Tomato Basil Salad

Hello, my name is Obvious, and I'll be your Captain for this blog post and proceeding recipe. The combination of basil and tomatoes is such a classic combination that I almost feel silly for posting this.  However, it's an extremely simple salad that any college kid should have under their belts. Or backpacks. Or beer pong table, but I digress.

The salad can go from "good" to "fan-freakin'-tastic" by using all the tomatoes that are in season right now. Check out a farmer's market-- it's typically cheaper than a grocery store and, don't quote me on this, but I'm fairly certain market tomatoes taste approximately 1 billiony-trillion times better than the store's. You can use the classic red tomatoes, or chop up a bunch of different colored ones for a more festive dish. Yay diversity!

Tomato Basil Salad
2 large tomatoes of your choice
Couple of fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 T. balsamic vinegar
Coarse Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1.) Dice tomatoes and scoop out the seeds if they're too watery. Place in a serving bowl and add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a good shake of salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Lay basil leaves on top.

Tomato and Zucchini Medley

I can't think of any other dish that's more perfect for this time of year. Tomatoes and zucchini start growing out the hoo-ha (read: garden), so they're pretty cheap veggies because sellers just want to get rid of them. Or in my case, my Grandma brought a bag of her garden tomatoes to my Aunt Cindy, so I stole a massive one out of her bag. I can't help it--I've got a case of tomato kleptomania.

To honor the stolen vegetable (or fruit? Whatever.), I decided to make the zucchini and tomato dish my Mom and Grandma cook fairly often. I occasionally add italian sausage because a.) the protein makes it a more filling meal and b.) it rules. But if you're averse to encased meats, this makes a killer side dish.

PS- The picture is a work in progress. I planned on snapping a photo the night I made it, but I had to make a couple changes to the dish since tomatoes makes my roommie get the "shootie pooties." Messing up my blog post for the sake of my roommate's health-- I rule.

*Obvious Update*: The picture is up!

Tomato and Zucchini Medley   Serves: 2-3
1 large zucchini, diced
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 t. olive oil
1/8 t. dried oregano
1/8 t. dried thyme
1/8 t. dried rosemary
Couple of fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded
1/4 cup mozzarella
Parmesan
Salt
Pepper
1.) Heat olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add onion and zucchini. Add tomatoes when zucchini starts getting soft. Toss in oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and let melt.
2.) Place medley in a serving bowl and top with fresh basil and sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Cucumber, Tomato, and White Bean Salad

Is this an appropriate recipe for you? Well, to be sure, take the following quiz.

1.) Do you regularly get home from work/ school and find yourself starving?
a. Yes. Sometimes pouring cereal seems like a viable dinner option.
b. Sometimes.
c. Never. My name is Kate Moss.

2.) Do you enjoy being frugal and thrifty?
a. Yes. I like buying veggies that are in season, and therefore cheaper. They taste pretty awesome, too.
b. Only if it doesn't involve buying mothball-y sweaters from thrift shops.
c. No. I am allergic to money, so I must purge all of it from my pockets and spend it on My Little Pony VHS cassette tapes.

3.) Do you enjoy making quick, yet still very tasty, recipes?
a. Yes. Much better than nuking a frozen, pre-made meal.
b. Sometimes. My tastebuds occasionally call for food that takes a little more time.
c. No. I always feel like braising a pot roast for four hours after a long day. Quick recipes are for pansies.

4.) Are you "regular"?
a. Yes. My digestive tract is a lean, mean,...well, you get it.
b. No. That one pound bag of cheetos really caught up to me.
c. You're a weirdo.

If you answered mostly A's, congratulations! You're the winner of a brand new recipe for your collegiate cooking arsenal.

Cucumber, Tomato, and White Bean Salad    Serves: 1
1/4 large cucumber, halved, seeded, and diced
Handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
1/3 cup cannelinni beans
1 T. feta cheese
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried parsley
Coarse salt
Pepper
1.) Gently squeeze tomato halves to get rid of some of the seeds. In a serving bowl, add cucumber, tomatoes, feta, and beans. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, parsley, and a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Enjoy with a slice of crusty bread.

Parmesan Chicken and Peppers

This recipe is courtesy of my roommate, Molly. She texted me saying she was making this for me once I came home from work, and I almost cried happy tears. My dinner plans involved swirling packaged cheese-goo in pasta shells. And maybe even adding a dollop of salsa to the mix, just because I'm that dangerous. Motivation to cook was sorely lacking due to ,uh, a few too many fermented grapes, if ya know what I mean.

