Appetizing Vegetable Tray

Creativity is alive and well in this Veggie Tray. It would be a clever appetizer for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Graduation or any event. What veggies would you add to this tasty-looking dish?
Several other delicious appetizers can be found in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Greek Feta Salad

Historic Queen Creek Olive Mill offers a great tour explaining the process of growing, harvesting and processing olive oil. Shopping in their unique store and restaurant is an additional surprise. You can pick up a copy of Tastes & Treasures there.

Greek Feta Salad

Ingredients:
1 small head of Romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
3 tomatoes cut up, or grape tomatoes
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 cup green or black olives
1/2 lb. Feta cheese, sliced or cut into chunks

Dressing ingredients:
1/4 cup Greek extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1 pinch oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Chill lettuce. Combine dressing ingredients. When ready to serve, toss all vegetables and olives. Top with cheese and serve with dressing

Tomato and Cucumber Salad from Farmers Market

After Kay Holcombe invited me to go to the neighborhood Farmers Market, she created this tasty Tomato and Cucumber Salad from her purchases. Simple recipes can be the best ones.

Ingredients:
tomatoes
cucumber
olive oil
vinegar
spices to taste.

Directions:
Cut up  tomato to bite size chunks. Peel cucumber and cut up into bite size chunks.
Combine olive oil and vinegar in a jar. Add spices to tastes. Splash over vegetables.

Avocado, Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Rancho de La Osa has a fascinating history starting in the late 1600s. Their dinner menu is superb including Bibb Lettuce with Avocado and Pine Nuts. This recipe can be found on page 120 of Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Another salad recipe we really enjoy is this crunchy, low-calorie, delicious one below.

Avocado, Tomato and Cucumber Salad

2 cups grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
4 cups avocadoes, diced medium


2 cups cucumbers, peeled and diced medium1 cup red onion, diced small
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
fresh black pepper
Lettuce (if you want)

Toss all ingredients in a bowl and top on a bed of lettuce (if desired)
Makes 8 servings

Sassy Melon Salad

Sassy Melon Salad
Melons, pear and cucumber, together in one delicious yogurt salad. Like a Yogurt Parfait in a salad. We also love the recipe on page 52 of Tastes & Treasures for Yogurt Parfait from historic Hassayampa Inn in Prescott.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt

2 tsp. lime juice

2 cups diced (seedless or seeded) watermelon

1 1/2 cups diced cantaloupe

1 1/2 cups diced cucumber

1 cup diced pear



Directions:

In a blender or food processor, combine yogurt, lime juice, and 1/4 cup watermelon. Blend until smooth.

 In a large bowl, combine cantaloupe, cucumber, pear, and remaining 1 3/4 cups watermelon. Add yogurt mixture and toss.


MAKES 4 SERVINGS

1/4th of recipe (about 1 1/3 cups): 91 calories, 0.25g fat, 30mg sodium, 22g carbs, 2g fiber, 17g sugars, 2.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3*



Thanks to Hungry Girl for recipe.

Summer Smoothie

How wonderful when the children actually like that healthy drink! Try this one in your blender for a healthy start to each day. The Granola recipe on page 196 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook is also a very healthy snack.

Summer Smoothie
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh spinach
1 cup cucumber
6 leaves fresh basil
2 cups ice
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup Almond milk

Directions:
Place in blender and whirl away. The kids can even help make this one.
Pour into pretty glass and add straw. Yummm.

Cucumber Gazpacho

Cooling and refreshing gazpacho is a summer treat. Traditional Gazpacho has chopped tomatoes, recipe on page 149 Tastes & Treasures. Below is a cucumber version.

Cucumber Gazpacho

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs cucumbers (peeled and chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
3 tbsps sweet onions (chopped)
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups plain yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt (taste)
1/2 tsp white pepper (taste)

Directions:
Clean and peel cucumbers, chopping them into chunks. If desired, English cucumbers can be substituted for common cucumbers.
Chop onion and mince garlic. Place garlic, onion, cucumber and 1/2 cup of stock into food processor or blender.
Blend until somewhat smooth with some small chunks of cucumber or blend to consistency desired.
Add yogurt, remaining stock, lemon juice, salt and pepper to combined ingredients in bowl and whisk together until well blended. Season to taste.
Pour soup into a tightly covered container and place in refrigerator to chill overnight. (the chilling time mellows the raw onion and garlic and allows the flavors to mingle).
Serve cold.
Garnish with fresh herbs such as coriander, dill, or basil.

Variations call for avocado or pineapple. Spice it up. Be creative and design your own Gazpacho.

Wow Salad Presentation

While visiting Costa Rica and dining with friends at their home, Debbie Walker Bauer sent this salad photo. Now This is a Presentation! Love the use of flowers in the food.

Accompanied by the fabulous views, what a dinner party this makes.

"The salad is an arrangement of tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, olives, fresh peaches, red onion. It was delicious. They own a restaurant here in CR. He served stuffed pork with an amazing stuffing! mmmmm good!"

Cool Gazpacho for Hot Summer Days

Chilled Gazpacho for summer fun

A cool but spicy blend of red onion, garlic, Roma tomatoes, summer squash, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, chili spice, and vegetable juice. This recipe is from Chef Jeremy Manley, who is known for his organic and local cuisine at Jeremy's on the Hill, in Julian, San Diego's historic mountain destination.

The garden is full of red, ripe tomatoes now so this recipe is timely.

Gazpacho is so attractive when served in mugs or clear containers topped with crouton and fresh parsley.

Directions:

Put 1/3 cup olive oil and juice of 1 lemon into a blender.
Add 6 - 8 tomatoes chopped
1/2 large white onion, chopped finely
1/2 large summer squash, chopped in 1/4 inch chunks
2 small cucumbers or 1 large cucumber, chopped.
Season with sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, chopped basil or cilantro, 2 cloves garlic. Mix until the gazpacho is soupy but still has some good-sized chunks; add salt, pepper, oil or basil to taste. Serve cold.