CSA Recipe Day: Chicken Nachos with Garden Salsa

Whew....we just got done with Operation Weed the Garden.  It was getting gross in there.  Once we cleared out many of the weeds though, we were excited to see more summer squash and zucchini, plenty of tomatoes, beets, and even a few baby jalapeños!!  Between our CSA and our garden we have had a plethora of awesome veggies the past few weeks.

Super-squash & guard dog, Whitney!

Oh hey Jalapeño!

For this week's recipe, I opted to go for a quick meal using some garden salsa I had already whipped up compliments of PW's recipe (PW = Pioneer Woman who I adore).  We had onions, cilantro, and jalapeños in our CSA and a few tomatoes from our farmer's market.  I zipped it through the food processor for a snack over the weekend and it was still lingering in the fridge.

Then there was the rotisserie chicken.  It's been too hot to cook much, so we picked up a chicken at the store the other night.  We all loved it - Liza included.  Our fridge was also filled with this week's CSA: corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions and more jalapeños (aka toppings).  There's no super-secret recipe to these, but they were delicious and I loved that the salsa/sauce was homemade.

So, here's what we did:

[1] Mix said leftover chicken with salsa and a bit of chicken stock in a saucepan over medium heat.  I let it simmer for awhile (maybe 15 minutes) and 'pushed' on the chicken with a spoon to help it breakdown a bit more and absorb some of the flavors from the salsa.  For about the last 5 minutes, I tossed in a can of black beans to help the mixture go a little further (I frequently mix this up during the school year and freeze it).

[2] Line a baking sheet with tin foil and preheat the oven to 350.  Scatter tortilla chips over top of the tin foil.  Then load up with the good stuff - chicken mixture, peppers, tomatoes, jalapeños, corn, olives, and cheese.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

[3] Top with more goodness - we used avocado, salsa, hot sauce, and some plain yogurt (we ran out of sour cream).

Anybody else have some great recipes to use with all the goodness coming from the garden?  We'd love some more ideas!

Wednesday Loves.

Holy hotness.  What is up with this 90 degree weather in Northern Michigan?  Good thing we both have family cottages nearby and can escape to the lake on the weekends!

Anyway, we're linking up with Jamie today (a momma-to-be) to share our loves!

[1] The lake.  Like we mentioned earlier there are tons of lakes nearby.  We're lucky enough to have family places within 45 minutes that we really do use as an escape on the weekend.  Cool breezes, campfires, lots of family time, and even some swimming time have made this heat bearable.

[2]  As always during the summer months we're loving fresh, local produce from our CSA and our garden.  Being able to feed our peanuts and hubbies good food always puts a smile on our faces!  Recipe for zucchini brownies coming TOMORROW.  So awesomely delicious and pretty good for you!

[3] A momma-only, baby-free half day of shopping...even though I bought a bunch of clothing for Liza-lou.

[4] Nuk sippy cups.  Liza and Connor both love these guys.  They're great for transitioning from a bottle to a sippy cup (especially since L used Nuk bottles).  Check out Liza's new ladybug cup!

[5] Wedding Season. Two weekends, two weddings. Natalie is working hard to perfect her role of bridesmaid this summer. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it! Two words: Dancing machine.

[6] Of course, we're loving our husbands and littles ones, too!

C rocking the sunnies!

Happy L!

Nat & B

Liza and JW

CSA Recipe Day: Roasted Tomato Sauce

We belong to a CSA(Community Supported Agriculture) through a local farm that's over 100 years old!  We love Coveyou Scenic Farms for a couple reasons: 1) they're local, 2) it's a family operation, 3) they are a very 'natural' farm.  Now I know 'natural' means next to nothing (if not nothing) on many food packages, but what I mean is that they use very organic methods, even though they are not certified organic.  As a momma, I love knowing that my family is eating good food that is grown locally and sustainably.

Anyway, each week we get a box full of goodness.  Lately it's been filled with greens, but after our experience last year, I know that we'll start getting a wealth of tomatoes, onions and peppers as the summer goes on.  This is a recipe that we discovered last year when we didn't know what else to do with all these veggies!  You can use large vine ripe tomatoes, romas, or even cherries.  I also discovered a little bit of basil olive oil from Fustini's a local gourmet oil and vinegar shop, and so I used that too!

Roasted Tomato Sauce
Recipe adapted from here
8 tomatoes, quartered (or halved if using smaller tomatoes)
1/2 onion, cut into chunks
1 pepper, cut into chunks
6-8 cloves of garlic
Drizzle olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or fresh if you have it)
1 teaspoon dried basil (or fresh)
S & P

[1] Heat oven to 400.

[2] On a lightly greased baking sheet or on top of a silpat, place tomatoes, onions, peppers, and garlic cloves.  Drizzle with olive oil and then toss with your fingers so all ingredients are coated.

[3] Sprinkle with herbs.

[4] Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour.  Cool on the pan.

[5] Once cooled, puree in a blender using olive oil, chicken stock, or water to thin slightly.

This week, we used this with whole wheat penne pasta, sliced kale and grilled chicken.  I simply mixed it all together and threw it in a baking dish with some parmesan cheese on top!