This fresh and fruity salad was something I discovered at a potluck. I love all the healthy ingredients in it—slices of fresh peaches (or nectarines) and strawberries, with some slivered or sliced almonds added in—all tossed in a slightly sweet-and-tangy vinaigrette. Crumbles of delicious Feta cheese top the salad.
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Throughout the summer, I love eating slices of juicy watermelon, but I thought I’d try something different with it for a change. I found a Watermelon-Cucumber Salad with Feta recipe at Food.com, and it sounded like the perfect thing to try! I omitted some ingredients and added some others, and I really like the slightly sweet and savory combination of tastes this salad has! It’s a great way to use your garden veggies if you’re growing cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, too!
WATERMELON-CUCUMBER -TOMATO SALAD WITH FETA by NancyCreative, adapted from Food.com
Makes 6 servings
- 6 cups watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium English cucumber, peeled or unpeeled and thinly sliced or cut into chunks
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced or chopped (chop the green stems and the white part of the onions)
- 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- I/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or you can use a whole 4-ounce container if you want to have extra cheese in your salad)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (optional)
Combine watermelon, English cucumber, green onions, olives, and cherry tomatoes in a large salad bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, and olive oil.
Add lime juice mixture to watermelon and other ingredients in large bowl; toss gently to coat.
Sprinkle with feta and chopped fresh mint, if using; toss gently again and serve.
Have you made any unique watermelon recipes this summer?
Linked to Inspire Me Monday.
One of the reasons I was interested in reviewing FOOD: Vegetarian Home Cooking is because I’ve gradually been eating less meat and more veggies, but it can be challenging to make interesting veggie meals. I’ve never actually been a big meat-eater, but I do crave a juicy burger now and then! I may crave one less frequently now though, because there are so many great veggie recipes to try in this book! If you are wanting to eat less meat and find delicious ways to make fresh and simple vegetarian meals, you may want to check this book out, too.
Author Mary McCartney, an acclaimed photographer, grew up on vegetarian cooking and remembers many happy times in the kitchen with her mother, Linda McCartney. “During those times,” she writes, “I soaked up her knowledge, and gained an understanding of how certain extra-simple ingredients or cooking techniques could transform an ordinary dish into something special.” There are many gorgeous color photos throughout the book, taken by Mary, and even a few old family photos at the beginning that include her mother and her father Paul.
There are a wide range of great-sounding recipes, with chapters on…
I thought the Deep-Filled Omelette, Lip-Smacking Minestrone, Asparagus Summer Tart, Mac and Cheese with Crispy Topping, Linda’s Lemon Drizzle Cake, and Peaches and Cream Pavlova sounded especially good. But I couldn’t resist trying the Black Bean, Sweet Corn and Feta Tacos first, because it was such a unique recipe! I’m so glad I did, because I thought they were great–I love all these flavors together. They are a little messy to eat, like most tacos are, but you can always wrap the ingredients up in a soft taco or tortilla shell if you prefer. Here’s the recipe…
BLACK BEAN, SWEET CORN AND FETA TACOS from Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking
I’ve always loved tacos but this is a little deviation from how I usually make them, to include the corn. My mum loved Mexican food and she also loved corn, eating it from the cob when it was in season. I think it adds a lovely, crunchy texture to this particular taco combination. The added bonus is that these are quick and easy to make. –Mary McCartney
Serves 2 (2 tacos per person)
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable or light olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 15-ounce can black beans
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 slices pickled jalapeno (from a jar), chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, or 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh red chili
- pinch sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 ounces sweet corn, cut (1 large cob fresh, frozen, or canned)
- 4 taco shells
- 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- juice of 1 lime
Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat and saute the chopped onion for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the black beans in a sieve, and then stir them into the onion in the pan. Add the garlic, jalapeno or chili, the sea salt, and the cumin, and heat for 5 minutes until cooked through.
To cook the corn (if fresh), place it in a small saucepan with boiling water and simmer for a couple of minutes until hot; drain.
In the meantime, wrap the taco shells in aluminum foil and put them in the oven for 5 –10 minutes to heat up.
When the taco shells are warm, remove them from the oven, then divide the bean mix evenly between the 4 tacos, top with the cooked corn and, finally, sprinkle the crumbled feta over the top. Finish off with a little squeeze of lime juice, and serve hot.
Are you more of a veggie-eater than a meat-eater? What types of veggie meals do you like to make?
