Hodgepodge of Grilled Vegetables Mediterranean Style
In Spain they call it, a la plancha. Italians refer to it as, a la piastra. In Greece, on a staz. No matter what you call it, it’s a centuries old Mediterranean technique for grilling vegetables, fish and meats. In Spain they use a round metal plate, but in Greece they use a piece of sheet metal placed directly on the grill. From Italy, a stone or a metal plate creates a hot flat surface over an open flame. Essentially, it is a flat metal or stone griddle, set over a grill grate over an open flame. Mediterranean cooks know how to grill their vegetables because these grilled vegetables never tasted so good.
This technique does not produce fancy crisscross grill marks on your grilled vegetables, but what you do get are tender vegetables that retain some bite and have a good sear from the stone or griddle. Ultimately, the more surface area that touches the vegetables, means more flavor on your grilled vegetables from the sear. Another bonus is, no more vegetables falling through the grates and flare ups. Mediterranean style grilled vegetables are sweet, lightly flavored from the fire’s smoke, and seared to perfection.
A New Way with Grilled Vegetables
It all started yesterday on an impulse after coming upon the phrase, “… a la piastra,” in one of my cookbooks. It was an “Ah ha” moment for me with the realization of a refrigerator full of vegetables and an old cast iron griddle begging for use. With my fingers crossed and plans for dinner and a blog post on the horizon, I decided to give “A la piastra” grilling technique a try. It was just meant to be.
I do love the flavor of grilled vegetables, but when I grill chicken or meats, I don’t always grill vegetables for a side dish. Mainly, I do not want my whole dinner tasting all the same. Also, depending on how many people we are cooking for, there is just no room on my 22-inch charcoal grill.
Because this was somewhat impulsive, and I was “recipe testing”, I did not cook the vegetables in an organized manner, but fit the different vegetables here and there along with our dinner of stuffed rainbow trout. I was not sure how long the grill would stay hot, so I cooked things together instead of one at a time. Regardless of my cooking organization, I don’t mind a hodgepodge of grilled vegetables because my job was to use up a bunch of vegetables and test out this grilling technique. I call this mission a delicious success, hodgepodge or not. Now, I have a beautiful mess of tasty grilled vegetables ready whenever I want them.
Grilled rainbow trout with grilled garlic scapes and grilled lemons
Grilled Vegetables a la Piastra
What I discovered is if you have a cast iron pan or griddle, they create a hot surface to make delicious grilled vegetables, fish and meets. I have yet to test other types of food, but I can’t imagine there is an issue using this technique for shellfish, chicken or steak. Grilling a la piastra or plancha, works particularly well with thin vegetables or sliced vegetables that would normally fall through the spaces on a grill grate. I loved using this technique with thinly sliced zucchini, asparagus, sliced onions, and garlic scapes. Some additional vegetables I want to try are fennel, eggplant and mushrooms.
It is my opinion that grilling bell peppers works better over the open grill grate. They just took longer to get blistered and charred when on the hot surface vs the grill grates. Also corn works better over the open fire and by better, I mean it does not take as long to cook.
Fruit like lemons and oranges grill nicely on a hot plate, but my mind is not made up for peaches. My peach halves stuck to both the grill grate and the cast iron griddle, but this was also the first time I grilled peaches.
Grilled toast with ricotta cheese and minced grilled garlic scapes and leeks.
How to Grill Vegetables a la Piastra
First, this technique is best using a charcoal grill, but I believe will work with a gas grill, but you won’t get the smoky flavor. Using either grill you must make a hot fire that will last for a while depending on how much food you are grilling. Get the charcoal good and hot, then place the griddle pan or stone on your grate. Heat up your griddle surface for 15 minutes until the surface gets really hot. Close the lid if you are using a gas grill, keep the lid off if you are using a charcoal grill.
Once the grill is hot, oil the grill grate. Do not oil the hot griddle. It is possible that the oil soaked paper towel could burst into flames from the heat of the pan. Instead, generously coat the vegetables and fish in canola oil or other oil with a high smoke point. Arrange the vegetables on the surface of your “griddle” and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the vegetable.
Depending on the surface area of your plate, you will need to cook the vegetables in shifts. Just to be organized, cook the same vegetables all at the same time. Once done, remove the vegetables off the grill and place them spaced out on a tray or plate. If you pile them up, the vegetables will steam and get soggy.
Once done, let the grill plate cool completely before handling. If possible, use tongs and a scrubby to scrape off any stuck on bits while the surface is still hot. It is easier to clean off the charred bits when the plate is still hot, but not at the expense of getting burned.
Equipment for Grilling Vegetables
- You need a grill, preferably a charcoal grill but a gas one will work fine.
- Good quality charcoal without lighter fluid and a charcoal chimney to start the coals.
- BBQ quality oven mitt or glove.
- A cast iron pan or griddle, pizza stone, baking steel or food grade metal or stone surface that can tolerate temperature up to 700°F (371°C). Some pizza stones can only withstand temperatures up to 500°F (260°C) or lower.
- Long metal BBQ tongs without plastic tips.
- A good BBQ spatula.
- Several trays for putting the grilled vegetables on.
- A timer is helpful
What to do with all these grilled vegetables?
Serve grilled vegetables with grilled fish, grilled tofu, grilled chicken or steak, or roast chicken.
