Ratatouille

I don't know about you, but when I saw this movie I was like "What the heck is ratatouille?" So we promptly looked it up on the internet and found a recipe. And it was actually really good! Well folks...it's ratatouille season once more! Ratatouille is basically just a veggie stew type of dish. So it's perfect for this time of the year because it uses all the yummy veggies we have coming out of the garden. Or in my case...from my Bountiful Basket this week! Since this is all in season right now you *should* be able to find this stuff at farmer's markets or the grocery store for cheap. What do you need? Another website suggested the phrase EZ-POT to remember what goes in it AND the order to put it in: Eggplant, Zucchini, Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes.

Oh and can I say that I think that Basil is just really essential in a garden? If you don't plant any other herb, plant basil. I use mine more than I use any other herbs I've planted. And it's easy to grow. Plus it's really expensive if you have to buy it in the store. I think this year I'm going to transfer mine to a pot I can keep in the house 'cause I like it so much...

One final suggestion: you can use the movie as a way to get your kids to try it. It might not look like much, BUT if you can get them to try it, they will probably like it. I also served this with my homemade breadsticks. It was a good night! :)

Simmering Summer Ratatouille

2 TBLS olive oil (I think I used a lot more than this...ha ha!)

2 eggplants, cubed (I peeled mine because I was concerned about the texture of the skin being problematic in this dish...)

2 zucchini, cubed

2 bell peppers, chopped (I used green, but other colors would be yummy too, I'm sure!)

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (I always use a garlic press instead)

5 - 8 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (peeling and seeding optional...)

3 - 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 TBLS fresh thyme, chopped (I substituted dried)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Note on eggplant: I always try to work very quickly with this. It browns quickly once peeled and cut open. If you really want to you can put it in water or cover with Fresh Fruit or lemon juice. But in a dish like this it doesn't really matter anyway. So I just work fast. So as you cut your eggplant place it in a colander and sprinkle with sea salt. Let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant if desired. Pat it dry. (I actually forgot to rinse the salt off...oops! Tasted great to me, but if your really conscious about your sodium intake you probably should rinse it...)

2. (Skip to next step of you don't care about the tomato skins.) If you want to peel your tomatoes: Fill a large bowl about 1/2 way with water and ice. Boil a large pot of water. Cut small x's in the bottom of the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water for about a minute. Immediately place the tomatoes in an ice bath for another minute. Remove the tomatoes and place in a colander in the sink until they are cool enough to handle. Peel the tomatoes. If you want to seed them also just cut the tops off and squeeze as many seeds out as you can. (NOTE: I peeled 6 of my tomatoes. Then I decided I wanted more in the stew, but didn't want to go through all that again...SO I just chopped them up and put them seeds, skin and all. Couldn't tell a difference...next time I will probably just leave them as nature intended in the first place)

3. Heat olive oil in a large pot. NOTE: While adding veggies, make sure you stir them around frequently to promote even cooking. Add the eggplant and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes. Add the zucchini, cook for another 5-10 minutes. Add the bell peppers, cook for 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes and cook until the liquid reduces. You can create a thicker sauce by adding tomato paste if desired.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Adjust seasoning as needed to taste and serve.

Just to warn you, it really does kind of look like a pile of mush. The eggplant gets really soft and isn't a super appetizing color when it cooks. But it is really good. Really. Try it. :)

Blackberry Balsamic Chicken

This is another recipe from The Dinner Diva. It was really simple to put together and really yummy. Kelley didn't want to try it because of the appearance, but I had her take one bite and she LOVED it.

I served this with:

Green Chile Rice (Mix 1.5 cups sour cream and 1 can diced green chiles with 2-3 cups cooked rice. Cover with cheddar cheese and cook at 350 for 30 minutes)

Garlic Roasted potatoes (Cut potatoes into chunks and toss with olive oil and garlic salt, cook at 450 for 20 minutes or so).

Blackberry Balsamic Chicken

1/2 C chopped red onions

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 tsp dried thyme (I didn't have this so I just used italian seasoning)

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used thighs, bone in and just cooked them longer)

1/2 C blackberry preserves (I used Boysenberry because that's what I had on hand)

2 TBLS Balsamic Vinegar

Heat some oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add onion and saute until translucent. Sprinkle salt, pepper and thyme over the top of the chicken. Add chicken to skillet and saute 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium low. Add preserves, vinegar, salt and pepper, stirring constantly until the preserves melt. Spoon the sauce over the chicken to serve.

Garlic Lime Chicken

Another recipe from the Dinner Diva (if you haven't noticed, I love her!). Anyway, this is really yummy and easy to put together. Good luck...let me know what you think!

1 tsp Salt

3/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp thyme

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (Kristy's Note: I never use this much chicken, but I cut 2/3 chicken breast halves into smaller pieces and the same amount of seasoning.)

2 TBLS butter

2 TBLS olive oil

4 TBLS lime juice

1/2 C chicken broth

On a dinner plate, mix together first seven ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts (I usually coat mine more heavily, which I'm sure is why I use all of the spices on about half of the chicken the recipe calls for. ALSO, this is PRETTY spicey, so for the kids, I just skip putting the seasoning on the chicken. I cook it in the same pan so it gets some of the flavor, but not all of the spice!)

In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken and add lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.

I serve this with garlic mashed potatoes. Simply mash your potatoes and add garlic salt or powder to taste. I add another veggie as well with a bread to round it out.

One Pot Meatball and Gnocchi Soup

I was really wanting soup and was browsing the net when I came across this recipe. It is so easy and very hearty. I made the meatballs with my melon baller and scooped them right into the soup. You don't need to use the red wine, you can just substitute more chicken broth. I also used Canadian bacon instead of turkey bacon because that is what I had on hand. This makes really good left overs. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 Tbs. olive oil
4 pieces turkey bacon, diced
4 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks (with leafy parts), chopped
1/2 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, roasted
2 bay leaves
1 Tbs. fresh thyme, minced
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, minced
1/4 C. red wine, preferably cabernet
1 lg. can diced tomatoes(with liquid)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 C. gnocchi, store-bought or hand-made
4 C. chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 C. fresh parsley, minced

meatball recipe
1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. red pepper flake
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, minced
1 Tbs. fresh thyme, minced
1/4 C. grated parmesan cheese
1 lemon, juiced and zested

Directions

Combine ingredients for the meatball mixture and set aside. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Remove bacon and drain on paper towel, set aside. Next add the carrots, celery, onion, roasted garlic, bay leaves, fresh thyme and rosemary and let cook another 5-7 minutes.

Deglaze pan with red wine and let cook for 1 minute before adding the canned tomatoes, garbanzo beans, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and begin forming meatballs and dropping them into the soup. Also add the gnocchi and let simmer for 7-10 minutes, until both meatballs and gnocchi are floating to the top. Return bacon to the soup and garnish with fresh parsley just before serving.