Stir some cinnamon and brown sugar into plain yogurt for the best and easiest fruit dip ever.

Grill or sauté fresh salmon filets. Serve, topped with freshly made basil pesto and a sprinkling of capers. Works (and looks!) great with a Caprese salad. We've made this twice in the past two weeks, last time was Saturday night. Wonderful!

Leftover grilled salmon? Refrigerate, sans pesto. Serve chilled for lunch the next day topped with this quick and simple low-cal sauce: mix equal parts of Dijon mustard and plain Greek yogurt. Add salt, if you like, to taste. Sprinkle on some drained capers. This is always our day-after lunch. Had it yesterday, along with a small spinach & tomato salad.

Justgotabme, I have a niece who would love that recipe. Anything with bacon!

During my tomato harvest this appears regularly on the menu. My favorite way to eat Sun Golds other than popping them in my mouth like candy.

Fresh Summer Pasta

cherry tomatoes, halved

garlic, minced

lemon zest

olive oil

fresh basil, chiffonade

salt

optional: red pepper flakes

Combine, cover, let set at room temp for a couple hours. Toss with hot pasta. Serve with Parmesan

My favorite fast "recipes" aren't really recipes..part of what makes them quick is that I do them from my head and by taste/eyeball.

Grilled veggies and couscous. Toss veggies with EVOO, salt, pepper and garlic powder then grill. I like peppers, zucchini, onions and asparagus. Couscous or Wheat Pilaf from a box-- Near East. I actually prefer the wheat pilaf but it's harder to find-- and couscous is done in 5 min!

Pesto pasta - served warm or cold. I've been making orzo with tomatoes and cucumbers lately.. just lemon, vinegar, pesto, salt and pepper to taste. In the spring I made a warm dish with peas, asparagus, pasta -- would be great with the addition of shrimp or chicken! Zoodles, or zucchini cut into thin noodle shapes (see spiralizer thread) would make this even healthier!

Breakfast for dinner! My all-time favorite comfort dish.. either a delicate cheese omelet or soft scrambled eggs with steamed asparagus. I don't need toast but I love toasted sour dough or rye if I have it!

Grilled Meat on Salad - I have a bunch of quick marinades and combos I use to make salads. Spicy Lime Shrimp, Balsamic Garlic Steak, Thai steak.. grill and then put on a green salad with a light dressing. I am happy to provide a recipe if a specific flavor sparks you-- but I often wing it based on a 2:1 EVOO to acid ratio (except the balsamic garlic steak which is heavier on the acid) with garlic, herbs and spices to match the origin. One I havent tried but intend to is chicken grilled with sweet chile sauce (my local thai restaurant sells their own but you can get it at a regular grocery).

Buffalo Chicken Nachos - this is far and away the bf's favorite lazy meal. I douse 2 chicken breasts with Franks hot sauce and a *little* butter then bake at 350 for about 45 min (turning part way through). Let cool but when still slightly warm, shred breasts with two forks. Add more hot sauce to moisten, some chopped scallions and then refrigerate (I usually make the chicken the night before). Assemble blue corn chips (love the taste, texture and health benefits), scallions, diced jalapenos, diced tomatoes and cheese (your choice or what you have on hand.. monterey jack, cheddar, gouda..). Heat in 350 degree oven just until cheese melts. Drizzle with more Frank's hot sauce .. I serve with Ranch on the side. Others might prefer drizzling with blue cheese dressing. Incidentally, i always make a large batch of the chicken to keep on hand for nachos, wraps, salads, quesadillas.

This is the quickest thing I "make", err rather is it more like assembling. French Dip:

For the five of us, I buy a long, crusty baguette, 1.25 lb of rare deli roast beef, and two 8oz Kitchen Basics beef stock.

Timing is important for this; if you over cook the meat it will be awful. Its also nice to have the bread hot; so I try to get everything ready to go in advance. First I weigh the roast beef and make five equal little piles, let it come to room temp, 10-min or so.

Then i cut the bread in five sections, open it up and flatten it a bit without breaking it. Butter both sides, sprinkle with garlic salt.

Heat the beefstock to a simmer, add a bit of fresh ground black pepper.

Broil the garlic bread, then place on five plates.

With tongs, dip and swish each pile of roast beef into the simmering stock. Take it out while it is still pink; and place it on the roll. Repeat four times.

