3 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1-inch-wide wedges (about 5 loose cups)
½ pound Persian cucumbers, trimmed and halved lengthwise then sliced ¼-inch-thick
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced thinly (about 1 loose cup)
1 cup fresh basil leaves
½ cup crumbled feta
Directions
Make dressing:
Add the ½ lb watermelon pieces to the container of a blender and blend until pureed. Add sugar, vinegar, red pepper flakes and ground pepper and blend on low speed until well-combined. With the center of the blender lid removed, slowly add olive oil while blender is on low speed. Return lid piece to blender and increase speed to medium to completely blend. Once emulsified, add mustard, garlic and thyme leaves and pulse a few times to incorporate but not blitz entirely.
Bread:
Preheat oven to 350°. Toss ciabatta pieces in olive oil and then sprinkle on fine sea salt and fresh thyme leaves. Toss again and put on parchment-lined sheet pan and into oven. Toast about 8 minutes and then flip bread around with a spatula so other sides can toast. Toast just long enough to get a light golden color everywhere and remove from sheet pan to cool.
Assemble salad:
In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and basil leaves and toss gently to combine. Add watermelon and feta, toss gently again. Add toasted bread and toss again. Add half of the dressing and toss a final time. Put on serving plates and drizzle each serving with additional dressing.
Tea cakes have an African American history dating back to the 1600s. They’re an easy and delicious traditional cookie served on the Juneteenth holiday – not as sweet as sugar cookies and with a softer texture.
Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 tsp fine lemon zest
½ tsp vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
Granulated sugar for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
In a bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, mix until combined. Pour in buttermilk, vanilla extract and lemon zest and mix again until combined.
In a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. You may need to mix the last of the dry ingredients in by hand since the dough can get quite thick.
Divide dough into four portions. Roll each portion on a lightly floured surface to ¼ thickness. Using round biscuit cutter, cut dough into 2 ½ inch rounds.
Place on prepared baking sheets, about one inch apart. Lightly sprinkle tops with additional sugar.
Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until edges start turning golden and bottoms slightly browned.
Remove to rack, cool completely. Store in tightly covered container for up to a week.
Looking for something fresh and bright to liven up your crudités? Look no further!
Ingredients
1 15-oz can unsalted black beans, drained/rinsed
1 cooked red beet, peeled/diced (about ½ – ¾ cup)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp white miso
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of dried thyme
½ tsp pepper
¼ cup chopped herbs (parsley, basil, dill, cilantro)
2 Tbsp EVOO
Salt to taste
Directions
Blend all ingredients – minus the salt, EVOO and 1 tsp of the fresh herbs – in a food processor until smooth. As everything is blending, slowly pour in the EVOO. Scrape down the processor sides and blend again.
Add salt to taste. Garnish with the remaining 1 tsp fresh herbs and serve chilled or at room temperature.
Looking for ways to impress your guests without making a big investment of time or energy? Try these pro tips for the perfect cheese board.
Select diverse tastes, textures, colors and flavors from the Co-op’s bulk, produce, sliced meat and cheese sections –don’t be afraid to be creative and go a little wild.
Choose a variety of cheeses: cow, goat, sheep, soft, aged, blue, etc.
Place accompaniments next to cheeses they pair well with. For example, candied pecans and pears go well with Gjetost goat cheese and pears and olives go nicely with Humboldt Fog.
Fill in the gaps between the cheeses with varied colors and textures – nuts, olives, dried fruit. Add a simple bowl of grapes for a fresh touch.
Fill in the rest of the space with different types of crackers and remember to provide a gluten free variety.
Put out a variety of non-cheese dips, also. Think color and texture. This is an area of the table where going vegan is encouraged. Use a variety of serving bowls and dishes to keep things relaxed and fun. Pile it high, watch it fly!
See below for some good staples that will make a solid board and provide enough diversity for a fun culinary adventure.
Nothing says summer quite like hot dogs. We were inspired by the dawgs of Dogos el Miami, a self-described “hot dog joint” south of the border in Sonora, Mexico. Stuffed with cheese, stuffed into a roasted pepper and wrapped in bacon and fried, these aren’t for the faint of heart, but do they have heart & soul!
Ingredients
4 all-beef hot dogs (veggie dogs
work too)
½ cup queso fresco cheese,
crumbled
4 large Serrano peppers
4 slices bacon (we use thick cut)
4 hot dog buns (we like brioche)
Toppings
Tomatoes, chopped
Sweet onions, diced
Jalapeños, sliced
Mayonnaise
Sriracha or dealer’s choice hot sauce
Directions
Heat oven to 400º.
Place Serranos in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes, turning with tongs occasionally as the peppers char. Once blistered and blackened, immediately place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, rub off skins.
Cut a deep slit in each hot dog lengthwise and stuff with cheese.
Cut the top off of each pepper and a slit down the side. Stuff a hot dog into each one. Carefully twist a piece of bacon around each stuffed pepper. Secure the bacon at the ends with toothpicks.
Fry each bacon-wrapped dog over medium heat, turning carefully with tongs to cook all sides of the bacon thoroughly. This will take anywhere from 10-20 minutes, depending on your pan and individual stovetop.
Mix mayo and hot sauce to taste. Remove toothpicks, bun your dog and adorn with the fixins. Buen provecho!
Enjoy the fantastic flavors of summer with this simple salad that’s great paired with whatever protein you’ve got fresh off the grill, or shredded rotisserie chicken.
Ingredients
5 ears corn, shucked
½ cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil
Pinch garlic granules Pinch dried thyme
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
½ cup julienned basil leaves
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
½ cup shredded carrots
Optional: Lettuce leaves for serving
Directions
In a large pot of boiled salted water, cook corn 3 minutes, just until the starchiness is gone. Drain corn, immerse in ice water to stop cooking and set the color. When corn is cool, cut kernels off cobs, cutting close to the cob.
Toss kernels in a large bowl with red onions, shredded carrots, halved cherry tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic granules, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Just before serving, toss in fresh basil. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve cold or at room temperature, either on its own or scooped atop lettuce leaves.
