Friday, May 27, 2011

Seasonal Food Friday - Week Five



Hello friends!  Welcome to the fifth installment of Seasonal Food Friday! Got a bit of a late start today. I've been a bit under the weather the past few days, but I'm doing a little better today. This week I'm featuring Grilled Veggies! Grilling veggies is a great way to work with the bountiful offerings of this summer's Farmer's Markets. They can be fantastic side or even main dishes for those hot nights of summer when you don't want to be bogged down by a heavy meal.
One of my good blog friends mentioned last week that she wasn't much of a meat eater and asked if I had any recipes along those lines. Well, it got me thinking about the fact that I do tend to be a bit heavy on the carnivorous side when it comes to the recipes I post, and frankly, it's not like the hubbers and I eat meat dishes 7 days a week. So, after this brief video from Kraft Foods, I'll give you some basic ideas for a couple of delicious and satisfying meat free Summer meals.

I'm giving an extra special shout out this week to Holly, from A Life-Size Catholic Blog who was my inspiration for this weeks Seasonal Food Friday recipes! I hope Holly (and of course everyone else) enjoys them!


So.... On to the recipes!



Grilled Vegetable Flatbread Pizza
You can make your own flatbread dough or purchase your favorite flatbread from your local bakery or grocery store.  If you've never done it before, making your own Flatbread is not as difficult as you might think. Once these are made these or you've purchased your favorite store brand, it's a snap to put these pizzas together.

If you've ever made those old college stand-bys, "English Muffin Pizzas", then you've already got a bit of experience! LOL Plus, it's a great activity to share with the kiddies! To start out, I'll give you the "finished" pizza recipe and then I'll give you the recipe for the flatbread itself.  These pizzas can be baked in your oven, or cooked on your grill!
  • 1 Naan Recipe or 2 Lg Store bought Flatbreads
  • 3-4 Cups **Assorted Grilled Vegetables
  • 12-16 oz of Crumbled Goat Cheese, Crumbled Feta or Shredded Mozzarella or Jack Cheese
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Small bunches of Basil. Thyme, Oregano or a favorite herb, chopped or torn into small pieces
** Assorted Grilled Vegetables:  My favorites for grilling are Red and Green Bell Peppers, Zucchini, Yellow Summer Squash, Portabello Mushrooms, Red Onion, Eggplant, (the smaller Japanese style is fantastic!) and I even grill up my tomatoes.  I use the Roma or Plum Style Tomatoes because they are firm, have fewer seeds and less water content. Just slice them lengthwise and lay them on some paper towels to drain for about 30 minutes before brushing them with your marinade. They are soooo delicious!

Make/Grill your flatbreads ahead of time and set them aside, or purchase them at the store. After grilling your Vegetables, drizzle them with a little olive oil and set aside. You can grill up your veggies up to 2 days ahead. Just cover and refrigerate until you're ready to use them.

Using any or all of the ingredients above, layer your toppings on the pre-baked flatbreads (I recommend finishing with the cheese on top) and either pop them onto your grill and cook over a medium heat with the lid on OR, in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the Vegetables and Flatbread are heated through.
Let them rest for about 4 or 5 minutes before cutting them into squares and serving.  You can add so many different vegetables or fresh herbs that the possible combinations are endless! Be creative!  Let the kids pick their favorite toppings and add them to the Flatbreads themselves before cooking.
*** Flatbread recipe follows at the end of this post.

Next......


