In honor of Bastille Day, I thought I would share one of my new favorite summer salads, Salad Niçoise. I had been pretty hung up on creating this salad as soon as my green beans started coming in. Of course, by the time they were ready to be picked, the summer heat had become somewhat unbearable, and the last thing I wanted to do was slave over a hot stove inside the house. So instead, I decided to grill most of my Niçoise components, including the salmon, which is not the traditional fish for Niçoise, but given its freshness, was probably much more delicious than tuna ever thought of being. (more…)

Filed under:
Dairy free, Dinner, French, Gluten free, In the Garden, Lunch, Salad, Wine pairings by Courtney

One of the things I didn’t plant in my garden this year are string beans. Last year, while stocking up on seedlings from Cole Canyon Farm, the guy running the stand gave me free string beans. I’m not really a fan of green beans — I don’t hate them, but they’re not something I ever really want to eat. My husband, however, really likes green beans so I decided to plant them and give them a try. (more…)

Filed under:
Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, In the Garden, Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian by Courtney

Today I’m continuing the harvest theme, showcasing more of my hard work from Labor Day weekend (I’m sure there’s a joke to be inserted there). This time it’s what I did with the bulk of the green beans I had picked.

The funny thing about green beans is, I don’t particularly care for them. I buy most of my vegetables as seedlings from Cole Canyon Farm at the Campbell Farmer’s Market (and really, I should buy all of my vegetables from them – they do really well). The guy that runs the booth is really nice, and he tossed in a free green bean plant. I decided to take it since my husband likes green beans. When we got home, I wasn’t quite sure where I would plant the beans, and they sat in their plastic box for about a month, getting occasional water and almost dying before I finally decided to plant them in a narrow strip of dirt along the patio.

So, I don’t care for green beans, I almost killed them before they prospered, and the other amusing thing about this story is I don’t care for pickles much, either. Over time, I’ve found that I like pickled peppers, Indian mango pickle, and giardiniera, but that’s about it. So what do I do with my green beans? I pickle them, of course! (more…)

Filed under:
Appetizers, Dairy free, Gluten free, In the Garden, Prep for Later Use, Vegetarian by Courtney

This is what happens when you put your garden irrigation on water timer. You aren’t as engaged, and then one day you go out to check how things are doing, and WHAM!! you’re hit with a bunch of produce. I now have over 6 pounds of squash and zucchini, 3 pounds of roma tomatoes, 1 pound of yellow taxi and black cherry tomatoes, and 2 and a half pounds of green beans. Looks like I better get to cookin’!

Filed under:
In the Garden by Courtney