Couscous salad topped with grilled veggies, serve with grilled pita and you'll have the perfect lunch,

or serve it as a side with any roast you might be putting on the grill.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a platter filled with grilled veggies drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze!

A perfect side dish with any grilled meats.

Or slabs of grilled sweet onions with dollops of warm gorgonzola.





For an extremely fresh salad that you can't stop eating, try this Zucchini Carpaccio

Salad. Paper thin slices of fresh zucchini tossed with baby arugula, shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, garlic, lemon zest and olive oil. Topped with toasted walnuts.

For a quick dessert take advantage of all the beautiful apricots that are still available.

Stuff them with sweetened mascarpone and plop a blackberry on top, drizzle with honey or agave and stick them under your broiler. Garnish with pistachio's.

Keep it simple and savor every last bit of all the beautiful summer produce.

Buon Appetito!

This recipe can be adapted to any firm fish that you like. It goes equally as well with salmon, swordfish and a nice fillet of cod. I recently bought some fresh tuna steaks and couldn't wait to use them for this.

Thirty minutes before you place your fish into the oven you'll want to marinate it so all the flavors infuse. Place your fish into a baking dish, add sliced lemons, at least 4 crushed garlic cloves, dried oregano, white wine and olive oil.

Bake your fish in a preheated oven at 350 degrees, it took about 12 minutes for the tuna but time and temperature will vary according to the thickness and the type of fish you use.

While the fish is marinating start making your gremolata. The bold flavors come together with a generous handful of fresh parsley, basil, 1 garlic clove, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, a couple of tablespoons of rinsed and drained capers, a splash of red wine vinegar and drizzled olive oil to get the right consistency. I used my mini food processor and pulsed everything together and then drizzled in the olive oil.

Spoon the gremolata on top of your warm fish!

Another great use for the gremolata is to drizzle it over grilled vegetables, so be sure to make extra!

Buon Appetito!

I just can't resist buying veggies this time of year, I'm happy when my frig is stocked full of them, but I think I went a little overboard this past week! Knowing I had a busy week and weekend ahead I knew I had to cook these up, so I decided to fire up my grill.


I call this a Grilled Vegetable Torte, it's so easy to prepare, it has a WOW presentation, and it goes fantastic with grilled meats. After grilling your veggies, which have all been brushed with olive oil, salt and pepper, layer them into an oiled spring form pan, any size will do it just depends how many veggies you have.

Each layer a different color, a different veg that is topped off with shredded parm or in this case pecorino romano, you might want to put a few basil leaves in between too. Repeat untill you get to the top. Press veggies down.

Cover and wrap the bottom of your pan with foil and place on a baking sheet in a 400F oven.
Bake for about a half hour, giving it enough time to melt the cheese which acts like "glue" and holds the veggies together when you slice it. Let it cool, unmold and eat it at room temperature. Garnish with shredded romano or your favorite cheese on top.

Don't cut your veggies into small pieces, you'll want to cut them into nice big slices it's easier to layer that way.

Believe me it cuts into perfect wedges, just use a sharp serrated knife and take your time, pulling it out with a pie spatula. I would have showed you a wedge but I took this whole thing to a friends house for lunch, minus my camera.

Adding some grilled veggies and ripe tomatoes to orzo pasta along with fresh herbs and grilled shrimp tossed in a fresh lemon and olive oil dressing, makes this a light summer pasta salad.

Tomato Bread, this has great flavor and goes with just about anything! Take a good quality baguette, and scoop out a well down the middle, stick in some grape tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven till tomatoes are soft around 30 min. When the tomatoes pop the juice runs into the bread and flavors it. Garnish with fresh basil.

Hope these ideas help you out a little in using up any of your veggies you have laying around!

Buon Appetito!!

And make an EGGPLANT BRUSCHETTA

Simply brush a loaf of ciabatta bread with olive oil, and grill it till crisp. In the meantime, mix together your favorite goat cheese, along with some mascapone, to even out the tang.Mix in some lemon peel and fresh herbs, I used basil and parsley, set aside.

After you have grilled your eggplant that was also brushed with olive oil, salt and pepper, lightly toss it in a balsamic vinaigrette. ( a very important step!)

Now spread that creamy mixture over that crispy ciabatta and layer your eggplant on top, oh yeah, I also grilled up some red pepper for a little color and added flavor! Serve at room temperature. I hope you eggplant lovers try this!!


GRILLED ZUCCHINI RIBBON SALAD

This recipe is adapted from Michael Chiarello. Take a mandoline or a vegetable peeler and make length wise strips of zucchini. Toss them in some olive oil and place on grill, he suggested cooking only one side, but I did both. It cooks up fast so watch it, you just want it lightly wilted with light grill marks. Place them all on a platter. In the meantime, whisk together a fresh lemon and olive oil dressing, adding some crushed garlic, just a hint! of course salt and pepper to taste.

Now add fresh basil and parsley roughly chopped and toss into the zucchini ribbons. Pour the lemon dressing all over.

Top it off with some shaved Pecorino and toasted pinenuts! Can I just say, Yumm!



LILAC'S FROM MY GARDEN

Lilac's are popping up everywhere here in Chicagoland! They are in full bloom right now, and the smell is incredible! These were taken from a big bush I have in my backyard. Thought I'd share this bouquet with all of you.

Note to all my blog friends... I will be gone on vacation for 1 week, we are flying to sunny California, ( Napa Valley & San Francisco, Woo Hoo!!) I will be sure to come back with plenty of pictures to share, after all it is a foodie lovers dream trip! So with that being said, I won't be around to visit you till I come back, don't worry you are all in my reader, I'll look forward to catching up when I get back.

See you soon,

Marie

Spring has definitely sprung here in Chicago! finally!! So long winter! See ya! Ba Bye! Arrivederci! Ciao!!

Time to open up the windows, crank up the grill, clean off the lawn furniture, and enjoy the sunshine! And thats just what we did!

Heres a couple of appetizers we enjoyed over the weekend. CAPRESE EGGPLANT TOWER

Grilled eggplant
Fresh mozzarella
Ripe and juicy tomatoes
Red onion
Fresh basil
Brush eggplant with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill. You can either grill the red onion slice or just keep it raw. Stack in any order you want.

Drizzle everything with your best extra virgin olive oil, and don't forget a couple slices of good bread. I like the holes you get with a chiabatta, it's not doughy at all. Oh, and don't forget to open up your favorite bottle of wine to enjoy with this.

GRILLED ZUCCINI WITH PESTO AND PINENUTS

Grill your zuccini, and spread on your favorite pesto! so simple, so good!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! :)

It's such a nice day today in Chicago, the weather is in the 70's.

So I went outside and turned on my grill and cooked up the rest of my veggie's I had laying around!! When the weather turns COLD, you won't catch me out there! Instead ,I'll be roasting them in the oven!!!!!