Grilled Vegetable Pasta (served either hot or chilled as a salad - You can't go wrong!)
  • 1 Lb of your favorite Pasta (Radiatori, Gamelli, Fusilli, and Farfalle work great)
  • 2 Cups Assorted Grilled Vegetables, chopped coarsely
  • 1/4 Cup Red or White Wine Vinegar
  • 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 Tbls Chopped Fresh Herbs or 2-3 Tsp Dried Italian Seasoning
  • 8 oz Cubed Cheese, such as Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Fontina, or Crumbled Feta
  • 1/2 Cup Black Olives, pitted & sliced OR any other Olives like Kalamata, Nicoise or Jumbo Green
  • 2 Tbls Capers, rinsed and drained
Cook and drain your pasta. (see package instructions) Drizzle the hot pasta with a couple of teaspoons of Light Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil to keep it from sticking together as it cools. Put it in a large mixing bowl and set it aside. In a small bowl or jar with a tight lid, mix your Olive Oil, Vinegar and Herbs and add a few pinches of Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste. (for a really fresh summery taste, you can replace 1/2 of the vinegar with fresh squeezed lemon juice)

Toss your Grilled Vegetables in with your Pasta, along with the Olives and Capers. (these are optional - if you or the kiddos don't care for either one or both, just leave them out) If you're making this several hours ahead of time to serve as a cold Pasta Salad, cover and refrigerate without your Dressing or your Cheese until about 15 minutes before serving. If you're serving it right away (either hot or at room temperature


Naan (Flatbread)
(courtesy of allrecipes.com)
  •  1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1/8 cup white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
               
Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
               
During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
               
At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Enjoy!

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22 comments:

  1. After posting my own article, I zipped over to my blog feeds to see what’s up, and low-and-behold, Mrs. B has already granted my special request—now that’s service!

    My mouth is watering just looking at these photos. Did you know today was my grocery shopping day? Whole Foods Market will be happy to see me. I now have a list a mile long. ~Thanks Mrs. B~

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  2. Oh my goodness, those recipes all look divine. I am trying to go with a few more meatless days at home during the week, and you just totally helped me! Tanks for sharing them.

    Dropping by from Follow Friday 40 and Over. I hope you can stop by and say hello.

    http://enroutetolife.blogspot.com/

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  3. GREAT POST!!!
    I LOVE grilled veggie!!!
    Became a follower come by and visit, love visitors.

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  4. These recipes just scream YUMMY!!! I am a big vege eater and often roast them in the oven...must try yours tho.

    xo

    Jo

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  5. so many inspiring ideas today on your post!!!
    Difficult to chose...easy to get hungry!!! :)

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  6. I LOVE grilled vegetables, but I seldom think to make them. Perhaps because my husband is the Grillmaster in this household and while he does beef, chicken and seafood -- even paella, he doesn't often do vegetables. These pictures are making my mouth water, so I'm sending him the link. Perhaps this weekend he'll give it a try.

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  7. I absolutely love grilled vegetables. These recipes look yummy! Thanks for sharing.

    Jane
    frugalfineliving.com

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  8. We love grilled veggies. Last year we discovered we like eggplant, when we grew the small Japanese kind in our garden -- who knew it was so delicious? We loved it every way we cooked it, but grilled was one of the yummiest. I have never made flat bread but would like to try it. Thanks for sharing all the great ideas. :)

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  9. Thanks for visiting my blog! I adore grilled vegetables and your pasta dish sounds perfect!

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  10. After your lovely comment on our blog I had to come and visit you - I am so pleased I did. You are my heroine! A woman who can cook and posts fabulous recipes. Hubby will be so pleased if I can reproduce some of these (I'll take notes of them after I have written this). I am known to be somewhat inept in the kitchen.
    Thank you from Hubby as now he may get some tasty food to eat and thank you from me.
    Lovely to meet you - I am successfully following you in spite of GFC's best efforts to thwart me. (Ha-I may be old but I'm wiley!)
    Warm wishes from a grey and miserable UK
    Carol from
    http://fortifyingyoufifties.blogspot.com
    and
    www.facing50withhumour.blogspot.com - the blog that gives you laughter lines!

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  11. Holly: Glad to accomodate any requests here! I'm sure your dinner was great! You'll have to let me know what you made. (Doesn't have to be one of my recipes!)I wish we had Whole Foods here... I've shopped there when I was in other cities and I love that place!

    Kalea: So glad I could help! Thanks for stopping by! I'll be by to visit you too!