The boullion will now have little bits of beef in it and seasonings from the meat. Boil it down just a tad (or not) and serve in mini ramekins w the sandwiches.

With a salad, it is a meal.

PS some n'er-do-wells like cheese on it, but its not necessary. For cheese, use thin sliced provolone, put it on the finished sandwich, and broil open face for 15-20 seconds.

This one is pretty quick, too. Peanut Noodles with Chicken

• 8 ounces linguini
• 1 cup broccoli slaw (packaged)
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons hot chili sauce
• 2 cups shredded chicken (buy a rotisserie chicken to save time)
• 1/2 cup sliced scallion

Cook pasta, and add in broccoli slaw when there is about a minute left, to blanch. Drain.

Combine broth, PB, vinegar, soy and hot sauce with a whisk until smooth. Toss chicken, linguini and slaw in sauce; top with scallions.

Mtn, that french dip is perfect for a cozy fireside dinner! Do you serve horseradish too or is that all wrong with the bouillon dip? I have a favorite fall salad with blanched green beans and roasted potatoes.. but bf doesn't consider that a meal! I think the french dip will make him very happy! TY!

Corn salsa: To equal amounts of corn, black beans, and tomatoes add finely diced jalapeno; chopped cilantro; a couple dashes of salt; and 50/50 EVOO/lemon juice. I've used fresh corn and TJ's roasted corn - equally good!

Here's another "assemble" rather than cook, easy dinner. We first had these from a deli in North Carolina when we rented a beach house in Duck one Summer. I've been making them ever since. The unique combination of the sweet hot mustard, the chutney and the brie is fantastic, in our opinion. I just made this for dinner again last Thursday evening, as it was so hot here and I didn't want to heat up the oven or stove.

Deli Roast Beef & Brie Sandwiches serves 2

1/2 lb (or more) rare deli roast beef, sliced very thin

2 largish crusty sandwich rolls

4 slices Brie, at room temp (enough to cover the roast beef on your sandwich)

sweet hot mustard ( I use Beaver or Inglehoffer brands)

2+ TBS Major Grey's Mango Chutney

lettuce and tomato slices

Pile ingredients on your crusty sandwich rolls. Can be served at room temp or hot, your choice. I usually pick up some deli potato salad and slaw when I'm buying the roast beef and that's our quick and easy anytime dinner.

Lynn, Yum, love anything with chutney.

Funky, I think of it as a kid's meal, and so I wasn't thinking about horseradish, but most definitely; maybe a HR aioli? Yes, this is a man-boy-pleasing recipe I find.

We had breakfast for dinner last night, as requested by one of mine returning from camp. I never use a recipe for French toast, but the last time it was not as good as usual so I decided to use Robert Irvine's recipe online. It's quite cinnamon-y and sweet (kids loved it). I always serve FT w/ frizzled ham as an alternate to bacon.

ETA: Funky, what is your Thai steak marinade?

Lime zest and honey mixed with plain yogurt for a fruit dip

light mayo, Dijon mustard and salt mixed together and spread over salmon filet. Bake until done.

Trout filets with a drizzle of olive oil and a dab of butter and lemon slices wrapped in foil on the grill

dump fresh salsa, boneless skinless chick thighs, frozen corn and a drained and rinsed can of black beans into the crockpot and cook on low for about 7 hours, shred chicken in crockpot. Serve with shredded cheese and tortillas or rice.

Thank you all so much for all the recipes. Right now I'm sick with a one sided sore throat, so the thought of eating anything is not appealing. I'll come back and pick some of these to try when hubby's home in a week and a half.

Breakfast Burritos are not just for breakfast! We New Mexicans loooove them for any meal! They're fairly quick to make and you add just what sounds good to you.

8-10" flour tortillas

scrambled eggs

shredded cheese of your choice (I use Monterey Jack, Cheddar or Colby Jack)

any or all of the following:

beans (black, pinto, or refritos)

sour cream

cooked hash browns or O'Brian potatoes

onions: diced (white, red,yellow, or scallions)

cooked, crumbled bacon or sausage

chopped green chile

diced avocado

fresh cilantro

diced tomatoes

salsa of your choice

Add your choice of the above ingredients down the middle of your tortilla, leaving about 1 1/2" clear at the bottom. Fold up that end to form the closed bottom of your burrito. fold one side of the tortilla over the contents and then roll up. If warming them in your oven, wrap in a square of aluminum foil, twisting the top closed. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes or so. If heating in a microwave, wrap each in a damp paper towel, place on a microwave safe paper plate and heat for 30 seconds at a time until warmed to your liking. These are great to-go meals for breakfast, lunch or dinner, too. They keep well for a few days in your fridge and can quickly be reheated in the microwave. I can't imagine life without our breakfast burritos, our Huevos Rancheros or our red and green chile!

