Ever feel that you are running out of meal ideas with certain foods?  That happens to me sometimes so I try to step back and think about different ways to use that certain ingredient.  The last thing you want to have happen is that you get bored with a great food.  The food of choice today is “Tomato“.  I never used to like tomatoes but as I grew older I have found a new love for them.

I am not a huge fan of the tomato on just any given deli sandwich however but I do love tomatoes roasted, in sauces and on certain sandwiches with cheese.  I just compiled a simple list that I came up with on ways I like to use tomatoes.

Hopefully they will spark your interest to try them.

7 Ways to Use Tomatoes

1. No-Cook Pasta Sauce – In a large bowl combine several chopped tomatoes, a clove or two of minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Add olive oil to coat tomatoes. Add hot pasta and toss to coat pasta. Bits of fresh mozzarella can be added – they will get a bit melted  when tossed with the hot pasta. At the very end you can add red chili flakes, basil, and freshly shredded Parmesan are all tasty additions as well.
2. Grilled Tomatoes – Slice the tomatoes nice and thick, coat with a little olive oil – season with salt and pepper and grill for 4 mins on each side.  Yum!
3. Toasted Tomato and Pesto Sandwich – Spread two slices of your favorite sandwich bread with your favorite pesto (need a favorite? try this pesto), top one pesto-ed slice with several meaty slices of tomato, sprinkle with salt, sandwich, and enjoy!
4. Simple Salsa – Make your own fresh salsa by tossed chopped tomato with your choice of the following: minced red onion, minced garlic, finely chopped jalapeño or serrano chiles. Add salt to taste. A splash of red vinegar can be tasty, too.  Another addition can be some fresh avocado as well.



5. A Kicked Up BLT – This is a classic with a twist.  This takes a little bit of effort but is so worth it.  I like to take two slices of a thick homemade bread, toast it, top with a little butter and a nice piece of cheddar cheese. After that I add the fresh romaine lettuce, juicy red tomatoes and crisp bacon.  I top it with freshly ground pepper and enjoy!



6. In a Salad – Any salad of your choice – tomatoes are a great addition. Keep it simple and dress it just before serving.
7. Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice - This one is a great fun recipe on a cool day.  Scoop out the insides of the tomato.  To prepare the filling use cooked rice, oregano and ground beef ( or you can omit)  Top with fresh basil and mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

So there you have it!  My top 7 ways to kick up the regular tomato.  Let me know if you have any other great ways to kick up the tomato in the comments section.  I will be back tomorrow - Have a great Wednesday.

I am off to New York… and will blog from the BIG Apple on Friday!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

The end of the week is here… one must return to a normal life. But not until I share with you a Greek feast that will make your mouth water. On Wednesday night we were invited down to our friends camper for a little Greek. A little Greek was sure an understatement. I ate way too much and I had to unbutton my shorts in hope that I could stand up without exploding.

The lineup included homemade tzatziki, warm fresh pita rubbed with olive oil and done up on the grill, pork skewers, chicken skewers, amazing Greek salad and a couple of beers to wash it down.  Combining the tzatziki, chicken and pork with a bit of the salad on the warm pita bread to create a souvlaki… was out of this world.  I inhaled 4 of these bad boys plus a couple of servings of salad…. hence why the unbuttoning of the shorts.

The flavor was amazing. I ate so much that the next day when I woke up, I could smell garlic oozing out of my forearm… haha oh well. Live life and eat well.
I want to include the whole meal in this post even though I should break it out into three posts so you can get all the details. So first I will start with the tzatziki and move on from there.

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 500mg Tub of plain yogurt, strained over cheesecloth
• 1 Cucumber, seeded, peeled and grated
• 2-3 Cloves garlic, grated
• 3 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Place a bowl underneath a strainer. Set the cheesecloth over a strainer and pour the yogurt inside and let starin for a few hours.
2. Peel and seed the cucumber and than grate it on a towel. Once grated, ensure that you squeeze the water out of the cucumber. This will prevent the sauce from being to thin.
3. In a large bowl, add the strained yogurt, the cucumber, olive oil, garlic, vinegar and salt and pepper.
4. Mix well with a fork and taste for seasoning.
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Do not mix with anything but a fork as it will remove more moisture from the cucumber and make the sauce thin. Leave the food processor away and go old school.