Assemble a platter of grilled vegetables, olives, cured meats, cheeses and crusty bread. Dine al fresco for a light dinner or a cocktail party.
Serve grilled vegetables as an appetizer made with grilled toasts and ricotta cheese topped with grilled vegetables.
Make a light pesto dressing with muddled basil leaves, smashed garlic, olive oil and vinegar and dress the grilled vegetables.
Grilled vegetable sandwiches with crusty bread, basil mayo or sriracha mayo, with Gouda or mozzarella cheese (smoked or plain) and grilled vegetables.
Frittata with grilled vegetables.
Where to buy a La Plancha griddle pan?
The Big Green Egg has a la plancha griddle for the Big Green Egg. It could work on other round grills depending on the size of the pan and your grill. (Not an add)
Lodge makes a round carbon steel griddle pan. They also make griddle pans in different sizes, shapes and materials. (Not an add)
Sur la Table has a variety of options with an Emile Henry Flame Charcoal Pizza Stone, Swissmare Raclette Granite Stone, Baking Steel Griddle, Lodge round griddle. Plus many more. (Not an add)
Hodgepodge of Grilled Vegetables Mediterranean Style
Ingredients
- red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 red onion sliced into rings about ¼-inch .5 cm thick
- 1-2 leeks sliced in half lengthwise, cleaned and root and dark green parts trimmed off
- 4-6 garlic cloves peel on
- 2 zucchini sliced lengthwise into ¼- inch .5 cm thick slices
- 1 yellow squash sliced lengthwise into ¼-inch .5 cm thick slices
- 12 or more asparagus spears ends trimmed
- 8 garlic scapes optional
- 2 lemons cut in half across the width.
- 1 peach cut in half across the equator optional
- 2 ears of corn husk and silk threads removed optional
- 1 fennel bulb stalks removed and sliced in 1/4 -inch (.5 cm) slices (optional)
- 2-3 TB Canola oil or other oil with a high smoke point
- Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 loaf French bread sliced on a diagonal optional
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 TB Red wine vinegar
- 1 large bunch of basil leaves cleaned and stems removed
Instructions
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Prepare your grill. If using a gas grill, heat to 450°F (230°C). For a charcoal grill, fill a charcoal chimney to the top with charcoal. Rest the chimney on the charcoal grate. Light the chimney according to manufacture instructions. Heat the charcoal until all the coals are very hot. They will look mostly grey with streaks of black throughout each lump or briquette. Put on an BBQ mitt and carefully empty the hot charcoal onto the grate. Add an additional half chimney’s worth of charcoal and spread out over the hot charcoal. Arrange the charcoal over the bottom of the whole grate, but with one side having more charcoal than the other. Place the top grilling grate on the grill and the grill pan over the side with the most charcoal. Heat until the grill pan and grate are good and hot, about 15 minutes. Close lid if using a gas grill. The grill pan is hot when you flick water on the grill pan and it bubbles up and dances on the surface.
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While the grill is heating up, add the zucchini slices, asparagus and scapes in a large bowl and drizzle about 1 TB (15 ml) of oil over the prepared vegetables. Use the remaining oil to baste the remaining vegetables. Arrange the onion slices and leek halves on a sheet pan and baste with oil on both sides. Baste some oil over the cut surface of the cut lemons. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of Kosher salt over the vegetables, except the bell peppers.
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When the grill is hot, arrange the bell peppers on the side of the grill without the grill pan. Every few minutes, use long tongs to turn the bell peppers over so the whole pepper gets a good char and is blistered, about 15 minutes. Once the bell peppers get black all over, place them in a medium bowl and tightly cover with foil and plastic wrap. Set aside to allow the peppers to steam in the bowl for at least 15 minutes.
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If using corn on the cob, place them on the grill grate with the bell peppers. Start the corn when you start the peppers. Cook the corn turning them periodically to get an even char on all sides, about 8-10 minutes total.
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Meanwhile, arrange the onion slices, garlic cloves and leeks on the grill pan. Cook for 2 minutes then turn over on the other side. You want the onions and leeks to get soft with a nice sear on both sides. Once done, remove from the grill and place on a tray. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. The garlic is done, when you see some brown spots on the peel and they are soft in the middle.
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Place the lemon halves cut side down on the grill or grill pan and cook until a good sear develops on the cut side, about 3-4 minutes.
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When there is room on the grill pan, arrange the zucchini and yellow squash slices on the grate and cook about 2-3 minutes per side. You want browned surface on both sides and tender slices of squash with a slight crispness. Place the squash on a tray when done. Lightly sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to evenly coat.
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Cook the asparagus and garlic scapes on the grill plate. Turning each asparagus spear and garlic scape over around 3 minutes per side. You want the asparagus and scapes to get soft but still have some bite. When done, place the vegetables on a tray. Lightly sprinkle with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat.
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If you are grilling the fennel add the fennel slices when there is room on the grill pan and cook 3 minutes per side, or until soft but still firm. Place on a tray when done. Sprinkle on Kosher salt and black pepper and toss to coat.
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Add the sliced French bread, if using, on the grill and toast until the bread is golden brown. How long it will take will depend on how hot your fire is at this time.
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When all the vegetables are cooked, remove the skins off the bell peppers by rubbing your hands over the charred skin and pulling off the skin until it is all clear. Do not run the bell pepper under water, or you will wash away all that delicious flavor you worked so hard to make. Clean hands and remove the core from each pepper and slice into slices.
