This past winter we began roasting almost all our veggies.  We started out with potatoes and onions tossed in olive oil.  Then we added zucchini, which led to cherry tomatoes and eventually we got brave enough to add Brussels sprouts, a formerly avoided at all cost vegetable.  Had no idea these could be so amazing…. we actually ate Brussels 2-3 times a week for months.

As the leaves fall off and crisp up during roasting….they become what we fondly refer to as “Brussels chips.”  Our standard roasted veggie marinade also evolved: olive oil, Dijon mustard, fresh sage & thyme leaves, sea salt & fresh cracked pepper, and a pinch of cayenne.  Toss any combination of veggies of different colors and flavors, cut to different sizes, and roast them into dinner.

We now roast tomatoes before adding them to our tomato sauces.  We roast zucchini and add it to salsas.  Roasted butternut squash becomes sweetly caramelized.  And roasted cauliflower becomes nutty and mild.  Recently I was introduced to robust and flavored olive oils, when Shelby and I stumbled upon a wonderful Oil & Vinegars shop.  Roasted veggies have just been given a flavor boost.  You’ll find this roasted cauliflower eats more like a snack than a side dish….in fact it never makes it to our dinner platings.  Enjoy!

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Roasted Cauliflower

This makes a wonderful side dish. Ours didn’t last that long. We’ll call roasted cauliflower a fantastic low-carb snack.

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower trimmed to bite-sized florets discarding the bigger stalks.
• 2 – 3 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• 2 Tbl. grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line baking sheet with foil.
• Toss cauliflower florets in olive oil and salt.
• Roast for 25 – 30 minutes turning after 15 minutes.
• Take the time to individually turn the florets so that each piece has a chance to brown.
• Remove from oven and serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

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I’ve been visiting the local farmers’ market most weeks since it opened back in June.  It has made quite an evolution over these very short 8+ weeks.  What a treat to find these babies nestled in a basket at this week’s market.  Could it be fall is just around the corner?  I will be sad to see the summer produce go, but my fall recipe folder is exploding with ideas!!

Baked Acorn Squash just says LOVE to me.  Growing up I remember Baked Acorn Squash being served as a side dish.  I also remember eating every bite of it before ever being aware anything else was on my plate.  It’s hard to categorize it as a vegetable or side dish when it could easily be savored as dessert. When maple syrup meets brown sugar it’s reminiscent of the maple sugar candies we grew up on.  A visit back to New England wouldn’t be complete without finding these melt in your mouth treasures.

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Today I had the pleasure of cooking for my work family.  I believe if you’re going to call a mandatory meeting during the lunch hour, at minimum provide them a lunch made with love.  And so we did.  We had an Antipasto tray, Mexican Chicken Soup, Tomato Bread Salad, Caprese Salad, Melon Carpaccio, and Blueberry & Mango Quinoa Salad with Lemony Basil Vinaigrette.  We had planned to have fresh baked cookies for dessert.  Leftover lunch turned into 3 o’clock break snacks and cookies were declared ‘tomorrow’s’ treat.

We added fresh blueberries, ripe mango, cubed cucumbers, and dried cranberries to our salad.  You could change it up adding strawberries or pineapple or even fine diced jalapeno.

This dish is so summery light and delicious.  One of my co-workers said it best…this could be dessert.  The fresh herbs add just the right depth of flavor and the lemon combined with the fruit sweetness gives the salad a beautiful tart finish.  It was a hit, even for those of us who said “Quin-WHAT?”  And check out all the amazing health benefits quinoa has to offer….just a little bonus!

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Eggplant was the abundant ‘on sale’ item in the fridge today.  I had bought two varieties at the Farmers’ Market but had yet to come up with a plan.

While fresh picked eggplant is one of the most beautiful fruits of the garden, once cooked….is not always as good looking.  I did a quick Internet search for ‘pretty images’ of eggplant recipes and came across several for Baba Ghanoush.  I’d heard of it, maybe even enjoyed it in a restaurant, but certainly had not made it from scratch.  I decided to try the recipe by The Pioneer Woman and only adjusted it slightly to taste as she suggested.

The star ingredient is obviously the eggplant and the key to making her a headliner is roasting her whole.  The choice was the grill or under the broiler, we went with the broiler.  Most important step:  take a fork and prick the skin of each eggplant at least 10 times on both sides.  This allows the steam to escape while it’s cooking.  Roast on high about 4-6″ from broiler.  This where we underestimated the patience and length of time it would take to complete this dish.  Baba Ghanoush for our appetizer….nope, more like late dinner.  Plan on an hour at least….but know it is worth every minute!  So before we even talk about the other ingredients, get these babies under the broiler.

Ingredients…. Eggplant, Tahini (sesame paste found in a jar in the International isle of the super market), minced garlic, lemon juice, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, fresh chopped parsley, dash of cumin, sea salt to taste.

