Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Enjoying the fruits of summer...

I have been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and it has really changed the way I think/buy/eat. The book discusses not only eating organically, but eating locally - which basically equates to eating only items that are grown yourself or grown and sold within a small radius of your home.

The book has a lot of valuable lessons in it. You would not believe the amount of fossil fuels that are used in growing and transporting food! It's an amazing read and I highly recommend it. In it, the author lists tips on living "green" as well as fantastic recipes.

After a recent trip to a farm stand, I tried making her Melon Salsa for dinner, changing a few things to suit my tastes. The results were not only one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted, but I was also extremely satisfied using locally grown produce and I even got to use some mint from my garden (ok, it's more of a few flower pots of herbs rather than a garden - townhome living thwarts growing the garden I dream of...)

For the meal, I then served grilled chicken topped with the melon salsa. I served it with a side of couscous and a salad. I made the couscous with chicken broth, instead of water, and added in some diced green onion for extra flavor.




Melon Salsa
  • 1 medium cantaloupe
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 small jalapeno pepper
  • 1/2 medium red onion
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 1-2 T honey
  • 1 T apple cider vinegar
Dice cantaloupe and red bell pepper into 1/4" pieces.

Finely mince onion, jalapeno and mint.

Whisk together honey and vinegar in a bowl. Toss all ingredients in bowl and stir to combine.

Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Excellent served over chicken or fish.



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1 comment:

ChunkyChef said...

Hi Sara!!

Glad to see that you are enjoying Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It's one of my favorites and I have gifted it to sooo many people. Maybe someday James and Priya will read it. I'm enjoying your blog.

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