Ah that makes sense, Mtn.. and speaking of kids, some of these marinades might be too much heat as a dressing or dipping sauce for kids but they should be fine as a marinade.

Thai Steak Marinade

I don't have a "recipe" yet (I better get on that if I am going to do a blog!). Here's a recipe that looks pretty similar: Flat Iron Steak Salad with Thai Dressing. I
use honey instead of sugar and probably half the fish sauce. I also
include cilantro in the marinade. I like my marinade chunky so I've never
blended it.

I grow thai basil.. so I use that in the salad if I
have some to harvest! (It always seems to die on me before the other
garden herbs). I don't use it in the marinade because I prefer the flavor fresh (to grilled).

• Vegetable Oil (my EVOOs are too green/fragrant for this one.. i usually use canola)

• Lime juice from 2 limes - fresh only

• Soy Sauce

• Fish Sauce

• honey (just a touch, this isn't a sweet dish you are just looking for balance-- have also used brown sugar)

• finely diced Jalapenos, serranos or thai bird peppers. If i don't have fresh, I use thai chili-garlic sauce which is always in the pantry!

• Garlic minced and squished

• Ginger (grated to release juices)

• Shallots

• Cilantro

• Salt & pepper

Mojo Dipping Sauce/Marinade

Another marinade/finishing sauce I absolutely LOVE has similar ingredients but is decidedly latin in flavor. It is spicy but so flavorful! I use it on pork and chicken-- as marinade and as a finishing sauce.

Use a mortar and pestle or molcajete to combine:

• 1 jalapeno

• 6 cloves of garlic

• generous handful of cilantro loosely chopped

• generous amount of salt (helps the pestle to break it all down)

Transfer to a bowl (i use a salad dressing carafe) and add

• 1/4 c EVOO
• 1/2 c Orange Juice
• juice of 1-2 Limes.
• dash of Cider Vinegar
• S&P

Whisk (or shake if using a bottle) and it's ready to serve!

Colombian Aji Picante is very similar but take out the orange juice and add scallions and a finely chopped tomato sans seeds/pulp. I like this one with tostones and on chicken and pork and anything else I can pour it on or dip in it!

Oh Crl.. you have me hungry for trout now!

Funkyart, I had forgotten how much I like trout and hadn't fixed it in quite a while. Dd saw it at the store and wanted the fish with the eyes so we got some and fixed it on the grill and it was simple and very yummy. When I was a kid, my dad used to catch trout and cook it in a skillet over a fire creek side. Unbelievably good.

A couple more "recipes."

Brown knockwurst in a skillet, add sliced apple and cook until slightly soft, wash fresh spinach and throw it on top, then put the lid on the skillet and cook for a minute or two.

Broil one side of cocktail rye bread squares until toasted. Mix mayo, Parmesan and diced onion. Flip the bread over and spread the mixture on the untoasted side. Broil again until mixture is brown on top. Serve warm.

Put a slice of tomato and a slice of cheese on an English muffin and broil until the cheese is melted.

Thanks for sharing these recipes! Keep 'em coming :)

Single Dish Spanish Rice

Chicken or boneless pork chops diced and sautéed

Box (or 2 depending on # of people) of Chicken Rice a Roni

Medium jar of Pace Salsa

After the meat is sautéed, set aside in a bowl and brown Rice a Roni per instructions on the box, once browned, mix in the meat, chicken seasoning, salsa and a jar of water, simmer until water is gone and rice is cooked through adding extra water if necessary.

I love this appetizer. I just kind of stumbled upon the combination with things I had on hand.

Spread a layer of of goat cheese on an Akmak cracker, then put a dollop of fig spread on top of that. Saute slivered almonds, then cool. Sprinkle almonds on top, serve immediately.

Pan-sauteed boneless chicken breast topped with mango salsa.

