It's Summertime! ...Or Close Enough.

This week has been absolutely gorgeous here in Northeast Ohio!  Summer is in the air.  I love waking up every morning to the sunlight streaming through my window, a gentle breeze, and the sounds of birds singing beautiful songs to their Creator!  As anyone in the restaurant business can tell you, with the change of seasons comes changes in taste and eating patterns.  

Growing up, I loved summer time.  My dad always planted a large garden full of all kinds of vegetables and sometimes fruits.  My family waited with anticipation for that first sun-ripened, right off the plant tomato.  Nothing excited me more than that first batch of fresh green beans my mom cooked for us each summer.  I loved when my dad would bring in the first zucchini of the season, and loved just as much when the last one was finally gone!  

Summer time meant that veggies were our staple, the grill was the number one appliance, and salads were in abundance.  Now as an adult, summer time still brings out that same excitement and anticipation in me.  In our little one bedroom apartment we don't have a garden, but veggies will still be our summertime staple!

On Thursday, I was in way too much pain to cook and had chosen a recipe that was a little involved.  My sweet husband made the recipe for me so that I wouldn't have to cook.  It was amazing!  We rarely eat something that passes our test of making again (I prefer to make and try new foods constantly), but this will definitely reappear on our menu!  It's very healthy (yes, it takes quinoa!) and incredibly good.

Stuffed Pepper Enchiladas

Original recipe can be found at: http://www.onelovelylife.com/?p=4854

Ingredients

• 4 Bell Peppers (we used red and green, but you can use any color.  We used ones that were rather large and still had some filling left over, so you may want to get an extra pepper just in case)
• 1 c. Quinoa
• 1/2 Medium Onion (diced)
• 1 15 oz. can Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 Tomato (diced)
• 1 4 oz. can Diced Green Chiles (DO NOT DRAIN)
• 1/4 c. Cilantro (finely chopped)
• 1/4 t. Salt
• 1/4 t. Pepper
• 1 c. Monterrey Jack, grated
• 1 c. Cheddar Cheese, grated
• 1 28 oz. can Enchilada Sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Place quinoa and onion in a large saucepan with two cups of water and a little salt.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for five minutes, cover, and turn off heat.  Allow the quinoa to steam on the burner for fifteen minutes, then fluff using a fork.
3. Put the quinoa mixture into a mixing bowl.  Stir in black beans, tomato, green chiles, cilantro, salt, and pepper. 
4. Pour the enchilada sauce into baking dishes. (We tried a 9x13, but not all of our peppers would fit, so be had to use another small dish as well)
5. Divide the filling between the peppers, and place the peppers in the enchilada sauce in the baking dishes.  Sprinkle each pepper with cheese.
6. Bake 25-30 minutes.  Serve.

These were so good!  We had some extra filling left over and were starving.  We decided to eat the little that was left over while the peppers were baking.  It tasted like the inside of a Chipotle burrito, only better and healthier!  So if you aren't a fan of bell peppers, make the filling and place in tortillas instead!

As I said, this post is all about summer.  I normally don't associate pizza with summer, but this is a special case.  This sauceless pizza was delicious and gluten-free!  I myself am not allergic to gluten, but I have plenty of friends and family members who are (quinoa is also gluten-free, for those of you who have never tried it).  For this reason, I decided to try a recipe that was gluten-free.  I'll be honest, I was expecting a crust that tasted like cardboard.  I could not find the crust the original recipe suggested, so I decided to try a gluten-free crust mix I found at the local grocery.

One word of warning: If you are actually allergic to gluten, double check the ingredients on the cheeses you buy.  Some cheeses do contain gluten fillers, so it is always safest to double check.

Gluten-Free Pesto Caprese Pizza

Original recipe can be found at: http://www.glutenista.com/grilled-caprese-pizza-recipe--a-glutenista-gluten-free-recipe.html

Ingredients:

• 1 Gluten-Free Pizza Crust (I used the mix pictured above.  I made the crust as it said on the box, and baked it at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes.  I then took it out, put the toppings on, and placed back in the oven to finish baking)
• 7 Slices Provolone Cheese
• 1 Sliced Tomato (I would recommend using two if they are smaller)
• 4 Slices of a large Mozzarella Ball or Log
• 1/4 c.-1 c. Pesto (if you would rather skip the pesto, fresh basil leaves would work just as well)

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 375 degrees. (Follow above pizza crust directions if you are making the crust from a mix)
2. Salt tomato slices well and allow the water to drain from them for 10-20 minutes.  This keeps the pizza from becoming soggy.
3. Layer provolone on the crust so that most of the pizza is covered.  This will also keep the crust from becoming soggy.  Layer the mozzarella and tomato on top.  Distribute the pesto on the pizza.  Try to make sure that each piece will have some of each topping.
4. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.  Blot carefully to remove excess water and oil. Allow the pizza to sit for a few minutes before cutting and serving.

It was very cheesy and delicious!  I would highly recommend it!  Now most summer dinners just about require some kind of salad.  I personally am not very fond of leafy salads, but my husband likes them.  So I made a simple salad to go with our pizza.

Garden Salad with Lime Cilantro Dressing

Original recipe can be found at: http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/02/15/garden-salad-with-lime-cilantro-dressing/

Ingredients:

• 1 Head of Lettuce, washed with the leaves torn into large pieces
• 2 Tomatoes chopped into large chunks
• 1/2 Red Onion, sliced
• 1 Avocado, sliced
• 1 T. Cilantro, finely chopped
• Juice of 2 Limes
• 2 T. Olive Oil

Directions:

1. To make the dressing, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro.  I would recommend doubling the dressing if you are more of a dressing fan.
2. Combine other ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss, and serve.

Yes, this is one of those "recipes" I don't really consider a recipe, however the dressing was good.  I hope all of you are enjoying the summer-like weather as much as I am!  Happy cooking!