At first I checked on the eggplants about every 2-3 minutes, turning them over with thongs each time.  Note:  I have never put something under the broiler that didn’t go from zero to 60 in 10 seconds flat and I know you know what I’m talking about.  Apparently the skin of an eggplant can withstand some heat because it took quite a while before any bubbling black skin appeared.  Eventually I got up the courage to leave them unchecked for 5-7 minutes at a time, again turning them at each check point. Even when they seemed “done enough” I remembered the advice of Pioneer Woman and let them go another round.  You want them completely charred.

Once there, remove them from the oven, let cool slightly before going in.  To remove the roasted eggplant buttery goodness cut them in half and scoop out insides with a spoon.  Discard skins.  Put eggplant flesh in a medium bowl and mash with a fork. Combine with all other ingredients until well blended and season with salt to taste.  Don’t be afraid of the salt, we found it took a good bit to bring all the flavors together.  Serve with pita bread or chips.  If you like Hummus you will love this Mediterranean dip.  Next time I’ll just make it ahead.

The incredible flavors of this dish made it a must-post, however apologizies for the barely ‘pretty’ picture of the end result.  By the time the roasting was complete we had lost our natural light and consumed several cocktails.  Making Baba Ghanoush the perfect dinner!!

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Every booth at the Farmers’ Market yesterday was bursting with tomatoes and squash, and I just can’t say no.  I even tried to buy just 3 ears of corn and the lady next to me said who does that….get a dozen, I did.  So after visiting with 10 or so farmers, I had more than I could carry or possibly eat this week.  No worries, with an office full of veggie eaters we’ll just share the love.

I love any recipe that uses these great abundant seasonal ingredients and I especially love pretty recipes.  This one is both.

I try to use similar diameter squash and tomatoes so they line up nicely :)  And love, love, love our mandolin for thin slicing veggies!!

In large skillet, caramelize onions in olive oil until golden brown.  Then add minced garlic and thyme.  Pour onion mixture in the bottom of an oiled baking dish and sprinkle with chopped basil.

Make rows of alternating zucchini, summer squash, and tomato standing them almost on end as shown in picture.  Sprinkle top with sea salt & fresh cracked pepper, Parmesan cheese, and toasted bread crumbs.  Drizzle with olive oil and bake until veggies are tender.  Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.  You can definitely make this dish ahead, just wait to add the Parmesan and bread crumbs until just before baking.  The fresh herbs really make this dish.

Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer’s year – it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul.  ~Author Unknown

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Day old bread, heirloom tomatoes, red onion, shaved Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, oil & vinegar, salt & pepper.  Ta-done!!  Layers of flavor.  Thank you summer sun.

This Panzanella Salad is yet another great way to use summer’s luscious fruit….tomatoes.  In this case, heirloom tomatoes, grown locally for more than 50 years.  The growers at the Farmers’ Market are proud of all their produce, but their tomatoes make them sing.  They will tell you about their amazing smells, tender thin skins, sweet acidity, beautiful colors, and their names.  Sweet Millions, Green Zebra, Mister Stripey, Cherokee Purple, Early Girls, Brandywine…. We will continue to eat them every day for as long as we can find them.  Then next year, I’m going to learn how to ‘Can’ so we can continue to eat them in the off season too.

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Heirloom Tomato & Bread Salad {Panzanella}

Course Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Ingredients

• 3 cups 1-inch cubed day old crusty bread
• 2 cups diced heirloom tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs chopped (like lemony thyme, basil, and tarragon)
• 1/4 cup high quality olive oil
• 1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
• 1 garlic clove minced
• sea salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread bread cubes onto a baking sheet and toast in oven for 5-7 minutes until crunchy.
• Place bread cubes, diced tomatoes, red onion, shaved Parmesan and fresh herbs in a large bowl.
• Whisk olive oil, vinegar and garlic together then drizzle over salad. Only use a couple Tablespoons to begin. Toss salad and test for dressing. Add additional dressing if needed. Season salad with salt & pepper.
• Allow salad to sit for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

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Eggplant Parmesan is one of my most favorite Italian dishes, what’s not to love about something breaded, fried, and topped with melted cheese.  It’s also super simple to make.

I like to slice the eggplant a little thicker than some, about 3/8″ thick.  Then when you bread them you don’t loose the wonderful eggplant flavor.  Toss the slices in kosher salt and arrange in a single layer in a colander for 30-45 min. then dry completely with paper towels.  This draws out extra liquid from the eggplant.  Dip eggplant in flour, then egg, and then Italian bread crumbs before pan frying until crispy brown on both sides.  Drain on paper towels.

You’ll need about 1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce ~ we oven roasted cherry tomatoes in olive oil with fresh oregano and basil leaves, then added to sauteed onion, carrot, and garlic.

We also had a beautiful big tomato that needed to be eaten.  Sliced it, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, salt & pepper and broiled for a few minutes.

Layer in baking dish (see photo) ~ fried eggplant slice, fresh mozzarella slice, basil leaf, spoonful of tomato sauce or broiled tomato slice, and repeat.  Sprinkle dish with grated parmesan cheese and bake at 375 until cheese is bubbly and happy.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I feel like I need to say more, but eggplant is tricky to explain.  It’s meaty and buttery and kind of squashy and really happy when paired with tomato sauce and cheese.  How’s that?

