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A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by a representative from Lucini Italia products asking if I wanted to try their Tuscan Chickpea Frittata mix. I love trying new products, so I of course said yes. Imagine my surprise when I came home from the Healthworks picnic last Tuesday and found a HUGE box full of items from Lucini. I kept digging through the packing materials and finding more and more, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, soups, sauces, salad dressing, and of course the chickpea frittata.

I couldn’t wait to get back to NJ and into my kitchen to get started with the delicious-looking gifts I received. Last night was our first night home in ages, so I made a quick and tasty dinner featuring Lucini products.

image

Lucini Italia Products

For the salad portion of dinner, I made one of my favorite simple combinations, romaine, red onion, and local heirloom tomato topped with Lucini’s Fig & Walnut Savory Balsamic.

salad

salad

heirloom tomatoes

I love that I found local heirloom tomatoes at Trader Joe’s as I missed the farmers’ market on Friday. I love my heirlooms!

The main course was Tuscan fiery chili frittata with Tuscan marinara with roasted garlic. This was super easy to make, just add water and olive oil, mix, and pour into a baking dish. Next time I would use a larger baking dish; I spilled the mixture on the VERY hot oven and had to turn everything off for the cleanup as you do need to preheat it to 500.

Once the frittata was cooked and set, I topped it with the marinara and some grated parmesan cheese.

chickpea frittata

Soft, hot, comforting, and spicy, I loved the frittata. I had never had this before, and it reminded me a little bit of polenta. I loved how savory and satisfying it was. And I can’t wait to have a slice on top of salad for lunch today.

chickpea frittata

In other news, I bought a juicer over the tax free weekend, and I can’t wait to start drinking fresh juice a few times a week in addition to my veggie smoothies. Last night I made one with carrots, bok choy, apples, and lime. Delicious!

With fall coming, I love that feeling of renewal, and part of that is definitely getting back into a better workout routine and really nourishing myself, all while still savoring summer, of course. Getting ready for fall makes me think all about new beginnings, new clothes, and this year a new class, my wine class at the Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center at BU.

It’s also a great time to do some shopping for the home, new kitchen appliances, bedding, and maybe even dining room furniture. To help one of my lucky readers with that, CSN Stores is offering a $50 gift card to one lucky reader. They have SO much great stuff; I would love to win this giveaway!

To enter: Leave a comment responding to the question below. If you have Facebook or Twitter, link back to this post there as well as on your blog if you have one. The giveaway will end on Saturday, August 21. Good luck!

Even if you are, like me, no longer in school, do you still feel that new-ness when fall starts approaching? What do you to to welcome it?

Tags: Food, frittata, giveaway, Italian food, salad

Happy Tuesday! Today is the last day to enter my giveaway for a copy of The Secret Ingredient. I am already working on 2 more recipes from this flavor-filled cookbook, and if you haven’t entered, you will want to!

Yesterday I took a mini vacation with my sister and niece, Isabella, to Davis Farmland in Sterling, MA. If you have been reading for awhile, you may remember that we visited this farm as well as Nashoba Winery last year, and we all loved it so much, we decided to go back.

Davis Farmland

Davis Farmland houses a variety of animals from around the world. Many of them are dwindling farm animal species, and Davis Farmland is working to preserve and educate about them. Isabella and I agreed that the little teddy bear-like lamb below was our favorite.

baby lamb peacock

This cow was just hilarious. He held his mouth wide open for us to drop the food in.

cow

We spent an exhausting day playing with and feeding farm animals, then at Davis Farmland’s water park and then at dinner at The Banshee, a great little Irish pub in our neighborhood.

When I got home, I knew I had to whip up some lunches for the week, so I grabbed a bunch of stuff I had on hand.

1 can chickpeas

1 can black beans

1 can organic roasted tomatoes with chiles

2 red bell peppers

2 cups roasted corn (from Trader Joe’s, great ingredient for so many dishes!)

bean salad

I simply drained and rinsed the beans and mixed those with the corn, tomatoes, chopped red pepper, and 2 finely diced cloves of garlic.

After I mixed it all up, I added some crushed red pepper flakes for spice. We will eat this for the week, served on top of heaps of spring lettuce mix with some other veggies like radishes and carrots. I love lunches that last a week!

bean and corn salad

I hope you are all having a great week so far. To be honest, it’s a bit tough to be back in the office while my family is visiting, but I have some Salesforce training to sit through. . . bah.

 

Do you buy or bring lunch to work?

Tags: beans, Davis Farmland, healthy, recipe, salad, Vegetarian

Tomatoes and basil galore! If you are what you eat, then I am definitely a tomato with a side of basil this week. Tomatoes and basil are available in several of the farm stands at the Copley market, and I have been enjoying them in a variety of ways, including all by themselves.

Tuesday night, I was in the mood for something light, but the hubs was hungry so I whipped up two quick meals that showcased the tomatoes and basil that I bought at the market.

Hers:

tomato basil goat cheese

I had a quick salad of chopped tomatoes, shredded basil, honey goat cheese, olive oil, and ground pepper. Then I had another bowl of the same for dessert. So fresh and flavorful, this combination is a winner and will be on my menu until the last tomato is picked 🙂 Love.

tomato basil goat cheese

His:

Pesto Shrimp

For a slightly more filling meal, I thawed some frozen shrimp (a staple in our freezer), then whipped up a quick pesto using a handful of basil, 2 cloves of garlic, and some olive oil. I tossed a whole chopped tomato and the shrimp with the pesto. Once the shrimp and tomato were evenly coated with pesto, I baked them at 375 until they were pink.

Pesto Shrimp

This filled the kitchen with such an incredible garlic and basil aroma. I snagged a couple of shrimp from my husband, and they were perfect. The best part? This dinner took about 15 minutes.

I love the simplicity of summer eating. Great local ingredients truly do shine.

If you have a roommate or significant other, do you always eat the same dinner, or do you sometimes find yourself cooking for a couple of different moods? We usually eat the same thing, but sometimes I just want boatloads of salad!

Don’t forget to enter The Secret Ingredient cookbook giveaway. It’s a good one!

Tags: Farmer's Markets, pesto, recipe, salad, shrimp, summer, tomatoes

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