This gazpacho capitalizes on the best that early summer produce has to offer.

Green tomato gazpacho (Photo:Gabirel Hasser)

Ingredients

• 4 large green tomatoes
• 2 medium cucumbers
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 clover garlic
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 sprig of mint
• 1 medium purple pepper for garnish, diced
• 1/2 small sweet onion for garnish, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine green tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, cilantro, and mint in a blender adding enough water to create a smooth consistency.
2. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste
3. Serve garnished with diced purple peppers and onion.

This dish balances the mild sourness of green tomatoes with sweet carrots and basil to create a flavorful spring quiche.

Green Tomato Quiche

Ingredients

• 1 medium purple onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large green tomatoes, diced
• 1 large zucchini, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion and saute until onions begin to brown, about five minutes.
2. Add garlic, green tomatoes, and carrots. Cook until tomatoes begin to soften slightly, about two minutes.
3. Add zucchini to the saute and continue cooking until all of the vegetables are tender, three to five minutes. Remove from heat and incorporate the basil. Salt to taste, then set aside.
4. Crack the eggs into a small glass bowl and beat until the yokes and whites are evenly blended.
5. Coat a nine inch pie dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add the vegetable saute into the dish and pour the egg mixture evenly over the vegetables.
6. Bake at 350 degrees until the eggs have thoroughly set, about 20 minutes.
7. Serve warm with Green Tomato Aji.

This is a recipe is the love child between tomatillo salsa and Peruvian Aji Verde. You can serve it like a Peruvian Aji to add heat and flavor to any dish but it is also mild enough to consume in larger quantities with chips like a typical Tex-Mex salsa.

Green Tomato Ají

Ingredients

• 5 medium green tomatoes
• 1 large jalapeno, seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/4 sweet yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Combine ingredients in a high-speed blender until thoroughly processed.
2. Serve immediately

Fresh Green Tomatoes

When I see green tomatoes for the first time in the summer I get excited because I know that in a few short weeks I will be slurping up their juicy, well-ripened siblings.  I admit it, I am not the biggest fan of under-ripe fruit like green tomatoes, but for everything there is a season and this is the time of year when one ought to enjoy crisp green tomatoes and dream of things to come.

Part of the reason I have never really developed a taste for green tomatoes is that I also have an aversion to deep frying which is by far the most common preparation. When they are done well, fried green tomatoes are crisp and the oil and batter have infused a little flavor. However, most of the time fried green tomatoes are greasy, limp, and flavorless.

This year we took on the challenge of making a couple of delicious green tomato recipes that go in a different direction. To this end, we came up with Green Tomato Aji and Green Tomato Quiche. Both of these recipes do a great job highlighting the freshness of green tomatoes and uncover their versatility. So, while it is still a far cry from the rapture I expect when I bite in this year’s first ripe red tomato, these green tomato recipes do a good job paving the way.

In Texas there is a narrow window of overlap between the last of the spring fennel and the beginning fresh fig availability. Make the most of this limited season with a vegetarian variation on a classic French dish.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced in to 1/2 inch thick strips
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1/4 pound fresh figs, halved
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Kohlrabi, which means cabbage turnip in Swiss German, is a cruciferous vegetable. The flavor of fresh kohlrabi is mild and light similar to broccoli hearts. It is great raw as in this slaw and is also a fantastic addition to stir fry.

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 2 large kohlrabi, peeled and grated
• 2 medium green apples, peeled and grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, washed
• 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar
• 1/4 cup pecans
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

1. Combine kohlrabi and apples and toss with lemon juice. Set aside.
2. In a blender or food processor combine mint, sugar, pecans, and olive oil. Blend until smooth.
3. Combine mint dressing and vegetables. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Kohlrabi Apple Slaw with Mint Pesto

A street vendor's cooler of marcianos in Huanchaco, Peru, where it is always summer.

Here it is! April 26th and the thermostat in Austin, Texas crossed the 90 degree mark all afternoon. I know that people with a calendar in front of them or those who pay attention to the tilt of the Earth might disagree, but I am ready to officially declare summer. May the rainfall be average and the season end before October.

One of my strategies for enjoying summer is to make sure that I have plenty of cool hydrating food and drinks on hand. In Peru unchurned ice creams and frozen fruit juices are very popular year round. These treats, known as marcianos, are usually produced in homes and sold directly out the front door or in coolers around town. Pretty much any fruit can be used to make marcianos, but the most popular appeared to be coconut, maracuya (passion fruit), and strawberry.

To celebrate the beginning of summer we made our own Maracuy y Fresa Marcianos using passion fruit yogurt and fresh strawberries. They are a delicious and healthy way to break in a new popsicle mold and cool off, if only for a little while.

Passion fruit (maracuya) is tart and delicious and pairs fantastically with ripe sweet strawberries (fresas). Chobani makes a Passion Fruit Greek yogurt that we used for this recipe, but plain Greek yogurt and two tablespoons of fresh passion fruit will also produce excellent results.

Maracuya y Fresa Marciano Ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 cup Passion Fruit Greek Yogurt
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and minced
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup milk or preferred milk substitute
• 1 1/2 tablespoon or more of turbinado sugar to taste

Preparation

1. Combine yogurt, strawberries, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Using a fork lightly mash the strawberries until softened.
2. Add the milk and sugar to taste. Stir until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved.
3. Portion the mixture evenly in Popsicle molds. Freeze for at least two hours, loosen under running water for a few seconds, and enjoy!

Remember our words: Summer is coming.

Grilled Asparagus is simply delicious and the addition of portabello mushrooms and this marinade make them to die for!

Grilled Asparagus (Gabriel Hasser)

Ingredients

• 1 pound of asparagus, washed with stems trimmed
• 2 large portobello mushrooms, washed and sliced into 1/2 inch thick strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon of ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Combine ingredients in an airtight container and allow to marinade for at least 2 hours.
2. Place the marinaded vegetables directly on a lightly greased grill. Cook rotating occasionally until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Serve warm.

Note: If your grill is of questionable cleanliness or you are concerned about loosing a few asparagus lay a square of tinfoil on the grill poke it with a few small holes to allow some smoke to come through the surface, and place your vegetables on the foil.

This recipe is our vegan adaptation of a BBQed Egg.

Grilled Bell Pepper with Tofu Scramble (Gabriel Hasser)

Ingredients

• 1 block tofu, drained, pressed, and sliced into small cubes
• 2 green onion, sliced
• 2 cups spinach, washed and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 rounded tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 large red bell peppers, washed, halved, and seeded
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Preparation