Tomato Recipes

I'm taking a quick break from blogging about our week to post some recipes we've tried over the past couple of days. We have had a ton of tomatoes from our garden, so I've been making all kinds of tomatoe recipes. In addition to making these, I gave away two HUGE bowls worth of tomatoes because we couldn't eat them fast enough.

I made this tomato pie recipe that I found on Scissors and Spatulas. If you haven't been to her blog, you have to check it out, she always has the best craft ideas and recipes. I loved this dish!

Source: scissorsandspatulas.com via Samantha on Pinterest

I know I wrote about this on another post, but I wanted to include it in this post. We've actually had this twice in the past week. The first time I made it according to the recipe, but the second time I left out the shrimp and added 10 tomatoes instead of the 5 that the recipe calls for. I actually liked it better that way.

Source: realsimple.com via Samantha on Pinterest

I love this Orzo with Feta and Tomatoes from Rachel Ray. It's so simple and tasty. It would be good as a side dish, but we eat a bowl of it as an entree. It's really quick and easy to make. You should definitely try it.

Source: foodnetwork.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Grilled Jalapeño-Lime Corn on the Cob

This is another recipe I got from the July issue of Southern Living. I got several recipes from that issue, it was packed full of yummy recipes. I love corn, especially grilled corn on the cob. The recipe called for a jalapeno and cilantro which we were able to pick from our garden! I was so excited to finally get to use some fresh herbs and vegetables that I grew. I loved this dish, I thought the jalapeno-lime butter was delicious. Greg--not so much. He doesn't like grilled corn on the cob and he wasn't big on the cilantro flavor in the butter.

Grilled Jalapeno-Lime Corn on the Cob

Ingredients
8 ears fresh corn, husks removed
Vegetable cooking spray
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 small garlic clove, pressed
1 tablespoon lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
Garnish: lime zest

Preparation
1. Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Coat corn lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper. Grill corn, covered with grill lid, 15 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, stir together butter and next 5 ingredients. Remove corn from grill, and cut into thirds. Serve corn with butter mixture. Garnish, if desired.

Lightened Squash Casserole

I got this recipe out of the July issue of Southern Living. I love squash but I've never bought it or cooked it myself before. I figured this would be the perfect side dish for 4th of July. I loved it and so did Greg. He really surprised me, he said he'd like to have it again.

Lightened Squash Casserole

Ingredients

3 pounds yellow squash
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 cup grated carrots
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
1 (8-oz.) container light sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes cereal
1/2 cup crushed French fried onions
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut squash into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place in a Dutch oven. Add onion, 1 tsp. salt, and water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook 5 minutes; drain well, and pat squash dry with paper towels.

2. Stir together grated carrots, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl; fold in squash mixture. Spoon into a lightly greased 2-qt. oval baking dish.

3. Stir together cornflakes and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle over squash mixture.

4. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown, shielding with aluminum foil after 20 to 25 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Let stand 10 minutes before serving

Mondays Meals-Grilled Veggie Pasta Salad

Time for Monday's Meals again over on "A Love Worth Waiting For". This recipe is another Paula Deen recipe. I know, I know, I really need to try some other things, but I just love Paula Deen and I can always count on it turning out good. On Friday, I made Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad. I served it with grilled Italian chicken (chicken marinated in italian dressing overnight) and it was so delicious. Greg and I both loved it. It's one of my favorite recipes that I've tried in a while. After we got done, we cut up the leftover chicken and put it with the leftover salad and it was so good. So, this can be a delicious side dish or add some chicken and make it a main course. It's definitely something we'll be having again. We already had some tasty Vidalia Onion dressing that we got from Sam's Club, so we used that instead of the Paula Deen brand.

*And asparagus is in season now, so we got some at Sam's Club this weekend and I'll be trying a few new recipes with that this week that I'll post on here.

Paula Deen's Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

Ingredients
1 lb penne pasta, cooked until firm to the bite **I used wheat pasta**
2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges
1 lb asparagus spears, trimmed
1 sweet green bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut in half
2 sweet red peppers, cored, seeded and cut in half
1 1/4 cup Paula Deen Vidalia Onion Peppercorn Dressing
10 leaves of fresh basil, stacked, rolled and cut into very thin strips
salt to taste

Directions
In a square baking dish toss vegetables with 1 Cup of the Paula Deen Vidalia Onion Peppercorn Dressing and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
While vegetables are marinating, cook pasta until firm to the bite and heat outdoor grill until medium hot.
Working in batches, grill the peppers, asparagus and onion about 3 minutes per side until grill marks appear but vegetables are still firm.
Remove the vegetables from the grill and cool slightly until you can cut the peppers, asparagus and onions into large pieces.
In large bowl or on serving platter, toss together the cooked pasta, grilled vegetable pieces, and tomatoes and remaining 1/4 cup dressing. Toss in basil. Serve room temperature.

Southwestern Corn Salad

I tried this salad because it looked so fresh and delicious in the picture. It's good, but it had a strong lime flavor. I think the dressing needed something else, but I'm not sure what. I also think it could use some chopped onion and some tomato.
***AFTER I ORIGINALLY POSTED THIS, I HAD SOME OF THIS SALAD LEFTOVER AND IT WAS DELICIOUS, THE STRONG LIME FLAVOR WAS TONED DOWN A LITTLE AND IT TASTED FRESH. I WOULD SUGGEST REFRIGERATING THIS DISH FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS BEFORE EATING IT***

Southwestern Corn Salad
Points: 2
Servings: 8

* 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 1/2 teaspoon salt'
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 can white corn
* 1 1/4 cup of chopped green pepper, red pepper and yellow pepper
* 1/3 cup sliced green onion
* 1 diced peeled avocado
* 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and mince


1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add black beans and remaining ingredients; toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.