No Cooking Required

No Cooking Required (with a twist of ADD)

I love this time of year, heat and all.   As crazy as it sounds, I often bake when it is hot outside.  It’s already hot; who is going to notice the oven is on (insert chuckle here).   However, there are day’s I am too lazy to cook and that is when I turn to quick “No Cooking Required” recipes. 

 

Yesterday was a day of errands. One of those included visiting the local public market.   They call it a “Public Market”    due to the variety of vendors they have.  Not all of them are farmers.   I love fresh fruits and veggies and the variety that are displayed at the market.   I also like the fact that there is always something there you can’t get in a supermarket.    And the fact that just purchasing your produce in the open air makes them taste better.  Fresh air makes everything taste better (you should try a weenie roast in the dead of winter, nothing tastes better than that Hot Dog cooked over an open flame in the dead of winter).

What did I purchase you ask?   Well, I was hoping to find green tomatoes at the market.  Yup they had them.  But then I spied an Eight Ball Zucchini, surprisingly not many people at the market knew what they were.  They are a grapefruit sized round Zucchini.  Great for stuffing, but that is a recipe for another time.   I also purchased a ¼ bushel of pickling cucumbers, 2 small purple eggplants, Italian Pole Beans, Jalapeno Peppers, Peaches, Nectarines, and Heirloom Tomatoes.    I think that was everything at the market.  

Off to have breakfast with a couple of my girlfriends.  You have to get to the market early and why not arrive when it just opens.   My girlfriends are lucky I didn’t eat anything at the market. Need to go potty and have a second cup of tea.  Breakfast was a trip as usual.  We have polite conversations mixed with a little bit of ball busting, one upping and throwing each other under the bus.  How we love each other.  We part and go our separate ways.

Now, to get back on track and finish my errands.    The next few stops are irrelevant, stopping here and there to get essentials like toothpaste and toilet paper, shop for shoes for the wedding and fill up the car with gas.   

My last stop: I have Heirloom tomatoes from the market, it is off to a place called Roma’s.   Roma’s is a little Italian deli, where they sell imported pasta, cheeses, and meats.   They also carry homemade Italian bread and pizza pie to die for.  I consider it to be the best in the area.   They have a large mixed olive case with a variety of black and green flavored olives.  Did I mention the Imported Italian Cheeses:  Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Mozzarella, Basket Cheese, Braided Cheese, Smoked, Wedges and Grated and my favorite of all time Soft Fresh Mozzarella Balls.  Fight the urge to purchase tomato pie.    Don’t inhale at the register, you will then smell all the deliciousness and weaken. Pay the man and hold your breath till you get out the door (just teasing, I love the deli smell). Okay leaving Roma’s with a loaf of fresh Crusty Italian Bread, a small container that holds a variety of the many olives from the olive case, a bag of freshly grated parmesan cheese and my mozzarella balls.  

I arrive home about 1:30ish.   Unload the car and carry everything in the house.   Drop everything and take the dog outside to do her necessaries.  Let the dog romp and play for a few minutes as she has been inside all morning.    Back inside, cappuccino from the Keurig while unpacking all of my wonderful goodies.    Such a sense of accomplishment overcomes ones-self, as I stare at the variety of health and wellness displayed on my counter.   Lunch! Its lunch time! With all the errands I had run in the morning lunch needed to be quick and painless and of course consist of several items I had purchased well running all those errands.   Let’s make a fresh Cucumber Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella drizzled with imported extra virgin olive oil and reduced balsamic vinegar (both previously purchased at Roma’s), topped with a slice of fresh home baked crusty Italian bread.    Ahhhhhh! Or should I say MMMMMM!

I shall be posting more recipes from my finds at the Public Market.   



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Tabouli

Tabouli is a very traditional Mediterranean salad made primarily of parsley and cracked bulgar wheat.

I was first introduced to this delectable dish at a family party on my husband's side. My Italian mother-in-law and her best friend, who was Lebanese, grew up next door to each other in the city of Utica, New York. They even had their first born sons within days of each other and were able to be put in the same room in the hospital. As the children grew up, they fondly called each other's parents aunt and uncle. They spent a lot of time together as they grew up, throughout their school years, getting married and having babies, and often vacationing together. Family parties were always a large gathering and often were just a way a spending more time together with an occasional reason such as someone's birthday or a holiday. Family and friends would always bring something to pass and Tabouli was a favorite when paired with Fresh Naan Bread as an accompany.


Tabouli

Ingredients:
1 Bunch of Celery ran through the food processor
1 large bunch Italian parsley
2 tbsp. fresh mint
1/2 cup bulgar wheat, soaked
2-3 shallots, chopped very fine
1 small tomato, seed and diced small
1/3 cucumber diced small
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Zest of lemon
Juice of 1 lemon (more or less depending on your taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

First you take the bulgar wheat and soak it in a bowl filled with enough water to cover the wheat. It takes at least 30 minutes to soften the bulgar, but an hour is best.  Chop the herbs and vegetables as fine as you can. It may seem ridiculous, but the finer you chop it, the better this dish will taste! Add the strained bulgar and all the remaining ingredients, mixing them until they make a nice salad. Taste it and add more salt or lemon to suit your taste.

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