Imagine the best olive mix you’ve ever bought.  The marinated olives you can make at home are infinitely better.  Combine a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your house (garlic, wine, bay leaf, oregano, etc.), bake them with your favorite mix of olives, and serve them with crusty bread for a simple tapas-style appetizer.  The smell of these olives cooking will elicit moans from anyone in the vicinity of your kitchen.

Mediterranean Baked Olives

1 cup Kalamata olives

1 cup green olives, such as Picholine

1 bay leaf

3 cloves garlic, 1 sliced and 2 minced

1 tsp. oregano

1 Tbs. parsley

1 ½ Tbs. olive oil

½ cup dry white wine

1 ½ Tbs. olive oil

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1.            Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Combine olives, bay leaf, sliced garlic and wine in baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Bake in single layer, covered, for 45 minutes or until olives are fragrant and swollen.

2.            Meanwhile, combine minced garlic, parsley, oregano and olive oil in mortar and pestel until it resembles a thick paste.   When olives are done baking, pierce each olive with a knife or fork, and add parsley mixture, along with olive oil and crushed red pepper, tossing to combine.  Serve immediately or cool and store at room temperature for up to a week.

Serves 6-8

This soup is the ultimate comfort food: It’s warm and creamy but completely dairy-free and healthy.  I like to make it for lunch on the weekend with grilled cheese or crostini topped with goat cheese, thyme and honey.  It’s equally great for entertaining.  I’ve served it as the first course for fancy 5-course dinner party wth rave reviews.  Butternut squash soup is one of my all-time favorite recipes that I make over and over again.

Butternut Squash Soup

3 lbs. Butternut squash (about 1 large)

1 med. onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic (5 if they are large), minced

3.5 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

Optional: add Nutmeg (1/2 tsp.), cinnamon (1 tsp.) and cloves (1/4 tsp.)

Plain yogurt or low fat sour cream for garnish (optional garnish)

Chives or fresh thyme, minced (optional garnish)

1.  Preheat oven to 400˚F.  Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds and bake, cut side down, on pan covered with tinfoil and nonstick spray for 40-50 minutes (until completely soft).

2.  Meanwhile, in a large pot sauté onion and garlic in 1/2 cup broth (if you are using nutmeg, etc., add it here).

3.  Scrape squash flesh from peel and add to onion mixture; add broth at same time.  Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer, with the lid on, for 20 minutes.

4.  Put soup into blender (1/3 at a time) and puree.  Serve in bowl with dollop of plain yogurt swirled in and minced chives or thyme sprinkled on top.

This recipe came about when I was cooking for a crowd but only had 4 ears of corn from my crop-share. Cutting corn off the cobb is a great way to make a little corn go a long way and mixing it with other complimentary ingredients, such as basil and tomato, adds a burst of summer flavor.

Grilling the corn makes the natural sugars caramelize and creates a nice charred flavor. This salad is a great use for late-summer corn, which generally has larger kernels that aren’t as tender and sweet as early-season corn.

Use the best ingredients you can find – super ripe tomatoes and fresh basil make this corn salad amazing.

Grilled Corn, Tomato & Basil Salad
4 ears of sweet corn
2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into ½” pieces
½ C. fresh basil, chopped
salt & fresh-ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat grill. Shuck corn by removing husks and silk. (To remove pieces of clingy silk use a moist paper towel and wipe in a downward motion, from stalk to tip of cobb). Grill corn until slightly charred. Set aside to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, stand corn vertically in center of large bowl and using a sharp knife, cut corn from stalk, allowing cut corn to fall into bowl. Squeeze any “milk” from empty husk into bowl and continue with remaining pieces of corn.

2. Add tomato and basil to corn and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Can be made up to 2 hours in advance and served at room temperature.

Serves: 6-8 as a side

My crop-share has been doling out green bell peppers in massive quantities.  While I love the sweet-earthy flavor of red, orange and yellow bell peppers, I find green peppers to be slightly bitter when raw and prefer them cooked.  After making several rounds of fajitas I decided to stuff the remaining bounty with a flavorful sun-dried tomato chicken sausage mixture.  I added some leftover cooked rice to the mix and it made for a deliciously healthy and satisfying meal.  Choose peppers that sit evenly if you plan to stuff them, and if your peppers are lopsided and/or wobbly, slice a very thin piece off the bottom to give them a flat base.

Some stuffed pepper recipes call for steaming or blanching the peppers before stuffing and baking.  I prefer a firm, slightly crisp pepper shell in this dish so I skip the pre-cooking.

