Better Butter Beans

Sunday we (the family) all ganged up and prepared a half bushel of Butter Beans with Shrimp. There is no doubt in my mind that fresh or frozen butter beans are the way to go. It was so much easier and faster than dry beans. I will not go down that dry road again. These butter beans were fresh from Ed Lester Farms. They sell them hulled and in bags. We bought a half bushel and it made a huge pot of butter beans. They were the small green ones, Mom's favorite. This pot really looked like Maw Maw's (Dad's Mom) Shrimp and Butter Beans. I think I may need to go back and get some to put in the freezer for this winter. This pot we made salt free. I have been experimenting and I have found that Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy is a great salt free alternative for Cajun recipes. Of course the salt eaters added salt at the table. But I tried it without, it was delicious! The shrimp adds some salt to the beans, they were actually salty tasting next to the butter beans and rice. This pot of butter beans were better in so many ways. Better for you. Fresh beans are better than dry beans. And finally they looked better, just like Maw Maw's.

Butter Beans and Shrimp

Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

1 cup Flour

1 cup vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped

3 ribs of celery, chopped

1/2 bushel fresh or frozen butter beans

2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy and seasoned pepper, to taste 
    or salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and Cajun seasoning, to taste

1 bunch green onions, sliced 
1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
Cooked white rice 

Directions

Heat flour and oil on medium heat, stirring constantly until the color of a brown paper bag.

           

Add bell pepper, celery, and onion cook until softened. About 30 minutes covered stirring often. Add beans and enough warm water to cover. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook stirring often scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking. Cook until beans are tender and creamy inside but still whole. Season with your seasonings or choice from above. Add shrimp and cook until pink. If necessary add more warm water until desired consistency. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary. Add green onions and parsley just before serving. Serve over rice.

Linking to:
Yesterfood: Treasure Box Tuesday
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist

Sunday Dinner and a Peach Pie

We had a great family dinner this past Sunday. The meal was prepared from veggies and fruit from Ed Lester Farms. We all ganged up and prepared a half bushel of Butter Beans with Shrimp. Then for dessert we enjoyed a peach pie Mom made. This pie is a family recipe. She uses it for all her fresh fruit pies. Most often she would use strawberries. But I remember her using blueberries and even hand picked blackberries. She says her favorite is actually cherries in a chocolate graham cracker crust. I am rather fond of the peach version. I like fresh fruit pies more than baked fruit pies. They are so refreshing on a hot summer day. What makes this pie a little different is the layer of cream cheese in the bottom of the crust. It creates a nice barrier between the fruit and the crust preventing the crust from getting too soggy. This pie is so delicious! It is not a looker, it can be a bit of a mess to cut sometimes. But it is oh so tasty. I sure hope we can find the time and the occasion to make a cherry pie while the cherries are still in season.

Peach Pie
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 ready made graham cracker crust
3 oz cream cheese, softened
5 cups sliced peaches, (approx. 7 medium)
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 to 1 cup water *
1/2 pint whipping cream 
2 tsp powder sugar (optional)

Directions

In a small bowl mix softened cream cheese with just enough whipping cream to make it spreadable. Spread in the bottom of pie crust and set aside. Peel and slice the peaches. Reserve 1 cup and set aside. Arrange peach slices on top of cream cheese in pie crust. Mash reserved peaches. Add peaches sugar, cornstarch and water to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool. When cool pour over sliced peaches in pie shell. Chill in refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. Whip whipping cream and powder sugar (if using), spread on top of the chilled pie.

Notes: This recipe can be made with any fresh fruit. Try strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, or cherry. You can use a baked pie crust too. 

* About the amount of water in the recipe, I used 1/2 cup when I made it in the past. Mom used 1 cup this weekend. It sort of depends on the fruit. She said she always uses a cup when making berry pies. I say use less and the pie will hold together better.

See the cream cheese layer? YUM!

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Yesterfood: Treasure Box Tuesday
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

Saturday Shopping

This Saturday my friend D and I went out to Ed Lester Farms. She had never been and there is only one more week to enjoy the experience. I walked away with more tomatoes, both ripe and green. A few more peaches which I promptly turned into Peach Buttermilk Sherbet (but that is for a future post). I also bought some yellow squash. D got peaches, blueberries and a watermelon. I am going to miss my trips out there.