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Remove the garlic peels off each clove. Take 1-2 grilled garlic cloves and rub it over the toasted French bread. Add any remaining cloves to the vegetable platter.
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Arrange all the vegetables on a platter in piles. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, and torn basil. Serve hot or at room temperature.
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Grilled garlic scapes taste great minced and placed on top of ricotta cheese toasts. Or, mince and add to the olive oil and fresh basil, then sprinkle over the grilled vegetables.
© 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.
Birthday Squash Blossom Pizza with Burrata
If I were to make myself a birthday pizza, Squash blossom pizza would be it. I can’t imagine a prettier and sunnier looking pizza. It has everything I love, fresh edible flowers, soft and decadent cheese, and crispy bread all in one gorgeous pizza. Squash blossoms are a rare treat available only for a about a month in the summer when there is an abundance of male and female flowers on zucchini plants. The male flower is picked, leaving some to continue pollinating the female flowers to grow squash. Luckily my birthday falls during this time allowing me to indulge in one of mother nature’s seasonal gifts. 
Squash Blossom Pizza
Unless you grow your own vegetables, finding squash blossoms is challenging. It is like going on a scavenger hunt but instead of knocking on the doors of strangers looking for a wire coat hanger to shape into a sculpture, you go from farmer to farmer looking for squash blossoms. Ask your favorite farm stand vender if they have squash blossoms and if they can sell some to you. Also, I recommend getting to the farmers market just as it opens pick out the squash blossoms before it gets too hot, or before they disappear. Fortunately, I was able to arrange to get these squash blossoms from Rochambeau Farm Stand, for which I am very grateful.
For a 10-inch (25.5 cm) pizza you will need around 12 squash blossoms. From my experience squash blossoms come in all different sizes so I recommend buying a few extras.
Preparing squash blossoms for this pizza is not difficult. All you need is to trim the stems off each blossom then cut the flower open and remove the stamen. Once the pizza dough is ready, arrange the open blossoms in two concentric circles to cover the pizza. The blossoms curl up somewhat but try to get them as close together as possible. The next time I make this pizza I will cut a few extra blossoms in sections, so I can fill the bare spots and get more blossoms per square inch.
Watch out for bees and other insects hiding inside the closed flowers. Once you cut open the flower, carefully inspect each flower and shake off the little critters.
Pizza Dough
Use store-bought fresh pizza dough from your favorite pizza parlor or buy the dough from the grocery. I hear Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods has delicious pizza dough for sale. My local family run grocer has good pizza dough as well, so look around they are usually found in the refrigerator aisle.
If you feel up to it, make pizza dough, but keep in mind some recipes require you start the process 4 days in advance. I have not posted a recipe yet, as I am still developing my pizza dough recipe. Developing a pizza dough recipe takes time and lots of practice so until then, I have tested pizza dough recipes from Serious Eats, or the 72 hour pizza dough with whole wheat flour in The Baking Steel Cookbook.
Cheese for Squash Blossom Pizza
Creamy burrata is recommended for squash blossom pizza. It pairs well with the tomato sauce and the squash blossoms. It is not too rich, and you add it after the pizza is done baking. If you cannot find burrata, look for any soft and creamy type of cheese like good quality fresh whole milk ricotta, goat cheese, or fresh mozzarella. The goat cheese I would add to the pizza after baking, but the ricotta and mozzarella I would arrange on the pizza before I place it in the oven.
A 10-inch pizza is a small pizza, often considered small enough for one serving. In good conscious, I cannot recommend one person eating 4 oz of burrata. It’s just not healthy to eat a quarter pound of cheese no matter how much you love burrata. If you want your pizza as a single serving, please dollop half the amount of cheese over the pie using 2 oz instead of 4.
More pizza recipes Four Cheese Pizza, Pesto Shrimp Pizza
Squash Blossom Pizza with Burrata
Use store-bought pizza dough enough for one 10-inch pizza (about 7.5 oz / 212 g in weight) or make your own pizza dough. Making your own pizza dough takes some advance planning as some recipes takes from 48- 72 hours to mature.
Makes one 10 inch (25.5 cm) pizza and serves 1-2 people.
Use a quick, fresh tasting tomato sauce flavored with olive oil. See notes for a recipe.
This pizza recipe is from Nancy Sliverton's Mozza Cookbook
Ingredients
- 10 – 12 fresh squash blossoms
- 1 fresh pizza dough portion for a 10-inch 25.5 cm pizza
- 1 TB 15 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for finishing the pizza
- Kosher Salt
- ¼ cup 75 ml fresh tomato sauce
- 4 oz 125 g burrata
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Prep
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Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking. This step allows the pizza dough to relax and come up to room temperature.
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Preheat the oven to 500°F / 260°C /Gas Mark 10 one hour before you want to cook the pizza. If you have a pizza stone, lower the rack at the bottom position and place the stone on the rack. If you have a baking steel, position the rack 6 inches (15 cm) under the broiler (top rack) and place the baking steel on the rack. Or, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Preheat stone or steel in the oven.
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If you have neither stone or steel, place a baking sheet pan upside down on top of the bottom rack, similar to the baking stone, and preheat.
