Goat Cheese & Zucchini Tart

Heavenly! We are in the midst of a heat wave; record high temps; so who wants to spend time slaving over a hot stove?   Looks like a lot of work but really only 10 mins to prepare.

 

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 small zucchinis (depending on size)

olive oil

1 package of puffed pastry, thawed

1/2 c goat cheese, crumbled

2 t parmesan cheese

fresh thyme

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Slice zucchini into thin rounds
Saute slices (in batches) in 1 T of olive oil until golden brown on each side
set aside.

Roll puffed pastry and place in round 9 in tin coated with cooking spray
trim excess pastry off sides
spread goat cheese over bottom of tart
cover with zucchini slices
sprinkle with parmesan cheese
bake for 20 mins or until pastry brown and puffed
check mid way thru
do not be alarmed if puffs up in middle - simply slit with a knife and place back in oven

to serve:  garnish with fresh thyme

Oh so good!  served with various cold salads because really, our summers are so short so who wants to eat inside!

Slow Cooked BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Fall off the bone goodness!  

30 mins prep in the morning and cooked in crockpot while day tripping to Elora Gorge.  

Perfect ending to a fabulous day.  Served with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes.

Added bonus; Baby Back Beef ribs were on sale this week so this was under $10 meal!

Ingredients:

1 rack of baby back beef ribs (1-2 lbs)

Rib Spice Mixture:

1.5 T paprika

1.5 T brown sugar

2 t salt

2 t chili powder

2 t garlic powder

1 t dried chili peppers

1 t black pepper

1 t onion powder

1/2 t dried thyme

BBQ Sauce

2 c ketchup (no name)

1/2 c molasses

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c blackberry jam

1/3 c apple cider vinegar

1 T reserved spice mixture (above)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a small bowl combine spice ingredients.  Keep 1 T aside
Cut ribs into sections (6)
rinse ribs and pat dry; rub spices evenly over meat and place on parchment lined baking sheet
Bake for 30mins/15 mins per side

While ribs are in the oven;
combine BBQ sauce ingredients in a small pot and heat over low to medium heat for 15 mins stirring frequently.  Pour into measuring cup and pour half into dish and set aside (to serve with ribs at dinner time)

Spray your crockpot with non stick cooking spray
place 3 ribs in pot and cover with 1/2 of the remainder of sauce
repeat

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

To serve:
warm up reserved bbq sauce in microwave
place ribs on serving place and brush with some of the warmed up BBQ sauce
remainder in gravy boat to use as dipping sauce or gravy over mashed potatoes

Leftovers were great the next day!

Lamb loin chops roasted with veg, tomato and feta cheese

This dish brings me back to our visit to Greece.  Maybe its the roasted olives & feta cheese?  Regardless, its the perfect summer time meal!  Only takes minutes to assemble; pop in the oven and you are good to go! Have to admit I just gobble up the roasted veg and every time I make vow to add more!

Ingredients (estimation)

olive oil

2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 c lemon juice

4-6 garlic cloves, crushed  (we love roasted garlic)

4-6 lamb loin chops

2 onions, quartered

1 red pepper, cut into chunks

2 zucchini, peeled, halved and sliced

salt & pepper

8 - 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup of olives

1/4 cup feta cheese, cut into chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine 2 T of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and lamb in a boil.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or all day.
3. Place onion, red pepper and zuchinni on a large baking dish and drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and bake for 25 mins
4. Add the lamb, cherry tomatoes, olives and feta cheese and cook for another 20 mins; turning th lamb after 10 mins.

Serve with red wine and crusty bread!