Chicken and Pork Marinade

(Based on 2lbs of both pork and chicken)

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. Olive oil
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 Head of garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. Oregano
• 2 Tbsp. Cumin
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Cut your chicken and pork into cubes and set aside. Depending on the amount of chicken and pork create the marinade accordingly.
2. In separate bowls place the chicken and pork. Toss in half the ingredients in each bowl.
3. Mix and cover with saran wrap for up to 4-5 hours
4. Soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes and let start placing the meat on the skewer. Once assembled, preheat the grill and set the skewers on to cook.



5. Let these brown on each side turning occasionally. Cook time is about 10-12 minutes.



6. ENJOY

Greek Salad

This salad was awesome. Simple and fresh but the flavor was out of this world. Crisp romaine lettuce, red onion, fresh tomatoes, cucumber, oregano, some olive oil and fresh salty feta cheese. YUM.

We left the olives off to the side as there were some nay-sayers on the olives. This is definitely a salad to have at least once a week. Amazing.  I actually was so excited to eat I forgot to take a picture of the final plate with the souvlaki…. oh dear.

I am heading back to the campground.  I just popped home to drop off some laundry and post for you.  Not sure if it is a beach day as of yet but we are having a big barbecue party tonight… I will fill you in next week.  Have a great weekend.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Happy Monday and welcome to a new week!  I was unsure what to share with you today because I have so much in the hopper and ready to go and there is so much going on in the coming weeks.  As you know from last week, September 1st marks the start of HELP THE STUDENTS event and I cannot wait.  It will be a one month series, featuring simple, quick meals that anyone can prepare with simple everyday ingredients.  They will also focus on being cost effective as well as packing lots o’ flavor.

Before we get into today’s recipe which I pretty much love – I want to share some feedback I have heard over the blog in the last few months both positive and negative.  The positive feedback just reassures me that I am doing something I love and will continue to do.  The negative feedback is what I really love.  Sound bizarre?  Not really.  I find the negative information drives me to deliver a better blog, add more value for you the reader and an enhanced experience for all to enjoy.

Positive Feedback

• Amazing Photography
• Tasty recipes that I can actually make
• Love the Zesty Tips
• Fun to read

Negative Feedback

• Not enough Vegetarian recipes
• Want more posts each week
• More pictures of zesty and his family
• Would love to see more E-books of recipes

On to the Food

Ever need an idea oh how to use up a fresh summer pineapple in a different way?  I know myself I have the hamsters moving in my head all the time to come up with innovative ideas to use fruit in the summer to impress both my palette and yours.

Most recently I had a gorgeous fresh pineapple from the farmers market and I knew I wanted to grill it.  By grilling fruit, the sugars inside caramelize so well and give you that sweet warm texture as you bite into them.  For this quick recipe all you need are a few ingredients and about 10 minutes to whip it up.  I have tried this twice now, so far and it has been a hit each time.

Ingredients

• 1 Whole Pineapple ( sliced and cored)
• Vanilla Ice cream
• Pink Peppercorns (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tbsp. Brown sugar
• Orange zest

Method

1. In a bowl add butter and brown sugar and microwave for 30 seconds.
2. Preheat grill to medium heat
3. Coat the pineapple in the borwn sugar butter glaze and place on grill.  Stay close as it will cook quickly and you do not want it to burn
4. Once golden brown, remove from heat and top with Vanilla ice cream, a few pink peppercorns for a bite and some fresh orange zest.
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For a little crunch, try adding some toasted walnuts, peanuts or even pecans to elevate the flavor and texture combination even more.

I hope you enjoyed this quick spin on fresh fruit.  See you on Wednesday for the Help the Students event kick-off.

Take care
zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty