A bountiful summer...

Dinner, originally uploaded by *April*.

A dear friend of ours was out of town this past week, and she offered her weekly CSA farm share to us in her absence. So, our home is currently overflowing with gorgeous produce. Last night's dinner was an easy weeknight affair - a pan seared Don Lee veggie patty (by far the best prepackaged veggie patty we've found to date. We get them at Costco - and they can be stored either fresh or frozen. A package of 14 costs about $10, and they're wonderful. The package touts them as "A delightful harvest of fresh carrots, onions, celery and bell peppers are blended with bread crumbs, delicate seasonings, and crunchy sunflower seeds to create a patty that is light and moist, yet firm enough to grill").

Accompanying the meal was roasted sugar snap peas with grey fleur de sel, garlic spinach with cheese and pan fried summer squash. Recipes for each of these yummy sides follow:

Roasted sugar snap peas Preheat oven to 375. While the oven is heating, pinch the ends off fresh sugar snap peas. Make sure you have enough for each person, and place them in a single layer on a cookiesheet. Spray with olive oil and put in the oven about 10 minutes. When removed, sprinkle with a tiny bit of grey fleur de sel.

Grey fleur de sel or Sel Gris is a coarse, moist, organic sea salt, hand gathered from the coastal area of Brittany near the town of Guérande, France. Rich in minerals, it is unprocessed, unrefined, and unadulturated. It remains a light grey, almost light purple color because of the clay from the salt flats where it is collected. The Grey Sea Salt is not collected by machine but by hand using traditional Celtic methods.

All that aside, it's just tasty - and a teeny little pinch goes a long way.

Cheesy Garlic Spinach A variation on this dish is served in our house almost every week. Wash fresh spinach leaves (about two cups or so per person - they cook down substantially). Place in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and stir often. Add a teaspoon of water if necessary to prevent leaves from sticking. Spoon in a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic (we use Spice World - in a blue labeled jar). The garlic can be omitted if you like. After the spinach is wilted, stir in 1 oz. of smooth melting cheese per serving. We usually use soft goat cheese but last night used a four cheese shredded Mexican blend. Stir until cheese is melted and sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of salt-free seasoning blend.

Summer Squash Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a cast iron skillet. In a shallow dish mix 2 tbsp. white flour, 1 tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. paprika, and any other spices of your choosing. I typically use a mix of garlic, onion powder, thyme and greek oregano. Thinly slice a summer squash and dip slices in water (you can use a beaten egg or milk, but the water works almost as well and is fat/calorie free. Dredge each dampened squash slice in the flour mixture and place in the skillet. Allow squash to brown on one side, and then flip. Cook about 5 minutes on each side. I personally like mine a little darker than golden, so I let them cook a little longer. If necessary, drain excess butter before serving.