The heat of summer is a good time to put on my meal-planning thinking cap, get out of my rut and try some new summer meal ideas.
And! Apparently I’m not the only one.
Several of you shared some yummy meals ideas and recipes you tried this week.
Along with my recent successes, I’m sharing them all in one post for you today.
Juicy Grilled Pork Chops
From Skinnytaste.com we tried a new recipe for pork chops and friends, this is a winner!
It takes a bit of planning, because the pork chops need to brine in a saltwater solution for 2-4 hours and then sit at room temperature for 1/2 hour, but so good!
Hub and I worked as a team on this. I prepared the brine and the rub. He took over after the 3 hour mark by spraying the chops with oil and rubbing them down with spices.
They turned out perfectly done (due to his expert grilling skills!), juicy and tasty. One note: I generally use a spicy paprika blend from Trader Joes, but for this recipe I used the sweet blend.
Why, you ask? I will share on another post soon, but I used the spicy on a chicken rub and it caught even my asbestos mouth on fire!
Pearl Couscous Mediterranean Salad
With the pork chops, I served homemade sourdough bread, corn on the cob and pearl couscous Mediterranean salad.
I’ve made different iterations of this salad over the years, but this one turned out really good and was perfect next to the pork.
Pearl Couscous Mediterranean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup pearl couscous I sautéed in about 1 tsp butter (optional)
- 2 cups water
- 3-4 small tomatoes, chopped
- 3 small Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 8-10 Kalamata olives, sliced
- thinly sliced red onion
- basil leaves cut into ribbons
- Feta cheese for topping
- 4 oz vinaigrette dressing
Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook couscous according to package directions. I sautéed in about a teaspoon of butter.
- Allow to cool in fridge for a couple of hours.
- Add remaining ingredients and let the flavors meld at least four hours.
- Enjoy!
Susie’s Summer Salad
I know, alliteration is my favorite. And I invented that title myself.
My sister Susie made this special antipasti-style salad for her brother in law’s visit this week.
It turned out really good so she is sharing with us.
You can use any favorite Italian or Greek dressing. I think a fresh Green Goddess would be so good!
Susie’s Summer Salad
Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce, chopped
- grape tomatoes, halved
- small cubed mozzarella cheese
- pepperoncini peppers
- genoa salami slices
Instructions
- Prep the salad ingredients and toss into a bowl on onto a serving plate. Tuck peppers into the sides. Roll the salami and insert throughout.
Julie’s Fresh Salmon
During the recent Amazon prime day sale, dear friend Julie purchased a Ninja air fryer.
She made fresh salmon (caught fresh in Oregon where she now lives) with a Cajun/brown sugar rub.
As a side, she made the popular Jennifer Aniston salad with quinoa, chickpeas, mint, feta, olive oil and scallions.
I have a feeling Julie will be getting a lot of use from her new Ninja!
Deb’s Cooking Class
Dear friend Deb teaches a number of different cooking classes and this week I was able to contribute fresh basil from our herb garden for her fruit skewers.
I’m not sure where she found the cactus food picks, but I found some on Etsy and they are going into my cart pronto!
She also made a salad for her class using sunflower microgreens from our friend Joe Garcia.
I know it looks like there is feta on this salad, but I think she used cotija which, in my opinion, is milder.
Wrap Up
Thank you for joining me today. I hope this post gives you some ideas for delicious homemade meals enjoying the bounty of the season.
As always God bless you and yours and see you next week!