Category: Side Dishes (Page 6 of 8)

Enjoying the Vitality of Homegrown Tomatoes

September 10, 2014 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 3 Comments

Sometimes, when I am in need of an energy boost, and I don’t want to overdo it on the caffeine, I turn to red foods. According the “The Complete Book of Color” by Suzy Chiazzari, red foods give us energy and strength. Lucky for me, there are lots of ripe, juicy, red tomatoes around my house right now. My husband’s parents are growing some delicious tomatoes this year, and they are generously letting us share in their bounty. When a tomato is really fresh and tasty, it does not need a lot of preparation. Tomatoes and basil are a traditionally great combination, and we happen to have a lot of basil growing in our garden. So to prepare an energizing snack, I went out in the warm, soft rain and picked a bunch of basil. Then I chopped two medium-sized ripe tomatoes and a handful of the basil, and put them in a bowl. I added two teaspoons of olive oil and one teaspoon of balsamic vinegar to the bowl. (I am a huge fan of balsamic vinegar, and look for any chance I can get to use it.) I put in a tiny pinch of sugar and a generous pinch of salt to the bowl, stirred it all together, and had a delicious, revitalizing tomato salad. To make it more filling, I put the tomato-basil mixture on crackers. If you are looking for a way to use your tomatoes and need an energy boost, this is a great way to do it!

Green Gazpacho and the Goodness of Green

August 27, 2014 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 10 Comments

Every year, I look forward to making gazpacho. It is the perfect summer soup–refreshing and so healthy! The recipe I posted below is based on a recipe from Mollie Katzen’s “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest.” Most of my recipes on this blog are modified and substituted so much over the years to fit my tastes that they have become my own recipes. But this recipe has very little changes from the original, so I feel I should give Mollie Katzen credit for creating such a delicious gazpacho recipe. It becomes such a lovely shade of green and has so many wonderful green vegetables and herbs in it, that I can feel the good energy going through my body as I am eating this soup. Green food is so cleansing and life-giving. It brings to mind a quote by Goethe: “All theory, dear friends, is gray, but the golden tree of life springs ever green.” And summer is the best time to eat green vegetables that are fresh and full of vitamins and minerals. Another reason I want to share this recipe is that just recently two of my friends have mentioned that their tomatoes are not ripening as quickly as usual this year. This gazpacho is a great way to use green tomatoes. I have made this recipe with ripe, red tomatoes as well, and it tastes just as great. The only difference is that the color is not as beautiful as the green–it becomes more of a dull orange. But if you only have ripe tomatoes, it is still delicious! Also, I love the effect of the avocado in this recipe. It gives the soup a creamy richness that some gazpacho recipes do not have. If you are looking for a way to use your tomatoes and want to give your body some great green energy, try this green gazpacho.

Recipe for Green Gazpacho

August 27, 2014 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 0 Comments

Green Gazpacho

Time: 15-20 minutes, plus time to chill
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Ingredients:

3 green tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
a handful of parsley
a handful of cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 medium avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup cold water
black pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine everything in a large bowl, and stir together. Pour the ingredients from bowl bit by bit into a blender or food processor, and blend until quite smooth. Transfer to a container with a lid and chill until soup is very cold. Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream. Eat as a light meal or use as a side dish to a summer meal. Enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from Mollie Katzen’s “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest.”