But Molly came to the rescue. She's totally awesome, and not just because she felt bad about my hazy, wine-induced crap-tastic hangover. (I take full blame, man.) Molly can guess the entire plotline of a crime drama within 3 minutes, call you a Sweet Spirit so many times you trick yourself into believing you must actually be an angel, kick your ass at the gym, and whip up a mean parmesan chicken. Molly- I owe you one.

Parmesan Chicken and Peppers    Serves: 2

2 chicken breasts

2 T. Parmesan cheese

2 t. dried oregano

Salt

Pepper

FOR THE RED PEPPERS:

1 red pepper, seeded and sliced

1 T. minced onion

2 t. olive oil

1 t. dried oregano

Salt 

Pepper

1.) Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Place in a small bowl and toss with parmesan, oregano, salt, and pepper.

2.) In a medium skillet, heat 2 t. olive oil over medium-low heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken becomes golden. Remove to a plate.

3.) In a small bowl, add sliced pepper, onion, olive oil, oregano, and salt and pepper. Mix well. Heat a bit of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat, then add peppers. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until peppers are soft and onions brown. 

DIY Microwave Popcorn

While this isn't really a recipe, it's a worthwhile post because making your own microwave popcorn is a serious money saver. Especially when you're addicted to popcorn, like me. And you enjoy saving money. Or maybe you just like to marvel at one of the many products of modern technology: the microwave. OoOo, science.

I found this little trick on Cheap, Healthy, Good, but I didn't believe it could actually work. "No, no. Homemade popcorn involves oil in a pot, getting it to the right temperature, then shaking the bejeezus out of the bitty kernels. It involves elbow grease! Blood, sweat, and tears!" Oh, bloody popcorn. Bad image. Unless you're a zombie, that is. ...Sorry.

But it works, man! The only tricky part is finding out the right time setting on your microwave so the popcorn doesn't burn. Once you figure that out, you're golden. Melt some butter, pour on the salt, and watch The Emporer's New Groove. Ok, it doesn't have to be that particular movie, but in any case, enjoy!

DIY Microwave Popcorn   serves: 2-3
1/4 cup popcorn kernels
Brown paper bag (it MUST be brown, or the world will crumble around you. Or not.)
Coarse salt
Melted butter or butter spray
1.) Place kernels in the paper bag. Fold the top of the bag over a few times(3?) , just like you're packing a lunch.
2.) Lay the bag on its side in the microwave, and cook for one minute at a time, scraping out the popped kernels after each minute. Refold the bag and repeat until all kernels pop. OR set your microwave for 3 minutes and remove bag once popping slows down (more than 3 seconds between pops) so it doesn't burn.
3.) Top with butter and salt.

Grilled Chicken Pesto Pizza

I have a food story of epic proportions. It's so epic that I don't see any viable way of working it smoothly into any recipe posted on the College Culinarian. So, I'm just going to tell it, even if it has no connection whatsover to Chicken Pesto Pizza. (Which is freaking delicious and easy, by the way.) Breakin' the rules, man!

My typical Amtrak ride home involves a little sleeping, reading, and iPod-ing. But the Damntrak (er, Amtrak) can be unpredictable-- we were delayed for four hours in the middle of nowhere. Good thing I had a total character sitting next to me. No exaggeration, my seat neighbor stuffed an entire Jewel-Osco in her bag.  She used the pull-down tray as a cutting board for slicing cucumbers. Then she whipped out bread, cheese, meat, and apricots to make a sandwich. You can imagine the smell of perishable food in an unrefrigerated bag. Mmm...bacteria. I thought my nose had encountered enough, but then she pulled out canned smoked mussels and sprinkled them with GARLIC SALT.

My eyes watered, nose hairs singed, and stomach churned like pilgrims making butter. And then she tried to force me to eat some god-foresaken hard-boiled eggs that definitely had gotten a large dose of heat and bacteria somewhere along the line. So now that I've posted this awesomely disgusting story, here's the recipe for chicken pesto pizza. I'm sure I've left you all starving! 

Chicken Pesto Pizza    serves: 1

1 pita bread round

2 t. pesto

1/3 cup chopped, cooked chicken

Couple of thin slices of tomato

Couple of thin slices of fresh mozzarella

Coupe of fresh basil leaves
Parmesan Cheese

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

1.) Preheat grill to medium heat. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on both sides of the pita bread. Have your toppings ready to place on the pizza by the grill.

2.) Add bread to the grill and cook until bread gets grill marks and is crispy, 3-5 minutes. Flip, then add a layer of pesto, chicken, tomatoes, and mozzarella. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and parmesan cheese. Cover grill and cook until the bottom is crisp and cheese melts. Remove from grill and add basil leaves.