This post is sponsored by Bob's Red Mill.

About this time of year, my meals revolve around the easiest way to eat as much summer produce. Typically the answers to that are grain bowls, but I like to change it occasionally, like with these oat crepes.

Tomatoes

In our produce pick-up and even in our small garden, cherry tomatoes are the summer winner. During peak tomato season, we end up with a large mound each week, and the tomatoes find their way into everything. However, I love a good meal that highlights the flavor and sweetness of the cherry tomatoes.

You could use regular tomatoes in this recipe by cutting the tomato into bite-size pieces. A lightly cooked squash would be another excellent addition as well. If it's not summer, the harissa/crepe combination would be nice with roasted squash or sweet potato.

Crepes

When it comes to crepes, I love that they are so forgiving with whichever flour you might use. In terms of these oat crepes, I used Bob's Red Mill rolled oats and pulsed them in a blender to make the flour for the crepes. We always have rolled oats on hand, and the crepes hold together well. If you're looking for other options, here is a post on how I make basic crepes.

Harissa Paste

I keep an ample supply of dried chile peppers on hand during the year, primarily to make different versions of chile pastes and salsas. Harissa paste has become a staple in my cooking over the years. I love this North African condiment because it's versatile: a base for a recipe or the final added touch. You can find quality harissa pastes in many grocery stores that come in either jar or squeeze tubes.

If you're looking to source a harissa paste, I'd recommend these ones. You can also try making a version at home (this is the recipe I use), but know it won't be quite the same. Tunisian harissa is made with specific chiles grown in the region.

Beans

Finally, the beans. This recipe isn't really about them, but the beans add heft to make these crepes a meal. I used a version of cannellini, but any variety of white bean or chickpea would work. Use what you have on hand if you can.

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Velveeta Variation: 

Velveeta is by far the best and recommend it for this recipe but for those who don’t like Velveeta you can make a substitute.

• 3-4 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream

In a medium sauce pan bring all the ingredients to a boil stirring constantly, then continue to make the recipe as directed.

More Amazing Queso Recipes To Try:

We have a surplus of tomatoes this summer, and it’s glorious. I dreamed up this simple tomato salad recipe to make use of the excess. I simply sliced ripe tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, then I added some crisp red onion, lots of fresh basil, and drizzled it all with olive oil and good balsamic vinegar.

The end result is so delicious! This salad really lets raw, peak-season tomatoes shine. The recipe is also quite versatile, so you’ll never tire of it. Try adding some cucumber, mozzarella, avocado, arugula or even peaches.

Serve this tomato salad as a fresh, healthy side salad to any summer meal. It’s best when it’s freshly made, so I recommend cutting the recipe in half if you’re not serving a crowd.

I grew heirloom tomatoes from seed for the first time this spring. It was a fun process that proved easier than expected. In fact, I underestimated how many of the seeds would sprout. I grew so many tomato plants that we filled our family’s three garden plots and passed along the extra to friends.

Strangely enough, our growing tomato plants have provided a sense of continuity and hope during a tumultuous year. I’ll do it all again next spring, but maybe leave some room for more peppers and cucumbers. Or maybe I need a bigger garden plot. I think I’m hooked!

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The post Easy Tomato Salad appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

I didn’t say it was logical, I think we know better than to expect clear, sound reasoning here, but when cookbooks decided that cauliflower could be pizza crusts or that black beans could go in brownies, I’m sorry, but I checked out. But this summer in particular, as plant-based diets are on evermore agendas, I’ve seen so many creative uses of corn — as ribs, twice, corn butter, and now, a surged interest in a longtime restaurant kitchen staple, corn stocks — and I love it; I’m all in.

A few weeks ago, People Magazine ran my blueberry muffin recipe and on my way to find it, I ran into this winning corn-coconut soup from beloved Top Chef Season 17 winner, Melissa King, and had to make it right away. It absolutely delivered. Because you first make a corn stock from corn cobs, ginger, onion, and water, the soup is completely vegan and more deeply corn-flavored than it would be from a mixed vegetable stock. From there, you sauté the kernels, more onion, and garlic, simmer it with the stock and coconut milk, blend it, and finish it with lime juice. The resulting soup is mellow and delicious — the pickiest human in my family not only ate it, she vocally reconsidered her previously-held stance on not liking my cooking, and requested it for lunch the next day. (I am still recovering.)

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Try these Deluxe Tuna Melts quickly broiled in the oven for a quick and easy lunch.

I like to think of this recipe as a really good one for lunch, and it makes for a super easy dinner too. Deluxe Tuna Melts are delicious with a little side salad and your favorite beverage. I’d choose chardonnay or ice cold lemonade. One open-faced slice makes one serving, but if you’re really hungry then you might gobble up two.

How to make Deluxe Tuna Melts:

It’s so easy to make these tuna melts. You’ll need a large can of tuna. That tuna is squeezed dry and added to mayonnaise, celery, parsley, sweet pickle relish and lemon juice. The tuna mixture is spread onto four slices of sourdough bread. Shredded cheddar cheese is sprinkled on top. And then the tuna and cheese topped slices are heated under the oven broiler until toasty. That’s it!

Types of canned tuna:

There are many kinds of canned tuna, but the most common varieties are white tuna or light tuna. White tuna is albacore with a firm texture and light color. It has a mild flavor. Light tuna is a mix of several smaller species of tuna. It’s pale pink in color and has a softer texture and is more flavorful.

I prefer to use the albacore (white tuna) for my Deluxe Tuna Melts because I like a more mild tuna flavor. The light tuna is a bit fishy for my taste.

The best bread for tuna melts:

Sourdough is the best bread for pairing with seafood!  It’s the bread that works best with clam chowder– that tangy flavor dipped in hot and creamy clam chowder is perfect. And I feel the same way about pairing sourdough bread with these Deluxe Tuna Melts. It’s the best! You can just buy the regular sourdough sandwich bread. Or you can also slice from a large loaf of sourdough.

Make ahead suggestions:

You can certainly make the tuna mixture ahead of time and then top the bread and broil it just before serving. Alternately, you can certainly make the tuna mixture and broil just one open-faced sandwich to enjoy. If it’s just you, then you’ll have enough to enjoy making these sandwiches for four days in a row!

For an easy meal, make these Deluxe Tuna Melts. Enjoy!

Here are a few more sandwich recipes you might like to try:

• Barbecue Beef Sandwiches
• Egg Salad Sandwiches
• Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
• Cajun Cheesesteak Sandwiches
• Grilled Italian Sandwich
• Leftover Turkey Salad Sandwiches
• Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches
• Italian Chicken Cutlet Sandwiches

The post Deluxe Tuna Melts appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

This simple corn soup is a seasonal way to enjoy fresh corn! The sunny flavor is sweet and nuanced, and it’s full of healthy vegetables.

Want a corn recipe outside of eating it on the cob? Try this Fresh Corn Soup! It’s a new favorite around here. The flavor is sweet and nuanced, full of vegetables like onion, celery, potatoes, and of course: loads of corn! Many corn soup recipes are heavy with rich cream and butter, but this one is light and healthy. On its own it’s vegan and plant-based, but we like serving it with a dollop of sour cream to make it a little more filling. Here’s how to make this tasty seasonal treat!

Ingredient notes for corn soup

This fresh corn soup is different from a corn chowder. Instead of rich and creamy, this healthy soup is fresh and full of vegetables. It’s partially blended to have a chunky texture: or you can fully puree it to have it smooth. It’s up to you! We like it partially blended so it’s got both body and chunks, but that’s just us. Here are some notes on the main ingredients you’ll need:

• Fresh corn on the cob: Make this soup only when you get get seasonal, ripe corn on the cob. Out of season corn is bitter and sour. Trust us, you don’t want to spend the time and effort on this soup if you’re not working with the best corn possible.
• Onion, celery, garlic, and potatoes: Round out this soup with the usual suspects: they’re just the right backup characters.
• Dried thyme, basil, and oregano: Herbs add depth of flavor without calories.
• Vegetable broth, olive oil and butter: There’s just a little butter (substitute olive oil for plant-based).

How to cut corn off the cob

Have you ever tried to cut corn kernels off the cob, only spray them around your entire kitchen? (Two enthusiastic hands up, over here!) After years of doing the same, we finally found a better way. Yes, there’s a secret to cutting corn kernels so they collect all neatly together. All you need is a Bundt pan or tube pan, the kind you use for angel food cake. Here’s how to cut corn off the cob:

• Place the tip of the corn cob into the hole in the middle of the pan. Hold the bottom of the corn cob securely with your non-cutting hand.
• Use a large chef’s knife to cut in a downward motion, letting the corn cobs kernels collect neatly into the bundt pan.

How to make corn soup: just a few tips!

This healthy corn soup isn’t rocket science: it follows the same tried and true formula of most soup recipes. Chop veggies, saute veggies, add broth and simmer. That’s what you’ve got here! There are just a few things outside of the standard motions:

• Cut the potatoes very small: it will cook faster! We cut ours into a small dice. If you cut them larger, you’ll just have to simmer a bit longer until they’re tender.
• Make a corn broth while you chop the veggies. Many corn soup recipes simmer the soup with the corn cobs right in the pot to add extra flavor. The pot can sometimes get very full when you do this. So we found an alternate method! You can simply pour 2 cups boiling water over 2 corn cobs in a bowl, then go about the business of making the soup. It adds quite a bit of flavor!

