Hello!
This week’s newsletter is all about using up garden produce. If you have a garden, there’s probably a lot to keep up with this time of year. We don’t currently have a good vegetable garden but we have neighbors who are leaving bags of cucumbers, peppers, basil and tomatoes on our porch so I know there’s too much to keep up with! And if you don’t have a garden, I hope you find a recipe here that inspires a visit to a local farm stand to use some of the delicious summer produce.
Quick Links
frittata // bruschetta // breakfast tacos // ratatouille, polenta // agua fresca
Weeknight Meals
You can really use whichever vegetables you have on hand with this, just keep to the quantities in the recipe. I also really like feta in a frittata because it provides a sharp contrast to the rest of the flavors. If you swap the cheddar for feta, I would also skip the fresh rosemary.
Sometimes I feel silly for including a recipe for something as obvious as tomato bruschetta in this newsletter, but when you have fresh and juicy tomatoes there is honestly no better thing to eat. I also appreciate the specifics of this recipe: draining the juices from the tomatoes and making a garlicky oil. If you wanted to make this a full vegetarian meal, I love adding a can of white beans to marinate with the tomatoes and fresh mozzarella on top.
Breakfast Tacos with salsa verde
A perfect meal any time of day. Our neighbor gave us a lot of peppers from his garden this week so I sauteed some peppers and onions to add to mine. Black beans would also be great. These are so delicious and flexible with whatever you have or don’t have. And homemade salsa is always a huge upgrade.
Weekend Meal
Ratatouille and Fresh Corn Polenta
This ratatouille ends up looking just like the one from the movie Ratatouille and it also ends up defined and not mushy like the dish can be if it’s more of a stew. You can eat this with bread or pasta but I especially love it with polenta. Fresh corn polenta is a little more work but the corn flavor really comes through and it’s a beautiful, bright yellow. It’s a lovely summer dinner.
Treat of the Week
Very refreshing and unexpected. We left out the lemongrass and didn’t miss it at all. We have heaps of mint growing in our yard so it’s fun to use a little to make a very tasty drink.
Something to Listen to
Some of my favorite audiobooks lately: The Rachel Incident, Tom Lake, The Secret Book of Flora Lea, Wannabe and I’m currently listening to Warrior Girl Unearthed and it’s so good! Nothing like a good audiobook to make me look forward to doing a little dinner prep.
Have a delightful week!
Emily