Happy Farmer’s Market Day! – Glenyce’s Greek Salad
Saturday is farmer’s market day, and my new routine is to pop by after my aerobics class in the morning. I really appreciate the fresh grown fruits and vegetables, and this time of year cucumbers and tomatoes just can’t be beat. So this week I headed to the market to find ingredients for a Greek Salad.
I’m calling this Glenyce’s Greek Salad because my Mom has been telling me what a great salad this is all week and she shared with me the ingredients that need to go in it. Her name is Glenyce. 🙂 She didn’t give me quantities because she says it depends on what you like. But here’s how I made mine. It was delish!
Thanks to Christopher Farms in Lathrop, MO for growing the delicious cherry tomatoes and cucumbers.
Here’s what you’ll need:
2 cups diced cucumber
2 cups diced tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup pitted black olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Handful of fresh chopped basil
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon
Sprinkle dried oregano
Place cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, feta cheese and basil in a large bowl.
In small container mix together salad dressing ingredients and toss together with salad ingredients according to taste. This should be more dressing than you need.
And voila! A light healthy meal for a hot summer day! 🙂
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Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
This one’s a keeper!! I just found another easy and delicious recipe that’s sure to be a trusty favorite for years to come! My Mom recently found an amazing vegetarian cookbook called The Vegetarian Slow Cooker. It has tons of great recipes including this one for Lentil Shepherd’s Pie–definitely worth trying!
It could be made in the oven I’m sure, but I’m a sucker for crockpot recipes. To make cracked peppercorns, place peppercorns in a baggie and smash them with a rolling pin.
This recipe was adapted from Judith Finlayson’s Lentil Shepherd’s Pie recipe in The Vegetarian Slow Cooker. As always I added extra veggies–you can never have too many veggies, and I added parmesan cheese to the potato topping. I also added the Worchester sauce and paprika. Be sure to use vegetarian Worchestershire sauce as the regular stuff has anchovies in it.
I hope you like it!
Makes approximately 6 servings.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 tbsp oil
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 2/3 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup peas
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorns
1/4 tsp paprika
Shake of Vegetarian Worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils, rinsed
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (unsalted)
1 cup water
Topping
4 cups mashed potatoes (approx 6 medium)
1 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp butter (optional)
Splash of milk (optional)
Parmesan cheese to taste (optional)
In a large pot cook onions, celery and carrots in oil from about 7 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
Add thyme, peppercorns, paprika and worchester sauce and cook for another minute.
Add lentils and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
Transfer to crockpot and add vegetable broth, water, corn and peas. Stir together, cover, and cook for 3-6 hours or until lentils are tender. I cooked mine for 6 hours on high but I think my crockpot may not be typical of all crockpots. The original recipe called for 3 hours on low or 6 hours on high.
Boil the potatoes, then mash the potatoes and add bread crumbs, butter, milk and parmesan cheese. Mix together well. I like to leave the skins on my potatoes to maintain the nutrients.
Once lentils are soft, add the potato topping to the top of the mixture and cover and cook for another hour.
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Tuscan Bean Salad
Here’s a delicious salad that’s light and yet hearty. Just like soups are great in winter, salads are perfect for summer. I could eat a whole meal of different salads. I often go into Whole Foods just to look at their salad bar and get ideas of cool salads to make.
This is one my friend Nadine brought to dinner one night while I was home visiting in Canada recently. She picked it up at the grocery store so I analyzed it to see if I could re-create it! 🙂
I hope you enjoy it.
Makes about 4 servings.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1/2 diced yellow bell pepper
1/2 diced green bell pepper
1/2 diced red bell pepper
1/2 diced orange bell pepper
3/4 cup barley (I cooked 1/2 cup uncooked which made 1-3/4 cups cooked and froze the extra)
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup black eyed peas
1/2 cup chick peas
1/2 cup diced celery
Handful of chopped chives (approx. 1/4 cup)
Handful of chopped cilantro
Dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp water
1 tsp dijon mustard
Dressing recipe from Anne Lindsay’s Lighthearted Everyday Cooking
Place all ingredients in large bowl.
Whisk together salad dressing.
Mix together all ingredients adding salad dressing to taste.
Serve as a complete meal or a side.
Veggie Yogi 