If you do not have a pizza peel, reserve a sheet pan to the side of your work space and cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Once the dough is shaped, you will assemble the pizza on the sheet pan instead of a peel.
Prepare the squash blossoms
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Trim off the stems of each squash blossom and discard. Open each blossom by cutting down the side of each blossom with kitchen scissors then and cut away the stamen. Discard the stamens. Set aside.
Shape the dough
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When you are ready to cook the pizza, assemble all the equipment and ingredients you need for the pizza. The peel, extra flour and some corn meal for the peel, and all pizza ingredients. Arrange them on either side of your work space, giving you plenty of space to shape and assemble the pizza, but still within arm’s reach.
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Lightly flour your work surface and pizza peel, if using. Tip your pizza dough in the center of the floured work surface. Press down on the center of the dough ball and flatten to form a disk. Press near the edge of the dough with your fingertips, creating a rim border about 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick around the pizza dough.
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Hold your hands in a loose fist and drape the disk over the tops of your fists. Holding your fist in front of your body stretch out the dough and allow it to drape down over your hands. Move the pizza dough around in a circle to evenly shape the pizza dough. Stretch the dough from the outer rim with your thumbs, and from the weight of the dough draping over your fists.
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When your dough stretches to a 10-inch diameter (25.5 cm) pizza, place it on your floured pizza peel or prepared sheet pan. Shake the pizza peel back and forth to see if the pizza dough will slide off the peel. If it sticks carefully add more flour or corn meal over the pizza peel by lifting up the edges of the pizza and dust the pizza peel. Do this around the pizza until the dough slides easily.
Assemble the pizza
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Quickly assemble the pizza. Spoon the tomato sauce in the center of the pizza and spread it evenly over the surface leaving a one-inch (2.5 cm) border. Starting at the inside edge of your border, arrange the squash blossoms in an even and circular pattern around the pizza in two concentric circles. The exterior side of the blossom faces up. The tips of the flowers in the inner circle will overlap the stem end of the flowers in the outer circle. Place two blossoms over the center of the circle with the stem ends touching each other.
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Shake the pizza peel to see if it is loose and will slide. If the pizza is sticking, carefully lift up the edges and dust with flour or corn meal until it easily slides.
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Slide the pizza off the peel and position on the stone, steel or sheet pan. If you are not using a peel, place the sheet pan holding the pizza on top of your baking steel, stone, or upside down sheet pan.
To slide the pizza off the peel, position the pizza peel towards the back of the stone or steel. Give the peel a definitive shake, pulling your peel towards you. You want the pizza to slide off the peel with one good shake so don’t be timid about pulling the pizza peel towards you. One good jolt helps the pizza slide off and retain its shape. Pull the peel out of the oven then close the door and bake.
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Bake in the oven until the crust is golden and crispy anywhere from 8-12 minutes depending on your oven. Lift up the pizza with a large spatula and inspect the bottom crust. That should be golden as well. If you are using a Baking steel it may take less time. Use the time as guidelines because individual conditions vary. Half way through baking, Use a large BBQ spatula to rotate the pizza from front to back to ensure even cooking.
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When done, remove the pizza from the oven and slice into quarters with a large and sharp chef knife or pizza cutter. Cut the burrata into 4 even sections and place in the middle of each pizza wedge. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. If you have good quality finishing extra virgin olive oil, use it here with a few grounds of fresh black pepper.
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Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nancy Silverton’s specifies a Passata di Pomodoro sauce for this pizza. It is made with 2- 28 oz (794 g) cans of whole plum tomatoes, a shy tablespoon of sugar, a shy tablespoon of Kosher salt, and ¼ cup (75 ml) extra virgin olive oil. The skins and seeds are removed from the tomatoes using a food mill, “passed through” as the name indicates. I do not have a food mill, so I just puréed the tomatoes and can liquid with an immersion blender after I removed the seeds. FYI, the brand SM whole plum tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes from California) have the skins already removed. Heat up the olive oil in a large pot and carefully add the tomato purée and the remaining ingredients. Simmer until it thickens. About 30 minutes.
© 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.
Two Summer Salad Menu Ideas
No matter where you are on Independence Day, dinner needs some planning to make sure there is enough time afterwards to watch the fireworks. Even if you are home for the holiday, it is possible to put together a summer holiday feast that makes everyone feel like they are on a vacation. With hot summer days and vacation dreams in mind, I developed two summer salad menus. One salad menu is focused around a vegetable and steak salad and a second salad menu is for a vegetarian meal. Both salad menus are perfect for 4th of July or any summer weekend at home or away.
One full meal is easily made by pairing several salads each with distinct and complimentary flavors. One perk for using a salad menu is, a good chunk of the work can easily get done in advance. Additionally, salads give you some flexibility in timing as they taste great either at room temperature or chilled. At mealtime, all that is left are the final touches and adding fresh herbs and the dressing. Once done, you can relax and enjoy the company of your friends and family.
Steak Summer Salad Menu
Appetizer
Fig and Prosciutto Salad
Main Course
Summer Vegetable and Steak Salad
Garden Vegetable Pasta Salad
or
Potato Salad with Sorrel Dressing
Dessert
Nectarine Blueberry Galette
or
Point Reyes Baby Blue Cheesecake with sliced Figs
Appetizer
Jamie Oliver refers to the Fig and Prosciutto Salad as the sexiest salad in the world. That may be true, but it is totally family friendly. Besides, wrapping a fig in prosciutto might be the only way you can get your child to eat a fig. It is a light and flavorful salad with mozzarella cheese squeezed in the middle of each fig with a drizzle of honey and lemon juice. Also, fig and prosciutto salad is perfectly delicious and acceptable as a light dinner on those hot summer nights when you do not want to cook. Serve a green salad and a glass of chilled rosé and unwind.