Photo from Spice & All Facebook page

Our second stop was Spice & All a relatively new Mediterranean grocery store in Shreveport, LA. I had a blast looking around. I replenished some of my Hummus supplies. I got some great tahini and dried chickpeas. I bought some almonds I plan to turn into almond butter one day. They had fenegreek seeds too. I can't tell you how hard that is to find around here. Now I can make more Curry Powder. I also found rose water for a Greek iced tea recipe I love. I found Maggi Seasoning too! I need this for a Slow-Cooker Braised Brisket (Machaca) recipe I want to try. But the best find of them all was paneer and halloumi. I have never seen these items in the average grocery store. I can't wait to cook with them. This store has so many hard to find items and so much more. The owner told us he will be starting cooking classes soon. I look forward to many more visits in the future.

D and I said goodbye at Spice & All and for some reason my car just drove me straight to Bao Bao the Asian grocery store. Here I found Furikake which is an amazing rice seasoning. I got two flavors. Nori Komi Furikake is just sesame seed, nori, sugar and salt. The second one, Seto Fumi Furikake has bonito flakes, sesame seed, nori, sugar and salt. I open it and it is delicious. I can't wait to use it on a California Roll Salad. I bought some kombu and bonito flakes so I can try making dashi and miso soup. I got more annato seeds so I can make more Sazon. Finally I bought a shredding vegetable peeler. I foresee some fancy shredded veggies in future recipes. Saturday shopping was a lot of fun.

Italimelt

Dear sister and I are fans of Taco Bell's Meximelt. It is a warm tortilla filled with seasoned ground beef, cheese and pico de gallo. Delicious! Well ever since I found the recipe for Double Tomato Relish, I have been thinking about other ways to use it. I dubbed it "Italian salsa" so a Italian melt seemed logical. I would just modify the Meximelt to include more Italian ingredients. I used a small individual thin pizza crust for the tortilla. Italian sausage in place of seasoned ground beef. Mozzarella cheese and of course the "Italian salsa". Mom and dear sister said it reminded them of a calzone. It was sure easier than a calzone. If you can make a grill cheese or quesadilla, you have the skills to make this sandwich. This Italimelt is a delicious, hearty sandwich, perfect for a weeknight meal.

Italimelt
Serves 3

Ingredients

2 links turkey Italian sausage, casing removed
Olive oil
3 individual thin and crispy pizza crusts
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Double Tomato Relish [click here for a recipe]

Directions

Brown sausage in a skillet over medium high heat, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon. Cook until brown and set aside. Wipe skillet clean and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place pizza crust down, cover with cheese, a third of the crumbled sausage and two teaspoons of tomato relish. Cook covered until cheese is melted and pizza crust browns. Fold in half and remove from skillet to serve. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut each sandwich in half if desired.

Linking to:
Hungry Harps: #GetHimFed Fridays
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist

Suiza Rellenos Tacos

I bet you are thinking there she goes again. She is obsessed with Rellenos Tacos. 
I AM!!!! I admit it. I wonder if there is a group yet? 

Well this recipe came to mind while on the phone with dear sister tonight. We were discussing what we could throw together for a quick meal. We had grilled poblanos ready to use. I had just made Cilantro Lime Salsa with six fresh tomatoes from Ed Lester Farms. Dear sister said she wanted to make Pico de Gallo with her veggies from Ed's. So it felt like Mexican night! I knew I had tortillas, poached chicken, cheese, sour cream and avocados. Sister had a bottle of green salsa. So Suiza Rellenos Tacos were born. It is a mash up of my favorite enchilada suiza and chili rellenos tacos. I loved the sour cream and avocado with the poblano. They had a cooling effect on the spicy poblano chili. These were really, really good tacos! I will have to plan to make this meal again real soon.

Suiza Rellenos Tacos
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 poblano peppers
1 poached chicken breast, shredded
8 small flour tortillas
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 tsp. green salsa or taco sauce
8 tsp. light sour cream 
1 Avocado, sliced
Cilantro, to garnish

Directions

To grill the poblanos: Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Place poblanos on the grill. Grill for five minutes on each side until skins are charred. Remove poblanos and cover with plastic wrap. When poblanos are cool enough to touch, peel off the skin of the poblanos. Cut poblanos in half from stem to tip, remove seeds, stem and veins being careful not to split open the sides of the pepper.

To assemble the tacos:  Place a poblano half on each tortilla. Place some chicken over the chili, top with cheese. Warm in the microwave for a 30 seconds to a minute to melt the cheese. Top with salsa, sour cream, an avocado slice and cilantro.

Linking to:
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Creative K Kids: Tasty Tuesdays
Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures: #FoodieFriday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Hungry Harps: #GetHimFed Fridays
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Creative K Kids: Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party
The Crafty Side of Sarcasm: Retro Repin Party
Life Is Fantasmic: Saturday Dishes - Cinco de Mayo

Benton Farmer's Market

Sunday my friend and I went to Benton, LA for their farmer's market. We were still having slightly cooler days, so it was a great day to be out and about. This was both our first time at this market. We made one mistake, we had lunch before we went. This market had many food vendors and lots of samples being offered at every turn. Next time we go hungry. There were some tamales I need to try. This market has a little bit of everything, food, produce, baked goods, preserved items, a demonstration or two. My favorite was the young boy who brought his club shaped gourds to sell. He told us that the native Americans would dry them, cut off a portion of the round bulb of the gourd and make a drinking cup to hang by their water source. Very cute, smart young man.

We walked away with some bread-n-butter pickles, 2 fruit breads, squash, onions, heirloom cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. 

But my friend found the most amazing find of the day, Almond Toffee Butter! It is so amazing! I mean I have had commercial almond butter you purchase at the store, but it has nothing on this handmade butter from Hoover's Seasonal Produce. It is delicious! I love the crunchy texture. It is not to sweet, just perfect on toast. I enjoyed some this morning with my coffee. So good! Thanks D for the treat! What will we do when we run out? I guess we will go back right? The market is open Sunday only from 12:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. and continues through Sunday, July 27, 2014. So don't miss out, only one left.

For more about Benton Farmer's Market check out their website here.

For your own Almond Butter and more about Hoover's Seasonal Produce 

go to their website here.

Mango Tomato Gazpacho

This gazpacho recipe is inspired by a salad we make often when mangoes are in season. Mango, Tomato and Avocado Salad is a delicious mix of sweet, bright and creamy ingredients. Mangoes, tomatoes and avocados are just meant to go together in my humble opinion. I love the cilantro, onion and garlic with these fruits. It is what makes this salad savory too. I just knew this combo would make a great summer gazpacho. I was right. It is so smooth and well balanced. I decided to add jalapeno, sweet pepper and cucumber for crunch and texture. I really liked the sweet and spicy together. This would make a great starter for a fish or seafood meal. I added a lot more avocado to my serving than you see here in the photos. It was so good! Next time I see mangoes it will be hard to decided what to make salad or gazpacho?

Mango Tomato Gazpacho 
Make 1/2 gallon; 8 (1 cup) servings

Ingredients

2 ripe mango, peeled and diced
2 ripe tomatoes, diced 
1/2 English cucumber, seeded and diced 
1/2 purple onion, diced 
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced 
1 mini sweet pepper (red, yellow or orange), seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced 
1/2 bunch Cilantro, roughly chopped
1 cup low sodium V8 vegetable juice 
1 cup orange juice
2 or 3 dash of hot sauce 
Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil 
Sliced avocado, jalapeno and more sweet pepper for garnish

Directions

Combine first eight ingredients in a large bowl. Place half of these ingredients in a blender with vegetable juice, pulse until the desire consistency. Place in a large pitcher or bowl (I use a one gallon pitcher). Place remaining ingredients except avocado in the blender, pulse until the desire consistency. Add to the pitcher and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight to blend. Serve garnished with sliced or chopped avocado, jalapeno and sweet pepper.

Linking to:
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Snippets of Inspiration: Weekend Wind Down Link Party
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Yesterfood: Treasure Box Tuesday
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

Bruschetta Turkey Burgers

This recipe gets its start in the pages of a magazine at the hair salon. I normally read a Redbook magazine at the salon but this day I picked up a Better Homes and Gardens. Inside were some wonderful recipes. I went home and pinned them all. The first recipe I tried was a Double Tomato Relish. This stuff is amazing! It is like "Italian salsa" in that it is addictive like salsa, but very Italian in flavor. It is both tangy and sweet. The combination of fresh and dried tomatoes is amazing! I guess bruschetta is to Italian food as salsa and chips is to Mexican food. At least that thought is what gave me the idea to modify my Cilantro Lime Turkey Burgers into a Bruschetta Turkey Burger. I just substituted the Mexican flavors and ingredients for the Italian flavors you would find in bruschetta. I used basil and lemon zest inside the burger and topped it with mozzarella cheese. But the star of this recipe is the Double Tomato Relish. It has big Italian and tomato flavor. It is just wonderful! Trust me you could eat it on toast. Wait that is bruschetta! You get the point, you just have to try this relish and this burger.

Bruschetta Turkey Burgers
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

20 oz. ground turkey (93% lean)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. basil, finely chopped
Kosher salt, black and red pepper, to taste
Olive oil
4 slices of mozzarella cheese
3/8 cup Double Tomato Relish (recipe below)
4 Hamburger Buns

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine first 5 ingredients gently. Shape mixture into 4 patties, making the patties thinner in the middle then the edge. Coat hands in a little olive oil and rub on the outside of each patty.

Grill, covered with grill lid, 6 to 7 minutes. Flip burger and grill covered for another 4 minutes. At 2 minutes in, top each burger with 1 slice of cheese. Continue to cook 2 minutes until cooked through and cheese is melted. Place hamburger buns on the top rack of the grill to toast while cheese is melting. Serve on hamburger buns with Double Tomato Relish.

I sort of messed with the BHG Double Tomato Relish recipe a little. First, I made more because it was just that good. Second, I used the entire 3 oz. bag of dried tomatoes because I don't like having the little bit left in the pantry. Third, I used a Vidalia onion instead of red onion. I did not have red onion plus, I love the sweetness the Vidalia added to the recipe. I did add balsamic vinegar, basil and oregano. I thought it was necessary to make the relish more like the iconic bruschetta topping. It was delicious! Great on the burger, toasty bread, grits with a little grilled shrimp and in a salad. Any where you want a tomato try a little of this relish. It is so good!

Double Tomato Relish
Adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens
Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients

3 oz. moist packed, dried tomatoes, finely chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 
1/4 cup Italian parsley, basil and oregano, chopped
Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. Let stand 30 minutes before serving.

Notes: Look for dried tomatoes labeled extra moist and ready to eat; they will be plump and soft. Use a mix of herbs to your taste, I use 1 part parsley, 1/2 part basil and 1/4 part oregano.

Linking to:
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Dill & Basil
Bakewell Junction: #GetHimFed Fridays
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Snippets of Inspiration: Weekend Wind Down Link Party
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Yesterfood: Treasure Box Tuesday
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Creative K Kids: Tasty Tuesdays
Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures: #FoodieFriday

Gazpacho

I love gazpacho in the summer, when the tomatoes are big and red. I went back to Ed Lester Farms yet again. I brought back huge, beautiful, red, ripe tomatoes. It is so amazing to cut into a tomato and not see white in the center. These tomatoes are as red inside as out. I also found the cucumber, red onion and bell pepper I needed to make this gazpacho. This is a recipe from the WW Recipe Review board. I have made it many, many times. It is really delicious. Over the years I have decided I like a blend of herbs in this recipe. Equal parts parsley and cilantro is perfect. I have used both V8 and tomato juice before. I still can't decide which I like better? As I type this I am thinking this batch of gazpacho was the best yet. But I have to admit I have thought that before. I think it really comes down to the fresh tomatoes and cucumber. This is such a delicious soup! It is almost like salsa in a bowl. It makes a great starter, snack or light lunch. I need to make this recipe a few more times before the summer tomatoes are gone.

