Recipes from The Optimistic Farmer
Utilizing the fruits and vegetables you grow is one of the greatest things about the gardening lifestyle! When you add ingredients to your favorite recipes that were harvested from your garden, you know you are adding healthy food to your diet. Yes, it may be easier to go to the store and buy what you need, gardening is definitely a way of life....so if you don't have a green thumb, make a friend that does or support your local farmers to add a certain taste to your recipes that you just cannot get from the store!
Peach Pie Baby!
Peach pie is always a treat, with whip cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream! YUMMY! If you were lucky enough to freeze or can peaches the next few months is a great time to make a peach pie! You can use the frozen pie crust, deep dish, or make your own pie crust. Slice peaches into the size desired mix with brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, pecans (optional), some butter, a little salt. Pour into pie crust, cover if desired and bake! Now that you are thinking about it you can google your favorite recipe!
Mediterranean Salad
Ingredients
1 Cucumber (diced or sliced)
½ Red Onion (thinly sliced)
1 Cherry Tomatoes (or grape, halved)
1 c Olives (Black or Kalamata)
1 c Feta cheese cubes
2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp Dried Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
¼ c Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Mix all ingredients together and enjoy a delicious side salad or light main course!
Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies
-
1 15-ounce can Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
(rinsed and drained)
-
½ cup Peanut butter
-
2 teaspoons Vanilla
-
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
-
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
-
½ teaspoon Salt
-
½ cup Chocolate Chips
Directions
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-
Add the chickpeas and peanut butter into a food processor and blend on high for 1 minute.
-
Add the maple syrup and vanilla and continue to blend for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides every minute, until lump free.
-
Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt, then blend for 30 seconds.
-
If batter is warm, let cool and then stir in the chocolate chips.
-
Drop rounded tablespoons of cookie dough onto a baking sheet.
-
Bake for 12-14 minutes until the cookies have browned on the edges
DK's Chile Relleno Casserole
8-10 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1lb jack cheese shredded
1lb cheddar cheese shredded
Or 2lb bag of the mixed jack and cheddar cheese
3 medium cans diced green chili or fresh chili's roasted and diced
1/4 cup flour
Hand mix eggs, milk and flour together until flour is almost completed dissolved. Add 3/4lb of both cheeses and green chili, mix well and pour into 9X13 greased baking pan, add remaining cheese on top.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until top is light - medium brown.
Helene's Basque Rice Pudding
1 gallon of whole milk
1 cup of Calrose rice
1 cup + or – of sugar
1 tbs of vanilla extract
1 or more tbs of rum extract (Helene always says add more!)
2 cans of evaporated milk
Put the milk, rice and sugar in a large pan on the stove on low-med heat (if you put it on medium heat watch it closely) and stir occasionally, so it does not boil over or burn.
Let it cook on low to medium heat for several hours, as you stir, you can tell when the rice is starting to get soft.
Once the rice starts getting soft and milk reduces, add the two cans of evaporated milk. Add the vanilla and rum extract.
You can eat it warm, however it is especially delicious the next day after spending some time cooling in the refrigerator!
Enjoy!
Pro Tip: You will have to experiment a few times with the measurements to get it right, Helene always said to keep trying and testing it until you get it how you like it!