Melissa and I decided that we wanted to make hummus a few weeks back, but not just any hummus. Beet-red Hummus. And you guys, I swear it was so delicious!

Beets are so pretty, and so delicious! But – beware, they will dye your cutting boards. You can use golden beets instead, to avoid this, or use a plastic cutting board and make sure to wash it right away.

Beet Hummus
Adapted from Simply Recipes

1/2 pound beets (about 4 medium sized beets), scrubbed clean, cooked, peeled, and cubed (steam ’em until a fork comes out clean)
2 tbsp tahini
1/4 cup chick peas
5 tbsp lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp lemon zest (zest from approx. 2 lemons)
goat cheese
s/p

Mix all your ingredients together, and adjust seasonings to taste. Then, chill and serve cold with crackers or veggies or chips. It’s simple, it’s beautiful, it’s delicious, and it’s gluten free! What more could you ask for?

Oh that’s right, goat cheese sprinkled on the top. That brings it to a whole new level. (If you make some, just call me right up and I’ll be on my way over!)

We at GMS love having a CSA, because it brings fruits and veggies right to your door without you having to think about it. However, sometimes you get a bunch of something you don’t love, or you didn’t think would be so…well…abundant. This is how I ended up with three zucchini with no plan in place. I like zucchini if it’s presented to me, but it’s not my favorite thing to have to figure out what to do with.

Enter this recipe for Summer Squash Gratin. Now, we followed this recipe, but we didn’t want to put the zucchini and squash into the microwave – what a waste of nutrients! But it is a good idea to salt the squash and zucchini and let the salt draw the water out – so here’s a handy video with advice on how to do that without MAJORLY oversalting your casserole!

Summer Squash Gratin 
Adapted from Cook’s Country

Oven temperature: 450 degrees
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 4 tablespoons melted
2 onions, halved and sliced thin
Salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds yellow summer squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Melt 1 tablespoon softened butter in a cast iron over medium heat. Add onions and salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and golden brown.

2. Stir in garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine and cook until evaporated, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, draw water out of squash/zucchini. You can do this by salting the squash and zucchini and microwaving, or by letting sit in one layer, salted, on the counter.

4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 13 by 9-inch baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon softened butter. Combine panko, Parmesan, and 1 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Evenly coat baking dish with 6 tablespoons panko mixture. Stir melted butter into remaining panko mixture until well combined; set aside.

5. Arrange half of squash in prepared dish and season with pepper to taste. Sprinkle ¼ cup panko mixture evenly over squash. Spread onion mixture in even layer over crumbs. Arrange remaining half of squash over onion mixture and season with pepper to taste. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until just tender, about 15 minutes.

6. Remove dish from oven. Sprinkle remaining panko mixture evenly over top. Bake, uncovered, until bubbling around edges and crumbs are golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Serve.

Despite the fact that we over-salted ours, this was DELICIOUS. We highly recommend (as always) using rosemary, as it is such a great flavor with the crunch of the panko and the fresh taste of the squash!

What do you do with all those zucchini??

As the legend goes, one day at Eton here in England, a meringue and strawberry dessert was accidentally crushed while in transport to a picnic at the college. With no viable options, what could be salvaged of the dessert was served despite being squashed and it was thereby dubbed Eton Mess. Now it is an English tradition served all over the country! It is delicious, and could not be easier to make.

If you have access to these hard meringue sweets, pick up a package for this dessert to keep it simple. Otherwise check out Jaime Oliver’s recipe for meringue to be included in this dish.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Refrigeration Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
10 ½ fl oz/300ml whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
3 ½ oz/100g ready-made meringue
1 lb/450g fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

1. Begin by whipping the cream and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes with a hand mixer.
2. Break the meringue into large pieces and mix into the whipped cream.
3. Quarter all the strawberries. Using a bit more that half, mash the strawberries with a fork until they are juicy and a bit muddled. Stir into the cream and meringue mixture.
4. Decorate the top of your Eton Mess with the rest of the strawberry quarters.
5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Has a food disaster ever struck in your kitchen, but turned out salvageable in the end?

