creamy two bean soup

This is one of those dishes that just gets better with time. I like to make it a day in advance and then refrigerate it. Reheat and top with garnishes to serve 4-6. You just put 2 c. chicken broth, 1.5 c. garlic chipotle salsa, a 16-oz. can refried beans, a 15-oz. can (drained and rinsed) black beans, and 2 tsp. Mexican or Cajun seasoning blend into a medium saucepan. Let it come to a boil and simmer it, uncovered, for 25 minutes. To serve, garnish with crumbled tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sliced green onions.

oven poached halibut

I like the ease of cooking in parchment (or foil) packets. The main dish here is oven poached halibut with peas and asparagus. It is served over basmati rice cooked in coconut milk, with a Thai red curry sauce. I still had some garden fresh tomatoes and fresh mozzarella so I made a little composed caprese salad on the side.

lemony mascarpone puffs

I have never met a puff pastry dessert that I didn't like! After baking up rectangles of puff pastry, I split them in half. Then made a filling of whipped cream, mascarpone cheese, and lemon curd. Top this with fresh fruit (I liked the blueberries we had on hand) and you have a great treat.

salad varieties for lunch

It was one of those days when I needed to take stock of what was in the refrigerator and what was coming from the garden. So I made a lunch plate of bourbon-balsamic marinated grilled beef, caprese salad, and a crab-mango salad. They say you should eat a rainbow of foods and this really looks colorful!

lamb burritos and stuffed zucchini

I have had a cache of frozen ground lamb to work with all summer so I pulled out an old favorite recipe (I have no clue where it came from or how long I've had it) to make lamb burritos for dinner. The garden was pumping out good size zucchini so I did a southwestern stuffing in this one (cheese, chiles, etc.).

fancy mac & cheese with fancy broccoli

One of my favorite comfort food memories is the deluxe macaroni and cheese from the box - you remember? It came with a pouch of wonderful gooey cheese sauce. My favorite vegetable with mac and cheese is broccoli - just seems to go with cheese sauce. This night I did a grown up version - this is shell macaroni done with a four cheese sauce. I grilled some broccoli, tossed it in a chipotle butter sauce, and topped it with queso fresco.

shrimp and scallop kebabs

I marinated shrimp and scallops briefly in a mixture of lemon juice, soy sauce, mirin and sake. Then I threaded them onto skewers and grilled. Here they are served with some tomatoes fresh from the garden, topped with feta cheese.