Stuffed Peppers with Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Sausage

4 green bell peppers

1 lb. sun-dried tomato chicken sausage, removed from casing

½ C. onion, chopped

15oz can tomato sauce (I used no salt added)

½ C. green bell pepper, chopped (used leftover pepper from sliced-off tops)

2 Tbs. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped + additional for garnish

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Fresh-ground black pepper to taste

1 C. cooked rice (any kind will work; I used brown rice)

1 egg, beaten

4 oz crumbled goat cheese (optional)

1.            Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice tops off peppers (about ½” from top), carefully remove core and seeds and rise with cold water to remove any remaining seeds.  Set peppers aside and make the filling by browning the chicken sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until soft and slightly brown.  Add chopped green pepper, tomato sauce, salt, garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes and black pepper.  Cook until peppers are slightly soft and adjust seasoning if necessary.

2.            Remove chicken mixture from heat and place in a bowl to cool for several minutes.  Add rice and beaten egg and mix well.  Place hallowed peppers upright in a pie dish and, using a tablespoon, carefully fill peppers with chicken sausage mixture.

Bake peppers, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until peppers are bright green and slightly soft.  Top with goat cheese, if using, and return to oven for a few minutes to melt cheese.  Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 4 (serving = 1 pepper)

Now is about the time when gardens are brimming with ripe zucchini and the search for interesting ways to use your bounty has begun.  Among my arsenal of zucchini recipes (zucchini bread, stuffed zucchini, zucchini quesadillas, zucchini pancakes, etc.) is ratatouille.  This healthy, veggie-packed side is a great way to use up your zucchini, squash, eggplant, basil and tomatoes.  I like to make a big batch of ratatouille and server it as a side for several nights – sometimes with grilled meat or fish, other times over brown rice or pasta with some parmesan cheese, or even as an omelet filling.  It’s a great make-ahead side dish and it will keep for several days.

The trick with ratatouille is to try not to stir it too often so the vegetables can keep their shape.  You’ll need to do some stirring at the beginning, but the less stirring the better.

Ratatouille

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large red or green bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¾” pieces

2 small zucchini, cut into ¾” pieces

2 small yellow summer squash, cut into ¾” pieces

1 medium eggplant or 2 smaller ones, peeled and cut into ¾” pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 ripe tomatoes, diced or 15oz high-quality canned tomatoes (such as San Marzano)

1 C. water

½ tsp. kosher salt

fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large cast iron pot or skillet.  Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, or until soft.  Add bell pepper, zucchini, squash, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes and water, and gently stir to combine.  Add addition ½ C. water, if necessary.  Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Ratatouille will keep in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Serves 6-8 as a side

This beautiful chilled summer soup is a twist on traditional tomato gazpacho – one of my favorite warm-weather appetizers.  The combination of sweet cantaloupe, acidic tomatoes and fresh basil make this gazpacho spectacular.  The ingredients are quite simple, so the flavor of the soup really depends on the quality of the ingredients you use.  I only make this gazpacho when tomatoes and melon are in season: Ripe tomatoes that taste earthy and acidic, and sweet melon that’s beginning to melt in the center are the two ingredients that make this soup.

Don’t let peeling the tomatoes deter you from making gazpacho.  It’s really very simple if you follow this method:  Cut a small x in the bottom (non-stem end) of the tomatoes and drop them into boiling water for about 10 seconds; immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking.  When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, you’ll be able to easily remove the peel.  While peeling the tomatoes isn’t absolutely necessary, it makes the soup more refined and is really worth the extra step.

Serve this soup as a summer appetizer for a dinner party, or serve it in martini or tall shot glasses at a tapas-style party.  Remember to chill the bowls or glasses (keep them in the fridge or freezer for a few hours) before serving.  If you want to make this more of a meal, add some grilled prawns (large shrimp) and sourdough rolls.

This recipe is inspired by Jean-George & Mark Bittman’s recipe in Simple to Spectacular.

Tomato-Melon Gazpacho

1 medium cantaloupe (2 ½ – 3 lbs), seeded and cut into chunks (discard the rind)

5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

4 medium tomatoes (about 1 ½ lbs), cored, peeled, seeded and cut into 1” pieces

1 ½ C. cold water (or 1 C. water and ½ C. ice cubes)*

12 basil leaves, divided

salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1.            Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in medium skillet over high heat.  Add melon to pan and cook until juicy (about 1-2 minutes).  Remove melon from the pan and place in blender.  Wipe pan clean and heat 1 Tbs. olive oil again over high heat.  Add tomatoes to pan and cook until juicy (again, about 1-2 minutes).  Remove from heat and add tomatoes to blender.

2.            Add water (and/or ice cubes), 10 basil leaves and remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil to tomato-melon mixture.  Puree until mostly smooth, leaving some chunkiness.  Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve cold, topped with chopped basil.

*I like to sauté the melon and tomatoes in advance and refrigerate them in the blender before pureeing the entire mixture so they have time to chill (you want to serve the soup nice and cold).  If you don’t have time to chill the ingredients after cooking, use ½ C. ice cubes in place of the water to keep the mixture cool.

