summertime recipes | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Category: summertime recipes
- Summer Salad with Blueberries, Strawberries, Pecans and Blue Cheese
  
  Posted at 10:09 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Aug 16th
  My favorite summertime salads are easy, fresh, and flavorful. I love adding blueberries and strawberries to a salad capturing the freshness of summer fruits. Rich, pungent blue cheese and a tangy lemon vinaigrette enhance the flavor.
  
  Salad
  
  2 cups salad greens, I used Spring mix
  
  1/2 cup fresh blueberries
  
  1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
  
  1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans
  
  1/2 cup blue cheese
  
  Lemon Vinaigrette
  
  1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  
  2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  
  1 teaspoon sugar
  
  1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  
  1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
  
  3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
  Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  
  Place salad greens on a large plate. Top with blueberries, strawberries, pecans, and blue cheese. Serve with lemon vinaigrette.
  
  Lemon Vinaigrette
  
  In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, mustard, and fine sea salt, whisking until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil in a slow stream, constantly whisking until the dressing is well blended. Season with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. If desired, whisk in the remaining oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly. DO AHEAD: The vinaigrette can be prepared ahead and refrigerated, in an airtight container, up to 3 days.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in BLUEBERRY, Easy recipes, Farm Fresh Produce, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, Salad, summertime recipes, Vegetarian | Tagged blueberries, strawberries, summer salad
- Hummus Dip with Tobbouleh, Feta, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Tzatziki
  
  Posted at 10:00 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Aug 12th
  Easy summertime entertaining is my philosophy for summer parties. I love to put together easy to make ahead dishes so I can relax and enjoy my guests. During the summertime with abundant produce at Framer’s markets, I just love creating delicious healthy food. Keep all the intendants my hummus dip ready for an impromptu get together or to bring to friends home for a barbecue.
  
  Hummus Dip with Tobbouleh, Feta, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and Tzatziki
  
  1 container prepared Hummus*, I like garlic
  
  1/2 cup prepared Tabbouleh Salad*
  
  1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
  
  1/4 cup chopped English cucumber
  
  1/4 cup chopped feta
  
  1/4 cup prepared Tzatziki*
  
  sliced tomatoes and cucumbers for garnish
  
  Mound hummus on serving plate. Top with tabbouleh, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, feta, then drizzle with tzatziki. Garnish with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Refrigerate. Serve with pita bread or crackers.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  * I use Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods brand for the hummus, Tabbouleh, and Tzatziki.
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  Posted in Appetizer, entertaining, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, summertime recipes | Tagged feta, hummus, Tabbouleh, Tzatziki
- Grilled Summer Vegetables
  
  Posted at 1:42 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Aug 8th
  My town like many towns has a wonderful weekly farmer’s market each week where local farms sell fresh produce. Beautiful ripe heirloom tomatoes glistening with morning dew, the deepest aubergine eggplant, plump zucchini along with a red, orange, and yellow peppers just beckoning to be grilled.
  
  3 red peppers
  
  3 orange peppers
  
  3 yellow peppers
  
  2 large eggplants
  
  2 large zucchinis
  
  1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  
  1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper
  
  1/2 cup olive oil
  
  1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  
  1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
  
  1 tablespoon fresh french thyme, finely chopped
  
  Remove stems and seeds from peppers then slice in quarters. Slice eggplant and zucchini horizontally. Place vegetables in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, basil, and thyme. Pour over vegetables then toss. Let sit for 30 minutes to marinate flavors. Preheat grill. Grill vegetables turning every five minutes until tender. Arrange on a platter. Serve at room temperature. You can grill a day ahead and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Appetizer, Easy recipes, Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, Mediterranean diet, summertime recipes, vegan, Vegetables | Tagged Easy recipe, farm fresh veggies, grilling veggies, healthy side dishes
- Lucious Nectarine and Blueberry Pie
  
  Posted at 8:08 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jun 26th
  I love to bake, and making pies is a favorite of mine. Luscious ripe seasonal fruit makes the most delectable pies. Who can resist a delicious piece of pie with vanilla ice cream, simple but oh so good! I especially love the combination of nectarine and blueberries. I made my own pie crust, and the recipe follows. But for a quick and easy pie, you can buy the refrigerated pie crust. I like the Pillsbury brand. Don’t be intimidated by a homemade pie crust; the more you practice, the better you become. If time is an issue, you can make the pie crust the day before and refrigerate overnight, then just roll out the dough the next day, add the filling, bake, and in no time, you have a wonderful homemade pie.
  
  And don’t forget an enormous scope of vanilla ice cream.
  
