Gardening season is coming to an end.  I have picked off the remainder of my free tomatoes and free peppers, as well as basil leaves and chives, and created a quick and simple meal out of my fresh veggies.

Nothing can be simpler than some pasta and stir-fry veggies, so that is what I decided to prepare.

Serve 2-4.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup of  green peppers, sliced julienne style
• 1 small zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 Tbs chives, chopped
• 1 Tbs of fresh basil leave, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced (used my favorite garlic chopper)
• 1 Tbs low sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tbs olive oil, for frying
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 cups of cooked pasta

Directions:

1. Cook your favorite pasta per package directions (one cup of uncooked pasta should be enough for this recipe).
2. Wash your veggies, and dry off on a paper towel.
3. Cut up your veggies (cut peppers in half, remove stems and seeds).
4. Heat up a frying pan with the olive oil.
5. Add onions, and cook until translucent looking.
6. Add peppers and zucchini, and cook 3 minutes.
7. Add tomatoes, and cook another minute.
8. Add chopped basil, minced garlic, chives, salt and pepper.
9. Turn off the heat.
10. Fold in a little bit of olive oil into your pasta, so it does not stick.
11. Place pasta on a serving platter, or individual plates, and top off with veggies.

If you like you may sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top of veggies, and serve it with garlic bread.

Hummus is a great source or protein, quite nutritious to snack on, and very easy to make.   I began using Chickpeas a couple of years ago, when I experimented with The Fat Smash Diet, as it was included in the list of approved foods to snack on.

I used to always buy hummus, but now I prefer to make my own, since it requires very few simple ingredients, and only takes a couple of minutes to complete.

I grow my own garlic and basil, so my hummus is also very fresh, and very inexpensive to prepare.

If you love hummus, you will love this original recipe, or you can add your favorite vegetables for variation, and share your experience with us.

Makes 1 1/4 cup of hummus.

Ingredients:

• 1 can Chickpeas (I used Progresso 20 oz)
• 5 large basil leaves (about 2 Tbs), chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered (one is enough if you prefer a lighter flavor)
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs. Tahini paste
• 1 tsp Soy Sauce, low sodium
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground

Directions:

1. Drain the chickpeas over strainer, reserving 1 Tbs of the liquid.
2. Rinse under running water.
3. Place the chickpeas in a food processor, add remaining ingredients.
4. Cover and process until the mixture is smooth.
5. Serve with your favorite crackers, for dipping.

TIP:  This dip is also excellent with raw veggies, such as celery, cucumber slices, or peppers.

If you like it on a thinner side, you may mix in little bit of water.

For another variation, you may add 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes to the above recipe.

I love gardening, and especially growing my own herbs to have on hand to use in my recipes.

One of the herbs I enjoy in my dishes, is fresh Basil.

Someone shared this recipe for a homemade vinaigrette, so I am sharing it here with you.

Fresh, homemade salad dressing is not only convenient, but also very refreshing.

Yields: 1 2/3 cups of dressing.

Ingredients:

• 9 Tbs white wine vinegar (plain or any other vinegar you have)
• 1 1/2 Tbs honey
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (or regular salt)
• 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or Canola oil
• 3 Tbs chopped fresh Basil
• 3 Tbs minced fresh Chives

Directions:

1. Combine vinegar, honey and salt.
2. Whisk in the oil, until combined.
3. Stir in Basil and Chives.
4. Cover, and store in a refrigerator up to five days.

TIP: In case you do not have fresh Basil or Chives, you still can make a simple salad dressing by mixing some Extra Virgin Olive oil with vinegar, and adding some salt, pepper to taste, plus some dried Italian herbs, such as Oregano and Basil.

With all the frequent rain showers we experienced lately in our area, my garden is in its glory, and thriving.

If you love gardening, as I do, you will agree that no matter how much, and how often, you water your garden, it does not measure up to one good rain fall, and the plants just seem to grow in front of your eyes soon afterward.

This season’s  harvest already began in my garden, and, with great pleasure, I was able to pick some baby red beets, dill, chives, summer squash, zucchini, green beans, and basil.

My raspberries produced about a pint of fruit this year, and today I was able to pick a few blueberries already.  I am very excited about having fresh berries and herbs from my garden, and to share them with my granddaughter.

Don’t you just love the freshness of these veggies and fruits…..and best of all….I know these have not been sprayed with any chemicals.

Tip: If  you wonder what can one  do with red beet leaves, I have a recipe coming up in my future posts.

I already showed you some of my flower patches, and I mentioned my small organic garden, which I started two years ago. All my plants are cultivated in a mix of mushroom soil and organic gardening soil. I do not use any additional fertilizers, and definitely no pesticides.

I grow perennial herbs and fruits, and annual vegetables.

This is my organic garden.

Here are some of the plants in my garden:

Parsley, Basil, Dill Weed, Oregano,Green Beans, Potato Plant, Red Beets

The fruit group includes:

Blueberry Bush Blueberry Flowers Green Blueberry Fruit

Raspberry Bushes Raspberry Flowers Raspberry Green Fruit

Blooming Strawberries Blushing Fruits First Harvest

My vegetables selection changes annually, but mostly consists of: Tomatoes, Zucchini, Summer Yellow Squash, Red Beets, Cucumbers, Green Beans, and this year I have added a couple of potato plants and Sorrel plants.

I will share some pictures of these as the “fruit of my labor” begins to show a little bit more.