I thought I’d post one of my favorite grilled chicken recipes for all those grilling over the holiday weekend.  Basil & garlic rubbed grilled chicken doesn’t sound particularly exciting, but this herb smothered chicken is really delicious.  This recipe is ideal for a last-minute dinner because the chicken absorbs the intense flavor of the basil without any significant marinating time.  I like to slice the chicken and serve it over salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette.

To save time, ask the butcher at your grocery store to pound the chicken into cutlets for you, which cuts down on the cooking time.

Basil & Garlic Rubbed Grilled Chicken

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ C. fresh basil, chopped

½ tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

½ Tbs. olive oil (plus additional for grilling)

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to ½” thickness

1.            Place garlic in mortar and mash with salt to form a paste.  Add basil and black pepper and continue mashing until well combined.  Add in just enough olive oil (about ½ Tbs.) to form a paste.  Combine basil paste with chicken in a ziplock bag and turn the bag several times to coat the chicken with the basil.  Set aside for 5 minutes while you prepare the grill (or grill pan).

2.            Heat the grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.  Rub grill or pan with olive oil.  Grill chicken, turning once, until cooked through (about 3-5 minutes per side).

Chimichurri, a lively steak sauce made from parsley, olive oil and garlic, is Argentina’s greatest gift to the culinary world.  This sauce makes even mediocre cuts of meat taste divine.  I like to serve it over skirt steak, which is great for entertaining because it can be cooked in a matter of minutes on the grill or in the oven.

Although chimichurri is traditionally served with red meat, it’s also a delicious marinade for shrimp and chicken.  I use the leftover sauce for jazzing up roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables.  You can also serve it as a dipping sauce for warm pita or crusty bread.

Chimichurri

1 C. flat-leaf Italian parsley (packed)

¼ C. fresh cilantro (packed)

½ C. extra-virgin olive oil

¼ C. red wine vinegar

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled

¾ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. salt

Combine ingredients in food processor and puree.  Sauce can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated (bring to room temperature before serving).

This dip is a smoky, creamy and filling – a delicious alternative to hummus!  You’d never guess that it’s super healthy too.  I usually have all the ingredients for this dip on hand, which makes it great for last minute entertaining.  It’s a real crowd-pleaser too.  Serve it with toasted pita, breadsticks or tortilla chips.

I like to serve this dip as part of an Argentinean Grill or Tapas theme menu.  It would also be a great appetizer for a backyard BBQ.

The dip can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated in an air-tight container (bring the dip to room temp before serving and wait to garnish with the cilantro until then).

This recipe is a variation on Bobby Flay’s awesome dip from Mesa Grill.

Smoky Roasted Red Pepper & White Bean Dip

2 (9oz) cans white beans, rinsed and drained

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 large roasted red bell peppers, peeled & seeded, or 1 (8oz) jar roasted red peppers

3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

½ – 1 Tbs. canned chipotles in adobo (use mixture of peppers and adobo sauce)

1 Tbs. honey or agave nectar

salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste

¼ C. cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

Combine all ingredients (other than cilantro) in a food processor and process until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Today I am sharing one of my very favorite recipes with you.  As you probably already know, I love myself some quinoa.  It’s high in protein, filled with fiber, quick-cooking, gluten-free and super tasty.  This recipe combines so many flavorful ingredients with the quinoa and is absolutely delicious.  It’s the perfect picnic dish (I brought it to a BBQ in the park last weekend and it was devoured), as it tastes great with any grilled meat.  It would be a great addition to a shower brunch/ lunch buffet, or for any summer menu.  I like to make double and bring leftovers for lunch in the summer.  On a hot day, it’s filling enough on it’s own for a light dinner when served with a mesclun salad.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

2 cups uncooked quinoa

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 1 tsp. zest & 2 Tbs. juice)

½ Tbs. parsley, chopped

1 Tbs. shallots, minced

1 tsp. sherry vinegar

½ tsp. salt (or more to taste)

1 cup (about 10oz) grape tomatoes, halved

½ English cucumber (seedless), chopped

¾ cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped

12oz roasted red peppers, chopped (strained of liquid)

¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

Fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1.            Rinse quinoa under cold water until water runs clear (don’t skip this step – quinoa has a bitter outer layer that you need to rinse off).  Place quinoa and broth in medium saucepan and bring to boil.  Once boiling, cover and reduce heat.  Simmer 15 minutes, or until liquid absorbs into quinoa.  Fluff quinoa with a fork.  Transfer to a medium bowl and cool to room temperature.

2.            Combine olive oil through salt in a large bowl and whisk until well combined.  Add in quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, olives and peppers; toss to combine.  Add in feta, if using.  Can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.