Geese

We have Canadian geese all over our backyard at this time of year.  Yuk!!  They are grazing on Cleg's lush green grass.  And, sometime soon, we will see 5 or 6 baby geese running around.... they multiply like bunnies.  I could not resist taking a picture of this goose perched on top of Cleg's bench.  He acts like he owns the place... or is it a she??

Baby Geese from May 2011

Stir-Fry

I love to stir-fry vegetables and add grilled chicken or shrimp.  I have always made my own sauce until a few weeks ago.  I found this yummy Thai basil sauce at Publix... in the gluten-free area!!  Now our stir-fry is delicious and fast!!  My favorite vegetables are celery, carrot, mushrooms, bell peppers, green onions, broccoli, asparagus, and green cabbage.  I am lucky that Cleg's grill has a side burner and I can go outside when it is so hot (like today!) and wok outside.  Chop your vegetables the night before... and you will be done in 10 minutes.

Roasted Vegetable Stacked Enchiladas

I love reading food blogs in search of new recipes.  So I landed upon this recipe in a round about way... from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com.  It is a great vegetarian recipe and will also freeze well.

Ingredients:
1 large red bell pepper, chopped, seeds removed ( I used a yellow pepper, too)
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium yellow squash, chopped
l large onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt & pepper to taste

2 cups red enchilada sauce
9-10 small corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place red bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, & onion on a large baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss until veggies are coated.  Season with salt & pepper.  Roast vegetables for 25-35 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Remove from oven & let cool to room temperature.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Grease an 8x8 square baking pan.  In a medium bowl, combine roasted veggies, black beans, cumin, chili powder, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro.  Stir and season with salt & pepper.
Spread 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking pan.  Add a layer of tortillas, to completely cover the bottom of the pan.  You may have to cut the tortillas to make them fit.  Top with 1/3 of the veggie/bean mix and then 1/3 of the cheese.  Make a second layer of tortillas, enchilada sauce, veggie mix, and cheese.  Top with another layer of tortillas, enchilada sauce, veggie mix and cheese.  Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover the pan.
Bake enchiladas for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the enchiladas are bubbling.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  Cut into squares and serve.

Veggie/bean mixture

Roasted Vegetable Stacked Enchilada !!

Swiss Chard

Last spring and this fall, Cleg has grown swiss chard in his garden.  If you have never tried it, it is delicious.  Chop it and saute in olive oil with shallots.  Or try this yummy swiss chard tart.  I got this recipe from cookingchanneltv.com..... the show is French Food at Home hosted by Laura Calder.

Savoury Swiss Chard Tart

1 T. oil
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 ounces bacon, chopped
1 1/2 pounds Swiss chard, ribs removed
3 eggs
1 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream and sour cream combined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
Handful raisins
Handful toasted pine nuts (way too expensive right now!!)
1 deep tart shell, pre-baked in a 9-inch springform pan or a frozen deep dish pie dough, thawed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Heat the oil in a saute pan & fry shallots until soft & translucent.  Add the garlic & saute for 1 minute.  Remove to a plate.  In the same pan, fry the bacon until crispy.  Remove to plate with shallots.  Divide the chard leaves from the ribs; chop the ribs quite small and shred the leaves. First, fry the ribs in the bacon fat until tender.  (Cook's Note:  You may want to cover the pan for a few minutes to speed up the process).  Add the chard leaves to the pan;  season with salt & pepper.
Beat eggs together with the creme fraiche and season with salt & pepper.

In a large bowl, toss the shallots, bacon, chard stems & leaves, cheese, raisins, and pine nuts, to combine evenly.  Taste, and season.  Fill the tart shell with the vegetable mixture, and pour in the creme mixture. Bake until tart is set, about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.  Serve at room temperature

Homeade Salsa

I never thought about how easy salsa is to make.  But with an abundance of tomatoes from the garden, I made some.  Of course, I had to look up "Pioneer Woman's" recipe.  She used canned tomatoes.   Other than that, I followed most of her recipe. Give it a try!

Combine all of the following in your food processor:

4-5 tomatoes, skins removed and chopped in large chunks
1/4 cup chopped onion (sweet or red)
1 clove garlic, minced (or more)
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, quartered and sliced (leave seeds in if you want heat)
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cilantro (more if you like)
1/2 lime, juiced

Pulse until you get the consistency you like.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
Refrigerate for at least an hour for flavors to blend.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Caprese Salad

Another simple tomato dish..... slices of tomatoes with mozzarella and basil and drizzled with balsamic vinegar

Tomato Season

I will be posting lots of yummy tomato recipes in the next few weeks.  Cleg has been growing Roma and "Better Boy" tomatoes in his garden.  But our favorite tomato dish is still  a "BLT" sandwich!  Are you drooling yet and wishing you had some of these beautiful tomatoes??