From the Garden // Pico de Gallo

Last year I fell in love with jalapeño poppers, so this planting season I decided to plant two jalapeño pepper plants in my garden so I could have poppers all summer long. Last week, I went out to my garden, picked a bowl full of jalapeños, and for the first time I was not excited to make poppers. Every time we have guests over - poppers. Every time we made dinner and I didn't know what side to make - poppers. You guys, I'm totally burnt out! I looked at the peppers and didn't know what to do. My mind went blank. I put the jalapeños in the fridge and what caught my attention out of the corner of my eye - an almost empty container of pico de gallo my husband purchased earlier that week. "I can totally make that!" I thought. I got excited - whipped together a delicious bowl of pico de gallo using fresh jalapeños from my garden, grabbed some chips, and started chowing down. My neighbor joined in and before I knew it, the bowl of pico was gone. YUM! Below is my simple and spicy pico de gallo recipe.

Pico de Gallo //

6 roma tomatoes

2 jalapeno pepper

juice of 1 lime

1 red onion
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper

Finely chop all ingredients, combine, and mix.


Did you catch our other "from the garden" recipe from earlier this month? It's a delicious kale salad that is currently on my list of favorite summer recipes. Check it out!

{Claire}

From the Garden // Kale Salad with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, + Feta

Having a garden in my backyard is one of the many things I love about my apartment. This summer it seems like every day I am going out back, picking a handful of veggies, and creating new recipes with fresh ingredients. I couldn't be happier! During this Spring planting season, I decided to mix things up a bit and plant a couple new vegetables instead of my usual over abundance of pepper plants. One that made the list - KALE! It's sad to say, but I came late to the kale party and only recently started to eat and enjoy this hearty green. Better late than never, right? Not only do I put kale in my smoothies every morning, but I've also become quite fond of a variety of kale salads that make a delicious light summer meal. Combing through all the recipes on Pinterest has become a daily obsession. This tasty salad is one of my favorites.

KALE SALAD WITH CHICKPEAS, TOMATOES AND FETA  //
4 cups cooked chickpeas
Chipotle Chili Pepper
3 cups packed green curly kale
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1 clove garlic, minced
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
1 pint heirloom tomatoes, halved
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 avocado (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Place on sheet pan, drizzle 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle chipotle chili pepper (to your liking) over chickpeas. Toss and cook for 20 minutes. Let cool.

Combine cooked chickpeas, kale, feta, garlic, red onion in a large bowl and toss together. Next stir in the remaining olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper - adjusting to taste. Gently mix salad. Lastly, add in tomatoes, fresh basil, and avocado (optional) - mixing a final time. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from in pursuit of more


{Claire}