  Pie Crust
  
  Makes 2 crusts
  
  3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  
  2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 ” cubes
  
  1/4 cup vegetable shortening
  
  1 Tbsp. Plus 1 tsp. sugar
  
  1 Tbsp. salt
  
  Process flour, butter, vegetable shortening, sugar, and salt in a food processor until butter is crumbly, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl. Gradually add 3/4 cups ice water, using a folk stir mixture until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  
  Filling
  
  6 large ripe nectarines(halved, pitted, and sliced 1/2-inch thick)
  
  1-pint blueberries washed and picked over
  
  3/4 cups sugar
  
  3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
  
  2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  
  1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
  
  Glaze;
  
  1 egg
  
  1 Tsp. milk
  
  1 Tsp. sugar(for sprinkling)
  
  Heat oven to 425 F and adjust rack to lower to the middle position. In a large bowl, toss nectarines, blueberries, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Set aside for 15 minutes.
  
  Divide dough into two balls, one slightly larger. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger pastry ball into a circle about 2 inches larger than the 9-inch pie plate. Line pie plate with pastry, trim edge leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill the pie plate with the fruit. Roll out the smaller pastry ball for the top crust. Place on top of the fruit pie. Trim pastry edge leaving an inch overhang. Fold overhang under, then bring up over the pie-plate rim, pinch to form fluted edges. Brush top with some of the egg glaze. Make a few decorative slits in the top and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake for 40 minutes. Then brush again with remaining egg glaze, sprinkle sugar, and bake for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before serving.
  
  I serve with my favorite vanilla ice cream Breyers!
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Pie, summertime recipes | Tagged Bryers Ice cream, Pie, summertime pies
- Farm Fresh Grilled Vegetables
  
  Posted at 10:00 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jun 20th
  My town like many towns has a wonderful weekly farmer’s market each week where local farms sell fresh produce. Beautiful ripe heirloom tomatoes glistening with morning dew, the deepest aubergine eggplant, plump zucchini along with a red, orange, and yellow peppers just beckoning to be grilled.
  
  3 red peppers
  
  3 orange peppers
  
  3 yellow peppers
  
  2 large eggplants
  
  2 large zucchinis
  
  1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  
  1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper
  
  1/2 cup olive oil
  
  1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  
  1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
  
  1 tablespoon fresh french thyme, finely chopped
  
  Remove stems and seeds from peppers then slice in quarters. Slice eggplant and zucchini horizontally. Place vegetables in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, basil, and thyme. Pour over vegetables then toss. Let sit for 30 minutes to marinate flavors. Preheat grill. Grill vegetables turning every five minutes until tender. Arrange on a platter. Serve at room temperature. You can grill a day ahead and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Barbecue, vegetables,easy,, Farm Fresh Produce, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, summertime recipes, vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged Easy recipe, farm fresh, Father's day, Grilled vegetables
- Chickpea Salad with Radishes and Cucumbers
  
  Posted at 8:53 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jun 2nd
  Easy summer salads, especially healthy salads are a perfect addition for light summer meals. Chickpeas are loaded with health benefits and I love to add them to salads just as I would tomatoes or any veggie.
  
  Chickpeas can take center stage when paired with cucumbers and radishes as in my Chickpea salad. And isn’t wonderful that radishes are making a comeback, those red and white spicey veggies add wonderful flavor to any recipe.
  
  The special ingredient that gives the salad it’s unique taste is tahini which is made from ground sesame seeds. Tahini is a middle eastern food staple and used to make hummus.
  
  Chickpea Salad with Radishes and Cucumbers
  
  2 cans Goya low salt chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  
  1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
  
  5 radishes, chopped
  
  1 medium cucumber
  
  1/4 cup olive oil
  
  2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  
  1 tablespoon tahini sauce
  
  1 teaspoon garlic powder
  
  1 teaspoon oregano
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  1/4 teaspoon pepper
  
  Place chickpeas, scallions, radishes, and cucumbers in a medium serving bowl.
  
  In a small bowl combine oil, vinegar, tahini sauce, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour over chickpeas and vegetables. Toss to combine. Chill for one hour before serving.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, Salad, summertime recipes, vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged Chickpeas, cucumbers, Goya, radishes, salad, tahini
- No-Cook Puttanesca Sauce with Spaghetti
  
  Posted at 5:07 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Aug 31st
  The history behind the name of this pasta is quite interesting. As the story goes the dish Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca (“spaghetti in the style of a prostitute” in Italian”.) originated in the mid-twenty century in the seaport of Naples. The prostitutes of the city would make this dish and place on their window sill, where the aromatic scent lured sailors for their services. Whether that is true or not there is no denying this flavorful sauce has over the years attracted many devotees. My sauce is a no-cook version with the original is a simmered sauce served with pasta. I love making this easy recipe in the summer and serve with a crisp salad, fresh Italian bread, and dry white wine.
  
