SANDRA’S SUMMER CUCUMBER-ONION-RED BELL PEPPER SALAD

A wonderful refreshing, light and healthy

summertime salad that’s a great

accompaniment to any barbecue or main dish... 

Servings: (4)

Prep: 10 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

1 cucumber, peeled, cut in quarters lengthwise, then into ½” chunks

½ small yellow onion, thinly sliced

½ red bell pepper, cut into ½” pieces

¼ teaspoon freshly chopped oregano (or 1/8 teaspoon dried)

1 teaspoon freshly chopped sweet basil (or ½ teaspoon dried)

1 tablespon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Add all ingredients to a small glass/ceramic (non-reactive) bowl, and toss to combine.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes prior to serving to allow flavors to meld.  Toss a final time, and serve. ~ Enjoy!

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Tip:  I made this salad with what I had on hand today, although feel free to also include fresh tomato wedges and kalamata olives if you wish, just increase the amount of red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and herbs, accordingly.

SANDRA’S MEYER LEMON STIR-FRY CHICKEN over STEAMED RICE

I created this recipe using Meyer Lemons
grown on my indoor dwarf citrus tree.

Servings: (4)

Prep: 10 Mins. |
Cook: 15 Mins.
(+ Time to steam rice)

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

1 meyer lemon, zested, and juiced

1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1” strips

1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms

1 cup diagonally sliced carrots, ¼” thick

1 cup diagonally sliced red bell pepper, ¼” thick

½ cup diagonally sliced onion, ¼” thick

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chopped, fresh parsley

--Prepared steamed brown rice

METHOD

(Prepare steamed rice, so it is ready when stir-fry is completed.)

Grate 1 teaspoon meyer lemon zest and set aside.

My Lovely Indoor-Grown
Meyer Lemons

Juice the meyer lemon and whisk 3 tablespoons of juice with broth, soy sauce, honey, and cornstarch in a small bowl. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate with tongs.

Add carrots to pan and saute for 1 minute.  Add mushrooms, and bell pepper, and onions to the pan and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, reserved lemon zest, pepper, and reserved chicken and accumulated juices; saute, until fragrant for about 1 minute.

Whisk the broth mixture, and add to pan; stirring, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.  Serve stir-fry over brown steamed rice, and sprinkle with parsley.  Enjoy!

SANDRA'S ORGANIC RUSTIC ROASTED VEGETABLES

A healthy method in which to prepare 
an abundance of fresh organic veggies...

Servings: (4)

Prep: 5 mins. |
Roast: 20 to 30 mins.
Posted by Sandra

Please do not cut vegetables any smaller than the size listed, as they tend to shrink while roasting. Also, don’t skimp on the olive oil or you'll end up with dried out veggies.

INGREDIENTS

1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1” pieces
1 orange bell pepper, cut into 1” pieces
1 red onion, cut into 1” pieces
1 green chili, de-seeded and de-ribbed, and cut in 1” pieces
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1 small clove of garlic, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons of italian parsley, chopped

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil, and set aside.

Toss the cut vegetables with the olive oil, garlic, kosher salt, and pepper in a large ziploc bag, mixing to coat, and place on prepared baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until browned but ensure to retain a bit of crispiness to them – be sure to turn vegetables midway through cooking process for even cooking.

Remove from oven, and sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately ~ Enjoy!


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Tip: You can also barbeque these vegetables in a heatproof grilling basket (the type that has holes in it) for the same amount of cooking time. These roasted vegetables are also a nice addition to many soups, pizzas, salads, pasta, rice, couscous, orzo, and so on.

SANDRA'S GO-TO GREEK SALAD

It just doesn't get better than this -
this is a salad that I often crave...

Servings: (6)
Prep Time: 10 min |
Stand Time: 30 min

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

***Salad
· 1 hothouse cucumber, (unpeeled) cut in half, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
· 1 red bell pepper, large-diced
· 1 yellow bell pepper, large-diced
· 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
· 1/2 red onion, sliced in half, and julienned
· 2 TB crumbled feta cheese:
(Sprinkle cheese on top just before serving)
· 1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted and halved

***Vinaigrette
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 teaspoon dried oregano
· 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
· 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
· 1/2 cup good olive oil
· 1 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Place the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, olives and red onion in a medium bowl.

For the vinaigrette whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables.

Sprinkling feta on top (do not toss). Set aside for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld at room temperature, and serve.

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Variation: Roast just the vegetables tossed with olive oil for 20 minutes at 400 degrees in oven.