Main Course
The main course for this summer salad menu is a steak dinner loaded with fresh vegetables. It is like two salads in one. Summer Vegetable and Steak Salad is full of summer produce like green beans, grape tomatoes and peaches or nectarines and paired with grilled steak. Along with the vegetables the citrus vinaigrette makes the salad very refreshing. There are some spice notes in the citrus dressing because that is the way I like it. However, you can easily omit the sriracha if you prefer.
A creamy salad like Potato Salad with Sorrel Dressing pairs nicely with the green beans and grilled steak. Sorrel is difficult to find so substitute is with some lemon zest and juice. Serve the potato salad chilled.
If you do not want to make potato salad, an alternative is the Garden Vegetable Pasta Salad. It is a true work horse salad that everyone loves. It has the salty, creamy and fresh flavors scattered throughout the salad and satisfies those creamy cravings without being heavy.
Dessert
Galettes are really easy to make and always appreciated. I love mixing fruits together like Nectarine Blueberry Galette. For variety, you can substitute the blueberries with black cherries. Make the pie dough the night before and keep in the refrigerator, then assemble and bake the galette in the morning or early afternoon. You just want to make sure to give yourself plenty of time to allow for the galette to cool. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Another make ahead, and sophisticated dessert is sweet with a slightly savory bite from my favorite blue cheese, Point Reyes Baby Blue Cheesecakes. For a summer variation, garnish the cheesecakes with sliced figs or any summer fruit that pairs well with blue cheese. The blue cheese flavor is subtle, and well suited as either an appetizer or a dessert.
Vegetarian Summer Salad Menu
Appetizers
Muhammarra with herb pita chips
Blue cheese Dip with Caramelized Shallots
Main Course
Tortellini Salad with Basil Pesto
Green Bean Salad with Lemon Dressing
Leafy Green Salad with Lemon Cream Dressing
Dessert
Strawberry Basil No-churn Ice Cream with fresh Strawberries
and/or
Fudgy Brownies with Sea Salt and Caramel
Appetizers
Dips are easy to make with some dips, like these two, you can make in advance. Often, dips taste better given some time for the flavors to meld. Muhammara and Blue Cheese Dip with Caramelized Shallots are two of my favorite dips.
If you want something that is on the lighter side, make an artichoke or black olive tapenade and serve with cut up vegetables or crackers. Olive tapenade is delicious with goat cheese as well.
Main Course
For a vegetarian main course, pasta salad makes a great main course meal. Make my Tortellini with Basil Pesto recipe into a salad by rinsing the cooked tortellini under cold water to stop the cooking. Shake out any excess water and add the tortellini to a large mixing bowl along with the pesto and grape tomatoes. Omit the green beans because you will have them with the three bean salad. I prefer this salad at room temperature, but you can make this ahead then refrigerate it until time to serve. Here is a link for my pesto recipe. You will find a link for the pesto recipe with the tortellini recipe as well.
Photos for blog post, 3 bean salad
This is not your ordinary green bean salad. It is made with green beans, yellow wax beans and kidney beans, essentially it is a three bean salad. It is perfect for the summer or anytime you have vegetarian or vegan guests. The ginger in the lemon vinaigrette recipe does not pair well with the pesto so replace it with fresh basil or parsley. If you cannot find yellow wax beans, as they are not quite in season yet, substitute is with another legume like black beans or chick peas.
Dessert
Everyone loves ice cream and brownies and these recipes are real crowd pleaser. Strawberry Basil No-churn Ice Cream is delicious served alone or with some fudgy brownies with sea salt and caramel. This best brownie recipe ranks up there as one of the best I have ever had.
Lemon Cream Dressing
This recipe is from Joshua McFadden’s cookbook, Six Seasons.
Toss the green salad with any dressing you prefer, but since the green bean salad has a vinaigrette I thought it would be nice for something that was different yet compliment the other salads in the meal. Despite the cream, Lemon Cream Dressing is very light. Infuse 4 smashed and peeled garlic cloves in a half cup (125 ml) of heavy cream for two hours in the refrigerator. Once the garlic is infused, remove the cloves and add a pinch of Kosher salt, several rounds of freshly ground black pepper, and zest from a quarter of a lemon. Whisk the cream. As soon as it starts to thicken add two tablespoons (30 ml) of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of extra virgin olive oil. Continue to whisk the cream until the dressing is light and airy. You are not making full-out whipped cream, but one you can pour that has a light and creamy texture.
Final Thoughts
Each salad menu has unique and flavorful salads that compliment each other. They also create a balanced dinner filled with summer produce. The amount of servings per salad is the same as the number of servings stated in the original recipe. Unless otherwise stated, each menu will feed a family of 4-5. Fortunately, each recipe is easily scaled up to serve any number of guests. Depending on how many guests you are planning for, you might need additional appetizers like guacamole, deviled eggs, or roasted shrimp cocktail, and desserts like Nifty Cake or peach sabayon.
