Summer Vegetables Five Ways

As I was going through my refrigerator this afternoon, I realized I had a ton of gardeny goodness to use up. I don’t really like feeding all those nutrients to the compost bin! After I put it together, I felt like a genius and just had to share. Right now my tummy is smiling and I deserve a square of dark chocolate and a glass of wine for being so clever.

I just started dicing and throwing ingredients into my big yellow bowl. Here’s what I came up with:

 

Summer Vegetables Five Ways

3-4 large tomatoes or 2 pints cherry tomatoes

1 red pepper                 

1 green pepper

2-3 jalapenos

3 stalks celery

1 med. cucumber

1/2 small red onion or 4 scallions

3 cloves garlic or garlic scapes

1 med. zucchini

Juice of 1 lemon or 2 limes

Pinch sea salt

2 handfuls baby kale, julienned

Handful cilantro, chopped, or ¼ c oregano, ¼ c. fresh parsley and ¼ c. fresh basil for an Italian flavor

Chop all the vegetables and herbs by hand or in a food processor. Combine in a big bowl with the salt and citrus juice and let stand at room temperature or in the fridge for several hours.

1.       Salsa-prepare as above and serve with chips and crudite

2.       Bruschetta-serve as above on toasted rustic bread (may want to use a slotted spoon to drain off some of the liquid.

3.       Serve as above over pasta.

4.       Gazpacho-puree half the mixture in a blender, add back into original mixture and serve with sour cream garnish

5.       Juice/Smoothie-place mixture in a blender or juicer, add tabasco sauce, if desired.

 Are we healthy or what?