Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Yummmm Limeade

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity. ~Voltaire


I am a sucker for a good lime. Yummm.. and sooo pretty and fresh. Right now, I am relaxing with a tall glass of iced limeade, and trying to find inspiration for this blog post. When alas - that is it - Limes or maybe even, summer foods.

I am definitely a BIG believer in seasonal eating. I like my pumpkin spice frappucino in the fall, my red velvet cake in the winter, my cherry jubilee ice cream in spring and my limes in the summer. ;-)

On a serious note - my shopping and recipes really do change. Because I live in the deep south where it is hot as hades with high humidity and no sea breeze, I tend to eat lighter in the summer months.

I though today I would share with you a few of my more favorite summer staples. Give them a try! I can assure you, no disappointments!

Summer Recipes

Tzatziki
1 cucumber      2 garlic cloves    8 scallions (green onions)   
2 1/2 cups of strained plain greek yogurt     5 tablespoons chopped, fresh mint
**plus extra mint for garnish     Salt & Pepper  (served with pita bread or good for sandwich spreads or a simple salad)

Trim the cucumber, but do not peel. Cut the cucumber into small neat dice. Finely chop the garlic & scallions. Beat the yogurt in the bowl with a fork until smooth, then fold in the cucumber, garlic, scallions & mint. Season the mix to taste with salt & pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, & let chill in frig.

Light - Fresh - Delish!

Hummus bi tahini (egyptian style)
14 oz. canned chick peas, drained, rinsed     
1 garlic clove, crushed to paste with a 1/4 tsp salt
3-4 tblsp of sesame seed paste (tahini)    2-4 tblsp of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp cumin     EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) for thinning
Salt        Warm pita to serve with     Paprika     Parsley

Put all but 1 tblsp chick peas into food processor. Add garlic & process to a thick, coarse paste. Add 3 tbsp of tahini & process again, until well-blended. Add tbsp lemon juice, cumin, & salt to taste. Process until creamy. Taste & add extra tahini &/or lemon juice, if desired.

For a thinner dip (preferred in the middle east) - w/motor running drizzle in oil or water until you reach the desired consistency.

To Serve: put in a bowl, add indention in the middle - put chickpeas & drizzle oil. sprinkle paprika & parsley. Frig up to 3 days, freeze up to one month.

Salata Tahini
**my FAVORITE daily treat - it's pronounced - Taheena
1large garlic clove crushed to a paste w/ 1/4 tsp salt (sea or kosher salt)
4-6 tblsp water, 4-6 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 1/2 ounces sesame seed paste (Tahini)
1 tblsp freshly chopped parsley  salt
warm pita

** I add cayenne pepper,black pepper,  paprika and a dash of vinegar for an extra kick. What is above is the basic recipe

Put garlic in a bowl & stir in 4 tbsp. water & 4 tbsp lemon juice. Use fork to whisk in tahini, then season to taste with salt (and other ingredients I added above). Taste & add extra tahini & lemon juice until sauce has a smooth, pouring consistency. Stir in parsley. Transfer to a bowl. ** it thickens when chilled. Just add more water or lemon juice.

Dip your pita, crackers or chips!

Pasta Salad - Thurston Style
1 large box angel hair pasta
1 cucumber, peeled, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 bunch of scallions
1 bottle balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 container of salad seasoning (small)
Dash of hot sauce

Cook pasta.
Drain.
Mix all the ingredients together.
Chill

Margarita Pie
1 qt vanilla ice cream, soft (I pick the fat free)
1 (12 oz) can frozen LIMEADE (woo hoo), thawed
1-2 drops green food coloring
1 (6 oz) Graham cracker pie crust
Cool whip (fat free) and lime wedges

Beat ice cream, limeade and food coloring - medium speed until well blended. Spread into crust. Freeze 4 hours. Let stand at room temp - garnish with cool whip and lime wedges.

Pineapple Aloha Pie
1 8 inch graham cracker crust
4 oz. cream cheese     1/4 c sugar
10oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 c. whip cream.

In bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sugar & beat. Add pineapple & mix well. Spoon into pie crust. Chill.


** I am a BIG salad eater. Some of my favorite home made salad dressings are here:

GreeK Salad dressing
3/4 olive oil     1/4 cup red wine vinegar or white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt      1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp oregano


Creamy Herb Salad Dressing
1 c. buttermilk     1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped    1/2 tsp dried dill
1/4 c. fresh parsley chopped   1/4 tsp dry mustard  1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt   1/8 tsp black pepper


As for other things I eat:

1. I chop cucumbers up and soak them in white vinegar or balsamic vinegar and black pepper. Then chill. I eat them as a snack.
2. I will bake chicken tenders and brush on olive oil and sprinkle lemon pepper for a quick fix.


What about you? What are some of your summer staples?

3 comments:

Laura Rowe [twirl] said...

Ooo I'm so glad to have your hummus and tahini recipe!

Single and Sane said...

I've added the Margarita Pie and the Pineapple Aloha Pie to my recipe file - I hope to make summer staples out of both!

Thanks for stopping by over the weekend. =)

Leanne said...

Ok . . . so I am SO HAPPY you finally shared your tahini recipes with us!! YIPPIEE!! Looks like I'm stopping at the grocery store tomorrow! Love these - all of them! So yum!

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