I like Split Pea Soup but have never made it before. I was looking through a little soup cookbook I had called Soup Gourmet and found an easy recipe I thought I’d try. I made my version thicker because I like thick and hearty soups. I like this soup because, in addition to peas, it has lots of other good-for-you veggies in it–carrots, onion, and celery. And you can add ham or bacon if you want, or make it without any meat.
After looking at some other recipes, I decided I would try garnishing this with croutons and feta, and I’m so glad I tried that out–I really liked it! The feta cheese gives a nice zing to the soup, and the crispy croutons make a nice touch, too. Serve this soup with a salad and some crusty bread–it makes a great lunch or dinner during the cold winter months!
EASY PEA SOUP WITH HAM OR BACON by NancyC, adapted from Soup Gourmet
Makes 4-6 servings
- 2 (16-ounce) packages frozen peas, thawed (or you can use 2 (16-oz.) cans of peas)
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can chicken or vegetable broth (this is a thick soup, so if you’d like it to be thinner, add an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of broth)
- 1 1/2 cups boiled ham or cooked bacon, diced (if you’d like this to be meatless, leave out the ham or bacon)
- 1 cup carrots, finely diced or grated
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- additional seasonings to taste, if desired
- croutons for garnish, optional
- crumbled feta cheese for garnish, optional.
Place peas and broth in blender or food processor and puree until smooth (the peas and broth will fill your blender almost to the top, so you can blend them half the amount at a time, if you prefer–you’ll need to do this, too, if you are adding extra broth to make a thinner soup).
Transfer blended mixture to a large pot. Add ham or bacon, carrots, onion, and celery. Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Halfway through cooking, add salt and pepper, and additional seasonings, if desired.
Serve hot in soup bowls or cups and garnish with croutons and crumbled feta cheese, if desired.
I really like it served with the croutons and feta cheese–they add an extra special touch to the soup! Have you tried any new soup recipes lately?
Not long ago, I made a seasoned turkey burger for the first time, and I really liked it! A little later, I came across several different Greek-style turkey burger recipes. Since I love most Greek food, I definitely wanted to try this idea out! I created my own recipe, inspired by the other recipes I had found. These turkey burgers are yummy and healthy. Chopped black olives, feta cheese, and some herbs and spices are mixed in with the ground turkey, adding to the juiciness and savory flavor of these burgers. They taste great topped with Tzatziki (which I made about a week ago as a veggie dip), red onion slices, and tomato slices. You can also top the burger with mayo instead of Tzatziki.
They’re easy to make, and you can make the Tzatziki ahead of time, even the day before, to save time. I also served the burgers with a simple Tomato-Feta Salad, and that recipe is included below.
GREEK-STYLE TURKEY BURGERS by NancyCreative
Makes 4-6 burgers
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped black olives
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- dash of black pepper
- Tzatziki (or mayo), tomato slices, red onion slices, and lettuce, if desired, for toppings
If you want to top the burgers with Tzatziki, make it before preparing the burgers so the flavors in the Tzatziki can blend together…get the recipe here. Or use mayonnaise as a topping instead of Tzatziki.
Combine all ingredients above in a large bowl. Blend them together well (using your hands is easiest) and form into four patties, a little more than 1 inch thick. These make four big patties, so if you want smaller ones, divide the mixture into 5 or 6 patties.
Grill burgers in a non-stick or oiled pan or rack (the cheese will make the burgers stick to your cooking surface, so be sure to oil your surface). Grill until burgers are desired doneness–depending on the size of your burgers, grilling time will be about 8-12 minutes.
Serve on whole wheat rolls or buns and top with Tzatziki (or mayo), tomato slices, and red onion slices. Add some lettuce too, if you want. Or serve the burgers in a pita pocket with Tzatziki, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. One recipe suggested using Tahini instead of Tzatziki, and I think that would be a good topping on these burgers, too.
TOMATO-FETA SALAD WITH OLIVES by NancyCreative (pictured in large photo at the beginning of this post)
Makes 1 serving; multiply recipe by number of servings needed
- 1 medium to large-sized tomato, sliced
- 1 Tablespoon chopped black olives
- 1-2 Tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
- dash of Balsamic vinegar
Arrange tomato slices on plate and sprinkle with olives and crumbled feta cheese. Add a dash or two of Balsamic vinegar. That’s it! It’s a super-easy, delicious tomato salad! If you don’t like Balsamic vinegar, you can drizzle some lemon juice or olive oil (or both) over the tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese.
Enjoy these turkey burgers! Do you like Greek food, too? What’s your favorite Greek dish?
NancyC 