Homemade Chips and Salsa

In going with the eating-homegrown-produce theme, I decided to make some salsa because what else was I going to do with 2 gallons of tomatoes?  A few simple and fresh ingredients yielded a salsa that was out of this world delicious!

{Homemade chips and salsa!}

{I used red and yellow tomatoes because they were pretty!}

{Adding the cilantro, garlic and green onion}

{Adding the spices}

{I made chips because, being only two people, we NEVER go through an entire pack of tortillas.  So I made chips, and they were yummy!}

{I cut mine into strips}

{Okay--so maybe I didn't technically measure the salt, I just went with it}

{Ready for the oven}

{Chips and salsa!}

Salsa

Makes 2 cups
3 cups tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 cup green onions, diced
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 3/4 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Mix all ingredients together until well combined.
2. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor.
3. Serve with chips.

Homemade Tortilla Chips

1 package soft tortillas (whichever size)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (ish--I didn't really measure so if you sprinkle and don't use it all, don't panic)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Using a pizza cutter, cut tortillas into wedges or strips.
3. Place tortillas pieces on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until edges turn golden-brown and tortillas dry out.
5. Serve with salsa.

What are you planning on doing with your home-grown or farmer's market produce?  I'd love to hear!

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Israeli Salad

The peak of summer has arrived.  My family's gardens are starting to put out tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes, etc.  Not that I'm complaining, but it took a while to get hot enough.  Maybe that's why the garden took so long to produce, and why I'm wondering where the summer went!  It's mid-August people!  In about 6 weeks will be the first official day of fall!  I've still got so much left to do, like see the covered bridges and go star gazing at a local park, before fall gets here!

That being said, this salad really highlights home-grown produce, mainly tomatoes and cucumbers.  So simple and healthy; just the colors make me happy!

{Israeli Salad}

{Such beautiful colors!}

{Making the dressing}

{Mixing the dressing and salad together}

Israeli Salad
from smitten kitchen

Makes 8 servings

2 tomatoes, cubed
1 cucumber, cubed
1/2 medium red onion, diced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon ground sumac

1. Mix tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and parsley until well combined.
2. Whisk remaining ingredients in a separate bowl until combined.
3. Add dressing to tomato mixture and stir until coated.
4. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

This recipe is very versatile because you can add feta, diced peppers, chickpeas, and/or olives to this salad.  I had it just plain, and it was delicious especially since everything came from the in-law's garden! 

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Tuesday Tip: How to Properly Cook Dried Pasta

Who doesn't love pasta?  I mean really!  However, I don't like it when pasta is all mushy or hard in places....  Just not appealing!  Today, I will demonstrate how to properly cook dried pasta.

{Step 1:  Pasta cooks best with a 1 gallon water to 1 pound pasta to 1 teaspoon salt ratio.  To break it down further, that's 1 quart water to 4 oz dried pasta to 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Fill a pot with the amount of water you will need.  I made 8 oz of pasta so I filled a pot with 2 quarts of water.}

{Step 2:  Add salt--I had to add 1/2 teaspoon to this pot.  Why add salt?  Salt raises the temperature water boils to 214 degrees which means when you add the pasta, it won't take as long to recover the temperature back to boiling so the pasta gets done quicker.}

{4 oz dried whole wheat pasta}

{Step 3:  Heat water on high until it starts to bubble}

{Step 4:  Add pasta to the boiling water}

{Step 5:  Stir pasta every 2 minutes until done}

{Step 6:  Once the pasta begins to look done, test it for al dente}

{Al dente mean "to the tooth" in Italian.  Basically, you want the pasta to be soft as you bite into it, but before you bite all the way through it, the pasta should resist a bit.  If you can bite through it no problem, then it's been overcooked.  If it's really hard still, check every minute until you reach the perfect state.}

{Step 7:  Strain the pasta through a colander/strainer}

{Step 8:  If you want to add flavor to your pasta, e.g. butter, olive oil, herb, etc, then pour the pasta into a bowl and add the flavorings immediately and stir until combined.}

{Step 9:  Enjoy!}

One myth that I want to debunk about pasta--it absorbs flavors while cooking.  I used to add olive oil to the boiling water, but a chef pointed out to me that the water and oil separate in the pot.  The only liquid the pasta is absorbing is the water because that's what is covering it.  When you strain it from that hot water, it's still trying to absorb that water.  If you immediately add flavor to it and stir, the pasta soaks up that flavor and locks it into the pasta itself.  You can even add the pasta directly to a sauce, like spaghetti, and it will absorb a little bit of the sauce. 

Don't believe me?  Go make pasta and use olive oil as the flavoring!  (Any excuse to have pasta is good enough for me!)

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Granola

So after helping my mother with her food hoarding clean-out, I found a TON of oatmeal.  The woman hardly eats oatmeal, especially in the summer.  I confiscated it, along with other random food--four reusable bags to be exact.  (I didn't have to do much grocery shopping for two weeks!  Not that I am complaining, but geez mom!)  I threw together this granola recipe after researching it a bit online, and let me tell you--DELICIOUS!!!  I paid my mom in granola because that's how my family works.  Now I have to supply her--it's a double edge sword, my friends, being a good cook ;o)  (Just kidding mom--I love sharing food with you!)

{Granola clusters}

{Definitely spread foil or parchment paper under the granola because it is a pain to get off otherwise}

{Store in an airtight container}

Granola

Makes 2 quarts without add-ins (3 quarts with add-ins)

4 cups oats
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey or pure maple syrup (local)
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
Add-ins**

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line two baking sheets with foil.
3. In a large bowl, mix oats, flax, nuts, and coconut until well combined.
4. In a sauce pan, mix remaining ingredients together until butter is melted and sugar dissolved.
5. Pour liquid over oat mixture and stir until combined.  Oats will be slightly moistened but should not be completely saturated.
6. Spread oat mixture onto baking sheets in a thin layer.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until oats are dried and browned.
8. Cool then transfer to an airtight container.

**Add in 1/2 cup ground flax seeds, 1/2 cup nuts (chopped and whichever you prefer), or 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut to the granola before you bake it.  You can also add dried fruit or mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to this granola, about 1 cup will work, and I would add it to the container you store it in and shake it around to mix in.

I've made this recipe three times in the last month, and let me tell you, it's not lasted more than a week (especially between my mom and husband).  I like it for breakfast with fruit and yogurt like below.

{Healthy breakfast}

I have also been known to eat this like candy by the handfuls....

Do you like granola?  How do you prefer to eat it?

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