Fall Herb Preservation

This year my oregano plant produced way more fresh herbs than I could possibly use.  When the weather started getting cool I decided to try and preserve the herbs for use throughout the winter.  My mom gave me this great herb book called "a Guide to Fresh Herbs".  This is a fantastic alphabetical reference guide to most herbs, providing directions on planting, preparing, and preserving herbs.  I was able to get tips to preserve my oregano.  First I cut the stems, then tied string on the ends, and hung them in a dark place (our spare bedroom).  Today I checked and they were all dried!  Now I just need to strip the leaves from the stems and store in an airtight container.  We should have fresh oregano all winter!  I'm also excited to use this book next spring as I plan my herb garden.  Maybe this year I can keep the rest of them alive longer. 

Healthy Blog

One of my co-workers shared this healthy blog with me a few weeks ago.  Her friend completely changed her life a couple of years ago, removed all preservatives from her diet, and lost 100lbs.  My co-worker constantly references recipes from this blog and they sound yummy, so I thought I'd pass it along!  Try out the bird bar recipe.  It's gluten free for those of you who can't eat gluten. 

http://www.greenandlean09.blogspot.com/

Fresh Tomato Sauce

In order to use up my fresh supply of organic tomatoes, I decided to try my hand at homemade tomato sauce.  It turned out very well, if I do say so myself!

2 fresh, large tomatoes, diced
3T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
fresh basil, chopped
fresh oregano, chopped
sea salt and pepper, to taste

Wash all ingredients well.  After dicing tomatoes and onion, add to skillet on a medium flame.  Stir in olive oil and garlic and heat mixture for about 7 minutes until soft.  Once tomatoes are softened, take a fork and smush the tomatoes until they're pulpy.  Add fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste, cooking another 10 minutes or so. All the flavors will mix.  Serve hot over fresh wheat pasta.  Enjoy!

Easy Grilled Corn

We hosted a BBQ a couple of weeks ago, which is one of our favorite summer activities.  I wanted to have "real" American food because one of my co-workers from Istanbul was coming to join us.  I made BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, veggies, s'mores, and corn.  When it came to the corn though my biggest pot wouldn't hold all 12 ears so I had to find another way to cook them.  I'd gotten a recipe from our gym that showed how to bake corn instead of boiling.  It sounded too easy to be true, and I was a little apprehensive to try it.  After doing some research online I decided to give it a whirl though, because all the reviews said the flavor was more intense.  It ended up really good and I think this will be my new method from here on out!

Whole ears of corn - as many as you want
Butter (or no-calorie butter spray)
sea salt

Heat oven to 350F.  Lay ears of corn on a cookie sheet (not required, but this will make it much easier to remove).  Make sure they do not overlap.  Keep the husks and silks on, although I did trim the silk a bit.  Cook for 40-60 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes or so.  Remove husks, add butter and salt,  and enjoy!
**Beware, the ears hold heat for about a hour and can still be very hot so don't burn yourselves! 

I cut the corn off the leftover cobs and froze in freezer bags for this winter.  It tastes just as good as it did when fresh!

Cantaloupe Help

Has anyone been successful at growing cantaloupe?  I could use your advice for next year.  This year I started my cantaloupe in a pot on the patio then transplanted it into the ground by my garden (due to space constraints) once it was established.  It's thrived and has grown completely up the fencing, wrapping itself around my tomato supports.  Despite having produced multiple flowers, I can't get an actual cantaloupe to grow.  If you have tips send them my way!

Garden-Fresh Veggies

It's been a while since I updated this blog but now I finally have time to sit down.  About 2 months ago my garden finally started producing real veggies.  We have enjoyed fresh peas, green beans, and tomatoes during this late summer.  It's funny because I've never been a fan of tomato anything (sauce, raw tomatoes, etc) but having your own fresh ones makes a difference.  I've made my own spaghetti sauce, chopped them in with guacamole or mango salsa, and in general had fun adding fresh organic veggies to our meals. 

Turkey Kabobs

One of my goals this summer is to add more vegetables to our diet.  Eating more veggies not only gives you a great vitamin boost but it fills you up so you don't have room for all the junk (aka chips - our big weakness).  One of our favorite meals this summer has been Turkey Kabobs.  They're easy to make and healthy!

1 Jenni-O turkey fillet (they come in a pack of 3, but we use 1 for the two of us)
Marinade (Lawry's has a 30 minute marinade that comes in many flavors, we like the garlic & herb variety)
veggies of your choice (peppers and onions shown)
kabob sticks
a grill

Place the turkey fillet in a glass container with about 1/2C of marinade.  I usually set this up in the morning before work, although it only needs to soak for 30 minutes.  Before grilling, remove meat from marinade and cut into 1" squares.  Next, cut veggies into 1" square removing seeds and washing thoroughly.  Once everything is chopped, alternatively thread the meat and veggies onto the kabob stick.  Be careful not to poke too vigorously - I tend to poke my fingers when rushing and it hurts!  Heat the grill to 450F and grill kabobs for about 3-5 minutes per side.  Enjoy with some rice or pasta!