Raspberry Vinegar

Great for gifts or just to have in the pantry, raspberry vinegar adds something special to vinaigrettes and marinades. We love raspberries and this is a great way to enjoy a hint of them anytime of the year.

The raspberries start to look bleached after a few days and the vinegar turns
a brilliant red.  The smell is divine.

There are several recipes for making raspberry vinegar.  A most basic recipe is one pint of raspberries to 1 cup white wine vinegar.   In a large jar, place your rinsed and dried raspberries in the container and add the white wine vinegar.  Let sit for a minimum of two weeks.  When you are ready to bottle the vinegar, first strain the mixture into a bowl to remove the berries and extra particulate matter.  Use a funnel to fill your bottles and enjoy.

Tonight's salad dressing featured raspberry vinegar, sunflower oil,
salt, and pepper.  That's it!  Toss with butter lettuce, pecans, and sliced
scallions.  Boy #3 loved this one.

The following website has some fun raspberry vinegar recipe ideas;
http://www.theyummylife.com/raspberry_salad_dressings

- Kim Fielding

I found these glass jars at Cost Plus.  I hear you can get them
on Amazon too.

Grilled Squash and Scallions

This looks like a messy splurge, and it is.  Totally yummy!

Fresh zucchinis and scallions from the garden are featured in today's salad.  Inspired to make something refreshing for dinner, a lemony vinaigrette seemed the perfect response for our hot summer nights.

Start by grilling zucchini and scallions.  I tossed both with a little olive oil and lightly seasoned them with salt and pepper.

These cooked up quickly.  Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

Prepare a vinaigrette.  2 parts extra virgin olive oil and 1 part lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Adjust the acidity of the dressing as desired.  (This means add more oil if you need to lighten the acidity).

Place mixed spring lettuces on a platter and arrange the grilled vegetables over.  Drizzle with vinaigrette and top with lemon zest and coarsely chopped hazelnuts or almonds.

Serves:  4
Prep and cook time:  15 minutes

Each serving offers approximately 250 calories, about 4 grams protein, 3 grams fiber, and a generous amount of vitamin E.  Per WebMD, "Vitamin E is an important vitamin required for the proper function of many organs in the body.  It is also an antioxidant.  This means it helps to slow down processes that damage cells."

Enjoy!

- Kim Fielding

Cherry Tomato Salad

Vibrant colors, fresh produce, and a lively vinaigrette.
 This salad goes with any meal.

Cheery cherry tomatoes flourish in our gardens throughout the summer.  Because they are easy to grow, it seems everyone has a plant in their backyard this time of year.  Today's salad features simple preparation and presentation.  Using mixed color tomatoes or just a red variety is your choice.

Serves:  4
Prep time:   15 minutes

1 generous cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 recipe vinaigrette
1/4 cup torn basil leaves
Lettuces:  romaine, butter, green or red leaf, baby kales

Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoon light olive oil or canola oil, or one tablespoon of each
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste, approximately one pinch salt and two or three grinds of pepper
 

Try to make pieces the same size.  Larger tomatoes may be cut into thirds.

Wash and blot dry all produce.  Cut cherry tomatoes for the salad.  Prepare the vinaigrette.

Basic vinaigrette is a staple in European households.  No one need buy dressing when this is so easy to prepare.  Dressings keep in the fridge for weeks.

Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients.  Or, place ingredients in a lidded jar and shake to emulsify.  Adjust seasoning to taste.

I prefer a two parts oil to one part vinegar dressing.  However, others like a less tart vinaigrette. Add a little more oil if need be.  Be sure to season to taste.  Remember, if it needs more tart, add more acid - vinegar.  If it needs taming down, add more oil.  Once you get the hang of making dressing at home, you can experiment with added herbs and spices to customize the recipe depending on what you are serving.

Tear the lettuces and place on a platter.  Mix together cut tomatoes and torn basil.  Add half of the dressing to tomatoes to moisten and stir.  Spoon the tomato mixture over the lettuces and drizzle salad with remaining vinaigrette. A sprinkling of coarse salt and coarse ground pepper may be added if you feel it needs it.  Not necessary though.

Each serving using mixed lettuces offers 73 calories, just less than 1 g fiber and protein, and 10% of your vitamin E requirement.  If you use just kale as your lettuce, the salad offers 86 calories, 1.2 g fiber, and 1.5 g protein.

Baby kales are now available in pre-washed packages at Trader Joes.  Because they are so young and tender, they don't have the strong earthy or bitter taste that some people are turned off by.  Try these.  They are a super food.

Lettuces in the above salad feature heirloom butter lettuce, kale, and romaine from our garden.  Lettuces are prolific garden specimens.  Several adult plants each will keep you in leaves for at least a few weeks. Trim lettuces for eating from the base of the stem and work upward as the plants grow.

- Kim Fielding

Radish, Pea and Red Onion Salad

Radish, snow or snap peas, and red onion offer a
crisp and refreshing salad for any hot-day meal.

This colorful salad comes together quickly and can be served over meats or (in the above case) fish, or as a base salad with chicken, beef, or pork on top.  If you prefer this as a salsa or dressing, dice the vegetables rather than slice them.  I found this recipe on the internet but can't for the life of me remember where.  Possibly foodnetwork or epicurious.  I apologize in advance for not giving credit where credit is due but will look for the source.  In the meantime, enjoy.

Serves:  6                    Prep time: 15 minutes

1 small red onion, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 bunch radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 pound snow peas, thinly sliced (you can use snap peas too)

4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons canola or other light vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Thinly slice 1 red onion and 1 bunch radishes. Soak in ice water, 5 minutes; drain and pat dry. Whisk 4 teaspoons rice vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon each Dijon mustard and sugar in a bowl. Whisk in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add 8 ounces thinly sliced snow peas, the onion and radishes. Season and serve.

Calories per serving is approximately 65 with a good dose of vitamin C and iron.  Fiber and protein is about 2 grams per serving.

- Kim Fielding