CATERING

Delicious Food Processor Dishes and Drinks for the Summer Time

For those of us who love to cook, the best part about summer is the abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables. Whether it is locally grown vegetables from the grocery store, a basket of fruit at the farmer’s market, or herbs plucked from your own backyard garden, everything tastes better when it is made from fresh ingredients.

So whether you are getting your vegetables from the farm on the other end of town, or you’re reaping the benefits of your own green thumb, here are some drinks and dishes that take advantage of the summertime’s bounty.

Gin-Gin Mule

Julia Child was rarely caught without a glass of wine when she cooked, so let’s kick this off with a cocktail before we get into anything else.

Gin-Gin Mules are a delightfully refreshing summertime drink and they are a great way to take advantage of extra mint leaves in your garden. This recipe makes four servings.

3 oz. lime juice (about 6 tablespoons)
4 oz. simple syrup
40 or so mint leaves
8 oz. ginger ale or ginger beer
6 oz. gin

First, to make the simple syrup you need to combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil for a few seconds. Stir it well and set it aside to cool. Simple, right? Then just throw everything in a blender (the blender part of the Cuisinart Duet Blender Food Processor works great) and serve over ice.

If you want a slushy version of this drink, you can blend the ice right in with everything. A virgin version of this cocktail can easily be made simply by using six more ounces of ginger ale instead of the gin.

Garden Pasta Sauce

When tomatoes ripen in a garden, they tend to do so all at once. If you don’t use them in a hurry they will start to turn. Making them into a homemade pasta sauce is a great way to get rid of extra tomatoes because you can just jar the sauce and eat it months down the line! This recipe calls for all sorts of ingredients that can be found in your garden or at the farmer’s market.

10 large tomatoes
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large zucchini, scrubbed and chopped
½ lb mushrooms, washed and chopped
½ cup parsley
½ cup basil
¼ cup oregano
1 carrot
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup dry red wine
salt and pepper to taste

Start by chopping up all the vegetables and herbs (everything but the garlic, olive oil, red wine, and pepper) and throwing it in the food processor. You’re going to need a big one like the Hamilton Beach 14-Cup Big Mouth Food Processor, and you still may need to do this in batches. Blend it until it looks smooth but not too smooth. You’re not making a bloody Mary.

In the meantime, start cooking the garlic in the olive oil. Let it go for about five minutes and then start adding the mixture from the food processor. Stir in the red wine and let it all simmer on the stove, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Let it cook down until it gets to the consistency you prefer in a pasta sauce. The longer you let it go the thicker it gets!

Cilantro Pesto

Cilantro is another garden staple that seems to grow out of hand every year. There is only so much guacamole and salsa a person can eat. Cilantro pesto is an exciting take on traditional basil pesto that will help clear out some space in your garden.

1 bunch fresh cilantro
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ cup walnuts or pecans
½ cup olive oil

Simply blend everything up in a food processor like the Hamilton Beach 6-cup Food Processor and then pour it into a saucepan. Let it simmer for a little bit and then mix it in with a few cups of cooked pasta.

Frozen Margarita

OK, so there is nothing in here you can get from your garden. But margaritas and summertime go together so well that it would be a shame to leave it out. This recipe is simple, classic, and delicious on a hot summer day. It makes four servings so invite over some friends!

Salt for rimming the glass
6 oz. tequila (the clear white kind, not the golden kind)
4 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 oz. Triple Sec
Ice

Fill a blender, like the blender portion of the Cuisinart SmartPower Premier Blender/Food Processor, with ice and then add the rest of the ingredients except for the salt. Blend it up! Sprinkle some salt on a plate and wet the rim of a glass with a little bit of lime juice. Dip that in the salt and then fill your glass with the mixture from the blender. Enjoy!

Fresh food and cold drinks are a great part of the summer, but both of them are even better with friends around. So whether you are harvesting the crop from your garden, or just checking out the local selection at your grocery store, remember that everything you eat tastes better when shared with the company of good friends and family.

About the Author

Kely Ann Rosario is a freelance writer who writes about kitchen items such as food processors.

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