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Eggplant Parmesan {with Roasted Tomatoes}

Eggplant parmesan is one of my most favorite Italian dishes, what’s not to love about something breaded, fried, and topped with melted cheese. It’s also super simple to make.

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 50 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 med. – lg. eggplant sliced 3/8″ thick
• 1 Tbl. kosher salt
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 lg. tomato sliced
• 2 Tbl. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 12 oz. fresh mozzarella
• 8-10 fresh basil
• 2 Tbl. Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Slice eggplant (3/8″ thick) and toss with salt.
• Arrange single layer in a colander for 30-45 min. then dry completely with paper towels.
• Prepare favorite tomato sauce.
• Slice tomato, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Then broil for 2-3 minutes.
• Dip eggplant slices in flour, then egg, then Italian bread crumbs.
• Pan fry until crispy brown on both sides.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Layer in baking dish ~ fried eggplant slice, fresh mozzarella slice, basil leaf, spoonful of tomato sauce or broiled tomato slice, and repeat.
• Sprinkle dish with grated parmesan cheese
• Bake until cheese is bubbly and happy, about 10 – 15 minutes.
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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Passion.  Someone once said to me “I’ve been trying to put my finger on it when people ask me to describe you.  And the word that comes to mind is passion.”  And so we will credit that very ‘passion’ with turning the discovery of National Watermelon Day into a full out watermelon event at work today.

I have the pleasure of working with the greatest group of people.  Over the years we have learned how to work hard while incorporating play into our days.  Today we played with watermelon.  That oh so lovely fruit, no wait vegetable, was the featured ingredient on our buffet.  We had Watermelon Black Bean and Corn Salsa, Watermelon Caprese Salad, Watermelon Infused Lemonade, Watermelon Cookies & Cupcakes, our mascot Turtlicious (hand carved by one of my many creative teammates), Watermelon Gazpacho & Tropical Watermelon Soup with Peach Purée.

One large seedless watermelon (not huge) yielded enough watermelon flesh to make two soups and 1 1/2 quarts of watermelon water for the lemonade infusion.  The Watermelon Gazpacho was savory and so fresh.  The layers of flavors kept us coming back for more.

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Tropical Watermelon Soup with Peach Purée

This soup could have easily been served in a glass and called a smoothie. It was cool, sweet and very refreshing.

Course Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the soup…

• flesh of one mango
• 2 cups pineapple chunks
• 6 strawberries
• 6 cups watermelon purée
• 2 Tbl. of honey or agave nectar

For the peach purée…

• 2 sweet Georgia peaches
• Fresh mint leaves for garnish.

Instructions

For the tropical watermelon soup…

• Combine the followng in a blender: flesh of one mango, 2 cups pineapple chunks, 6 strawberries, and enough watermelon purée to blend. Once smooth combine blender contents with 6 cups watermelon purée and 2 Tbl. of honey or agave nectar. Chill completely.

For the peach purée…

• Blend 2 sweet Georgia peaches until smooth, then strain through a medium mesh sieve.
• Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

I’d say we could be described as a passionate bunch.  Ah Watermelon, who knew you could be so much fun.

The post Watermelon Gazpacho & Tropical Watermelon Soup with Peach Purée {Share the Love} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

A family tradition seems to be forming here.  Sunday’s with Shelby.  I like it.  It’s a chance for me to dabble with recipes that will entice my kid to get out of bed and head my way.  She is becoming a wonderful cook herself and now brings us samples of her latest culinary creations.  Today we exchanged Quinoa Salad recipes. 

She was met with forks as she came through the door, her dish almost missed the photo shoot.

Her version was bursting with fresh summer veggies dressed with a lemon maple vinaigrette…..crisp and delicious.  She combined quinoa with lightly steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans.  Then added red pepper, cucumber, grape tomatoes, celery, onion, cilantro, and scallions.  Her dressing was a combination of maple syrup, lemon juice, a touch of Dijon mustard, garlic, olive oil, cayenne, salt & pepper.  This colorful dish had really great flavor combinations.  

My salad combined quinoa with strawberries, pineapple, roasted butternut squash, scallions, red onion, cilantro, lemony thyme, mint, toasted almonds, coconut, sunflower seeds, and oats.  The dressing was key lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, lemony thyme, sea salt & fresh cracked pepper.  I love quinoa.  I haven’t always, but now I do.  It begs you to add flavor and never complains about what you choose.  It’s a fantastic source of protein, fiber, and antioxidants. 

Here’s to you kid.  I can hardly wait until next Sunday.

The post Quinoa Salad with Fruits & Citrus ~ Quinoa Salad with Crisp Summer Veggies {Sundays with Shelby} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Tomatoes.

Using ingredients we have on-hand and turning them in to savory goodness makes me happy.  Cut tops off tomatoes and using a melon baller gently remove seeds.  Fill with prepared spinach artichoke dip.  Top with grated Parmesan cheese, sea salt & cracked pepper. 

Drizzle with olive oil.  Broil until tops begin to lightly brown and bubble.  Let stand for a few minutes before popping these beauties in your mouth.  Mmmm….love spinach artichoke dip. These are a super easy summer appetizer served with fingers or forks…

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