Thayer in the Kitchen

In my last box from my CSA farm, I got a lovely head of broccoli.  I happened to find this interesting recipe on the internet.  The herb garden on my deck is doing very well and I was able to get enough basil to make the soup.  I served the soup warm.  I think it would also be tasty at room temperature or chilled. 2 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil 1 cup chopped walnuts 2 medium yellow onion (about 1/2 cup) roughly chopped 1/4 teaspoon salt 3-4 cups fresh broccoli roughly chopped 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 4 small cloves of garlic, peeled  2 cups loosely packed basil leaves juice of 1 small lemon Freshly ground pepper Shaved Parmesan cheese (optional) Warm the oil and saute the onions, walnuts, and salt until the onions are tender.  Add the broccoli and the broth.  Bring the broth to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer until the broccoli is crisp-tender or about 10 minutes.  Let cool slightly and then b...

In the summer we seem to get inundated with cucumbers.  This is another good way to use some of them.  It makes a good first course for a meal or a light lunch. Soup 1 medium cucumber peeled and seeded (about 11 ounces) 2 cups plain Greek style yogurt 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt pepper to taste Puree the cucumber, yogurt, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Garnish or Salad Topping 16 grape tomatoes cut in quarters or about 1 cup of chopped tomatoes 1 small cucumber, peeled and diced 1/2 cup either fresh or frozen (defrosted) corn kernels 2 green onions, sliced thinly 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon sunflower or olive oil salt and pepper 1/4 cup slivered fresh basil leaves Combine.  Top each bowl of soup with some of the salad topping. Adapted from The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet by Barbara Rolls

This is a delicious main dish pie to make with some of your summer tomato bounty.  Unless you have very good tomatoes don't bother to make the pie.  I used two heirloom tomatoes from our CSA box which were quite large and filled the pie shell. 1 single 9-inch pie crust   (I used a frozen pie shell from Whole Foods which was very good)                                    2-3 tomatoes, sliced (about 1 1/4#)                                     1 teaspoon salt 2- 3 cloves garlic, minced               ...

I found this great salad in my travels through recipe trolling on the web.  There is a salad dressing recipe provided on the web page that I have not tried.  Here is a link to the original recipe which includes a picture: http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2011/07/tricias-delicious-summer-berry-salad/ Large bowl of mixed salad greens or butter leaf lettuce if available 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large 1 cup strawberries, sliced 1 cup blueberries 1 cup raspberries 2 scallions (red or green) thinly sliced 1/2 cup blue cheese, chopped or crumbled 1/2-1 cup roasted pecans (recipe below) Pecans 1 cup pecan halves 2 teaspoons sunflower oil 1/2 teaspoon sea salt Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Combine nuts, oil and salt.  Bake for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally or until deep golden brown.  Check at around 20 minutes to make sure the nuts are not getting too dark.  Remove from oven and cool. Assemble salad and use Annie's Raspberry Vinai...

This is a very simple salad that is worth making.  Arthur said this one has to go on your blog.  "It would convince someone who thought they didn't like quinoa to reconsider it."  I didn't make the dressing because I didn't have any fresh basil.  Next time I'm going to try the salad with the lemon basil dressing.  I used some of Annie's Raspberry Vinaigrette as a substitute. First cook the quinoa: 1 cup quinoa (rinse thoroughly if the package does not say it has been prerinsed) 2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt Place the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked.  Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork.  Let it cool it to room temperature. Fruits and Vegetables: 1 cup fresh blueberries 1 cup cubed ripe mango 1 cup diced cucumbers 2 tablespoons dried cranberries 1/4 cups pecans (optional) Add desired dressing to the quinoa, next...

If you are ever fortunate enough to have leftover grilled salmon, this is the recipe for you.  We had a dinner party with a Pacific Northwest Cuisine as the theme.  One of the guests grilled wild salmon on cedar planks.  Fabulous!  There was some leftover and this the recipe I used it in. Ingredients 1/2 pound pasta (the original recipe called for whole wheat spaghetti which I didn't have--I substituted imported Italian rotini) 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2-1# cooked salmon (use the amount you have available) 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 3 tablespoons capers 1 lemon, zested 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves Directions Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to a ...

This is a fabulous salad!  You can change it to suit your tastes.  I've already adapted it from the original recipe which I found on The Food Reference Website. 2 cups diced smoked chicken (more or less is OK) 3/4 cups diced celery, diced 1/4 inch (I used 2 stalks) 1 small-medium diced sweet onion, diced 1/4 inch (original recipe called for over 1 cup which I thought was excessive) 1 cup chopped dried tart cherries (I didn't bother to chop them) 3/4 cups toasted pecan pieces (I didn't have time to toast them--they were fine without) 1/4 cup minced fresh basil--this is essential 1 cup mayonnaise (can be light) 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice 1/2 teaspoon fresh orange peel 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground Combine chicken, celery, onion, cherries, and pecans.  Make the dressing separately and add to the chicken mixture--basil, mayonnaise, orange juice, orange peel, and pepper; stir gently until combined.  If it isn'...

This recipe makes an excellent dish for brunch.  I made it this morning when we got home from the farmers' market.  We got lovely tomatoes in our CSA box as well as basil.  I have mint growing in pots on my deck.  The finished dish was very pretty to look at and I'm sorry I didn't take a picture, but we were hungry.  Try it yourself and see what I mean! 6 eggs Salt and pepper 2 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint 3-4 chopped green onions 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled 1 medium-large tomato, sliced Preheat the broiler.  Beat the eggs with the water, salt, pepper, herbs and green onions.  Use a large ovenproof skillet and heat the olive oil.  Pour in the egg mixture and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Lift the edges of the omelet and let the runny part flow over the edge of the eggs to cook.  Its OK if the omelet isn't completely cooked on t...

This is a delicious easy to make summer soup with tons of great flavor. 1 cup finely chopped onion 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3-4 cloves garlic, minced 28 ounces canned, crushed tomatoes, preferably organic 1- 1 1/2 cups water 3 cups fresh corn kernels cut from the cob, or 3 cups frozen sweet corn, preferably organic Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 cup finely chopped fresh basil (this has to be fresh--if it isn't available skip the soup until you have some) 1. Saute the onions in the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until they just begin to brown. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute, stirring constantly. 2. Pour in the tomatoes and cook covered for abut 5 minutes. 3. Add the water and corn to the soup and cook until the corn is soft and the kernels lose their raw taste, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the basil, mix well, remove from heat, and serve immediately.   Adapted from Dr. Weil.co...

I got home later last night because I went to a jewelry party with my daughter, Victoria. They had a lot of snacks at the party, but I decided I better make some food for Arthur since I didn't cook either Monday or Tuesday nights. I went out to dinner for SLA (Special Libraries Association) functions both evenings. Plus I need to get busy using our veggies. We also belong to a fruit CSA called Future Fruit. We get delicious organic apples, pears and plums from this farm. I had some ripe pears so I decided to make a salad with celeriac, pears and hazelnuts from a recipe in our HVF newsletter. It was good (not fabulous). Celeriac Pear Salad Creamy Dijon Dressing 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon honey 1/2 teaspoon table salt 3 tablespoons canola oil 3 tablespoons sour cream or more if needed In medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, honey, and salt. Whisk inoil in slow, steady stream. Add sour cream; whisk to combine. ...