Black bean & corn salsa

 Ingredients:

1 ear corn, cut off the cob
1 can black beans, drained
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 -3 TBL chopped cilantro
1 TBL olive oil (optional)
1 TBL white balsamic vinegar (optional)
juice of 2 limes
1 TBL honey
salt, pepper


Combine ingredients.  Refrigerate for awhile so flavors can marry.

Fresh honey is my secret ingredient when using tomatoes!

Zucchini & tomato bake

When summer's abundance of zucchini is at it's peak, this will help answer the question of "What do I do with all this zucchini?!"

Ingredients:
3 small zucchini, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, sliced
approx 15 grape tomatoes
1/2 pkg cream cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup feta
3 eggs
1 tsp tarragon (dried)
1 tsp thyme (dried)
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)
1TBL olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Add sliced zucchini and onion.  Saute until zucchini just starts to turn translucent, about 5-8 minutes.  In a food processor, mix cream cheese and eggs.  Pour into a bowl and add Parmesan and feta.  Mix well and add spices, lemon juice, zest and agave nectar.  Spray a 9X12 baking dish with non stick spray and layer zucchini & onions, and tomatoes.  Pour egg mixture over all and top with mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool before cutting.

Broccoli stir fry

This was so easy and quick!  I already had the spaghetti noodles cooked and in the frig.  

Ingredients:

16 oz. spaghetti

2 TB olive oil, for saute

1 bag pre-cut broccoli

1 red pepper, diced

1-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled, smashed, and rough chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed, and rough chopped

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

1 TB toasted sesame oil

6 scallion, sliced on the diagonal (for cuteness)

2-3 TB sliced almonds

2 TB sesame seeds

Directions:

Cook spaghetti according to directions on the box.  Steam broccoli for 3-5 minutes, or just until it changes color and is still crisp and set aside.  While spaghetti is cooking, bring chicken broth to a boil and add honey.  When the honey had dissolved, add the teriyaki sauce and sesame oil and reduce to simmer.  In a small skillet, heat olive oil and saute ginger, peppers, and garlic for a few minutes.  Add garlic mixture to chicken broth pan and give it a couple of good stirs.  If you like your sauce thick, you can add a little cornstarch to thicken it.  If not, plate up your noodles and top with broccoli and sauce.  Garnish with almonds and/or sesame seeds and scallions.  You could also toast the sesame seeds first in a dry skillet to bring out the flavor.  Delish!

Corn casserole

This is such a great side dish!   If you love corn, this is right up your alley!  It's easy and delicious.

Ingredients:

2 cans creamed corn

1/2 stick butter, melted

1 egg

1 box Jiffy corn bread mix

2/3 cup sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a 2QT casserole dish with nonstick spray.  Mix all ingredients, pour into casserole dish, and bake for 45-55 min.   Y-U-M!