  No-Cook Puttanesca Sauce with Spaghetti
  
  2 beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 lb.), halved crosswise, seeds removed
  
  2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  
  1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  
  3 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped (optional)
  
  2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
  
  1½ cups cherry tomatoes halved
  
  1 cup Kalamata or Castelvetrano olives, pitted and halved
  
  2 Tbsp. drained capers
  
  ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  
  12 oz. spaghetti
  
  ¼ cup finely chopped basil
  
  3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  
  Pulse beefsteak tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, anchovy fillets, and 2 tsp. salt in a food processor until smooth; transfer sauce to a large bowl and mix in cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, and ¼ cup oil.
  
  Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid.
  
  Add pasta, parsley, and butter to the sauce. Toss vigorously with tongs, adding a splash of pasta cooking liquid or more as needed to create an emulsified sauce that coats the pasta. Divide among bowls and drizzle with more oil.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Easy recipes, pasta, summertime recipes, vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged Easy recipes, pasta, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
- Sweet and Sour Oriental Coleslaw
  
  Posted at 10:00 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jul 21st
  An easy and delicious summer salad that is just a little different take on a classic Coleslaw. I just keep adding and adding more tasty ingredients to make this dish even better.
  
  Sweet and Sour Oriental Coleslaw
  
  1 package(14 oz) Dole Classic Coleslaw
  
  8 oz bean sprouts
  
  1 bunch scallions, sliced thin
  
  1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
  
  2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
  
  1 can pineapple chunks in pineapple juice, drained reserve juice
  
  1/2 cup olive oil
  
  1/4 cup rice vinegar
  
  1 package of Ramen Noodles Oriental Flavor
  
  Combine Coleslaw, sprouts, scallions, almonds, sesame seeds, and pineapple in a large bowl.
  
  Mix oil, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice and Ramen Noodle flavoring package in a small bowl.
  
  Pour over Coleslaw, tossing until coated. Crush ramen noodles until in small pieces; add to salad and toss again.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  Check out my other recipes!
  
  Gooddinnermrsmellen.com
  
  Buzzchomp.com
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  Posted in Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Salad, summertime recipes, vegan
- Summertime Pies
  
  Posted at 9:51 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jul 20th
  To say I love to make pies is a true understatement. I am obsessed with pies, especially summertime pies using the most succulent fresh fruits and berries. A hot bubbly pie fresh from the oven, the juices overflowing, dripping down the sides of the pie plate, I can’t think of a better dessert to serve family and friends. Oh, did I mention a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top? Simple pleasures, so perfect!
  
  I learned to bake from my mother, Helen, who is ninety-seven years old. She loves to bake and shared her passion with me. I remember, at first watching her make pie dough, combining the ingredients, then she would roll out the dough, and line a pie plate. My favorite part was the mixing of the fruits with sugar and spices and then pour into the dough-lined dish. Next, she would meticulously top with the remaining dough and crimp the edges together. My mother would make vents in the top of the pie, and finish with a brush egg yoke then the pie was ready for the oven.
  
  Here are a few of my favorite pie recipes:
  
  LUSCIOUS NECTARINE BLUEBERRY PIE
  
  Luscious Nectarine Blueberry Pie
  
  BLUEBERRY PIE
  
  Fabulous All American Blueberry Pie
  
  PEACH PIE IN PUFF PASTRY
  
  Fresh Summer Peach Pie in Puff Pastry
  
  PEACH SCHNAPPS PIE WITH STREUSEL TOPPING
  
  Peach Schnapps Pie with Streusel Topping
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Pie, summertime recipes | Tagged BLUBERRY PIE, BLUEBERRY-NECTARINE PIE, Peach Pie
- Moroccan Couscous and Orange Salad
  
  Posted at 10:59 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jul 4th
  I just love fresh delicious summer salads, that sing with taste. So wonderful to use fresh fruits and vegetables to add interest and color to a summer salad. I enjoy all different types of food and I especially like to use seasoning from all over the world to punch up the flavor of a salad. I started experimenting with Couscous and Moroccan spices and simply loved this salad. It’s like sunlight in a bowl!
  
  Moroccan Couscous and Orange Salad
  
  1 cup couscous
  
  1/2 cup dried cranberries
  
  1 cup boiling water
  
  1 large orange or yellow bell pepper cut into bite-size slices
  
  1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced, just the white part
  
  1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  
  1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  
  1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
  1 16 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  
  1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  
  3 tablespoon olive oil
  
  3 tablespoon white vinegar
  
  juice of one navel orange
  
  one navel orange, peeled and sliced into bite-size pieces
  
  Place couscous and cranberries in a medium bowl. Add boiling water, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for about 5 minutes or until water is completely absorbed.
  
  Add the next seven ingredients to couscous and cranberries mix thoroughly.
  
  Whisk oil, vinegar and orange juice together. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Add cut orange.
  
  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, summertime recipes, Vegetarian | Tagged couscous, easy, healthy recipe, July 4th, Moroccan spices
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