Farro and White Wheat Berry Greek Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts and Feta

We eat a lot of one-bowl salads/meals.  They are quick to put together and you can add all sorts of grains, vegetables and herbs to vary the mix.

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Farro and White Wheat Berry Greek Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts and Feta

Makes 8 servings

• 1 cup (dry) Farro
• 1 cup (dry) Soft White Wheat Berries
• ½  tsp Sea Salt

Several hours ahead or the night before, soak the farro and wheat berries in a bowl of water, to cover.  Drain, place in saucepan and cover the grains with water, about two inches over the top of the grain.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender but still firm, al denté.  Drain and allow to cool.

Thai Basil fresh from my garden

Heirloom Hillbilly variety Tomatoes from my garden

Fresh Parsley from my patio herb pot

Vinaigrette:

• ¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
• Juice from one Lemon
• Zest from one Lemon
• 1 TB Oregano, dried
• 4 TB Parsley leaves, rough chop
• 4 TB Basil leaves, rough chop
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp ground Pepper
• 2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Set aside while you prepare the salad

Salad:

• 1 red Bell Pepper, diced
• 3 small Persian Cucumbers, diced
• 2 large Tomatoes, diced in large chunks
• ¼ of a large Red Onion, minced
• Cooked Grains
• Feta Cheese and Toasted Pine Nuts (optional)

Toss all ingredients together in the bowl of Vinaigrette.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.  Keep in mind that tomatoes taste best when room temperature.
 **Add a bit of Feta Cheese and Toasted Pine Nuts to each serving.  I forgot to take the photo after I plated.  The crunch of the nuts and the tangy, saltiness of the feta is a perfect addition.

ENJOY!

Eggplant Casserole or Red, White, and Blue/Black Casserole

We have been very lucky this year to have an abundance of eggplant growing in the garden. What better way to use it than in this delicious recipe.

Eggplant Casserole or Red, White and Blue/Black Casserole

This recipe is based on one from The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash.  I have taken some liberty and used a fresh Manchego cheese instead of the Mozzarella called for in the original recipe.  Manchego is a delicious Spanish cheese made from sheep's milk.  Fresh Manchego cheese is only aged about two weeks, which keeps it smooth and buttery. If you can't find Manchego, use Mozzarella.

Makes 8 servings

• 2 medium Eggplants (about 1 ½ pounds total)
• 3-4 Red Tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium Yellow Onions (about 3 cups)
• ¼  tsp. ground black pepper
• ½ cup fresh Basil, slice thinly (chiffonade)
• 6-8 ounces fresh Manchego Cheese
• ¼ cup Olive Oil

1.   Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, then slice into half-moon shaped slices, about ½ inches thick.  Salt and drain for 30 minutes.

2.   While the eggplants are draining, cut the onion into fine slices. Mince the garlic and sauté both in a small amount of the olive oil until lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

3.   Dry each eggplant slice with paper towels to remove excess salt and moisture.

4.   Heat skillet over medium-high heat, and coat with olive oil. Fry each eggplant slice on both sides until just lightly browned. This step will help save time in the baking process. Eggplant takes a long time to bake if you don’t do this step.

5.   Slice the tomatoes in half and slice again to resemble half-moons.  Slice the Manchego cheese in the same way.

6.   In a rectangular casserole about 2 inches deep, spread half of the cooked onion and half of the sliced basil.

7.   Begin with the eggplant and stand up the slices at the narrow end of the casserole, then add sliced cheese and the tomatoes.  I press this firmly as I go to keep them together. Repeat this process until the dish is full.

8.   Top the casserole with the remaining cooked onions and sliced basil, spreading evenly.  Drizzle with any remaining olive oil. Top with some freshly ground black pepper.

9.   Cover the casserole with aluminum foil, and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

From Garden to Freezer, Tomatoes and Stuffed Summer Squash,

We bought a used 21 cu ft freezer at an estate sale several weeks ago for $150.00.  I have it pretty full already with tomatoes and summer squash.  I did make some great summer squash enchiladas and put some of those in here too.

It is not well organized yet; I have been so busy with tomatoes that as soon as I have it ready to freeze I just find a spot and shove it in!  When we first bought the freezer Tony went out and bought 4 huge bags of ice just to help fill it.  Now I need the space, but it has come in handy when I am peeling tomatoes.  I use the ice to cool the tomatoes down.  So far I have only used 1/2 bag.  Oh well, lavender lemonade can not be far off.

Here is how I roast my tomatoes, Roasting and Freezing Tomatoes

Summer Squash (roasted) and Tomato Juice in bags

Summer Squash Enchiladas in the containers.

Homemade Salsa, and Tortillas from Vallarta Market, fresh then I froze them.  The tall ziplock bag is full of onions that I chopped then put in small 1 cup serving size bags.  This is a great way to store a lot of onions when they come in.  I do the same thing for celery, when it is on sale I buy a few and chopped them, then freeze.

This years onion harvest.

The entire bottom basket of the freezer is full of roasted summer squash, and I also grated some and froze raw for breads and muffins.

The two top bags are from two jars that cracked after I froze them.  I didn't leave enough head space.  Live and learn, I know to leave at least and inch but maybe the jars were too old.  The cracks were clean so I just removed the glass and rinsed off the frozen tomatoes and then put in the Food saver bags.  I think the jars are stewed tomatoes or could be more salsa.

I also froze a bunch of baked, stuffed scallop and patty pan squash.

I will use the roasted summer squash for sandwiches like this come fall and winter.

I also froze some raw zucchini patties. You can find the recipe on this blog.

Roasted summer squash will come in handy this fall and winter when my Arugula is growing again.

Well, I am off to make some PESTO!  My plants of ready to pick and that means more goodies for the freezer.

Purple Petra Basil

Genovese Basil

Large Leaf Italian Basil