Homemade Pesto Focaccia

NOTES

• This was really good and enjoyed by all at the dinner I took it to.
• Don't let the "homemade" part of the focaccia scare you! It's as easy to make as pizza dough.
• The focaccia recipe is modified from whisksandwhimsy.com.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tsp rapid-rise dry yeast
• 1 c warm
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp salt dissolved in 2 tbsp water
• 1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• Pesto - make your own or use store bought. You'll need about 3/4 cup
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. In the bowl of your standing mixer, combine the yeast, water and sugar. Stir to dissolve, and let sit about 3 minutes or until frothy.
2. With the mixer fitted with the dough hook, turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add 3 1/2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Add the dissolved salt (doesn’t have to be completely dissolved) and slowly pour in the olive oil. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium and mix for about 8-10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Add the remaining flour a tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky. You want the dough to stick to your finger if you press it but then it should pull away cleanly.
3. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter and knead a few times before forming the dough into a round ball. Place the dough ball into a large oiled bowl, turning it so that it is coated with olive oil. Leave the dough ball in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and coat a sheet pan with olive oil. Turn out the dough on your work surface. Roll and stretch the dough roughly into a rectangular shape; the dough should be about a 1/2 inch thick. Transfer the dough to the oiled sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 15 minutes.
6. Uncover the dough and use your fingertips to make dimples in the dough. Brush the dough with extra-virgin olive oil and then brush the dough lightly with 1/2 of the fresh pesto. Shred some Parmesan over the top. Bake the bread in the lower third of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the top is golden. Once removed from the oven, dot the bread with more of the fresh pesto.

Week 48, Recipe 4: Perfect Hamburger and Zucchini Fritters

NOTES

• Recipe (for hamburger) modified from from Annie's Eats, originally from Williams Sonoma
• The Zucchini Fritters (recipe below the hamburgers) are SOOO delicious and perfect for the too-large zucchini that was hiding under the leaves. We serve them with warmed marinara dipping sauce or ranch but they're good as is too!

INGREDIENTS - Hamburger

• 1 lb. ground hamburger
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 or 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 4 hamburger buns, split
• Sliced tomato, sliced onion, avocado, lettuce, pickle cheese, ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc. for serving

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat grill to medium.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the beef, yellow onion, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each 3⁄4 inch thick. Press a circular indention into the middle of each burger so the edges are thicker than the middle - the patty with plump in the middle during cooking.
3. Grill the hamburgers directly over medium-high heat, turning once, 3 to 5 minutes per side. If making cheeseburgers, place a slice of cheese on top of each hamburger during the last 3 minutes of cooking.
4. During the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking, toast the hamburger buns, cut side down, on the grill. Serve the hamburgers on the buns with desired toppings.

INGREDIENTS - Zucchini Fritters

• 1 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2-3/4 c. panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
• 1-2 tbsp of fresh herbs of choice (basil, oregano, thyme) or 1-2 tsp dried Italian seasoning or just salt and pepper, 1 tsp each
• Canola or vegetable oil for frying

DIRECTIONS
1. Find 3 shallow bowls.
2. In one bowl, beat the 2 eggs with 1 tbsp water.
3. In another bowl, add the flour.
4. In the 3rd bowl, add the breadcrumbs, fresh herbs or dried Italian seasoning and 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.
5. Heat a large skillet to medium high heat and add a thin layer of oil over bottom of pan.
6. Dip zucchini sliced in flour, shaking off excess, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Fry until golden brown on one side then flip and fry on opposite side. Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle (while hot) with extra salt if desired. Serve with warmed marinara sauce, Ranch, or just eat plain!

Roasted Summer Veggies

NOTES

• Adapted from Simply in Season
• Great way to use up summer veggies!

INGREDIENTS

• Assorted cut vegetables (roughly the same size of chunks for all of them, slightly smaller for potatoes) such as new potatoes (halved or quartered depending on size), zucchini, yellow squash, onion slices, carrot, pepper, eggplant, etc.
• Seasoning: 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, olive oil (approx 2 tbsp), 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 2 cloves garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS
1. Place cut veggies in a large bowl.
2. Stir together seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and pour over cut veggies. Toss to coat. Add a little more olive oil if necessary to be sure that all veggies have a light coating.
3. Spread seasoned veggies in a single layer on a large baking sheet with edges and bake at 425 for about 20 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times during cooking.

Grilled Zucchini & Squash with Corn & Tomatoes

NOTES

• A very tasty and summery side!
• I grilled the zucchini on my grill pan over the stove simply because I didn't want to turn on the grill and it tasted great. Either way works fine!

