Recipes with farmers market produce

The farmers market has been having some good watermelons lately. In my family we tend to eat it plain—some with salt and some without—but Lynn Young sent me this recipe for a watermelon salad that sounds very good and refreshing. And who doesn’t need something refreshing with the hot weather we’ve been having.

This recipe doesn’t have any measurements because you can make it as big or as small as needed by your family. This recipe calls for arugula which I’m not sure I’ve seen in Rockdale, but any green should work out fine. Thanks Lynn!

Watermelon Salad

Arugula

Watermelon chunks, seeded

Feta cheese crumbles

Balsamic vinegar

Place the watermelon chunks on a bed of arugula, sprinkle with feta, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

—kwc—

Here’s one I got in my inbox just this week from Closet Cooking. Looks like a cross between and lettuce salad and a pasta salad.

Spinach & Artichoke Pasta Salad

1 pound pasta

1 tsp olive oil

4 ounces bacon, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup sour cream

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced or grated

Salt and pepper to taste

2 (14 ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and quartered or coarsely chopped

5 ounces baby spinach

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup green onions, sliced

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

Cook the pasta as directed on the package, drain, mix with olive oil and let cool, stirring often to prevent sticking. Meanwhile cook the bacon until crispy and set aside on paper towels to drain. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. When the pasta is cool, mix everything together and serve.

—kwc—

And here’s a quick one to answer that age-old question, “What am I going to do with all this zucchini?” This is a basic recipe but I’m sure you could add whatever you like on regular pizza. Might even be a good way to get the kids to eat zucchini.

Zucchini Pizza Bites

1 tbsp olive oil

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup pizza sauce or marinara sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 ounce pepperoni sliced

Oregano or Italian seasoning to taste

Brush or spray the zucchini slices with oil on both sides, season with salt and pepper, broil (or grill) until just tender, about 1-2 minutes per side, place them on a greased baking sheet, top them with sauce, cheese and pepperoni and broil until the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes, before sprinkling with oregano or Italian seasoning to taste.