Gazpacho

Gazpacho, a delightful summer dish sure to keep you cool during the long hot summer days! Not only is this delicious, but it's highly nutritious and full of antioxidants! 

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Set Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients
1 cucumber
2 red bell peppers
1 red onion
4 plum tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3 minced garlic cloves
3 cups tomato juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil

Directions:

1. Chop the vegetables into 1 inch cubes.

2. Place the vegetables separately into a food processor and process each until they are coarsely chopped. The best way to do this, is by pulsing the processor.

3. Place the chopped vegetables into a container, and mix in the white wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, tomato juice and seasonings.

4. Mix well, and refrigerate. As it chills and set the flavor will develop and tastes even better!

5. Serve chilled.

Bruschetta with Goat Cheese

Prep Time: 10 min

For the bruschetta:

4 Plum tomatoes
5 fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese blend finely shredded

Enjoy with:
1 baguette
Garlic & herb goat cheese

Directions:

1. Finely chop the tomatoes and basil, and mix together.

2. Add the balsamic vinaigrette, olive oil, minced garlic and Mozzarella & Parmesan cheese.

3. Mix well, and add salt if you would like a little for extra taste.

4. Slice the baguette to 1/2 inch size rounds and spread a light layer of the goat cheese onto the slices.

5. Add the bruschetta topping.

6. Serve and enjoy!

Note:

Although most recipes for bruschetta call for Roma tomatoes, Fresh Market was all out, so I decided to use Plum tomatoes instead, which are my favorite as far as tomatoes go. I love eating tomatoes whole and found that the skin on the plums does not interfere with the taste at all. But, if you prefer your bruschetta without tomato skins, parboil the tomatoes and once they cool off enough that they don't burn your fingertips, remove the skins and chop them up. :-)

Turkey Meatballs

Makes about 12-14
Cook time about 25 minutes
Prep time 5 minutes

Ingredients
1 lb of ground turkey
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 cup of Italian Bread Crumbs
1 tsp of minced garlic
1 - 2 tbsp of salt (or to taste)
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, mix the ground turkey with the bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, basil and oregano.

2. Once all ingredients are thoroughly mixed, add the beaten egg to the mixture and mix again thoroughly.

3. In a large frying pan, add the olive oil or enough to coat the bottom of the pan and turn to low to medium heat.

4. Scoop out the balls with a spoon or make them by hand to the desired size, (I usually make about 12-14 1 inch balls) and place them into the frying pan.

5. Turn the meatballs every 3-5 minutes or so, to ensure that they are evenly browned and cooked. 

Once they are ready, Enjoy! It's a healthy and tasty alternative to the traditional red meat meatball!
I usually pair this with pasta or yellow rice and it is delicious!