Yellow Gazpacho

Summer garden has been yielding a steady amount of tomatoes this year. We have a few cherry tomatoes, small grape tomatoes, lots of yellow tomatoes, some beefcake meaty tomatoes and quite a few red Roma tomatoes.

I've been eating the sweet sun-gold cherry tomatoes and the grape tomatoes as-is, fresh from the garden. As Ana and D cannot stand raw tomatoes I roasted these for them. I stewed and canned some red Roma and beefcake tomatoes. I've liked the yellow tomatoes we've been growing in our garden the last few years as they seem to have a good flavor. This year, I made yellow gazpacho a few times.

Gazpacho is a chilled tomato soup that needs no cooking. But, since D doesn't like raw tomato flavor much, I ended up pressure cooking the tomatoes for this gazpacho. Simply throw in all the ingredients, pressure cook, then blend well, strain if needed (I didn't), and serve chilled.

Ingredients
yellow tomatoes, or any favorite tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
celery, yellow or green bell pepper, yellow onion, cucumber (optional), garlic
dried herbs: Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Lavender
a hint of olive oil
optional garnish: chopped chives, croutons, grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. For a traditional recipe, simply blend the ingredients, chill and serve
2. I pressure cooked the ingredients till mushy, blended them and served at a cool room temperature
3. Garnish with croutons and grated Parmesan cheese if preferred

Barley Salad

Our garden's first harvest was peas and strawberries, and now, despite the unseasonal chill weather, some plants are gifting us their bounty. Some cauliflower, zucchini and my favorite summer squash - scallop or pattypan squash as they are called - were ready to be picked and I wanted to use them right away for this fairly healthy summer salad with barley and sautéed vegetables.

This is a very simple salad: pan-roasted or sautéed fresh garden veggies, with some cooked barley, flavored with a cool dressing of lemon juice and olive oil, with salt and pepper.

1. Sauté the onions, summer squash and zucchini with some balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper till caramelized on the outside;
2. cook some collard greens in lemon juice & water, with some salt;
3. cook the barley in some vegetable broth (can use chicken broth or even water+bullion cubes if handy) - one part barley with 3 parts liquid.

This can be served hot or cold. I like it cold in summer, so, I tossed them together and let them sit together for a few hours before serving so the flavors develop well.

Green Vegetables Rice

This is a very simple and wholesome rice dish that I make often, especially in summer when our garden is yielding some fresh vegetables and herbs. The rice is flavored solely with some salt, mint, ginger and garlic which not only gives subtle flavoring but also some simple health benefits.

According to Ayurveda, mint, ginger and garlic have certain properties that help keep the digestive system toned.

• Ginger encourages the body to produce enzymes that help digest fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Ginger decreases discomfort during pregnancy and is also wonderful for postpartum care
• Garlic is sometimes considered a galactagogue and I have been including it a lot in my post-partum diet these days. It apparently promotes proper fat metabolism, and aid in liver detoxification.
• Mint can be both cooling and warming, according to the usage in Ayurveda. It aids digestion, reduces inflammation, prevents spasms, and has anti-bacterial properties. The oil derived from the herb, contains Vitamins A and C, flavonoids and menthol

Garden fresh mint, chives and scallions inspired this green vegetables rice. Any handy green vegetables would do, but I used chinese long green beans, broccoli, collard greens here; peas, green bell peppers, green beans, celery are also a wonderful combination.


Mint is one of my all-time favorite herbs which I make into chutneys during peak season when I can get them fresh from my garden... and being the main herb that brightens this dish, I'd like to send this post out for WHB: Weekend Herb Blogging started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen fame, hosted this week by Maninas from Maninas: Food Matters.

Ingredients
4-6 cloves of garlic
4 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
salt to taste

4-5 cups cooked basmati rice
steamed green vegetables: collard greens, chinese long green beans, broccoli scallions
1 Tbsp canola oil

Preparation

1. In a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic and mint leaves; heat oil in a pan, add the crushed garlic, mint and grated ginger, a pinch of salt and sauté till aromatic, making sure garlic does not burn
2. add the steamed vegetables and a pinch more salt and stir well
3. add the cooked basmati rice and stir well till incorporated, adjust salt to taste

Serve with cool Cucumber Raita: grate cucumbers and stir in some crushed mint leaves, plain yogurt and salt to taste.