Gazpacho 
Makes 1 gallon; 16 one cup servings 

Ingredients

6 ripe tomatoes, diced 
1 purple onion, diced 
1 English cucumber, seeded and diced 
1 green bell pepper, diced 
2 stalks celery, diced 
1 handful each Parsley and Cilantro, roughly chopped 
1 bunch of green onions, sliced 
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups low sodium V8 vegetable juice (or tomato juice) 
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 or 2 dashes of hot sauce, or to taste 
2 teaspoons of sugar 
Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar 
1/4 cup olive oil 

Directions

Combine first 8 ingredients in a blender or food processor, pulse until the desire consistency. It will have to be done in batches. Combine all ingredients in a large plastic bowl (I use a 1 gallon pitcher), refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight to blend.

Want More Gazpacho Ideas?

Try These Other Great Recipes.

Creamy Gazpacho

This is a wonderful smooth, very creamy gazpacho from Kelsey Nixion of the Cooking Channel. This one you can sip from a glass. I have made it a few times and really enjoyed it.

Cajun Gazpacho

This is actually one of my recipes that I entered in a recipe contest. It won a prize and was published in Country Woman Magazine. It is an adaptation of the recipe I am sharing with you in this post. I just added lots more spice, flavor and seafood. It tastes like a cross between a bloody Mary and cocktail sauce. Delicious! Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients.

Green Tomato Gazpacho

This gazpacho is surprisingly sweet and creamy. You would think the green tomatoes would be tart, but they are not. The best way to describe this one is it is sweet and crisp. It also has a great texture, sort of crunchy like pickle relish. It would be a beautiful starter for summer meal.

Linking to:

Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo

The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Creative K Kids: Tasty Tuesdays
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday

Light Spinach Dip

I was first served Knorr Spinach Dip when I was in college. A fellow interior design student made it and served it with Bugles. I was hooked. I started making it for my family and friends. It is still one of my favorite cold dips.

Recently I saw a spinach dip recipe on Pinterest that used cottage cheese instead of sour cream and mayo. I thought I have to try that. But I could not get the Knorr dip out of my mind. I just knew if I made it, I would be disappointed it was not the Knorr dip. So I decided to borrow the technique and modify the spinach dip I craved into a light spinach dip. It worked great. It is a thick, delicious, loaded spinach dip. I love the crunch from the water chestnuts and green onions. It is so thick it will break a wimpy chip. Dear sister and I tried it with corn chips first. It was really good. But my favorite was the veggies. I did not have Bugles on hand this time. But I will next time I make it. The cottage cheese was a great substitute for the sour cream. I think I liked it better than light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. It has more dairy flavor and is less tangy than the others. I look forward to trying it in other dips and dressings. It did not get completely smooth in the blender. There were a few curds left, but they were hardly noticeable in this dip recipe. This was a great experiment, one for the recipe box.

Light Spinach Dip

Makes 3 cups; Serves 12 (1/4 cup each)

Ingredients

16 oz. light cottage cheese

2 Tbsp. light mayonnaise

1 package Knorr vegetable soup and recipe mix

1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and chopped

3 green onions, sliced

1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Directions

Place cottage cheese in a blender and blend until smooth. Combine cottage cheese, mayonnaise, recipe mix, water chestnuts and green onions. Stir until well combined. Add spinach mixing well until all combined. Chill about 2 hours. Serve with your favorite veggies, corn chips or Bugles.

Nutritional Information per serving*: Calories 58.0, Total Fat 1.5 g, Saturated Fat 0.6 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g, Monounsaturated Fat 0.2 g, Cholesterol 5.7 mg, Sodium 418.6 mg, Potassium 78.8 mg, Total Carbohydrate 6.5 g, Dietary Fiber 0.9 g, Sugars 1.8 g, Protein 5.1 g.

WW P+ 1

*Information from the Sparkrecipes calculator. NI may vary depending on the brand or size of the ingredients used to prepare it.

Linking to:
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Creative K Kids: Tasty Tuesdays
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday