This week’s simple side is brought to us by Anne of  Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy.  As the title implies, Anne regularly shares healthy recipes that don’t require tons of time or money.  Anne has a child with food allergies.  While Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy is not completely allergen-free, most of them are easily adapted.  I should mention that Anne has a second blog When Food is Dangerous that is top 8 free.

Today at Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy, Anne shares this Refreshing Melon Citrus Salad.   I love how she takes a humble fruit salad to a new level with coconut milk and toasted coconut.  Here’s what she writes:

I often just chop up whatever fruit is in the fridge into a take-it-or-leave-it conglomeration, but I also like to come up with intentional creations that take into consideration flavors, textures and colors. There are a few such standbys that serve me well, but now and then the urge strikes to try something new and perk up the taste buds with some additional, unexpected flavor.

This was the position I found myself in a couple weeks ago, when I had a strange new melon I had bought at the Farmer’s Market…

You can read the rest of the story and find the recipe for this Refreshing Melon Citrus Salad here.

I hope you are enjoying this simple sides series as much as I am.  In case you missed it, last week Steph at The Cheapskate Cook shared a beautiful Tomato and Basil Bruschetta recipe.  I can’t wait to see what Mary at Barefeet in the Kitchen comes up with next week.  Then it’s my turn!

I am thrilled to announce a new series called Simple Sides.  Every Thursday during the  month of August, some blogger friends and I will be sharing a few of our favorite summer side dishes.

Up first is Steph at The Cheapskate Cook .  Steph’s blog focuses on real food on a budget.  Make sure you read this inspiring series on how she and her husband survived spending only $25/week on whole foods.

This week she is sharing this beautiful Tomato and Basil Bruschetta recipe. 

What a wonderful idea for the tomato bounty in our garden!  Here’s what she says about the recipe:

While our culture tends to equate easy meals as something that comes from a box or is popped in the microwave, I’ve found it isn’t always practical. When you’re trying to eat healthy and super frugally, routinely making up meals based on convenience food literally doesn’t fit the bill…

So true Steph!  These are the other ladies that will be joining in on the fun:

• Anne at Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy
• Mary at Barefeet in the Kitchen

I can’t wait to see what they come up with!



Yesterday I confessed my new obsession with cucumbers and shared a healthy version of refrigerator pickles using apple cider vinegar and honey.  You can find that recipe here.  I also shared that I found another refrigerator pickle recipe that was so unique I just had to try it. 

Instead of the traditional vinegar and sugar, the base of this recipe is lemon juice and honey.  Then you add a variety of spices including turmeric and cloves. 

I am no pickle connoisseur, but I would say that these pickles resemble bread and butter pickles with an interesting kick from the clove.  I did a quick search for bread and butter pickle recipes and found that turmeric is pretty standard, cloves appear occasionally and lemon and honey are rare.

I served both pickle recipes to an expert my pregnant sister in law.  She had not had refrigerator pickles before today.  She enjoyed the Honey Sweetened Pickles and could not taste the honey.  When she tried the Honey Lemon Pickles she agreed that they tasted similar to bread and butter pickles with a kick.  She could not identify the kick as cloves.

I have to admit, I don’t like to eat these pickles straight from the jar.  Maybe this is because I don’t really like bread and butter pickles.  But I added them to my hamburger last night and my turkey sandwich today.  I really, really liked what they added to my sandwiches.

Give ’em a try and let me know what you think!

Honey Lemon Refrigerator Pickles

This makes 3 pints so I halved the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups Cucumbers, sliced
• 2 cups Onions, sliced
• 3/4 cup Honey
• 1 cup Lemon Juice
• 1/2 tsp Kelp Powder (Don’t have kelp?  You could try 1/4 tsp salt.)
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Seed
• 1/2 tsp Celery Seed
• 1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves

Directions:

1. Put cucumbers and onions in a large glass bowl.  Add remaining ingredients to a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and cook and stir until honey is dissolved.
2. Pour the liquid over the vegetables and stir well.  Let the cucumbers cool while keeping them submerged.
3. Transfer pickles to jars and refrigerate at least 24 hours.
4. Store in refrigerator.

