These are some favorite personal recipes that are just simple, summer fresh cooking… not elimination or true Paleo friendly, but still tasty ways to use up an abundance of fresh veggies from the garden.
These are also a big hit when company comes. I don’t have measurements for all of these because I always just eyeball it and every creation is its own unique version of delicious.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
Add onion, sweet potato, and red pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is softened. Add the garlic and jalapeno and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, chickpeas, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender and chili has thickened.
Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with avocado, cilantro, green onions, chips, and any other desired toppings. Serve warm.
Note-this chili will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It also freezes well. Cool completely and store in a freezer container. The chili can be frozen for up to 2 months and the recipe can easily be doubled.
Crumbled hamburger, cooked (turkey, grass-fed beef, or bison)
Bubbie’s fermented dill relish
Dijon or yellow mustard
Salad dressing of choice
Instructions:
Assemble salad
Top with warm burger
Dress the salad and enjoy!
Tips: Try different dressings and toppings to mimic the same flavors you enjoy on a burger. A sun-dried tomato vinaigrette can help approximate ketchup, and a creamy Annie’s Goddess dressing helps to stretch the mustard flavor without over-salting. If these options won’t work for whatever reason, olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper are remarkably tasty. If you prefer a cheeseburger and you tolerate cheese, top with some shredded, grass- fed cheddar.
Crumbled coconut crisps (suggestion – Dang from Whole Foods, found in or near the bulk aisle)
Salad Instructions:
Combine salad ingredients in whatever ratios you prefer.
Toss with the dressing and serve immediately.
Tip: If you need to put your salad together in advance, put the dressing on the bottom of a salad bowl, next add your berries, then put the greens and crunchies on top. Toss only when you’re ready to serve. This buys you time and avoids soggy greens and coconut crisps!
Infused vinegars and oils add flavor depth!
Dressing ingredients:
Persian Lime infused olive oil (2 parts)
Coconut infused white vinegar (1 part)
Honey ginger infused white vinegar (1 part)
½-1 tsp cinnamon (to taste–optional)
Dressing instructions:
Combine dressing ingredients in a sealed jar and shake thoroughly.
Tip: Remember, you can always add more cinnamon, but you can’t take it out!
Tip: I have found the most important part of the dressing recipe is the flavor-infused vinegar. Just mix equal parts plain olive oil with a fruit- or other flavor-infused vinegar and shake!
Red, yellow or orange bell peppers, sliced into strips
Zucchini, sliced into strips
Cherry tomatoes, halved
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Hummus and salad dressing of choice
Instructions:
Reserve cherry tomatoes and zucchini to add partway through the cooking process
Toss remaining veggies in olive oil and spread out on a cooking sheet
Sprinkle with salt
Roast at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, stirring 2-3 times, and adding tomatoes and zucchini about halfway through
Add to salad and top with several tbsp of hummus and dressing
Tips
Add some roasted chick peas or lightly toasted nuts for crunch. Top with chicken or fish or serve those on the side. Try Tessamae’s salad dressing from Whole Foods–made with olive oil and 100% natural ingredients. Beet hummus adds color and flavor depth. Add some chopped raw cucumbers, tomatoes or other veggies to amp up the antioxidants and switch up the flavors. Other veggies that are nice for roasting if you have them: green beans, asparagus or green onions. Keep in mind that green beans take longer to roast than asparagus and stagger their additions to the mix accordingly. Changing up the contents keeps the flavors fresh!
1 can chopped tomatoes, and a few fresh if you have them
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp fresh minced rosemary
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp oil
Other seasoning to taste
Instructions:
Put sausage, oil, garlic and onion in a large, deep skillet and cook, stirring often until sausage is cooked through.
Meantime, chop up veggies into bite sized pieces.
Add all ingredients to skillet except basil. I like to add peppers first for a few minutes, then eggplant, since these take a bit longer to cook. This prevents overcooking of the other veggies.
Once veggies are cooked to desired consistency, add basil and remove from heat. Allow to sit covered for 5 minutes then serve.
Tips:
This was delicious ladled over some lemon hummus, spinach and cooked quinoa. You could also layer over zucchini pasta, cauliflower rice or similar. Mushrooms and olives would also go nicely in this recipe if they’re on hand!
Recipe and photo courtesy of Leaves of Life. Crispy and salty on the outside, sweet and tender on the inside…these delicata squash rings taste like dessert—and no need to remove the beautiful skin
Ingredients:
Delicata squash
1-2 tbsp. coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Cut delicata in half shortways and remove both stem ends.
Remove seeds with a spoon and slice into 1/4 inch slices.
Arrange on a cookie sheet and drizzle with liquid coconut oil, then toss to coat.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes, turning halfway through cook time.
Tip:
Try adding a sprinkle of cinnamon to enhance the sweetness and help balance blood sugar.
2-4 cups chicken broth (depending on desired thickness)
1 14 ounce can coconut milk
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp curry paste
2 tbsp diced ginger root
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 cup cashew nut butter (optional)
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Cut butternut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Lay cut side down on baking tray and place in oven at 350 for 40 minutes, until tender when pierced with a knife.
Place coconut oil, onion, ginger and garlic in skillet and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent.
Scoop butternut squash out of skin into food processor or high speed blender.
Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.
Taste and salt as desired.
Warm before serving.
Tips:
I’m not super crazy about acorn squash, and my garden burped out a pile of them this year, so I added 2 of them each time I made this soup. They hid well. -Patty
1 hot banana pepper, chopped (you can go hotter or milder)
1 mediumish zucchini, chopped
1 mediumish yellow summer squash, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package mushrooms, chopped
1 large handful fresh basil, chopped
1 small handful cilantro, chopped
Just enough oil of your choice to prevent veggies from sticking
2 tsp dry Italian herbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Cook chicken and chorizo in chicken broth, then remove and allow to cool before chopping
In a skillet, add oil and all veggies-I like to start with carrots and celery because they take longer to cook-this prevents overcooking of the other veggies
Once veggies are cooked until slightly crunchy, add back to broth
Add all other ingredients and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes
Taste and tweak flavors and serve
Tips:
You can add a glug of olive oil to a bowl of this soup to boost oleic acid levels. This is a common deficiency on micronutrient testing in our office. Oleic acid is crucial to healthy cell membranes.