Blend corn soup to make it chunky, or go fully pureed

Once you’ve simmered this easy corn soup, here’s where you get to put your touch on it. There are three ways to serve this soup:

• Partially blend it. This is what we did for the photos here! It gives the soup a nice thick body with chunks of vegetables, but it’s not fully pureed. (Sometimes totally smooth soups don’t feel as satisfying, in our opinion.) You can do this with an immersion blender by throwing it in the pot and pulsing until you have the right texture, or pulse in a standard blender a few times.
• Fully puree it. You can also puree it all so it’s perfectly smooth! That’s easiest in a blender.
• Don’t blend it at all. It doesn’t taste quite the same, but if you don’t want to bother blending: you can eat it as a brothy soup, too.

It’s all about the garnishes

The fun part is the garnishes! They make it visually appealing and add a contrasting freshneses. Here’s what we’d recommend:

• Fresh corn. We like to save out a little fresh corn from the bunch for a garnish at the end. I love using the pieces that all stick together to give a little texture.
• Red pepper or tomato. The red makes a beautiful color contrast.
• Basil or chives. Fresh herbs add big flavor and the green adds another great contrast.
• Sour cream. A dollop helps it to add in just the right amount of richness, and keeps it a little more filling. You can use vegan sour cream for vegan. Speaking of filling…

How to serve corn soup

Keep in mind that this fresh corn soup isn’t packed with plant based protein: it’s more of a side dish than a main meal. Here are a few things you add to make it a main dish:

• Grilled cheese, like Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Veggie sandwich like Chickpea Salad Sandwich
• Egg or tuna salad sandwich, like Ultimate Egg Salad Sandwich or Ultimate Tuna Salad Sandwich
• Salad with plant-based protein, like Spinach Apple Salad, Simple Chickpea Salad, or Tossed Salad Recipe.
• Use it as a first course for seafood, like Baked Salmon, Easy Grilled Tilapia, or Pan Fried Cod.

This corn soup recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

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A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes

Grilled zucchini is the perfect healthy summer side dish. The slices of squash are tossed in savory seasonings, then cooked until tender. It’s wonderful as a quick recipe to pair it with your favorite barbecued foods.

Try these other tasty zucchini recipes to enjoy the vegetable all year long. Like this Zucchini Pizza, Zucchini Chips, and Baked Zucchini Fries.

Grilled Zucchini

If you’re looking for a fast and healthy side dish for a barbecue feast, grilled zucchini is a tasty option. The squash is available year-round and cooks in under 10 minutes on the grill. Simply toss in your favorite seasonings, and cook until gorgeous charred marks appear on each side. I like to serve them with grilled burgers for the ultimate meal.

How Do You Make Grilled Zucchini?

1. Cut the zucchini into ½-inch thick slices.
2. Coat the vegetables with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
3. Grill the zucchini, uncovered, until dark lines appear.
4. Flip the squash over and cook until tender.

Seasoning The Squash:

I like to keep the seasonings simple. Salt turns the bland vegetable into more savory bites. Garlic powder adds nice earthy aromatics to each bite. Black pepper adds just a hint of heat, however you could add red pepper flakes for a lingering spiciness.

Can You Cut The Squash Into Different Shapes?

Yes! You can slice the zucchini into sticks, or smaller discs. Just make sure that the vegetable is at least ½-inch thick. This prevents it from getting mushy easily, hold its shape, and not be so skinny that it falls through the grill grates.

How To Achieve Beautiful Char Marks:

What makes these grilled vegetables so enticing is the gorgeous marks running across the surface. There are a few keys to successful char marks. Make sure that the grill is preheated and oiled to prevent sticking. When adding the slices to the barbecue, place them on an angle to the grates, then lightly press down on them to make direct contact with the hot grill. Do not move or lift them up! Let them sear to get nice dark lines, then flip them over.

Ways To Flavor The Zucchini:

To add extra flavor to the zucchini, sprinkle it with some grated parmesan cheese or crunchy breadcrumbs. You can also drizzle some pesto sauce on top. Or dip in creamy tzatziki or ranch sauce.

Looking For More Grilling Recipes? Try These!

• Grilled Caesar Salad
• Brown Sugar Grilled Peaches
• Teriyaki Beef Skewers
• Grilled Hawaiian Chicken