Home Grown Salsa

A nice light side dish or appetizer:

Dice the tomatoes.  You may wish to blanch and peel them first, but it's also delicious with the skins.

Roast the corn and cut it from the cob.

Diced jalapeños

Mix in onions and salt. Serve with Geek youghurt - or leave it off for a purely vegan meal.

Filled Cherry Tomato hors d'oeuvres

With an abundance of cherry tomatoes, I decided to find a proper dish for them.

First, remove a slice from the top or the bottom.  Scoop out the guts and fill with the following:

• greek youghurt and dill
• corn
• parsley
• basil
• slices of bell pepper

Cantaloupe Sorbet

Start with a fresh, fragrant cantaloupe!  Your finished product will taste like the raw ingredient ;-)

Make sure the cantaloupe is semi-frozen or well chilled.  Then, blend with ice, a pinch of salt and a dash of sugar.  Make sure that the blender and serving dishes are very cold (store in the freezer for a few minutes prior to preparation) and be sure to serve promptly.

Served here with candied jasmine tea leaves (mint leaves are also a good choice).

Tomato Blueberry Salad

Here in the US, it's our Independence Day! Here's a chilled dish that sports the nation's colors: Red, White and Blue

Ingredients:

• cherry tomatoes
• fresh blueberries
• toasted pine nuts
• dash of salt
• slash of olive oil
• smidgen of fresh basil

Happy Fourth!

Sloppy Thai

I actually make this quite often, but I change it up each time. The main requirement is fresh vegetables - the rest can change based on your tastes.

This particular batch has:

• rice noodles
• coconut milk
• curry paste
• peanuts
• seared tofu
• carrots
• peas
• bamboo shoots
• peppers
• onions

It's quick, it's easy and it tastes amazing!

Guacamole

Prepare the ingredients:

• avocado
• diced tomatoes
• minced onion and/or garlic
• fresh lime juice
• salt

Mix all the ingredients except tomatoes until the avocado starts to break down.

Then, stir in the tomato and serve.

Mămăligă

A traditional Romanian dish made from cornmeal (like polenta):

Spread with sour cream or unflavoured Greek youghurt: Served here with:

• roasted peppers
• roasted and fresh tomatoes
• spinach
• goat's cheese

Asperges et la laitue frit

Sautéed in macadamia nut oil, cubed tofu with fresh-from-the-garden asparagus spears and seared lettuce, garnished with a balsamic reduction.

A Proper Salad

If your salad is boring, you're not making it right.

Phanaeng Curry with Chamorro Red Rice

Improvising here with:

• lettuce
• tofu
• peppers
• tomatoes

Stuffed Peppers with garden fresh greens

Filling:

• Potato mash
• sauteed tofu, onions, olives
• Greek yoghurt
• Topped with pan seared peas

Sesame Fried Red & Jasmine Rice

Sesame Fried Red & Jasmine Rice

• broccoli
• peas
• peppers
• onions
• soy sauce
• rice

Directions: stir ingredients while frying

Chèvre seared broccoli

• Cut each fresh floret in half - try to make a straight cut so there's a flat side.
• Spread warmed goat's cheese on the flat side of the broccoli.
• Place in medium hot, oiled, pan.
• Sauté until the cheese is golden brown.

The broccoli should retain most of it's raw texture.