End of Summer Recipes

For those of us living in the US, we will be celebrating Labor Day on Monday.  Crazy, I know!

Anyone having that New Year’s Day to Labor Day blur??? 

I sure am.  My kids are now back at school, and I can’t help but think of all we did for fun this summer. Beach, baseball games, hiking, carnivals, pool,  lots of Rita’s ice cream … I can’t think of one thing on the fun list that we didn’t get to do.

Since Labor Day marks  the end of summer,  I always try to soak up the last ray of sun (with using my 30 SPF non-toxic sunscreen of course!)  and dip in the pool as much as possible.   I try to get every last drop of summer  before the weather shifts into the fall chill.

So before we leave summer behind, get all you can out of the abundant summer bounty with these delish recipes (think peppers, corn, tomatoes!). These dishes are great for that last cook out, too.

Tomato and Nectarine Salad

(I couldn’t make this fast enough! I had to fend off my 9 year old, Kate, from picking at the tomatoes…gobbling this salad up!)

Ingredients:

1 lb.  (4 cups chunked) of heirloom tomatoes (use a combo of cherry tomatoes, and a variety of tomatoes like the ones I used:  Garden Peach, Early Girl and Black Krim)

2 nectarines, peeled and cut into wedges (you can use more of these if you wish for more tangy taste)

4 green onions (1/4 cup), white and most of green parts sliced

2 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar

2 tsp. of maple syrup

1/2 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce (I used the vegetarian)

1/4 cup of basil leaves, shredded

Sea salt and ground pepper

Directions

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and core the larger tomatoes and cut into wedges (1/4 inch is good).  Place the tomatoes in a large bowl and add the nectarines and green onions.  In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, syrup, and sauce with a fork.  Pour the liquid over the tomato mixture.  Add the basil and toss together.  Season with sea salt and pepper.  Eat up!

Serves 4

*You can replace the nectarines with clementines like I did.  I used 4 of them.

 Grilled Stuffed Peppers

(This is a spin off  from the Quinoa Stuffed Peppers from Renewal Detox)

Ingredients:

Grilled Peppers:

1 cup of cooked quinoa (make ahead of time according to package directions or use rice cooker)

4 red bell peppers (or you can use orange and yellow too!)

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Corn:

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion (1 cup),diced

1 Tbsp. of  Earth Balance butter

2 cups of corn kernels (you can shuck the fresh corn on the cob or buy frozen corn if in a hurry)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. of lime juice

1 Tbsp. of parsley, chopped

Directions:

Place bell peppers on the heated grill and cook for 15 minutes or until there are some blackened places on the pepper.  Transfer to plate and cover with foil while you make the corn.

To make the corn, heat oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for 5 minutes.  Add Earth Balance, corn and garlic.  Cook for another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice and parsley.

In the meantime, remove peppers from foil, and cut in half. Place in a baking dish and spoon in the quinoa and then top with corn mixture into each half. When you are ready to serve, transfer the stuffed pepper treat onto a plate. Season with sea salt and pepper.  Eat up!

Serves 4

*I just thought of this;  you can add a topping of Daiya cheese, too.

How do you plan to spend your last summer days?

One Comment on “End of Summer Recipes”

  1. Pingback: Weekend Walkabout | A Mother Far from Home

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