Hope you get to see some fireworks. Have a delicious and happy Independence Day.
© 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.
Grilled Mahi Mahi with Strawberry Pineapple Salsa
At least twice a week, we enjoy eating fish for dinner with the usual choices being, salmon, char or plaice. These fish varieties are easily available, heart healthy and sustainable choices. However, I do appreciate having some variety and like to switch up my routine. On those occasions I enjoy fish like Mahi Mahi, especially grilled Mahi Mahi.
Once I got over the confusion from its name, dolphinfish, I lost any queasiness about eating it. Rest assured, Mahi Mahi is a fish and not related to Dolphins the mammal. They are fast swimming migratory fish found around the world’s tropical, temperate, and subtropical oceans.
Seafood Watch recommendations for Mahi Mahi
Salsa for Grilled Mahi Mahi
Like many fish dinners, Mahi Mahi is easy to prepare, and does not take a lot of extra work to flavor it up. Because this recipe is paired with a fruit salsa, I kept the seasoning on the fish on the light side. Fruit salsa compliments the flavor of Mahi Mahi well and makes a light meal to enjoy during these hot summer evenings.
Pineapple is a reliable fruit choice for salsa, yet strawberries add a nice contrast with its bright berry flavor and vivid color. Unfortunately, fruit salsas should not be made in advance, but give yourself an outside work space near the grill and make it while you heat up the grill and cook the fish.
Surprisingly, even local farm fresh strawberries benefit from some extra sweetness and pineapple compliments the strawberries with the extra sweet kiss they need. So does adding some heat in the form of fresh chili pepper like jalapeño. Any fresh green chili pepper will work in the salsa, even poblano chilies if you want the salsa on the mild side.
One ingredient I think works well in the salsa is pickled red onion. The salsa needs a pop of acid and pickled vegetables supplies that perky note without the acid breaking down the strawberries and turning them to mush. You don’t need much, just a tablespoon of chopped pickled vegetable like pickled red onion or pepperoncini.
Switch it Up
This recipe is for grilled Mahi Mahi, but can easily adapt for stove top grilling, or baked in the oven.
If you cannot find Mahi Mahi, substitute it with grouper, trout, halibut, striped bass, or arctic char.
Use Grilled Mahi Mahi for Fish Tacos.
Originally, I wanted to make a strawberry avocado salsa, but my fresh local strawberries turned the avocado and the minced fruit into one big red mushy mess. However, if you still want avocado in the salsa, add it right before serving the grilled Mahi Mahi, or in slices on the side. You will be surprised how well avocado tastes with strawberries and it adds a nice creamy texture as well.
Grilled Mahi Mahi with Strawberry Salsa
Mahi Mahi is a delicious fish and perfect for cooking on the grill. Topped with fruit salsa made with pineapple and strawberries adds just the right amount of sweetness and spice for bright and flavorful meal. Feel free to adjust the ingredients in the salsa to suit your flavor preferences. If you do not want a spicy salsa, use poblano pepper instead of the jalapeño.
I like adding pickled onion to give the fruit some punch. Click on the link for my pickled onion recipe. Or, add just a small splash of red vinegar, or pickled jalapeño, or other pickled pepper.
The salsa recipe makes just over 2 cups (500 ml) and will supply more than what you need for 2-3 servings of grilled Mahi Mahi.
Makes 3- 5 oz (148 g) servings of grilled Mahi Mahi.
Ingredients
Mahi Mahi
- 1 lb Mahi Mahi filet
- Kosher Salt
- Herbs de Provence
- Sweet paprika
- 1/2 TB Canola oil
Salsa
- 6 oz /175 g Pineapple about 1 cup chopped
- 5 -6 oz / 190 g strawberries about 11 medium strawberries
- ½ Kirby cucumber (about 2 ¾ oz / 80 g)
- ½ -1 jalapeño pepper 38 g / 1 oz
- 2 green onions minced (white and light parts only)
- 1 TB pickled onions, finely chopped optional
- Small pinch of Kosher salt less than a 1/4 teaspoon
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 3 g basil leaves about 4-6 leaves depending on size
- 6 small mint leaves
- Squeeze of lemon juice from a quarter of a lemon optional
- ½ avocado optional
Instructions
Prepare the grill
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Prepare your grill according to manufactures directions.
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While the coals are getting hot, sprinkle Kosher salt over both sides of the fish filet. Sprinkle the herbs de Provence and sweet paprika over the top of the filet in a light but even layer. Lightly coat the filet with canola oil and set in the refrigerator.
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When the coals and the grate in the grill are hot, oil the grill. Set the filet top side down on the grate. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn over and cook the other side for an additional 5 minutes. The fish is done when you touch the filet it springs back and with little resistance. Remove from the grill and add fresh black pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Garnish with the strawberry salsa.
Strawberry Salsa
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Make the salsa while the grill is heating up and when the fish is grilling. Cut up the pineapple into small bite size pieces less than an ½ inch (1 cm) in size. Add to a small bowl.
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Remove the stems and slice the strawberries in half and remove the core. Slice each half in thirds or quarters depending on size of strawberry. Add to the bowl with the pineapple.
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Cut the Kirby cucumber in half. Slice one half lengthwise in half and remove the seeds. Chop the cucumber into pieces similar in size to the pineapple and strawberries. Add to the bowl with the fruit.