    Heart N Soul: Thanks so much for coming by and following! I'll be sure to drop in soon!

    Jo: I actually crave veggies when I haven't had them in a couple of days! I'm also a big fan of roasting them. It brings out so much of their flavor. Grilling does the same thing. You'll have to let me now if you give the grill a try!

    MomInRome: Thanks! I'm happy to be of service! I take requests too! LOL!!

    Pattie: Mr B is very much the GrillMaster around here too! He scoffed a bit when I first threw veggies into the mix but he fell in love with them prepared that way, so it's never a problem now!

    Jane: You're very welcome! Thanks so much for popping in! There is so much you can do with veggies when they're grilled, but even just along side a piece of grilled chicken or a steak, they rock!

    Lynn: Isn't it amazing how tender and flavorful the Japanese Eggplant is? It's one of our absolute favorites. I think you'll really like the flatbread too. If you do make it, I'd love to know if it's a hit!

    Pam: You're welcome! Thanks for returning the visit! To me, pasta mixed with just about anything is a winner! Love those carbs as much as I love the veggies!

    FG: You're very welcome! Glad you came by! Hope you stop by often!

    Facing 50 & Fortifying: Thanks so much for such a lovely comment. I'd be honored to help out in any way that I can. If you ever have any questions or requests, just leave a comment or feel free to email me! I'd be thrilled to do what I can.

    I managed to follow you as well, in spite of that nasty old GFC... I laughed right out loud perusing both blogs! You and your Hubby are just a joy! Welcome aboard! It's lovely to meet you too!

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  12. Everything looks so delicious. I'm in to grilled veggies these days! That pizza looks incredible! ~Delores

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  13. Thanks for stopping. My blog comments and followers have been sketchy for several days. I hope they're back to stay.
    Your veggies look scrumpt-dilly- ocious. That pasta is mighty appealing too. Pasta time is upon us.
    Have a wonderful patriotic holiday

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  14. I wanted to give you a heads up about something I’m working on … I’ve been so thrilled with all the new friends, great blogs, and wonderful posts I’ve read over the past 8 months (my shot but rewarding blogging career), that I wanted to show an expression of my luv and admiration. Plus, I thought you might be feeling the same way—wanting to spread the luv! Check out the idea at my blog: http://alife-sizecatholicblog.blogspot.com/p/pay-it-forward.html I hope you like it! PS. We had the grilled veggie pizza--yum! (not the homemade pita, maybe next time.)xoxo

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  15. Hi there! Visiting from the FNF bloghop. Awesome blog! I love your veggie flatbread recipe ;) I am a new follower ;) Please stop by Diaper Style Memoirs and follow back :) Check out and enter the amazing Honeycup Giveaway while you're there!

    Inessa
    Diaper Style Memoirs

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  16. I amke my own pizza dough every over week (freeze half for the next week). Now you have me pondering grilling it. Yum!

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  17. New public follower here from Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop. Nice blog. I would appreciate you following back http://talesfrommyjournal.blogspot.com I would also appreciate if you would like me in facebook http://www.facebook.com/DeniseMartin.LillaRose and in twitter @DeniseLillaRose. I always follow back. Just leave me a note so I know you stopped by.

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  18. OMGosh YUM!!
    Lovin’ your blog!
    Hiya! Newest follower from The Follow Friday Over 40 Hop-- please stop by and say hello! Would love if ya followed back!
    ♥cyn♥
    The Purple Goddess

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  19. How absolutely perfect for warm weather! Those vegetables are colorful, festive, delicious, nutritious ... sigh ... :)

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  20. I saved the recipe it looks scrumptious.

    I am your newest GFC. I am following you via the Memorial Day Finding New Friends Weekend blog Hop. Please stop by my blog and say hello.

    http://itsabouttimemamaw.blogspot.com/

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  21. This is my kind of food! Can I come to your house for dinner one day? : )

    I never thought of making pizza on naan before, but we do Boboli, english muffins, bagels, and pita bread. Pizza is good no matter what!

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