Baked Tomatoes, Squash, and Potatoes
Serves 4

I love this time of year when the farmers market runneth over and you can make delicious veggie packed meals with lovely local produce. With the exception of a couple herbs and the lemons used in my salad dressing, all of the ingredients for this dinner came from the farmers market. I love this type of simple summer casserole that really makes the veggies the star of the show. I chose to use Walla Walla sweet onions and they really upped the ante, mingling deliciously with the earthy potato.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 small tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 medium Yukon gold potato, sliced 1/4-inch thick

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil over medium and cook onion until tender and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes.

Step Two: Arrange the onion on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Overlap tomato, squash, and potato on top of the onion. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with thyme and Parmesan, and drizzle with more oil.

Step Three: Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, 30 minutes more. Serve with Parmesan for passing if desired.

Source: Whole Living, September 2011.

Corn on the Cob with Herb Butter
Serves 4

I’m a sucker for simple ol’ corn on the cob served with butter and sprinkled with a wee bit of salt. However, this time around I thought I would give herb butter a whirl. It was pretty darn tasty. Unfortunately the corn wasn’t the sweetest in the world. Nice sweet ears of corn would play wonderfully well with the herb combo. The recipe for the herb butter makes way more than you need—save the rest for another use such as herbed garlic bread!

INGREDIENTS

4 ears of corn, husks and silks removed

1 pinch of sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used chives, flat-leaf parsley, and basil)

coarse salt, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: For the herb butter, place herbs and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are combined. (If using unsalted butter, you may want to add a bit of salt).

Step Two: For the corn, fill a large stockpot with cold water. Set over high heat, and bring to a boil. Add sugar. Add corn, and let simmer until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from water with tongs. Serve immediately with herb butter, and season with salt and pepper.

Source: Martha Stewart Living July/August 1999. View the recipe on MarthaStewart.com.

Rainbow Summer Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Serves 4

This salad is a total show-off with each colorful ingredient competing for attention. To make things all the better, it tastes just as good as it looks! Any colorful combo of summer veggies will do the trick, but do include a couple of sweet elements as they provide a great contrast to the lemon dressing.

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons lemon zest (zest of 1 large lemon)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice of 1 large lemon)

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon agave nectar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad

3 cups red leaf lettuce, torn

1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 large roasted golden beet, cut into eighths

1 small rainbow carrot, cut into disks

1/2 of a lemon cucumber, cut into eighths

1/4 cup blueberries

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: For dressing, in a small bowl, mix all ingredients through agave. Slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified; season with salt and pepper. (It also works well to mix all ingredients in a lidded container and shake to emulsify).

Step Two: For salad, arrange lettuce in a large bowl. Top with remaining ingredients and serve with dressing on the side.

Source: A Robot Heart Recipes Original.