Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Thyme

I've noticed that my cooking interests rotate with the seasons. During summertime when there are so many wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables available, I find my recipes highlighting simplicity. Just like with my last recipe on Fresh Tomato and Red Onion Salad, today's recipe doesn't involve a lot of complex dressings or spices. Instead, it relies on the starchiness of the potato combined with the slight tartness from the apple cider vinegar to create a flavor that, when joined with salad and burger, rounds out a meal perfectly.


Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 quart new red potatoes, washed and cut into chunks
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed and cut in half
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
•  In separate bowl, combine oil, vinegar, rosemary, thyme, and pepper.
• In 13 x 9 baking dish, combine potatoes, shallot, garlic, and onion.
• Pour oil mixture over potato mixture. Stir well.
• Bake at 450 degrees, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir at least once while baking.

Fresh Tomato and Red Onion Salad

Do yourself a big favor. Go to the nearest farmers' market or roadside stand and buy the most beautiful tomato you can find. Slice it up, drizzle some oil and vinegar on top, and sit down. Stop everything else you're doing right now and let yourself enjoy the flavor. It is summertime: the perfect time for tomatoes.

Sure, you can buy beefsteak or vine ripe tomatoes from the store, but you would be doing a huge disservice to your palate. Talk to the farmers - ask about their favorites. The tomato I bought today was absolutely gorgeous. It was a deep red, bordering on purple, with a crown of green. The farmer told me that it was the perfect time to eat them. He said, "You will never taste a better tomato in your life." In a world of over-exaggerated statements, this one was 100% accurate.

I love the simplicity of this salad, as well as its flexible nature. Feel free to try it with different tomatoes, different vinegars, additions, or even caramelizing the onions to create a sweet / salty combination.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 large heirloom tomato, cut into wedges (room temperature is best)
• sliver of red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
• drizzle of olive oil
• drizzle of balsamic vinegar
• freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Arrange tomatoes on a plate. Sprinkle onion around them.
2. Dress with a drizzle each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
3. Top with freshly ground black pepper.
4. Enjoy!

Artistic Eatables on Twitter!

If you're on Twitter, you'll be pleased to know that Artistic Eatables is now on Twitter. The account is arteatsblog - come visit and play with me!

In other news, I have a delicious recipe for you, loyal readers, when I return from my vacation. I hope you're all well!

Goat Cheese and Grape Crostini

Looking through my recipe binder, I found a picture of crostini topped with grapes. There was no recipe with it, but I couldn't resist giving them a try. I made a big batch for appetizers at a dinner party and they had disappeared by the time dinner was ready.

My favorite part about this recipe is the combination of hot and cold. Your teeth sink into a warm piece of toasted bread topped with soft melted cheese, but the grapes are still cool with a different kind of crunch. I also like the balance of sweet and salty. If you're not a fan of goat cheese, you might consider making these with another spreadable soft cheese, like brie. Or if you are feeling adventurous, you could try one of the soft cheeses on this list.


Ingredients

• most of 1 baguette or French loaf, sliced into rounds
• 8 oz. soft goat cheese
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
• red seedless grapes, halved

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Smear each baguette round with goat cheese, then place on large cookie sheet with sides. 
3. Sprinkle crostini with pepper, then parsley.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 8-12 minutes, until goat cheese is softened and bread is barely toasted.
5. Remove from oven. As crostini are cooling, top each round with a few grape halves.

Marinated White Beans with Tomatoes

While preparing for a recent picnic, I decided to mix up some marinated beans. After seeing this recipe on Budget Bytes, I had been thinking about a cold bean mixture to enjoy during the hot days of summer. I adapted her idea with a few tips from Jamie Oliver's salad video to create this great snack, crostini topper, or side dish.

Ingredients for Dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp high quality mustard (ex: stone ground or Dijon mustard)
• small handful fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Other Ingredients

• one or two 15 oz. cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained (for a dish with lighter dressing, use 2 cans of beans)
• 1 small vine ripe tomato, diced

Directions

1. In a small lidded container, combine dressing ingredients and shake well.
2. In a separate bowl or container, combine beans and tomatoes. Pour dressing over top and stir until coated. 
3. Let mixture sit at least fifteen minutes before serving atop toasted baguette slices or as a side dish.

Sautéed Sweet Potatoes with Granny Smith Apple

After a hectic end to my school year, I am back in the kitchen. Thanks for being patient!

I write today with a recipe that could easily be part of breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Think of it as a fusion of traditional home fries and Thanksgiving dinner's sweet potatoes. The recipe, adapted from Susie Middleton's Fast, Fresh & Green, caught my eye for its excellent description of walk-away sautéing. Middleton breaks up her book by technique; other techniques include grilling, braising, and gratins.


Important tips when walk-away sautéing:
--Cut your vegetable into similar sized pieces. The closer in size, the easier it will be to avoid larger pieces being undercooked.
--Don't be afraid of caramelizing or browning the potatoes - this will bring out their flavor
--This technique is flexible, as long as you keep in mind that it works best with firm vegetables like potatoes, carrots, or even cauliflower, paired with an aromatic vegetable such as mushroom or onion.


