Almost 10 years ago, for my graduation party, my Mother made what had to be at least 10 pounds of black bean salad. Now as good as the salad was, it apparently wasn’t very popular with high school kids as after everyone had left, we had about 8.5 pounds leftover. That, or my Mom greatly over estimated the number of friends I had. My Aunts each went home with a few pounds of that salad and to this day we still tease my poor Mom about the over abundance of that salad.

But here we are, 10 years later and I’m ready for that black bean salad again. It can be the perfect afternoon snack with tortilla chips, a delicious topping for salads, grilled chicken or fish, or just as a side dish as my Mom served it that exciting day, a long time ago. Only this time I’m certain there won’t be any leftovers.

Black Bean & Corn Relish - makes about 4 cups

• 1 can black beans
• 1 can corn (organic corn if possible)
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• juice of one lime
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp orange juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper

Rinse black beans and corn. Add to medium sized bowl.

Chop red pepper, green pepper and red onion into small pieces..

Prepare vinaigrette. Whisk together garlic, lime juice, cumin, orange juice, olive oil and salt & pepper until combined.

Toss bean mixture with vinaigrette. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips, grilled chicken or fish or as side dish.

If you don’t have a garden or you haven’t visited the farmers market recently you may not realize that we are currently in peak zucchini season. Those who grow it at home are probably already sick of it, wondering what to do with those pounds and pounds of zucchini. Since my pathetic patio “garden” is barely supplying me with the herbs I need and deserve, I’m still so ready for zucchini.

These zucchini toasts take summers bounty beyond the usual sauteed, grilled or baked. Shredded zucchini, combined with cheese and broiled make for an interesting and healthy twist on the typical grilled cheese. Any cheese that melts will work – it’s a great way to use up those cheese “ends” in your fridge. Gruyere or provolone would be especially tasty.

Zucchini Toasts - 2 servings

• 1 large zucchini, shredded
• 2 oz cheese of choice (I used goat cheese)
• 2 slices bread (I used Rye)

After you shred the zucchini, sprinkle a bit of salt on it and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

Turn on broiler to high.

Squeeze all of the excess water out of the zucchini and set aside.

Stir cheese into zucchini mixture and divide between slices of bread.

Broil for about 4-5 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Of the many reasons I love Minneapolis, the Mill City Farmers Market is definitely on the top of the list.  I’m sure part of it is because I can walk there and part because I can get a coffee, fresh lemonade OR cucumber mint water; curry, crepes OR Chef Shack snacks; local pork, vegetables OR fresh flowers and see tons of cute babies, little red-heads AND adorable kids selling organic vegetables all in a half-hour time span.

I’ve mentioned (and complained I’m sure) before that the summers are so busy I don’t get there nearly as much as I would like to but when I do? I’m sure to soak everything in.

As much as I adore cooking, sometimes I just can’t take the time to prepare an entire meal. Since cooking is such a stress reliever for me, I never want it to actually cause stress.  Enter in these pouches of Indian food.  A little odd, yes, to make dinner out of a pouch, but this variety from Trader Joe’s is amazing. I generally sauté a diced eggplant and add the sauce when it is about finished cooking to let it heat through.

It comes together in minutes and provides a flavorful dish with plenty of veggies. Oh, and it is $1.19.

Cheap, healthy and good? Now that’s a stress reliever I can handle.

Do you ever eat foods from a pouch or does it kind of freak you out?

I’m not quite sure why I don’t cook with couscous more often. I love the shape and nutty flavor, but even more so, I love how quickly it cooks. Can you seriously beat 5 minutes?

This salad was just what I was after – bright, flavorful, packed with veggies and a filling make-ahead lunch. I’m trying to pack in as many summer flavors as I can because I’m already anxiously awaiting fall.  :)

Summer Couscous Salad - 2 large servings

• 2 servings couscous
• 1-2 peppers (I used 1 green, 1/2 red)
• 2 cucumbers
• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup artichoke hearts
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives
• 1/3 cup feta cheese crumbles
• Dressing: 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt & pepper

Prepare couscous as directed. Let cool.

Chop all veggies to desired size. I did small pieces – easier to eat!

Toss all ingredients together and eat out of Tupperware!

I love quiche, I really do but you see I rarely make real quiche. You know, the kind with a real pie crust. (And by real pie crust by no means do I mean home made. I mean real crust from the store ) I almost always make my quiches crustless, which while it is the healthy choice, isn’t always the right choice.

Friends, let me tell you know that while the crust may add a few more calories, grams of fat and carbs, what it adds in terms of decadence…let’s just say I’m enamored.

Goat Cheese, Leek & Spinach Quiche

• 1 medium-sized leek, thinly sliced
• 2 cups spinach, thinly sliced
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1-12 oz can 2% evaporated milk
• 1 pre-made pie shell (I used Wholly Wholesome Organic)

Pre-heat oven to 350°.

Heat small pan over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Add leeks to pan and sauté until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and cook an additional minute. Set aside.

Crumble goat cheese on bottom of pie crust. Top with leeks and spinach mixture.

Whisk together eggs, evaporated milk and salt & pepper. Pour egg mixture over cheese and veggies.

Bake for about 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and eggs are cooked through. *If the top is getting too brown, top with tin foil.