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Depending on how much heat you want in your salsa, use a half of jalapeño pepper or a whole one. Slice the jalapeño in half and remove the stem, seeds and white pith. Leave some of the pith if you want it spicier. Mince the jalapeño and add to the fruit.
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Chop up the pickled onion, if using, and add to the bowl with the fruit. Add the minced green onions.
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Sprinkle the small pinch, less than a ¼ tsp, of Kosher salt over the prepared fruit and give a few grinds of black pepper over the fruit. Chiffonade the basil and cut up the mint leaves then add to the fruit. Mix everything together. Set aside.
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If you want to add avocado chop it into bite size pieces and add to the salsa just before serving.
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Add a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving. Best eaten immediately.
© 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.
Good Morning Glory Muffins
One project of mine is to develop my knowledge and skills for baking with less sugar and develop recipes using no refined sugar. The challenging part of baking without refined sugars is, often sugar has more than one function in a recipe, especially in baked goods. Sugar not only adds flavor, it helps develop the structure and texture in desserts. Whipping sugar and butter together makes cakes and cookies that are tender, light and airy as well as tasting sweet. So, when baked goods do not contain refined sugar it is easy to create a dense and dry muffin, cake or cookie. I believe I averted that challenge and created my first low sugar / no refined sugar muffin with my Good Morning Glory Muffins. These muffins are loaded with healthy and fresh ingredients, and naturally sweetened and moist. They are tender without being weighted down from all the fresh ingredients. A great breakfast to start your day.
Traditional Morning Glory Muffins are easily adapted to a no refined sugar recipe because the grated carrots add a subtle sweet flavor. It also combines all-purpose and whole wheat flours in the recipe. For my recipe, in addition to using grated carrots, I added grated zucchini, grated apples, apple sauce and Medjool dates. The grated carrots, zucchini, and apples I used for texture and flavor, while the applesauce and dates help sweeten the muffins. Apples and dates have a lot of natural sugar and melt when baked into muffins and cakes. They also have a lot of fiber. This helps slow down the digestion which is important to anyone who is counting carbs or watching their blood sugar.
The grated zucchini, grated apples and applesauce provide a lot of moisture. To prevent the muffins from getting soggy, I recommend squeezing out some of the water in the zucchini and apple. You do not have to squeeze them dry but getting rid of most of the water is helpful in creating a tender muffin.
What experts know about reducing sugaring baking recipes from Food 52
Good Morning Glory Muffins
What I like about these Morning Glory Muffins is they are moist without being heavy and have subtle flavors including the sweetness. You definitely will taste the wheat, but it is not dry tasting. How sweet the muffins tastes depend on how well the chopped dates are incorporated throughout the muffin batter. I do not believe they need more dates in the muffins, otherwise they would be too sweet. Also, Good Morning Glory Muffins are hearty muffins without being heavy, so they won’t weigh you down.
Normally I love bold flavors, but with this recipe the spices create a deliberate subtle flavor profile. Even though I believe there is no such thing as too much fresh ginger, I wanted that flavor to come intermittently between bites like a surprise citrusy-ginger wake up call. The cinnamon is subtle as well, so it won’t over take the muffin flavor. However, each spice is easily adjusted to suit your taste. Often, cinnamon and fresh ginger contribute a sweet flavor in baked goods even though by themselves they are not sweet at all.
Switch it Up
When I first taste tested my Morning Glory Muffins, I thought they needed extra sweetener, so I added a small amount of honey. However, if the dates are evenly mixed in the batter, each muffin should taste sweet without the extra honey. I do not recommend adding more honey as the flavor will overpower the muffins. You can substitute the honey with maple syrup or agave syrup. If you want less sugar, please feel free to omit the honey or, keep the honey and reduce the amount of dates to 3.
Also, to keep these Morning Glory Muffins in the low sugar category, I did not add raisins. Like dates, raisins contain a lot of natural sugar and I was concerned adding them it would make the muffins too sweet. If you are not concerned about the amount of sugar in your muffin add no more than a 1/2 cup (125 ml) of raisins and you will enjoy a sweeter muffin more characteristic to a traditional Morning Glory Muffin.
Grated unsweetened coconut is also a nice addition adding another element in texture and flavor. Add up to a 1/2 cup (125 ml) unsweetened flaky coconut.
Determining when the Good Morning Glory Muffins are done
The hardest part about making these muffins is determining when they are done. Because of the amount of vegetables in the recipe and all the moisture from the zucchini, apples and eggs the traditional toothpick test is not reliable here because the batter does not cling to the toothpick. However, I still recommend using a toothpick to check for doneness. Instead of looking at the toothpick to see if there is any wet batter clinging to it, touch the end with your finger tips to feel if it is sticky and moist. If it is, the muffins need to continue baking. When the tooth pick feels on the dry side of moist and is not sticky, the Morning Glory Muffins are done.
Additional clues the muffins are done baking are the color and if the muffins spring back when you lightly touch the muffin tops. They should have a nice golden brown color and spring back into shape after you touch the muffin tops.