This weekend we’re headed to the ocean for the FIRST time this summer (I know, it’s horrible!) This leads to the question, what do you BRING to the beach to eat? Sure, you can stop on the way and get a sub, some chips, a cold drink, and call it a day, but you know you’ll be snacking all day on unhealthy foods and feeling bad about it later. Wouldn’t you rather eat some healthy snacks to enjoy in nature?

Don’t worry, we have your back. What are some of the best beach snacks? First of all, fruit – berries are in season, so through those in your bag, or cherries! Also, all the stone fruit, so those plums and peaches can definitely be thrown in. For veggies, baby carrots are great, too, as well as celery, sugar snap peas, or fresh broccoli!

If you’re headed to the beach all day, you’ll need a proper meal. If you’re headed to the beach in the morning, make yourself a smoothie and pack it in a to-go cup (or jar) to drink on the way or upon arrival. We have several for you to try…

Top Left: Berries/Oats/Peanut Butter // Top Right: Peach/Frozen Yogurt/Berries
Bottom Left: Avocado/Spinach/Turmeric // Bottom Right: Carrot/Spinach/Flax

Headed to the beach for lunch? No problem. Pack yourself a cooler and a lunch-sized portion of any of the following cold salads (don’t forget a fork!): Macaroni Salad, Sesame Peanut Noodles, or Kitchen Sink Couscous. If you fancy a sandwich, whip up some Curried Egg Salad the night before!

Whatever you bring to the beach – don’t forget sunscreen, some shade, a book, some speakers, a towel, and lots of water! We hope to see you on the sand! Happy summer.

We are lucky enough to have some very talented people that we call friends, and among them are the creators of a fabulous audio drama series, The Katniss Chronicles, which is based on The Hunger Games book trilogy.

Last year, The Katniss Chronicles released part one of their three-part series, and Jennie and I fell in love with their retelling of one of our favorite books. Now, we are so proud and excited to announce that they are now releasing part two!

In honor of the release, we decided to create our own version of the famous Lamb Stew served in the Capital. Fans of the books will know exactly what lamb stew I’m talking about.

But, If you’ve been living under a rock and never read or watched The Hunger Games, all I can tell you is that this recipe is meant to be rich, decadent, and with the added benefit of being hearty enough to sustain two people for several days if they happen to be stranded in a dystopian nightmarish wilderness fighting for survival . . . maybe you should just go read the book, actually.

Now about this stew, we had very few guidelines other than that it should include lamb and dried plums (also known as prunes for all intents and purposes), but beyond that we let our imaginations run wild and included all the ingredients we think are hearty, delicious, and a little decadent. So, we included burgundy mushrooms, butter, nutmeg, red wine, and some bacon for good measure!

Katniss’ Lamb Stew

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless lamb shoulder
1 ½ lbs mushrooms
1 ½ cups prunes
3 cups red wine
2 cups chicken broth
½ lb bacon
15 oz pearl onions
1 bag frozen peas
1 shallot
6 cloves garlic
2 tsp nutmeg
1 bay leaf
olive oil
butter

Directions:
1. Saute garlic and shallot in 3 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil.
2. Add mushrooms and brown for 2 – 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
3. Add 3 cups red wine and prunes, and let simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the liquid reduces by one third.
4. In a dutch oven, brown the bacon and lamb pieces with 2 tsp of nutmeg
5. Combine mushrooms, wine, and prunes with browned meat.
6. Add pearl onions, broth and spices and let simmer for 30 minutes.
7. Add peas and let simmer another 10 minutes.

We highly recommend you try your own version of this stew when the weather turns cool again, but for now, go check out the Katniss Chronicles! You might even hear more recipes from us, if you listen closely!

Read this post and other nerd-tastic delights over at Fanboy Comics!