Watermelon - That's What We're Having Today!

  Whew! It's HOT outside, humid, and the temperature is approaching closer to 100 these last few weeks.  And a tasty way to cool down when the weather is oppressive, WATERMELON. Watermelons this time of year are so sweet and refreshing.  I bought two big, juicy, seedless watermelons this past week.  I cut both of them up and ate it for snacks or dessert, and I used part of  them in a salad, that's right a salad!  I am  trying to eat lighter with less calories everyday, but who even feels like eating, or cooking in this hot weather for that matter. So to cool off a bit, I made a Watermelon and Mixed Spring Greens Salad With Feta and Balsamic Glaze. I know it sounds crazy, but it was delicious. Easy to put together and served with grilled, herb marinated, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (grilled in the house, in the air conditioning of course!).  That was it, no potatoes, no rice, no other side dishes.  The hubby was very happy, in fact he ate three of those chicken breasts and polished off the salad, I couldn't stop him from eating!

In a salad bowl - 3 cups Mixed Spring Greens, 2 cups cubed seedless Watermelon, 1/2 cup of Feta Cheese, drizzle on 3 tablespoons Balsamic Glaze.  Toss and serve.  As always, if you like more of any ingredient, be my guest, add more.  Sliced almonds are also very good in this, to add more texture to the salad.

 Great looking meal!

 And pretty darn good looking on a plate.  I had my greens and my protein, it was awesome!

The Summer Peach

There is no better fruit, to me at least, than a fresh summer peach.  Juicy and packed full of that peachy goodness I know and love.  I bought a box of fresh peaches on my trip to Trader Joe's this week, and let me tell you, they are so juicy that you need a handful of napkins when you eat them, or the juice will run down your arm and all over your clothes!

I have a lot of recipes using peaches, pies, jams, etc., but again it's just the two of us, so I made a small fresh peach and fresh blueberry crisp with some of my peaches.  It smelled so amazing baking, I couldn't wait to eat it!  It was not too sweet for those minding their sugar intake.  Topping it with a small scoop of vegan ice cream, makes this dessert totally vegan, or top it with a scoop of regular vanilla bean ice cream.

Recipe below.

To print recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

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  This peach and blueberry crisp was served after a vegan meal I made for dinner,
 Vegan Bolognese Sauce with Pasta (recipe on this blog 1/6/16), check it out.

I used 3 fresh peaches and 1 cup of fresh blueberries and started layering them in a small casserole dish.  

I made two layers with the fruit.

Now the crunchy part - Oatmeal, brown sugar, a pinch of salt and vegan butter.

Spread the topping over the fruit, cover to the edges and bake.  Easy and simple, that's how I like it!

    

In 40 minutes, this fabulous dessert! Sweet peaches and puffed up blueberries that burst in your mouth!

Peach and Blueberry Crisp

Ingredients

3 fresh peaches

1 cup fresh blueberries

3/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons Earth Balance Vegan Butter, cut into cubes

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Cut peaches in half and remove the stone.  Leave the skin on if you like or peel them.  Slice each half into 5-6 slices. Layer the slices on the bottom of the casserole dish, and sprinkle on 1/2 of the blueberries.  Make another layer of peaches and the other half of the blueberries.

In a medium bowl, combine the oatmeal, brown sugar, salt and vegan butter.  Break up the butter with a fork mixing it into the oatmeal and brown sugar until its crumbly.  Spread the top of the fruit with mixture and cover to the edges of the dish.  Bake for 35 - 40 minutes (remember all oven temps are different).  Makes 4 servings.

Rub - a - Dub Dub Kansas City BBQ Rub

Things are getting slower around my house these days.  Kids are all working, or they are out and about, no one usually home for dinner.  So I am not cooking much anymore, because it's just me and the hubby.  I have to get to a "cooking for two" mentality, so I don't have a lot of wasted food.  It's a little hard adjusting to that way of cooking, after making meals for a large family all these years.  So last night it was dinner for two.  I served up thick, center cut boneless pork chops with
 Kansas City BBQ Rub, hot off the grill.

Recipe below.

To print recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

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Heat your gas grill.  Rub both sides of the chops generously with the Kansas City BBQ Rub. Place the chops on heated grill.  Cook for 10 minutes on each side if the chops are really thick cut, otherwise about

 6 -8 on each side.  Chops are done when juices run clear.  Look how good they look!

For a side dish - cut in 1 inch chunks, 1/2 large orange bell pepper, 1/4 red onion, 1/2 small yellow squash, 1/2 small green zucchini, and 8-10 baby carrots.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil,  and salt and pepper to taste. Place in a grill basket on the heated grill, toss occasionally while roasting.

  TIP:  ALWAYS DRIZZLE VINEGAR BEFORE OIL.

Quiet dinner for two.  OH and by the way,  it was delicious!

 Kansas City BBQ Rub

Ingredients for the rub

1 tablespoon white sugar

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Mix together in a bowl.  Sprinkle on food with a spoon then rub it in with clean hands. Store any remaining unused/untouched  rub in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Rub can be used on pork, beef, chicken and fish.  Makes about 2/3 cup.