This recipe came from From Asparagus to Zucchini.

I have had issues with cucumbers recently.  It’s strange because I used to dislike them but lately I can’t get enough.  My body must be deficient in cucumber vitamins.  🙂  When I saw a box of organic cucumbers for sale at the farmer’s market I grabbed it.  Don’t worry, I paid for it first.

What’s a girl to do with a box of cucumbers but make pickles.  All of the refrigerator pickle recipes I had called for white sugar.  I haven’t had white sugar in the kitchen for some time.  I wondered, could I use sucanat?  I didn’t think that would work since it has a maple like flavor.  I was also afraid it would make the pickle juice an unappetizing brown color.

Then I wondered if I could use honey.  I did some searching online and found two recipes.  The first one seemed to be a simple and classic refrigerator pickle recipe with a few healthy adaptations.  The second recipe was like nothing I had seen before.  Pickles in lemon juice instead of vinegar.  Cloves, really?

I couldn’t help myself.  I tried them both. 

This honey sweetened refrigerator pickle recipe is a great basic recipe with the traditional taste you expect from refridgerator pickles.  There is a nice balance of salty, sweet and sour.  Next time I make them I might throw in some garlic or dill for fun.

Honey Sweetened Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients:

• 3 Large Cucumbers, sliced thin
• 1 Medium Onion, sliced thin
• 2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Celery Seed
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup Honey
• 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions:

1. Gently mix cucumbers, onion, salt and celery seed in a large bowl.
2. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.  (I may or may not have eaten half the bowl of salted cukes before the hour was up.)
3. Stir honey and vinegar in a small bowl until honey is dissolved.  Pour over cucumber mixture.
4. Mix well.  Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.
5. Pickles will keep 3 weeks or more in the refrigerator.

And the second recipe?  You can find it here.

This post is part of Melt in Your Mouth Mondays, Mouthwatering Monday, Monday Mania, Mangia Monday, Make a Food”e” Friend, Mingle Monday,  Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival,  This Weeks Cravings, My Meatless Mondays, Just Another Meatless Monday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Made From Scratch Tuesday,  Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Delectable Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, $5 Dinner Challenge, Tip Me Tuesday, Tasty Tuesdays , Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Domestically Divine, Tackle it Tuesday, {TITUS 2}SDAYS, Delicious Dishes, show me what ya got, Tuesday Time Out Link Up, Gratituesday, Tea Party Tuesday, Handmade Tuesday, What’s on the Menu, Made it on Monday, Whatcha Makin’ Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesdays, What’s on Your Plate, What’s Cooking Wednesday, What We’re Eating Wednesday, Show and Tell,  Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Creative Juice, Foodie Wednesday, Healthy 2day, Inspired by You Wednesdays, Let’s Do Brunch, Cast Party Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday,  Tip Day Thursday, Real Food Weekly, Simple Lives Thursday, It’s a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Thrilling Thursday , Recipe Swap Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, Hookin Up with HoH, Ultimate Recipe Swap, Food Trip Friday, Friday Potluck, Foodie Friday,  Friday Favorites, Fresh Bites Friday, Show and Tell Friday, Allergy Friendly Friday, I’m Lovin It Fridays!, Fun with Food Friday, Fight Back Friday, Fat Camp Friday, Foodie Friday, Fresh, Clean and Pure Friday, GCC Recipe Swap, Food on Friday, Finer Things Friday, Friday Food Linky, Friday Flair, Weekend Wrap Up Party, Party Mindie Style, My Favorite Things Friday, Friday Food Fight, Sweet Tooth Friday, Wellness Weekend, Show and Tell Saturday, The Lady Bloggers Tea Party

Ingredients

• 1 large shallot, sliced thin (can sub a few thin slices of red onion or some sliced spring onion)
• 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 pounds thick asparagus, rinsed, tough ends broken off and discarded (or saved for stock)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 15-ounce jar of good quality marinated artichoke hearts, quartered or cut in half (depending on the size of the artichokes)

Method