One of the grand things about summer is grazing on the fresh fruits and veggies that pop up in our gardens, farmers markets, and local groceries. Tomatoes, squash, beans, berries – they’re all at their peak in flavor, and that means you don’t have to do too much to them to make them scrum-diddly-uptious!

Last week I showed you a slightly more involved way to enjoy your summer squash. This week I’ll show you all the other super-simple antipasto I made to fill up my antipasti platter. Caprese, melon e prosciutto, and roasted shishito peppers made it to my platter this time, and their preparation couldn’t be simpler. (more…)

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Appetizers, Gluten free, In the Garden, Italian, Quick and Easy by Courtney

One of my favorite quick meals in the summer is a stuffed piquillo pepper. Piquillo peppers are a roasted, red Spanish pepper. They’re not too spicy and have a hint of sweetness about them. You can stuff them with any number of things, such as cheese, seafood, meat, rice. While one of my favorite ways to enjoy them is stuffed with a goat cheese (more on that another day), I had eyed this shrimp salad recipe from Martha Stewart for a long time and decided it must be tried. One super-simple summer meal coming up! (more…)

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Appetizers, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Spanish by Courtney

Attention Campbellites, this post is for you!

Actually, it’s for anyone that is experiencing those last warm days of summer that are fading into fall. This sandwich was inspired by products I pick up at my local farmer’s market, but if you’re not from these parts, you should easily be able to find most products in your local store (and the one secret ingredient online if not locally).

The veggie pita sandwich starts off with veggies – duh! Personally, I like to start with zucchini, summer squash, and onions. You could also try adding some tomatoes or eggplant to the mix. (more…)

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Cooking outdoors, Lunch, Sandwiches, Vegetarian by Courtney

For quite some time I had heard of the method to roast peppers, but I didn’t think it could be nearly as easy as it sounds. Char it over a flame (or under a broiler) on all sides, remove and place into a ziploc bag for about 10 minutes, then you’ll magically be able to peel it with no problems.

Guess what? It really is that easy! Once I tried it, it was an epiphany for me. No more expensive jars of roasted peppers when I could do it myself. I’m partial to throwing it on my gas grill instead of using the oven. Sometimes this leads to me forgetting I have something going on the grill, though; last week it stayed on there for about an hour (now that was charred). Not so easy to peel at that point. Moral of the story – don’t forget about your pepper!

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Cooking outdoors, Dairy free, Gluten free, Quick tip, Vegan, Vegetarian by Courtney