This spinach salad with strawberries is seasoned with a delicious homemade sauce, made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and a little jam. A perfect summer salad!
Spinach Salad with Strawberries
Ingredients
Salad
- 200 g baby spinach
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 100 g strawberries
Dressing
- 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp jam (strawberry, raspberry, apricot)
- 1-2 pinches paprika (optional)
- Some sliced almonds or walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- In the bowl, combine the spinach, red onion and strawberries.
- In the jar, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, jam and paprika, to make a smooth sauce.
- Drizzle the salad with dressing and serve immediately.
- If you want, you can add some almonds or other roasted nuts.
Roasted Sweet Mini Peppers
Mini Bell Peppers look so cute and perfect and tastes delicious, either roasted or raw. Normally, I’m not a big fan of bell pepper, but can’t say “NO” to this colorful bag with sweet mini bell peppers. These mini peppers add flavor and texture to a variety of dishes. You can serve it hot or cold, with meat or fish, or just eat it as a snack.
Roasted Sweet Mini Peppers
Ingredients
- 600 g mini bell peppers
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- some olive oil
- some green onion or any fresh herbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the stems off the mini peppers, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut the half peppers into the strips. Spread the mini peppers onto the baking sheet, coat it with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove mini peppers from the oven and garnish with fresh herbs before serving.
Appetizer Shishito Peppers
You can find shishito peppers in your favorite grocery store. Prepare this super quick recipe in no time and your guests will love this delicious appetizer.
Did you know that 1 in 10 shishito peppers are really spicy?
Appetizer Shishito peppers
Ingredients
- 6 oz Shishito peppers
- a bit of olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a saute pan heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the shishito peppers and stir for 1-2 minutes, heating them up until they blister. Add salt and black pepper.
- Place the peppers on a paper towel to remove excess oil and serve.
Vegetable Tian
This is not a ratatouille, it is a “tian!” I often have to correct my guests when they ask me if this is a ratatouille. 😉
Tian is a french recipe of baked vegetables made with alternating rows of sliced eggplant, tomato, onion and zucchini. A tian itself is an earthenware dish that goes from the oven to table. Everything baked in this dish is called tian.
Vegetable Tian
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 7 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 eggplant
- 1-2 zucchini
- 1-2 summer squash
- 5 tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp herbs de provence
Instructions
- Peel and cut the onion into half moons. Peel and cut the garlic into 2-4 pieces.
- In a medium skillet heat 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil until hot, add onion and sauté until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Spread the cooked onion on the bottom of a baking dish.
- Cut zucchini and summer squash into 1/4 inch slices.
- Cut the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices.
- Core and cut tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.
- Arrange the zucchini, eggplant, squash and tomatoes in alternating rows. Continue until the baking dish is filled.
- Sprinkle the vegetables with salt, pepper, Herbs de Provence and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and golden. If the vegetables are not ready, but the top is starting to burn, cover the tian with aluminum foil.
Sautéed Zucchini
Finely sliced zucchini, sautéed in a pan with olive oil and garlic. In this recipe, they are seasoned with salt, pepper, and freshly pressed lemon juice. Add your favorite fresh herbs before serving.
Sautéed Zucchini
Ingredients
- 4 zucchini
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- Some fresh parsley (dill or mint)
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini into thin slices.
- Peel and chop the garlic.
- In a large pan, heat the oil. Add the zucchini and sauté them for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and continue to sauté for about 3 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Salt, pepper, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Powder with fresh herbs before serving.
Cheese and Garlic Stuffed Tomatoes
You can serve this Cheese and garlic stuffed tomatoes as a starter or as a salad.
Cheese and Garlic Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 18 large cherry tomatoes
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 cup grated cheese american, cheddar, etc.
- fresh herbs chives, parsley, basil leaves
- 2-3 Tbs mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut off the top of cherry tomatoes. Keep the tops for presentation.
- Using a small spoon, scoop out the insides of the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes upside-down on a paper towel.
- Remove juice and seeds from the pulp. Mince the pulp.
- Press garlic using a garlic press. Mix the cheese and garlic together.
- Add mayonnaise, finely chopped herbs and tomato pulp. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
- Using a spoon, add cheese filling to the tomatoes and place the tops back on top of your cherry tomatoes.
- Refrigerate tomatoes before serving.
Tomato Rounds With Garlic & Cheese
It’s a super simple and fantastic 10 minutes appetizers, that I could eat a plateful. And when it comes to cheese, you are the boss. You can choose any hard/firm cheese that you like, as long as you’ll be able to grate it.
Tomato Rounds With Garlic & Cheese
Ingredients
- 4-6 tomatoes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to aste
- 1 clove garlic
- 100 g hard cheese
- some olive oil (optional)
- some fresh herbs parsley, green onion, dill,
Instructions
- Wash and cut the tomatoes into circles and layer them on the plater. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper to taste.
- Grate garlic, using microplane, sprinkle it on top of the tomatoes. Using the same microplane shred the cheese. Evenly layer on top of the tomatoes.
- Drizzle with some olive oil and garnish with fresh herbs.
Cucumber Tomato & Green Onion Salad
Looking for a “quick” salad to make? This cucumber and tomato salad is not just fast and easy salad to make, it is also a great summer side dish that goes perfectly with fish, potato, rice, omelet or just by itself.
Cucumber tomato & green onion salad
Ingredients
- 1-2 cucumber sliced
- 5-6 tomatoes quartered
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Some green onions chopped
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
Instructions
- In the bowl, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, garlic, green onion, salt and pepper. Add the sour cream and gently toss. Serve right away.
Oven Roasted Eggplant Cubes
It doesn’t take much time to roast an eggplant in the oven, all you have to do is: cut it, salt it, drizzle with some lemon juice and olive oil, toss it and mix it couple of times while it is cooking. You can serve it by itself or as a main dish, with meat or fish. It tastes even better next day: perfect for lunch or picnic.
Oven Roasted Eggplant Cubes
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplant
- 1/2 lemon (juice only)
- 1 bulb garlic
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 6 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley or cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to its hottest setting,typically around 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and turn on the broil. Cut the eggplant into 1-2 inch cubes. Transfer them to a baking sheet and spread out into a single layer.
- Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.
- Peel garlic and smash it with a heavy knife.
- Add garlic and pepper, give it a good mix with spatula or your hand.
- Place a rack on top of your oven and cook the eggplant cubes for 10 minutes. Carefully take the eggplant out and stir it with a spatula. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Taste the eggplant. Cook for another 5 minutes if needed.
- Remove the eggplant from the oven. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve hot or room temperature.
Pickled Cabbage
For my version of pickled cabbage, cabbage and carrots are marinated with vinegar. This is an easy recipe and ready to eat the next day!
Pickled Cabbage
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb cabbage
- 3-4 carrots
- 1 head of garlic
- 4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup 6% vinegar
Instructions
- Cut, core and shred cabbage finely.
- Peel the carrots and grate.
- Peel the garlic and cut each clove into 4 pieces.
- Place vegetables in a mason jar.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, boil water with salt, sugar and olive oil. Remove from the heat and add vinegar.
- Pour hot marinade over the cabbage and let it cool completely.
- Cover with tight lid and store it in the refrigerator. Cabbage will be ready in 12 hours.
