Back to the FM. I hit my regular stands and scored some yummy things to play with this week... eggplants, zucchini, onions (red, yellow, and green), peppers (red & yellow), garlic, corn, spinach, strawberries, white and yellow peaches, and the most unbelievably sweet nectarines I've ever eaten.
After coffee and errands I came home and turned the oven on (oh joy) to roast some of the fresh veggies I just bought. I'll tell ya though heating up the kitchen was sooooo worth it.
If you like my Italian Bean Salad you will heart this.
Tonight's dinner:
Shelly's Greek Bean Salad
1 medium Eggplant, peeled & cubed
2 Peppers, cubed (I used red & yellow)
1 Red Onion, cubed
a drizzle of Olive Oil
a few twists of Black Pepper
Kosher Salt to taste
1 can Cannelini Beans, drained
1 can Chick Peas, drained
1/2 cup Feta or Myzithra Cheese, cubed
1/2 Cucumber, diced
3 Green Onions, diced
1/4 cup Pignolis (Pine Nuts), toasted
1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest, grated
Lemon Dressing:
1/8 cup freshly squeezed Lemon Juice (1 small lemon)
1/8 cup Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
Optional ingredients: chopped kalamata olives, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped artichoke hearts or boost the protein even more by adding tuna fish, smoked fish, or grilled chicken.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss eggplant, onion and peppers with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in oven for 50 minutes, turning once or twice halfway through cooking time. Set aside to cool.
Zest lemon before juicing. Set zest aside. Mix dressing ingredients. I whiz it with this groovy gadget. Set aside.
Toast pine nuts in a dry pan for 1 minute or so. Careful not to burn. Don't walk away from these. They brown quickly. Allow to cool.
Drain and rinse beans. Chop 2 cups of the cooled roasted veggies. Add to beans. Add all remaining ingredients and pour on dressing. Mix and chill for at least 1 hour but the longer the better.
I served it with BBQ'd Greek Chicken Kabobs and a yummy Fruit Salad for dessert.
Highlights of the day:
* My nephew finished his second year of law school (ranked 2nd in his class.) Gotta love family discounts on legal services. You just never know ;) Hell I might go crazy in this heat.
* Mmmmm I have a bunch of roasted veggies left. I'm deciding what to do with. I have a few yummy ideas.
* The sun is going down. Going to sit outside and stare at the stars.
Listening to: Jason Mraz "I'm Yours" my current favorite song plus he's super cute.
