Weekend Cooking: 2 Easy Summer Recipes

I like eating out as much as the next guy. I mean, who doesn't like to try fancy dishes made with tricky techniques, being waited on, and letting someone else do the cleanup? As lovely as that is, after an entire week of eating out three meals a day, I am always ready to get back to my own kitchen.

All our meals this week were farmers' market inspired. We had a salad of Italian greens with fresh blueberries and a buttermilk-goat cheese dressing, ratatouille, grilled chicken with grilled fresh corn, and more salads. Have I told you lately how much I love summer?

Here are two winning recipes from this week's dinner menus, both featuring the best of the season. I made a couple of changes to the salad, which I mention in the recipe.

Tomato Salad with Feta and Pistachios (from Bon Appetit)
4 servings

• 3 tablespoons pistachios (I used cashews)
• 1 pound mixed tomatoes, some sliced, some cut into wedges
• 2 small cucumbers, sliced (I added this)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup Basic Lemon Vinaigrette (click link)
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus leaves for serving
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 350F. Toast pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet tossing once, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Let cool, then chop. (I toasted the cashews in a dry cast-iron skillet on the stovetop.)

Arrange tomatoes and cucumbers on a plate; season lightly with salt and pepper. Mix vinaigrette, 1/4 cup parsley, and two-thirds of the nuts in a small bowl. Drizzle over tomatoes. Top with feta and remaining parsley and nuts. (photo: Bon Appetit)

Tuscan-Style Quinoa (from Vegetarian Today)
4 servings

• 1 can (15.5 oz) cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3-4 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb
• 2 small zucchini, halved and sliced
• 2 cups diced yellow squash
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives

Puree the beans, vinegar, 2 teaspoons of oil, and 2 teaspoons of garlic in a food processor. Drizzle in the water, add the thyme and process until smooth.

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Stir in the basil after the grain has cooked.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fennel, zucchini, and yellow squash, and cook until softened, 8-9 minutes. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in the wine; simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in tomatoes and thyme.

To serve: place the quinoa on a platter, add the vegetable mixture, and scatter the olives over top. Pass the bean sauce at the table. (photo: Vegetarian Times)

NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.

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