breakfast/snacks

favorites

cinnamon raspberry almond flour muffins

chocolate-berry muffins

I combined a couple of almond flour muffin recipes and added some fresh garden raspberries

horchata chia pudding

recipe

1/4c chia seeds

1c almond milk

1t vanilla

1/2t almond

1 1/2t cinnamon (or more to taste)

1t maple syrup

Mix all ingredients together in a 2c bowl or container. Shake vigorously and leave on counter or in fridge overnight. Blend if desired & serve with nuts or fruit.

also made

cherry chocolate & orange trail mix | complete diabetes cookbook

This was good, and I suspect there are a number of nice variations possible. I might try without pepitas next time, or at least make sure the ones I have are unsalted!

savory yogurt + egg breakfast salad situation | molly yeh | my thoughts

blood sugar friendly nutty trail mix | mary ellen phipps

Nice, basic trail mix recipe, which is always a good option for summer snacks.

main dishes

favorites

cuban pork ribs | Better Homes & Gardens Slow Cooker

I’m not sure that these are genuinely Cuban in any way, but they’re tasty! I like having some slow cooker options for summer meals that don’t involve the oven.

Summer Chipotle Chicken Cobb Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette | pinch of yum

I omitted the corn and cut back on the berries; a very pleasant and filling dinner salad!

Kupati / Spiced Georgian Sausage | Supra

Georgian food (Republic rather than state) is a hidden gem for most US people in my experience, but I highly recommend changing that. These delicious sausages were great with vegetables and salad.

Summer Chicken Stew / sazapkhulo chakhokhbili | Supra

I’ve made this chicken stew before and we both liked it; it’s a relatively simple recipe but incredibly flavorful! Next time, I would cook the chicken early in the morning so I don’t heat up the whole kitchen, though.

cabbage & kielbasa | Smitten Kitchen Keepers

I omitted the rye croutons from this and added some onion. Very tasty!

chili garlic shrimp | Smitten Kitchen Keepers

R doesn’t like seafood much, so I made this as a lunch option for myself. I liked the combination of flavors a lot and the base recipe would be easy to customize.

also made

Mediterranean chicken thighs | Better Homes & Gardens Slow Cooker

Made these for work lunches. They were fine, but not outstanding.

falafel | Smitten Kitchen Keepers

These had a nice flavor, but unfortunately fell apart very badly!

Double shallot egg salad | Smitten Kitchen Keepers

I liked the addition of pickled shallot, but didn’t feel that the fried shallot added much to the equation.

side dishes

favorites

thyme baked feta | Smitten Kitchen Keepers

The second time I’ve made this recipe recently, with great results. Nice as a side dish or part of a snacky dinner.

halloumi roast with eggplant tomato & zucchini | Smitten Kitchen Every Day | my thoughts

balkan cucumber salad | Moosewood Cookbook

I love a good cucumber salad and this was a very nice version!

quinoa crunch salad | start here

This was a lovely salad, although the quinoa lost its crunch pretty quickly, so I’d keep that separate until serving next time.

also made

the big green little gem salad | Smitten Kitchen Keepers | my thoughts

Chilled tomato soup with cumin & avocado | a change in appetite

This is a very easy and tasty summer soup that’s a perfect addition to a number of menus.

**zucchini fritters**

I liked these, although R was less wild about them.

aubergine salad / badrijnis salata | supra

I liked this one, which has a similar flavor to baba ganoush, but a very different texture.

Easy grilled veggies

I grilled some skewers of onion and zucchini for this and then tossed them with lemon, salt, pepper, and some fresh herbs. Hard to go wrong!

Desserts

easy drop berry shortcakes | Smitten Kitchen Keepers

I made an almond flour version of these for a get together—the shortcakes were very flat and not entirely shortcake-like, but the flavor was great!

tiny fruits with mint and creme fraiche sauce | crabtree & evelyn

A nice summer dessert with a refreshing flavor combination. A little cinnamon or lemon might be a good addition.