If you didn’t know summer had
arrived by the date on the calendar, you would defiantly notice by stepping
outside. Temperatures have been extremely high. Everywhere. Living in Florida, I‘m
used to high summer temps, but this year has been brutal. I don’t know about
you, but when it is this hot, I’m not in the mood for heavy meals.
Summertime is a great time for
salad. Now, before you think ...how boring...salads can be lots of fun. There
are multiple ways to spice up a plain old salad.
I keep many different salad dressings
handy. Depending on the type of meat or cheese I might throw into the mix, dressing can add a
whole new flavor.
I always mix up my greens. Romaine. Iceberg.
Spinach. Bib. Greenleaf lettuce. Red leaf salad. Or a mixture. I love
vegetables, and with so many available during the summer months, adding
different tastes and textures adds a new dimension to the same-old routine. Top
if off with chicken or turkey, some shredded cheese or nuts, and you have a
cool, filling meal.
Since grilling is always popular
during the summer months, I try to serve side dishes that are colorful and
tasty. Below is one of my all time favorite recipes, which goes
great with grilled chicken.
Summer
Vegetable Tian
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium yellow squash
- 1 medium potato
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- to taste salt & pepper
- 1 cup shredded Italian cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sautê the onion and garlic with olive oil over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).
- While the onion and garlic are sautéing, thinly slice the remaining vegetables. Make sure the potatoes are very thin so that they soften quickly while in the oven.
- Coat the inside of an 8x8" casserole dish with non-stick spray. Spread the sautéed onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Arrange the other sliced vegetables, stacked vertically like dominos, in an alternating pattern. Season the top of the vegetables generously with salt, pepper, and dried thyme.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and top with the shredded cheese. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown.
Here’s a potato recipe I also love. Great with white
or red meat.
Savory Grilled Red Potatoes
Ingredients
Serves: 4
·
·
·
·
1 large sheet heavy duty aluminum foil
Directions
10 mins Prep
time 30 mins Cook time
·
Toss potatoes and oil in large bowl. Add dressing;
toss to coat well.
·
Place potatoes in center of foil. Bring up sides
of foil; double fold top and ends to tightly seal packet.
·
Grill over medium-high heat 30 minutes or until
potatoes are tender, turning packet over halfway through cook time. (it may be longer,
depending on the setting off the grill)
I add 1 cup of shredded
mozzarella or Italian mix cheese. Just sprinkle over the top of the potato
mixture before closing foil.
And of course, fruit is in great abundance during
the summer. A cool and refreshing way to end a meal.
Now I’m hungry so I’m signing off to go eat lunch. A
salad, of course.
And if you like to take a few minutes and read during lunch, check out my latest Heartwarming book, The Bridal Bouquet.
Tara Randel is an award-winning, USA
TODAY bestselling author of twelve novels. She is currently working on new
stories for Harlequin Heartwarming, The Business of Weddings series. Visit Tara at www.tararandel.com. Like her on Facebook at Tara Randel Books
Your salad looks amazing! I'm making that tonight, Tara!
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
DeleteThank you for sharing your recipes, Tara. Try to stay cool!
ReplyDeleteWill do. Thank goodness for air conditioning!
DeleteI LOVE roasted potatoes, and now I think I need some...
ReplyDeleteLOL.
DeleteLike Liz, I love roasted potatoes. Thanks for sharing your recipes, Tara. There's nothing better than a cool salad when temperatures creep up, along with the dreaded humidity. I can't wait to read your book...that cover is so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteTara, thanks for your recipes. I agree that when it gets hot it's hard to even decide what to buy at the grocery store. We've had more of your Florida humidity lately. I find that makes wanting to fix food even harder. Did I tell you I really loved that book? If not, shame on me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment! Sorry we're sharing our dreaded humidity!
DeleteTara! Love the vegetable recipe - and I have all that. It's on the menu tonight. At our ages, we always eat lightly - except for last week, when our neighbor made a giant German dinner. It was so delicious, but we had to starve for the next few days to recover. Come visit me. It's 68 degrees right now and gorgeous!
ReplyDelete68!!!!! I'm jealous! Enjoy your meal!
DeleteTara, I don't have much of an appetite when it's hot either. It's so nice that summer means all these fresh veggies. That grilled mix is right up my alley and looks like an entire meal to me. I'm heading to the farmer's market on Saturday. Can't wait to try it. Congratulations on your latest book - it's already queued up on my kindle. Can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Carol. Enjoy shopping!
DeleteTara, thanks for your recipes. I'm going to fix both of them. Re summer heat, I've lived in Fla., so I know what you mean. Here in the PacNW, it's supposed to hit 80 today, just about perfect.
ReplyDeletePerfect is a memory.... Enjoy your weather!
DeleteThanks for the delicious recipes. I don't cook much anymore, but these look like they would be worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteI don't cook much either, but these are two must-have recipes for me.
DeleteI'm having the roasted potatoes tonight, maybe add squash. :-) Love your post.
ReplyDeleteSounds nice. I love squash too. I think I could be a vegetarian!
DeleteI'm so lame. I buy mixed salads and sometimes add cubed ham.
ReplyDeleteTonight, I'm making a meatloaf from the dump cookbook, only four ingredients.
I love the dump cookbook.
But, my husband wants to know if he can come to dinner at your house.
I'll fire up the grill!!!!
DeleteYum. Thanks for the lovely recipes. I'm trying the vege dish as soon as the squash comes in. Loved the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth!
DeleteOh, Tara, these recipes sound so yummy. And guess what? I have all the ingredients right here. Will be trying your veggie casserole tomorrow. Like so many others, I think your newest cover is divine. Can't wait to read the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks. You'll love the recipe.
DeleteIt has been brutal here in NC too....temps in upper 90's, but we had a bit of a reprieve a few days because of overcast skies. The recipes look great!! I've done the red potatoes with olive oil and some onion soup mix and it's good that way too. ( : Congratulations on The Bridal Bouquet.
ReplyDeleteOnion soup mix sounds good! Thx for the suggestion.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipes! And your new book looks and sounds fantastic!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Amy!
Delete