Chilled Cream of Cucumber Soup with Dill

One of my summer favorites:

Chilled Cream of Cucumber Soup with Dill
3 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup chilled buttermilk
1/2 cup chilled lowfat sour cream
2-1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dried, crumbled

In a blender, puree the cucumbers, then mix in the buttermilk, the sour cream, the vinegar, the oil, the dill and salt to taste. Chill the soup, covered for at least 30 minutes. Whisk the soup to recombine, then divide the soup between 2 chilled bowls.

The Best Greek Salad Ever

We love Greek salad in the summer, and we're to the point that we've made it so much we no longer follow a recipe -- we just toss whatever's available from the garden or the produce bin into the bowl. But this has to be the yummiest Greek salad I've ever made, so I had to list the ingredients out for posterity. And so I can make it again every weekend this summer...take a look and tell me this doesn't look divine...

The Best Greek Salad

cucumber

tomatoes (cherries cut in half, or larger tomatoes cut into chunks)

olives (we like a combo of green olives and katamala olives)

fresh parsley -- lots of it

olive oil, just a drizzle

dried basil

dried Greek seasoning blend (if you have it)

sea salt or kosher salt

dried thyme

feta cheese

Combine ingredients in a large bowl (to taste) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve cold. Leftovers taste even better the next day! Makes a great side dish or a light lunch entree.

Ratatouille

We've been getting a lot of eggplant in our CSA boxes recently, and I'm a novice with eggplant. So we've been experimenting with different ways to use eggplant, and of course, we had to try a ratatouille. This was my first taste of ratatouille, and I am now smitten. This may very well be my new favorite summer meal. It's a beautiful dish and would make an excellent presentation for company.

Ratatouille
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried parsley
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (salt to taste)
1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 zucchini, sliced
1 large onion, sliced into rings
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat bottom and sides of casserole dish with olive oil or cooking spray. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until lightly browned. Mix parsley and eggplant together, and saute until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top, then lightly salt and sprinkle with more Parmesan. Continue layering with onion, mushrooms, bell pepper and tomatoes, covering each layer with a little salt and more Parmesan. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Serves 4-6 as a main dish, 8 as a side dish.