Congratulations Tricia! You’ve won the Ball Canning Discovery Kit! Send me your address and I’ll get it sent out to you.

Parsnips. The less-vibrant (in color, not flavor) cousin of the carrot. Purchased from an incredibly adorable young girl at the Farmer’s Market. I think the taster and I both wanted to bring her home with us more so than the actual parsnips, although he probably won’t admit to that.

Nutrition:

Given their dull color, you may not believe that the parsnip has decent nutrition facts – it even has more vitamins and minerals than the carrot!

1 parsnip – 9” long

114 calories

6.4 g fiber

2.1 g protein

Flavor:

I really enjoyed the parsnips!  I decided to cut them up in fry shapes and roast until golden brown and I was amazed at how juicy they were, even after roasting! They were especially delicious dipped in a sriracha-spiked ketchup. I wasn’t convinced that I would like them, but I’ll be buying them more often, especially if that adorable girl keeps selling them.

Do you like parsnips? How do you eat them?

I recently attended a canning event at Lucia’s Restaurant, put on by Ball and it is safe to say that I’ve officially caught the canning bug. (I also got to see Melissa!)

Lucia, the owner and founder of Lucia’s Restaurant spoke to us about canning and my appreciation and interest in canning grew exponentially. I realized that canning was what once made eating green beans in February possible, what made gifts of jam such a special treat and that the entire canning (and growing) process brings us right back to where we need to be. Making our own food. Not adding corn syrup and preservatives to everything. And most importantly, enjoying local, fresh foods and supporting the farmers that support us.

Learnings from Lucia:

• Canning is all about “preserving local food flavors from farmers who care about the soil and the land”
• It extends the season – salsa in January anyone?
• Allows you to control what is in your food

Now, what to can? I thought it was only right to can something that I picked up at the farmers market so I set out to the Mill City Farmers Market with canning on the brain.

I came home with some fresh veggies, a $2 cucumber & mint springwater (excellent) and a few beets. I know most probably can in bulk but I thought it would be best to practice with a small amount. So I spent Sunday afternoon canning a whole 3 beets. My first canning experience went fairly well, though I’m confident next time will go much smoother – and maybe I’ll even can 10 whole vegetables!

Are you ready to start canning? Want to win a Ball Canning Discovery Kit?

Ways to enter:

• Leave a comment about what you would can with the Canning Discovery Kit
• Leave a comment about a family canning memory for an additional entry
• Tweet about the give-away (including @nutritionisteat) and then leave an additional comment letting me know you did so
• Subscribe to my blog and leave me a message letting me know you did so

I will randomly choose a winner on August 22nd. Good Luck!

Edited to Add: Congratulations Tricia! Please send me your mailing address and I’ll get the kit sent out to you!

The taster loves it when I make pasta and often watches over me when I’m adding the pasta to the salted, bubbling water. “One more handful,” he’ll request and I must, although shamelessly, admit that I usually add one more handful for him.

The only redeeming factor we have is that we add every vegetable possible to the pasta. The thought process is that if we are eating a bit more pasta than we should, at least it is full of vegetables.

Originally this recipe came from Martha’s Everyday Food and my friends who have raved about it for quite some time now. Even with my best intentions of keeping it to peppers and sausage, my parents sent me home with leeks fresh from their garden, we had a 5 pound bag of red onions to use, and I think you can see where this is going. Before I knew it there were more vegetables than pasta and that thought process (ridiculous or not) of the vegetable to pasta ratio comes right into play.

Pepper & Sausage Pasta - 2-3 servings

Heat large pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add chicken sausages, cooking until lightly browned. Set aside.

Add olive oil to pan and when hot add leeks and onion, cooking for about 2 minutes. Add in peppers and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat. Stir in spinach, sausage and pasta to pepper mixture and toss until spinach has wilted.

Grate Parmesan over top if desired.

I am always on the lookout for new lunch ideas that are:

• able to be made ahead
• satisfying and well-rounded
• packed with veggies

So when a friend (Thanks Molly!) told me about this lunch she had been making I knew I had to try it out. And true to my  have-no-patience self, I made some lunch bowls that same day. Some may call it impulsive but I’ll stick with passionate.

I often times struggle to find balance between a protein-filled meal and a desire to eat less meat. Sometimes vegetarian sources of protein just don’t keep me as satisfied as I would like them to. That was, admittedly, the only fear with this recipe. But it proved me wrong. So very wrong. I think between the beans, rice and healthy fat from the avocado it was the perfect combination of proteins, grains and fats to keep my belly full and myself happy.

I’ll be on the lookout for more lunches like this one. It’s filling and I can feel good about eating it and that makes for a perfect lunch.

Bean & Veggie Rice Bowl – 2 large lunch serving

• 1/2 cup dried brown rice
• 2/3 cup black beans
• 2 zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise and then in half-moons
• 1 yellow squash, sliced in half lengthwise and then in half-moons
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 8 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 5 oz baby spinach
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 avocado
• optional toppings: lime juice, salsa, hot sauce, etc.

Prepare rice as directed.

Heat large pan over medium heat. Add peppers and zucchini to pan and  cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add spinach to pan, tossing to wilt the spinach.

Toss beans and rice together with vegetables or layer in bowls/Tupperware containers. Top with chopped tomato and avocado.