Zucchini, Lettuce, Parsley, & Beets, Oh My!

It's time to talk recipes and ideas. What to do with so much freshness? Luckily, I have some blogs in my back pocket from when I was new to the blogosphere. What to do with zucchini? Click here to find out!
Scared of that bunch of beets? Don't be! You will never look at beets the same way again so please click here.

At the beginning of every meal, I say:

As you might guess, we had a BIG salad last night and I had 2 salads for lunch today. With 4 kinds of lettuce, who could resist? If you are tired of the same old lettuce, tomato and cuke salad, try something new and a bit fancy. Salad toppings are endless and are only limited by your imagination. Who doesn't love a salad in the summer? You can eat a different salad every day and never get bored!

• Add some dried cranberries, walnuts, crumbled goat cheese, and red onion. Toss with a light balsamic vinaigrette or just plain olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  If you are not into goat cheese, try feta.
• Taco Salad: top your greens with leftover taco meat, salsa, crushed tortillas, a dab of Greek yogurt or sour cream, shredded cheddar and a sprinkle of hot sauce. The salsa and yogurt are a built in dressing!

Other salad toppings to transform a salad into a meal:

beans or chick peas

tuna

hot pepper rings

Chinese noodles

sesame or sunflower seeds

slivered almonds or any kind of nut

raisins, Craisins, cranberries, sliced apples, grapes

kalamata olives

grilled meat or fish, any kind you like

cubed or crumbled cheese

chopped eggs or bacon bits

Two more ideas

• Substitute larger lettuce leaves for sandwich bread. Roll up tuna, ham, turkey, cheese, etc. inside a lettuce leave. Great for those counting carbs and trying to get more veggies in.
• I know people who have used it in soups (like escarole or spinach), and I've seen Bobby Flay grill whole Romaine leaves. Whatever floats your boat!

Are you ready for more? Good!

Parsley

The CSA has certainly blessed me this week! Thankfully, it keeps for a while if stored properly. Click here to see how.  Of course, it's a great garnish but why stop there? Let your parsley be the star of the show! Have you ever had tabbouleh? It's made with Bulgar wheat and TONS of chopped fresh parsley. I made a Quinoa tabbouleh last night. (Yes, it's  a Becky invention.)

Quinoa Tabbouleh

1 1/2 cups dried quinoa, rinsed

2-3 fresh lemons (enough to make 1/2 cup lemon juice)

3-4 TBS extra virgin olive oil

zest of one lemon

good sized handful of parsley, chopped

1/2 pint (or more) of chopped grape tomatoes

1/2 peeled and diced English cucumber

1/2 cup or more of crumbled feta cheese

1/4 chopped red onion (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Allow it to cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, zest and juice the lemons. Whisk in salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the dressing over the quinoa. Toss in the fresh chopped parsley, tomatoes, cukes, feta and onion if using. Mix until combined throughout.  May be served at room temp.

Fresh mint and basil also work well here so you can mix and match. You won't mess it up, I promise! Herbs are very forgiving like that.