INGREDIENTS

• Yellow squash and zucchini, sliced in 1/2 inch chunks or circles
• 1-2 ears corn, cooked and cut from cob
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• Small handful cherry tomatoes, halved
• Several tbsp of fresh herbs (chives, parsley, cilantro, thyme, basil, whatever you have)
• 1-2 cloves minced garlic (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil

DIRECTIONS

• Brush zucchini and squash with olive oil and grill until tender but not mushy. Remove from grill or grill pan.
• In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add cut corn, garlic, zucchini and herbs, freshly ground pepper and salt and heat through. Add tomatoes and cook 1 minute or until just starting to burst.

Week 46 Side: Tomatoes and Potatoes with Avocado-Dill Dressing

NOTES

• This seems like a lot of work but it's really not as you blend the first 9 ingredients in a food processor or blender. The salad makes for a beautiful presentation for a get together.
• Recipe from Fresh & Fast Vegetarian

INGREDIENTS

Blend/food process together:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 c. mayo
• 1/2 c. plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped cucumber (use a seedless or remove seeds by slicing in half lengthwise and scooping out seeds with a spoon)
• 1/2 c. lightly packed coarsely chopped fresh dill, including delicate stems
• 1/4 c. chopped green onions, white and green parts
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salad:

• 1 cucumber, sliced into 1/4-inch diagonal slices
• 3-4 c. lightly packed mixed salad greens or baby spinach
• 8 thick slices of 2 large tomatoes
• 1/2 c. thinly sliced red onion
• 1 lb small to medium Yukon Gold potatoes, halved if large

DIRECTIONS
1. Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and over with water. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, over medium heat until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a skewer, 15-20 minutes, depending on their size. Rinse with cold water and drain. Set aside to cool to lukewarm. When cool enough to handle, remove the skins and slice into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.
2. Combine all the dressing ingredients and process until smooth.
3. To assemble: spread half of avocado dressing on a large serving platter. Layer the sliced potatoes on top of the dressing and top with the cucumber slices. Distribute the salad greens over the potatoes and cucumbers and top with overlapping tomato slices and onion slices. Drizzle more dressing over the top of each tomato slice, reserving the extra to serve on the side. Sprinkle the salad with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste. Garnish with extra dill if desired.

Week 42 Side Recipe: Peppered Corn Salad

NOTES

• This was delicious and something I'll take to summer barbecues!
• Recipe modified from Taste of Home.
• I used 4 ears of corn and this was enough for our family (2 adults, one newly two-year-old) with a little leftovers. If taking it to a party or wanting more leftovers, I would use 7-10 ears of corn and double the remaining ingredients accordingly/to taste.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ears fresh corn
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh minced basil (or 1/4 tsp dried)
• 1 tbsp fresh minced parsley
• 
  1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes1/2 c. chopped red pepper
• 2 1/2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt (more to taste)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Place corn in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook for 7 minutes and remove immediately to ice water. Once cool, cut corn from the cobs and place in a large bowl.
2. Add the chopped veggies and fresh herbs to the corn.
3. In a small bowl, combine the oil and remaining ingredients and pour over corn. Toss to coat and chill until serving.

Week 42 Side Recipe: Herbed Roasted Potatoes

NOTES

• These were really tasty and could easily be done in foil packets on the grill instead of the oven.

INGREDIENTS

• Smaller red or Yukon gold potatoes (I had about 1 1/2 lbs but could have used more). The exact amount is as important as making sure however many you use get evenly oiled so they don't dry out while cooking.
• Seasoning:
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• Several tbsp olive or canola oil (enough to coat well)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425 (or grill to medium). Cut potatoes into large bite-size wedges. My smaller red potatoes could be quartered. Place in a large bowl.
2. Mix seasoning in a small bowl and add to potatoes. Toss to coat. Add extra oil if necessary.
3. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. If cooking on the grill, wrap in greased foil and grill over medium heat for 20-ish minutes, turning foil packet over halfway through.

Old-fashioned Corn Bread Muffins

NOTES:

• Modified from the Mennonite Community Cookbook
• I don't use muffin cups. Just grease your muffin tins well.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 c. corn meal
• 1 c. flour
• 1 tsp soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg, well-beaten
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 c. regular (not low-fat) sour cream
• 4 tbsp milk

DIRECTIONS

• Sift flour and corn meal into a bowl. Add soda, cream of tartar, salt and sugar. Sift again into a large bowl.
• Add beaten egg, cream of tartar, milk, and melted butter.
• Beat throughly and pour into greased muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.
• Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Recipe 1.2, Week 32: Cheddar Biscuits

NOTES
• Serve these biscuits with Chicken and Roasted Poblano Soup this week!
• You can mix them up and bake them in just 20 minutes!

INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/4 cup coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar
• 3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Add cheese and toss to coat.
3. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir just until a dough forms (dough will be wet and sticky like a thick/chunky pancake batter). Drop biscuit dough onto an ungreased baking sheet in large mounds. Bake until tops are light brown, about 10-15 min.