Zucchini & Eggplant Stew
I feel like I need to apologize for this post if you don’t like zucchini or eggplant, but I just can’t seem to use it all up! It is seriously like the magical vegetable combination that just keeps returning after you take it out of your fridge. If you have partial zucchinis and eggplants leftover from other dishes, this is a great way to put them to use and eliminate wasting them. Once again, please bear with me; I have felt like I have eaten zucchini and/or eggplant for every meal (even at work!) for the last month!
Zucchini Eggplant Lasagna
The cool air is finally sweeping across Colorado. Friends in the mountains said it was even snowing at the tops of the mountains! It is kind of a relief after the hot summer we had. Even with the cool weather, my garden is still overflowing with zucchinis. Other gardens are overflowing with eggplants, so of course I am continuing to add to my long list of zucchini recipes; and some eggplant ones as well.
Strawberry Vinaigrette
I don’t want to jinx it, but I think the summer heat is finally dying out; of course now that I said that it will probably be over 90 next week. That’s ok though because you need a few more hot sunny days to try this sweet vinaigrette recipe! I got the idea from the blog Coconut & Lime and figured it would be perfect for a nice sweet summer salad.
Zucchini & Tomato Gratin
Isn’t it kind of funny how every time a season changes, a year ends, a month ends, school ends or school starts everybody always says “Wow I can’t believe it’s already ____”? It’s not a rare thing for it to seem as though time just flew right past us, yet we always are surprised by it. Instead of being surprised, realize how fast time passes and focus on this moment, these people and these things that you have in your life right now; they will come and go quicker than you may think. I think watching time fly past is a sign that we need to slow down and live today instead of always working for tomorrow.
Grilled Eggplant & Bok Choy w/ Korean BBQ Sauce
Where did the summer go? I can’t believe I started school last week, all of three classes… I am taking ceramics for non-majors, photography for non-majors and advertising campaigns; rough I know. Between working and classes, I have hardly had any free time. I wanted to post this recipe before August was over because August is Colorado Proud month and the ingredients in the recipe are all from local organic Colorado Farms. Even more exciting news, my recipes are now being indexed on the Door to Door Organics website! Door to Door Organics is a great program in Colorado that delivers boxes of organic food to your doorstep. Their website then has a recipe collection that will find recipes customized for you, based off your box. It is a really cool idea and helps people eat healthy, locally and organically. They are allowing me to give you a 40% discount off their boxes if you are interested too! Just go to their site and enter “savourthesenses” as the code. The program is offered in Colorado, Kansas City, Chicago and Michigan.
Salmon w/ Peach & Tomato Compote
One thing I love about summertime is the Farmer’s Market. During my last visit to the farmers market, I got these delicious heirloom tomatoes and Palisade Peaches (some of the best peaches in Colorado!). I knew I had to make something delicious with them. If you have never eaten an heirloom tomato, I highly suggest that you get on it! They are so delicious and not to mention super cool looking! I love just looking at all the different heirloom tomatoes in the bunch.
Chicken Breasts w/ Mozzarella, Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper
After over three months of not having a job, I forgot how hectic things can be with one. Sometimes it is hard to get motivation to cook a nice dinner after you have been working all day; I’m sure many of you are nodding your heads in agreement. BUT! Even when you have had a long day, you don’t necessarily have to sacrifice your dinner! This is a great recipe for those nights. It is quick, easy and looks like you tried harder than you have to!
Lemon Artichoke Hummus
I know that I have told you that most of my new roommates are vegetarians, but I don’t think I have told you that I finally am living with a fellow foodie! Kelcey is my good friend from high school; I can’t even go into all the stories that we have from the past seven years. She is a nutrition major, works at whole foods and does personal chef work for people around Boulder- can’t get much better than that right? I have never lived with someone who has a passion for cooking too, so obviously I am excited about this! I am also excited to see her vegetarian recipe ideas, since I mainly focus my meals around meat. I know that more veggie recipes will make some of you very happy, so stay tuned! Either way, Kelcey and I wanted to make hummus for our other roommate’s 21st birthday, yes another 21st.
Spicy Adobo Shrimp Cocktail
This spring I worked at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage for a few months before heading to Africa. After being in restaurants for so long, this job seemed unbearably slow at times. In order to pass the time, I would read through all of the cooking magazines at the registers for recipe ideas; probably not what I was supposed to be doing in my down time, but nobody ever said anything. Over these few months I accumulated a giant stack of torn out magazine pages and recipe notes. I am still trying to work my way through them without adding too much to the stack.
Artichoke, Celery Root & Potato Gratin
Until about two weeks ago I had always bought canned artichokes. My friend Kelcey and I decided to make a delicious vegetarian dish after planting our new garden and wanted fresh veggies for this recipe, so I decided I would buy fresh organic artichokes. Little did I know that trimming an artichoke is no easy task. We completely butchered two organic artichokes and ended up having to purchase canned ones in order to finish the dish. Another downfall to our dish was that we topped the bread with way too much cheese, which kept it from getting crispy and left us with a soggy bread topping… Not the most appealing. So here’s to round two!
