Suddenly it’s Summer! After a long, beautiful spring, who expected it to become so hot so fast? And who wants to cook over a hot stove when the temperature is 100°? At Harvest Home, we discovered a great summer meal maker: Pasta salad. Changing the dressing makes the new meal. Add what you want to change the taste: any delicious really, fresh veggies from our markets. A cool, refreshing taste, nutrition you need, & minutes in the kitchen! Even mix in left-over cooked chicken or a can of tuna.
Here’s a basic Pasta Salad with tuna and a simple dressing
8 ounces small shells pasta, or your favorite bite-size pasta
7 ounces canned albacore white tuna, packed in water , drained
2 ribs celery , chopped
1/4 cup red onion , chopped
1 cup fresh peas (sugar snaps or regular) Frozen if you can’t find fresh
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
dried dill weed , to taste, optional
salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
Now have some fun: Add chopped carrots, sliced cucumber, cropped red pepper, sliced radishes, olives, chickpeas, green beans, baby tomatoes, corn or any other fresh-in-the-summer veggie you like, even cheese! Just cut everything so the pieces are all about the same size.
For a lighter Dressing: Skip the mayonnaise and Greek yogurt and use
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
3 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper
For a lighter creamer Dressing: Change the amounts
1/3 cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/3 cup of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
Play with the seasoning: Try different herbs like cilantro or make your salad hotter with Siracha
Finish the meal with summer berries (see recipes below)
Red, White and Blue
RECIPE: Berry Desserts
Fresh Strawberry Pie
A No-Bake pie with fresh uncooked strawberries. Great for hot weather when you don’t want to use the oven a lot.
INGREDIENTS:
6 cups of strawberries (3-4 pints) stems removed
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Water
9 inch baked pastry shell for bottom pie crust
TO MAKE:
Prepare/bake pastry shell and cool
Mash up 2 cups of strawberries and add enough water to make 1 ½ cups of liquid
Place in a saucepan with corn starch and sugar
Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens…about 5 minutes or less. Cool slightly
Put remaining strawberries in pastry shell and pour on the cooked strawberries. Chill
Blueberry Cobbler
Cobblers are fruit with a biscuit or cake topping. Great for dessert with ice cream.
For ingredients and a “how to make” video go to
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/blueberry-cobbler/
Easy, fast and delicious!
TIPS AND TRICKS
Berries for Today and Tomorrow
How to Keep Delicious
Store blueberries and strawberries in the fridge without washing. Wash them just before using & let dry on a paper towel
Blueberries like to be frozen separately so you can get as many or as few as you feel like from the freezer. Lay them on a cookie sheet & freeze. Put frozen berries in a plastic zip-lock bag for storage. On a hot day, let a few melt in your mouth or save them & remember the taste of summer in the winter.
More Ways to Eat Now
Sprinkle fresh berries on your cereal for a real morning treat & energy boost
4th of July: Strawberries. blueberries and anything white, like bananas, ice cream, yogurt, even cheese. Layer in a dish, put on toothpicks for mini-rockets, make a flag on a cake…have fun.
Super Smoothies
Made with strawberries, blueberries & bananas. No sugar needed! Try them for a summer breakfast or a snack
Use either milk or fat-free yogurt or both! Along with a delicious refreshing taste, you get calcium for your bones and antioxidants to keep you healthy.
For a frozen smoothie: Add 3-4 ice cubes to the blender to make a frozen snack.
Try freezing yogurt in an ice cube tray. Store the cubes in plastic bags. Toss into your smoothies instead of ice cubes!