Ingredients
(This recipe can easily be made vegan by omitting the butter)

• 1 Tbsp butter
• generous drizzle of olive oil
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, skins on, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 medium white onion, diced
• kosher or sea salt
• 1/4 Granny Smith apple, chopped
• splash of apple cider vinegar
• dried parsley, for garnish

Directions

1. Heat large frying pan to medium heat.
2. Add butter to melt, and olive oil
3. Add sweet potatoes, onion, and a few shakes of salt to the pan. Cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Stir every once in a while but do not scrape bottom of pan.
4. Once sweet potatoes are tender, add fresh apple and a splash or two of cider vinegar. Cook for another minute or two, until apples are warm.
5. Dish onto plates and top with a pinch of parsley and another sprinkle of salt. Serve hot.

Mixed Summer Vegetables with Feta

I love shopping for vegetables in the summer. I go to the farm stand and buy whatever is beautiful. This week, the beets and I fell in love.

I know what you're thinking: beets are gross. My question to you: on what beets are you basing your judgment? Those slimy canned discs are NOT beets - they're aliens! Grab some fresh ones from your local farmers' market, boil them, and enjoy their delicious sweet flavor.

• 4 small/medium beets, washed and greens removed
• 1 yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced (into half-moon shape)
• olive oil
• red or white wine vinegar
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into small wedges
• 3-4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled or broken into small pieces

1. Place beets in small pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender.
2. While beets are cooking, heat up grill or flat top griddle to medium heat.
3. Spear squash slices onto kabobs.
4. Place kabobs on grill. Drizzle with both olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Cook 8-10 minutes on each side, until charred.
6. Place squash in serving bowl to cool.
7. When beets are done, slice in half horizontally, then into small chunks. Let cool, then add to serving bowl.
8. Add tomatoes and feta.
9. Toss gently and serve at room temperature.

Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Sandwiches

I've heard lots of different names for this fabulous combination: Margherita and Caprese are both popular titles for tomato, basil, and mozzarella together in a dish. The red, white, and green symbolize the colors of the Italian flag, and the name was given to honor Queen Margherita of Italy.

I was immediately attracted to Beth's recipe on Budget Bytes, which featured this famous medley. After a few alterations, I was ready to give it a try. My biggest concern was to preserve the crispiness of the bread. By grilling the sourdough on its own, it is protected from absorbing too much vinegar and keep the stability of the sandwich intact.

Prosciutto isn't necessary to enjoying this sandwich, but Dan the Man highly recommends it! The saltiness goes wonderfully with the creamy fresh mozzarella.


Ingredients

• loaf of fresh sourdough Italian bread, thickly sliced
• butter (for grilling)
• vine ripe tomatoes, sliced across into rounds
• ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced
• fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• balsamic vinegar (for drizzling)
• olive oil (for drizzling)
• freshly ground pepper 
• small package of prosciutto (optional)

Directions

1. Heat up frying pan or griddle to medium heat.
2. Butter both sides of Italian bread slices. Grill both sides of each piece until crispy; remove from heat.
3. Assemble sandwiches from the bottom up: tomato, mozzarella, basil, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil, and freshly ground pepper. Top with a few slices of prosciutto, if using.
4. Slice sandwiches in half and enjoy immediately!

Rhubarb Crisp

Crisp, crumble, cobbler: what's in a name?

For this dessert, I didn't want to fuss with a pie crust, but did want some oats involved. My trouble revolved around what to search for: which name included oats? Luckily, I found a helpful article on Gourmet.com that articulates the differences. The answer: crisp is the American name for a fruit dessert with a crumbly topping that often includes oats. (Crumble is its British equivalent.) Upon finding this information, I was able to get to work.


I hope you enjoy what I consider to be a perfect spring dessert: the tartness of rhubarb is scaled down during the baking process (and the addition of sugar, of course). The result is a somewhat messy but sweet crisp with only a bit of bite.

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes.

Filling Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/4" slices
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

Topping Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, cut into small pieces
• more cinnamon for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix filling ingredients together (rhubarb, sugar, flour, vanilla, and spices). Pour filling into 13x9 dish.
3. In another bowl, mix topping ingredients (flour, oats, and butter). Using your fingers, squish the butter into the flour/oats until it is spread throughout.
4. Pour oat mixture on top of rhubarb filling. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Green Beans with Simple Dressing

When I was younger I remember not being big on vegetables. My mom was able to sneak carrots or broccoli into my repertoire only if ranch dressing was available on the side.

My taste has matured (slightly) since then, but one thing I still love about vegetables is the crunch. These green beans are cooked, but retain their bright green color. This not only means that the nutrients are left for you to eat (rather than boiling away into the water), but also that the beans still have a bit of crunch to them.

What I love about this recipe is how simple it is to make, yet how fancy it looks when presented.

Ingredients

• 2-3 large handfuls fresh green beans, ends snapped off
• juice of 1 lemon
• drizzle of olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• sliced almonds

Directions

1. Boil green beans until just barely cooked; beans should still be somewhat crunchy.
2. Transfer beans to serving dish. Dress with lemon juice and olive oil, then mix just barely. 
3. Top with salt, pepper, and almonds. Serve immediately.