Stewed okra and tomatoes with andouille sausage

I found the cutest fresh, young okra at the farmer's market last week and I just couldn't resist buying up a pint. They were so tender and probably the best okra I've ever had. 

I combined the okra with fresh tomatoes from our plant to make this spicy and easy dinner. Some people find okra to be slimy, which it certainly can be. I did some research and found a lot of recipes that say if you fry okra first, it reduces the slime. I tried it in this recipe, and it worked - there was no slime.

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I had some andouille sausage in the freezer that was made at a local shop. Sausage is not something we eat often, but when we do we ensure that it is high quality. Andouille is a smoked Cajun sausage that you've probably eaten if you've ever had gumbo. 

The amount of spice and heat in the andouille provide almost all the flavoring you need for this dish. My husband loved this dinner and quickly grabbed up the leftovers for his lunch the next day. I hadn't planned on taking a photo and posting this dish, but he insisted (so the photos aren't that great - that's his lunch dish for the next day). 

This will make enough for about four servings when paired with rice (which you will want to counterbalance the spicy sausage).

Tarragon and grape chicken salad

Apparently chicken salad made with tarragon and grapes is pretty common, but it was something I never had until a few years ago. We were in Baltimore and stopped at a small coffee and sandwich shop for some lunch along the waterfront. I got a tarragon chicken sandwich and thought it was absolutely delicious. This recipe is my attempt to re-create that sandwich. 

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It's odd because the same thing happened to me with curry chicken salad, which I had for the first time at a small shop when we were in Vermont. I guess chicken salad just wasn't something I ate growing up... Anyways, this chicken salad may be my favorite. Tarragon has quickly become one of my favorite herbs and it pairs so nicely with the sweet grapes and chicken. I like to make this with leftover roasted chicken and/or chicken breasts. The recipe is not very exact because of that - you use as much chicken as you have have proportion the other ingredients accordingly.

Guacamole

Honestly, I can't believe that I am into my second year of this blog and that I have never posted my guacamole recipe. Maybe it's because I used to make it so often that I started to get tired of it. Guacamole is the number one request (or demand) that I get to bring to family gatherings. I'm often asked for the recipe and I've converted many people from being afraid of this weird, green stuff to loving it. It's even loved by our four year old niece. So, when I was asked to bring this to a family picnic over the 4th of July weekend, I remembered to grab some photos so that I can finally post guacamole on this blog. It was delicious as ever and went quick. This recipe will make a snack-sized dish to pass.

Five bean salad

Bean salad is one of my favorite summer picnic salads. I love that while it may contain a lot of sugar, it's still packed with protein and fiber and doesn't contain mayonnaise. 

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Probably almost everyone has had some version of a bean salad in their life, or has their own family recipe for one. This salad is really versatile - you can use three beans, four beans, five beans and almost any kind of beans that you like. 

The ones in this recipe are the ones that I generally use. I brought this to a family picnic over Father's Day weekend, but I also enjoy making up a batch to have on hand for lunches during the week. I try to buy all organic and low-sodium beans for this recipe so that I can control the salt content. I also use fresh green beans, but you could substitute canned and/or yellow beans. 

This recipe will make a large bowl, suitable for a picnic.

Banana and pineapple sage smoothies

These smoothies are something I've been making for a few years, but only when I'm lucky enough to find a pineapple sage plant for my herb garden. I found this recipe all over the internet years ago when I was first trying to find ways to use this interesting herb. 

I've slightly modified this recipe over the years to the one below. This smoothie has a tropical taste from the pineapple sage and the banana. I love fresh herbs and finding interesting ways to use them in my food. Use the smallest, newest leaves as they have the most pineapple flavor. It's perfect for a breakfast or brunch drink on a warm morning.

 I love the combination of the fruit with fresh herbs in a drink. This recipe will make two servings.