Fresh Garden Veggie Salsa

We all know that the most nutritious way to eat vegetables is raw, but I can only eat so many raw vegetables before getting tired of crunching. I also happen to have SO MANY fresh veggies coming in from the garden right now that I am having trouble making sure that none go to waste. And since I can only freeze and can for so long...here is a fantastically delicious way to enjoy all of those fresh garden veggies raw!

The best part of this recipe is that you can mix and match using almost any of the vegetables that you have available in the garden. I have made this recipe using all kinds of different vegetable combinations, and it always turns out addictingly delicious.

Here is what I used this time:

- 2 carrots, chopped

- 1 yellow squash, chopped

- 1 zucchini, chopped

- 1 large tomato, chopped

- 1 cucumber, chopped

- 2 small ears corn, cut from the cob

- 2 green onions, chopped

The Sauce:

- 1/4 cup Italian dressing

- 1 tbsp lime juice

- 1/2 tsp garlic salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- 1/2 tsp chili powder

- 1/2 tsp hot sauce

Chop all of the vegetables into small pieces so that they can easily fit on a chip. This step does take a while, but trust me, its worth it!

Mix the sauce together in a separate bowl, pour it over the vegetable combo, and mix well.

Now eat it with chips. Try not to eat the whole bowl in one sitting. It will be a challenge!

 The best part about this recipe is that you really can use whatever you happen to have around. Some other good ingredients that I have used and like are bell peppers, onions (white, yellow, or red), canned beans (rinsed well), and even some fruit such as mango or vine peach. The combination possibilities are endless! Enjoy :)

Spiced Carrot Zucchini Bread

Right now in south Louisiana I am in full garden harvest mode. I haven't had much time to post because there are so many projects going on. I am lucky just to keep up with all of the produce coming in from the garden much less made nice posts about it. I will try to do a better job in the future :) 

One of the downsides to canning is that you spend lots of time in the kitchen, but don't have anything to eat at the end of it. I know I will be glad that I canned all the tomatoes and pickles later in the year, but for now, I need some kind of edible reward after all this work in the kitchen! Here is a quick bread recipe to whip up that tastes awesome AND uses up some of the overwhelming amounts of garden produce rolling in to your kitchen.

What you need:

- 2 1/4 cups flour

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 3/4 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp ground cloves

- 3/4 cup chopped carrots

- 3/4 cup chopped zucchini

- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

- 2/3 cup vegetable oil

- 1/2 cup milk

- 2 eggs, beaten

Spray a loaf pan non-stick cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and then add in the remaining ingredients until well mixed. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 60 minutes until cooked through. Let the loaf cool on a cooling rack and enjoy! 

The pictures on this did not come out great, but I don't mind so much because the bread came out AMAZING! You honestly can;t tell it has so many vegetables in it, but they make the bread come out very moist. The cinnamon and cloves give it just the right amount of spice to make it great for breakfast or dessert!