Summer Cucumber Salad

A healthy and light veggie salad is perfect for beautiful summer weather.  Santa Barbara has been sunny, slightly breezy and glorious in the mid 70's this past week.  Perfect for trips to our exquisite SB harbor! Life doesn't get much better...

(photo via Instagram) 

Heavy foods and gorgeous weather don't seem to compliment each other.  The beauty of this salad is that it's colorful, refreshing and dainty; plus it's adorned with cute edible flowers.  It's no secret my girls are rather picky eaters.  Although what kid could resist a colorful salad garnished with elegant flowers?  Definitely not mine.  

After seeing Marla's (Family Fresh Cooking) edible flower popsicles, I knew I had to incorporate edible flowers into my girls foods.  They happily ate the veggies and flowers!  Brilliant! 

Fresh veggies, crunchy slivered almonds and a light vinaigrette make this salad completely irresistible!  Memorial Day weekend is right around the corner; bookmark this recipe, your friends will thank you!  We certainly have, especially since it's Lo's birthday! 

Happy 2nd Birthday Lo! 

Summer Cucumber Salad

Serves 4-6

Recipe created by Epicurean Mom

Ingredients

For salad:

2 cucumbers, skin shaved and sliced in 1/2-inch slices

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped in 1-inch pieces

1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped in 1-inch pieces

3 scallions, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup halved Kalamata olives 

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Edible flowers *Optional*

For Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine all dressing ingredients, stir well, set aside.

Place salad ingredients in a medium bowl, pour dressing and toss to coat.  Cover and place in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day ahead. 

Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza

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While perusing the site real simple I came across a delicious ricotta butternut squash pizza.  Ricotta is one of my top 5 favorite cheeses but I wanted to change it up a bit, since we just indulged in my Eggplant Parmesan a few days ago. 

My girls adore making pizzas!!  

 It really brings out the creativity in kids, and allows them to 'play' with their food. When are kids actually allowed to play with their food? My kids sure as heck aren't, that's why this is extra special for them!  They love diving into the toppings, even if they don't like them, such as onions...see above! 

After the girls helped me assemble the pizza, hubby put the kiddos to bed and we had a nice pizza dinner for two! 

Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza

Yields a 10-inch pizza

Recipe created by Epicurean Mom

Ingredients:

1 pizza dough-pre-made or store bought

1 small onion, peeled and sliced 

13 fresh sage leaves, chopped plus a few whole leaves for garnish

1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1-inch squares

1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced

3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup monterey jack cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lay diced butternut squash onto a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil.  Toss to coat.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until just tender. Let cool slightly.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until browning and caramelized, about 10-15 minutes.  Set aside.

On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, pat out dough to form a 10-inch circle.  Make sure the sides are slightly thicker to form a crust.  Set aside until ready to assemble.  

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat, add chopped sage leaves.  Stirring constantly, cook until fragrant and starting to crisp, about 3 minutes.  Immediately take off heat and add 1 teaspoon minced garlic, stir until well combined.  

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  If using a pizza stone, preheat the stone with the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Pour sage mixture into a small cup, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and spread over the pizza dough with a basting brush.  Generously sprinkle dough with salt and pepper.  Add the caramelized onions, mozzarella and monterey jack cheese.  Evenly spread the butternut squash on top of the cheese and sprinkle with a few whole sage leaves.  

Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until a golden brown.  Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.  

Roasted Sweet Potato Apple and Sage Soup

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First and foremost, I love all my wonderful readers!! If it wasn't for you this blog wouldn't be.  Thank you! Let's all stay in touch, take a minute to subscribe to Epicurean Mom by email or RSS feed and on Facebook.  

Now on to SOUP...

I'm boycotting our sunny California weather and dipping into a nice warm bowl of homemade soup!  I've been patiently, or not so patiently, waiting for a cold winter day to make a simmering bowl of goodness!  Alas, it hasn't happened.  Next option? To make one anyway!

Finding the right method for cooking vegetables is important, since it's a pretty well known fact: Vegetables are good for you!  A lot of people see eating veggies as a chore.  Well, it doesn't have to be that way. Vegetables can actually be very tasty!

Roasting gives the vegetables a unique flavor.  Cooking them slowly in the oven helps to caramelize and enhance the natural sweetness.  Even though it takes a while to roast, the prep time is virtually non-existent!  Just toss vegetables with olive oil and herbs, put in a baking dish and let them roast!  So easy and tastes much better then steaming or boiling.

I'm a savory sweet gal, so I thought adding a touch of apple and sage to the sweet potatoes would be a yummy addition, and it was! This recipe is so easy to modify to your liking.  Add a dash of cinnamon and/or nutmeg to give it a real harvest kick!

Enjoy! 

Roasted Sweet Potato Apple and Sage Soup
Recipe Adapted by Epicurean Mom


Yields 4-6 Servings 

Ingredients:

3 red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams)

3 tablespoon olive oil

1 apple, peel and cored

1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

1/4 cup apple cider

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup 2 % milk

1 onion, diced

dash of cinnamon 

dash of nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash and dry potatoes.  Place whole potatoes on a baking sheet drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until soft and cooked through.  Cut into 2-inch pieces. Set aside.

Pour remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onions, apples and sage.  Cook until onions are soft and translucent.  Mix 1/4 cup apple cider and veggie broth.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer.  Cover and cook until the apples are soft, about 10-15 minutes.  Place the potato chunks in the dutch oven, using an immersion blender or blender, blend until pureed.  Add milk, salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, mixing well.  Spoon into bowls, garnish with cinnamon and sage leaves.