plain if using pesto otherwise chose a flavor you like or stir in your favorite fresh herb)

pesto

tomatoes

salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Place sliced tomatoes on paper towel. Sprinkle with salt.  Allow to sit for a little bit and  the tomatoes will let loose of its juices. If you slice them thinner they will also let go of more juices. Dab with a paper towel.

I decided to go half and half on my base.  I stirred a little pesto into one half of the goat cheese.  Use as much or as little as you like.  We like pesto so I used a fair amount.

The other half I mixed in fresh chopped parsley.  We did not think it had enough flavor so using more herbs would be a good idea or just stick to pesto.

Place unbaked pie crust into your pie dish. I wanted to use my stoneware pie dish for a crisper crust.  It is a deep dish so that is why my tart looks small compared to it.

Spread goat cheese onto bottom of pie crust.

 Layer drained tomatoes.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is light brown and tomatoes are soft. If crust is browning too quickly, cover with a piece of aluminum foil or pie crust shield.  

Remove from oven and let set 5 to 10 minutes.  Eat warm or allow to cool and eat later.  

Perfectly Pan Fried Potatoes

Yukon gold potatoes are the best potato for this.  The skins are thin so you can leave them on and the inside of the potato stays firm when you cook it but is so creamy and buttery!

Perfectly Pan Fried Potatoes

Yukon Gold potatoes
Olive Oil
Butter
Salt
Cast Iron Pan

Chunk your potatoes up.  If they are small I quarter them.  If they are a little larger I cut in half, then in thirds, and halves of those.  These were probably 3/4 inch slices.

Put potatoes in a pot with cold water and some salt.   Bring to a boil and cook until almost done.  Drain and let air dry a little.

Heat up cast iron pan good and warm.  Drizzle in some olive oil and put a pat of butter in the pan. 

Add potato chunks.  Allow to brown on one side and then flip.  Don't play with your potatoes too much or they will fall apart.

Makes a great side dish for any meal or serve with with the Breakfast Slam!