Quality Ingredients Matter If you ask me, the quality of ingredients really matters when making a great summer basil pesto. Why? Because each ingredient contributes to the flavor you experience when you roll it around in your mouth and over your tongue. Let's look one-by-one at the ingredients in a super tasty basil pesto made in the summertime. If you need a recipe, here's my recipe for summer basil pesto. Fresh Basil: The very best basil for pesto is what you grow yourself. It's really fun to grow fresh herbs - and easy, too. Basically, you need to find a sunny spot in your … [Read more...] about Summer Basil Pesto – It’s All About the Ingredients!
A Healthy Eggplant Recipe called Yakne!
Eggplant and Summer One of my favorite colors is purple. So, maybe that's why I was first curious about eggplant. The color is so beautiful and since we eat with our eyes, I hope eggplant will get your attention, too. When the sun gets really warm in July and August, there is a large supply of eggplant to buy at the grocery store or Farmer's Market. Or, pick it from your own vegetable garden if you are a grower yourself. Whatever, don't miss eggplant as a versatile and very Mediterranean vegetable that tastes great. Here's an eggplant recipe with an Italian twist and here's another eggplant … [Read more...] about A Healthy Eggplant Recipe called Yakne!
How to Grow and Use Fresh Mint
Fresh Mint is an Easy Herb to Grow I grew up in a family of gardeners. My mom mostly enjoyed growing flowers and my dad liked growing vegetables. So, at least in the summer, we had a colorful yard and we also ate a bunch of homegrown vegetables for dinner. Fresh herbs were not a part of the mix for some reason, so I changed that when I got my first job and moved into a very small house of my own. I immediately planted some herbs in a small, sunny garden out back. Partly I grew herbs because they were easy to grow and partly I did it because I was getting very interested in cooking and … [Read more...] about How to Grow and Use Fresh Mint
Salmon for Dinner
What's For Dinner? If you're the everyday 'chef' in your family then you've heard this question hundreds of times before - What's for dinner? When I planned this dinner, I thought it would be a family-pleaser and I was right. I bought a nice piece of fresh salmon as the star of the show and since we are a family of seafood lovers, it was right on target. I try to cook 2 fish meals per week for deliciousness (is that a word?) as well as great health benefits. Do you? What's On-The-Side? I grew up eating a dinner with protein, vegetables, and starch on my plate, and I'm a fan of … [Read more...] about Salmon for Dinner
The Simple, Mediterranean Foods of Greece
Enjoying the Simple, Mediterranean Foods of Greece There's nothing like the simple and delicious foods of Greece. Sure - you've been to a Greek restaurant. You've been to a Greek food festival. You've been to a Greek friend's home and savored the home cooking of her/his mother. All of these experiences are super enjoyable and even memorable. But, have you ever thought about how the simple, Mediterranean foods of Greece could become your favorite way to eat day-after-day, like a fresh and new lifestyle? Understanding the Health Benefits of Simple, Mediterranean Foods of … [Read more...] about The Simple, Mediterranean Foods of Greece
Mediterranean Style Snacks!
10 Mediterranean Style Snacks Hummus with colorful vegetables makes a fun appetizer or anytime snack. Here is my easy recipe for homemade hummus. Sugar snap peas, raw out of the bag (washed, of course) are a sweet nibble. Yogurt layered with fruit is yummy for breakfast or dessert. Here is my easy recipe for a yogurt and fruit parfait. Whole grain crackers with goat cheese are full of flavor. Add a grape or slice of melon to the top for even more 'wow.' Oat granola, nuts & low fat milk, piled high with fresh berries. Sandwich pinwheels with colorful vegetables. Here is … [Read more...] about Mediterranean Style Snacks!