Summer Series - Tomatoes, Basil, and Mozzie

My kids love garden fresh tomatoes. There are so many amazing things to do with tomatoes. One simple recipe is Tomatoes, Basil and Mozzarella. With a homemade dressing and some garlic....oooof you got a classic for summertime snacking.


Recipe

2-3 good sized tomatoes thickly sliced

Fresh Basil Leaves

Thinly sliced Mozzarella

Olive Oil (Mixed blend of Regular and Extra Virgin)

Red Wine Vinegar

Cracked Sea Salt

Cracked Pepper

Italian or Oregano Seasoning Mix

Fresh Garlic Thinly sliced

Preparation

In a large plate or platter place the Tomato slices as a base on the bottom. Drizzle with Olive oil, Vinegar, Garlic and seasonings. Next, place the Mozzarella on top and provide another layer of drizzle as you did with the tomatoes. Top with the fresh basil and this layer is optional. I like a third layer of drizzle, and I like the fresh pop of basil. Either one is fine. Let set for at least an hour for brine to flavor the Tomatoes and Mozzarella.

There are many options to choose from. On it's own or with bread. You will love this summer time snack.

 

Pasta Aglio E Olio

Oh my. A friend of mine gave me a gift the other day. A bunch of garlic, a string of dried red peppers, and a quick recipe for me to share with the kids.

Pasta aglio e olio is simply a pasta and olive oil dish. You flavor the oil with the garlic and red pepper. You add some grated cheese and that is the base of your meal. So good, and the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients

1lb Angel Hair Pasta (Al dente)
1/3  cup of olive oil
8-10 cloves of garlic
1-2 Dried Red Peppers Diced (The Heat Index Is Different....Know Your Peppers)
1/4 - 1/2 cup of grated cheese
1 - 2 tsp Oregano or Italian Seasoning
Tsp of salt
Tsp of Cracked pepper


Additional Items To Try Down The Road

12 oz shrimp or chicken
Broccoli
Asparagus
Or anything that you like that goes with pasta

Boil the pasta and set aside. In a skillet, add the oil, garlic, and pepper. Over a medium heat, sauté the ingredients together until the pepper is tender and the garlic is cooked a light brown. This will flavor the oil.

In a pasta bowl, poor the oil and ingredients over the pasta. Stir and mix. Next, add the cheese and you have the best pasta in under 10 mins for your family.  Add the seasoning to your liking.

You can change up the recipe and add additional items. You can cook the shrimp or chicken with the olive oil or separate.

Manga Manga.....so good.

Simple Lemon Vinaigrette

Salads are a standard in our house. Making your own dressing teaches your children the value of fresh versus processed. Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing is easy to make. It is a fresh alternative to traditional dressings. Wonderful on fresh greens. Your kids will surely enjoy this dressing.

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind.

2 tsps. of freshly squeezed lemon juice or bottled - (Kids love to squeeze lemons and fresh is better)

1 tsp. of red wine vinegar (Optional)

Cracked Salt to taste

Crushed Pepper to taste

3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

 

I like the addition of red wine vinegar. Most recipes do not include a vinegar. However, I feel it adds to the flavor and the kids like it. Some people add a tsp. of sugar. As always, experiment to you get the dressing that you and your family enjoys. I prefer a bitter with my greens, so I do not include the sugar.

Thai - Peanut Sauce

This sauce is great for a couple of purposes. First and foremost, as a dipping sauce. Very common for recipes like summer rolls to have a dipping sauce. You can also use this recipe for a base for Pad Thai.

Ingredients

1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1-2 cloves of finely minced garlic
Chili Sauce - Spicy or Regular in Oil
2 tablespoons of water
Crushed Peanuts

In a small mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients in a bowl minus the crushed peanuts. Adjust the recipe to your taste. (If you can not find an authentic chili paste in oil, you can substitute Srirachi Sauce)  In a small bowl, top with the crushed peanuts.

Summer Rolls

I am a huge fan of Vietnamese and Cambodian cooking. Slowly, my kids are starting to appreciate it. My daughter has embraced it the most. She taught me, how to make Summer Rolls. Summer rolls are one of my favorite appetizers/meals. I added basil from an Asian Market, that is a common ingredient in Pho and our first batch was amazing.

Ingredients

Rice Paper
Rice Vermicelli Noodles found in the freezer/refrigerator case. They usually require a 5-10 sec quick boil. Run under cold water after the quick boil.
Cooked Shrimp - Large
Vietnamese Basil  (Asian Chinese has many names - Large Purple/green leaves)
Thinly sliced carrots strips
Thinly sliced Cucumber strips
Green Onion Thinly Sliced or in a long thin sprig as in the picture

Prepare all of you ingredients and set them up as an assembly line.
Prepare the rice paper by placing in on a plate with warm water. They will soften within a few minutes. The lines in the paper will disappear.
Place the rice paper (careful not to tear) on a new plate.
Add the noodles as a base and the rest of your ingredients.
Roll towards you. Be sure to use a rolling motion to ensure that the roll is tight and holds the ingredients.

Some variations - Summer rolls can be made with Chicken and Pork. The same is true for the vegetables. You can use regular cilantro in place of the Vietnamese basil. Some add the peanut sauce in the roll. I like it as a dipping sauce. (See Dipping Sauce Recipe)

Pepper and Eggs Pizza .....ooooof so good.

Pepper and Eggs pizza. That's right. A new creation that was inspired by the peppers and egg sandwich. We took some leftover pepper and eggs and created the ultimate pizza you can eat for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Ingredients

Pepper and Eggs Recipe
Dough Recipe or Premade Dough
6-8 Doz Eggs
1/4 cup milk or half and half
2-3 Long Hot Peppers
8oz of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Cracked Pepper
Cracked Sea Salt


Stretch the dough and overlap on a cookie sheet. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. As  the oven warms, place the dough on the stove top or a warm surface to rise. Prepare the peppers and eggs. Use a medley of sweet peppers for this recipe. Set aside. In a another bowl, scramble the eggs with 1/4 cup of milk. Next, shred the cheese and set aside.

Once your dough is properly stretched, add the scrambled eggs. spread the peppers and eggs consistently over the dough. Next add the cheese. On a separate cutting board, dice a few long hot peppers and place on top of the ingredients. The long hots should not overwhelm the pizza. The pizza itself will tone down the long hots, however you will know their presence.

Bake for 12-15 mins.
Broil for 2-3 minutes.

Season to your liking. Enjoy!

Pepper and Eggs Sandwich

Pepper and Eggs are an Italian tradition. Easy to make, and very good as a meal on it's own. I grew up with pepper and eggs served as a sandwich. And now, I am passing that tradition on to my children.


Ingredients

6-8 large eggs
Cracked Pepper
Granulated Garlic
Cracked Salt
Sweet Red Peppers about 6

Slice the peppers in squares. In a saute pan, fry the peppers using olive oil. Add the salt, pepper and granulated garlic as the peppers are cooking. The peppers sh
ould be cooked to your taste. I like my peppers to be slightly blackened on one side.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs for scrambling. As the pepper are nearing completion, add the eggs. You will scramble the eggs with the peppers. Once completed, add to bread either toasted or untoasted and you have a great sandwich.

Variations: You can use any sweet or hot peppers with this recipe. I vary it up a bit every time I make them. Experiment with the recipe and you will find the right variation.