Nutritional Information for Good Morning Glory Muffins
According to My Fitness Pal calorie and nutrition calculator, when made according to my recipe each muffin has 203 calories. Has 7 grams of fat (11% DRV), of which 1 gram is saturated fat, 4 grams are monounsaturated fat and 2 grams of polyunsaturated fat, plus 0 trans-fat. Each muffin has 31 grams of cholesterol (10% DRV) which comes from the eggs. All other ingredients do not contain any cholesterol. Other nutritional points of interest are: Sodium 143 mg (6% DRV), potassium 217 mg (6% DRV), total carbohydrates at 34 g (11% DRV), with dietary fiber at 7 g (30% DRV), and sugar at 10 g. Also, each muffin contains 4 g (8% DRV) of protein, 41% Vitamin A, 16% Vitamin C, 15% Calcium and 10% Iron.
Because of the power of the sugar lobby, nutritional labels do not show the Daily Recommended Value (DRV) for sugar. If must be a concerning percentage if the sugar industry does not want us to know. I was hoping to get these muffins in the single digits, but with 7 grams of dietary fiber I believe they are relatively low in sugar.
More recipes using no refined sugar or less sugar.
Low Fat Granola you can adjust the amount of sugar in the recipe by reducing the amount of dried fruit. Using fresh ginger instead of crystallized ginger is also a great way to cut back on the sugar.
Honey Roasted Peanut Butter Cookies
Good Morning Glory Muffins
This muffin recipe is my adaptation for a low sugar Morning Glory Muffin. There is no refined sugar and are loaded with lots of fresh ingredients like apples, zucchini, sweet carrots and Medjool dates. These muffins are not sweet but will contain some sweet bites depending on how many dates are scattered about in each muffin. They are a delicious and healthy choice for breakfast.
For extra protein, serve with ½ cup (66 ml) low-fat cottage cheese or yogurt. Or Laban a Lebanese cheese made with yogurt.
Best served warm and the day it is made. Serving size =1 muffin.
Ingredients
- ½ cup 43 g shelled walnuts
- 1 ¼ cup 179 g all-purposed flour
- ¾ cup 120 g whole wheat flour
- ½ tsp 2 g Kosher salt
- 2 tsp 10 g baking powder
- ½ tsp 1 g ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg less than a gram
- 1 ½ tsp minced fresh ginger 7 g
- 4 Medjool dates 62 g minced
- 1 zucchini 8 oz / 239 g about 1 2/3 cups grated
- 2 carrots 6 ½ oz / 185 g 1 packed cup grated
- 1 apple 6 ½ oz / 185 g ¾ cup grated
- ½ cup 125 ml apple sauce
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup canola oil or 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 TB honey
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F/ 190°C / Gas Mark 5 and place the rack in the middle position. Spray each muffin cup with cooking spray. Soak up any excess oil with a paper towel. Or fill each muffin cup with a paper liner.
Toast the walnuts
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Heat a small skillet over high heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the shelled walnuts to the skillet and shake the skillet to move the walnuts around the pan. Keep the walnuts in motion by moving the skillet back and forth, shake the skillet or toss with a spoon. The walnuts are toasted when you begin to smell a nutty scent, about 30 seconds. Do not let the walnuts brown or burn.
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Immediately turn off the heat and pour the walnuts onto a cutting board to cool. Chop the walnuts to small bite size pieces. Set aside.
Prepare the Zucchini and Apple
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Place the grated zucchini in a fine mesh strainer and squeeze out most of the excess water. Squeeze several times to get as much water out. Place on a plate and reserve.
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Add the grated apples to the fine mesh strainer and squeeze out some of the water from the apples. Place on the plate with the zucchini. Add the grated carrots to the plate. Set aside.
Make the batter
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Add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, Kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, minced ginger to a large mixing bowl. With a wire whisk, stir until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
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Add the minced dates into the flour and toss the dates around to coat with flour. Use your hands to separate the clumps of chopped dates to get them evenly distributed in the flour.
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Slide the grated zucchini, grated carrots, grated apples, and chopped walnuts into the flour mix and stir to mix.
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Add the applesauce, canola oil, eggs, vanilla, and honey then stir to mix. Carefully stir until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated. You want to be careful to not over mix the batter, but it does need to get all mixed together. It is a thick batter.
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Scoop up a heaping ¼ cup of batter with a dry measuring cup and pour the batter into a muffin tin. Repeat to fill all 12 muffin cups. Divide any remaining batter around to even out the muffins.
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Bake in the oven for 35– 40 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and the top of the muffins spring back when touched. Also, when a toothpick is no longer sticky to touch after it was inserted into the center of a muffin.
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Remove from the oven and cool the muffins in its' pan placed on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, cool in the muffin tin, or remove each muffin and cool on the rack.
Best eaten the day they are made, but will last for 2-3 days stored in an air tight container. Reheat in a microwave or oven.
Can be frozen individually wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for up to one month.
Recipe Notes
Because there is a lot of fruit and vegetables what have a lot of water it creates a very moist muffin. The traditionally reliable toothpick method of checking to see when a baked good is done, does not work here. No crumbs and batter cling to the toothpick even when they need more baking.
I still recommend using a toothpick, but in a different way. After 30 minutes, insert a toothpick into the middle of a muffin and take it out. Pinch the end of the toothpick that was inside the muffin, if it feels very moist and sticky, the muffins need more time. The muffins are done when the toothpick feels on the dry side of moist, plus is not sticky. These muffins take longer to bake because of the amount of moisture in the batter, anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes.
© 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.