My favorite easy meal is grilled salmon. For about a pound of skinless fillets I mix equal parts soy sauce and (real) maple syrup -about 1/4 cup each- in a pie plate. Turn the salmon in the mixture to coat & let marinate for 1/2 hr. or so. I then heat up the Foreman grill or my stovetop grill pan. When ready, lightly brush the grill with olive oil and cook to your preference. I like mine cooked with the grill marks. Takes about 5 minutes. Serve with lots of fresh lemon wedges. Yum! The carmelized coating and brightness from the lemon add up to flavor and texture greater than the sum of the parts.

I usually serve this with rice pilaf & steamed broccoli or asparagus. IMO, it's nice enough for a quick-to-make company meal.

Based off this recipe and modified for maximum efficiency:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/06/miso-glazed-salmon-in-the-toaster-oven-recipe.html

Miso salmon

take a 1/4 or 1/3 cup measure and put one scoop of sugar in a gallon ziplock bag. Use the same measure to measure miso, then an equal amount of white wine and add to the bag (order is important to avoid dirtying more than one cup measure). Add a good slug of olive oil and a good slug of soy sauce. Seal the bag and mush it around until the miso and the sugar dissolve. Add salmon to bag. I use the frozen wild filets from Costco, no need to thaw or remove the skin. Marinate in fridge until the filets are thawed (I do this in the am or night before, either works. If not using frozen filets probably only needs to marinate 30 min or so)

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, let the excess marinade drip off and put salmon under the broiler til done (about 4-5 minutes).

Serve with rice and steamed broccoli or asparagus.

CindyMac, after being on the road on vacation for over 2 weeks, I whipped up some of my Sun Sugar tomatoes and pasta similar to your recipe last night. It was so tasty after weeks of eating out.

Amck2, that is very similar to how I prepare easy grilled salmon. I use honey if I don't have any maple syrup, or I use whatever I have like lemon juice, dill and olive oil & maybe a dash of balsamic. As long as I can see some grill marks I'm good.

Outside, someone on the Veggie forum mentioned growing Sun Sugars. I think I'll try a couple plants next year with my Sun Golds. I love the versatility of cherry tomatoes.

Here's another quick & easy.

Smashed Sun Golds with Pasta from Mario Batalli

I use 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1-2 tablespoons butter. No additional oil when serving. I also mince the garlic.

Balsamic Roasted Green Beans

Ingredients

2 pounds green beans, trimmed

1 orange (or yellow) bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips

1 small red onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Shredded Parmesan cheese, for garnish if desired

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

*Toss green beans, bell pepper, onion, and garlic in the oil and
vinegar mixture, and place on a sheet pan. Roast for about 20 minutes or until
vegetables reach desired tenderness. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add
Parmesan cheese, if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

I had this at a neighbor's and just made it tonight. I only made 1c worth because it's just the two of us and DD is not a lentil fan.

The best part is to start with TJ's cooked lentils. I didn't know such a thing existed!

Take 1 cup refrigerated cooked lentils, break them up a little.

Whisk together a vinaigrette made from 2t olive oil, 1T and 1t white balsmaic vinegar, and 1/8 tsp dijon mustard. Toss lentils in vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper.

Finely slice scallions, about 1T. Coarsely chop a heaping T of walnuts. Add both to lentils.

Just before serving, snip a T or so of parsley over the lentils and stir.

I had this with a good baguette and a tomato bisque. YUM.

Cooked lentils? Who knew?

This is my invention of summer

Chili with mostly all Trader Joe ingredients. Just made this today and its yummy!

Family size

1 Lb ground Turkey

1/2 Lb Jimmy Dean Maple sausage (or regular)

1 ½ onion sliced and diced

2 sweet potatoes chopped

1 cup of those small fancy blend potatoes chopped

2/3 cup diced Zucchini

1 15 oz can black beans

1 15oz can great northern beans

1 28oz can of whole tomatoes from Italy squashed

1 cup Trader Joes frozen Roasted corn

1 Qt Trader Joes Organic Tomato & Roasted Pepper soup

½ teaspoon of vegetable base or 1 teaspoon of low sodium base

2 ½ tablespoons of fresh orange zest

2 tablespoons chili power (or to taste)

1 ½ teaspoon cumin

1 cup fresh cilantro

¾ teaspoon of dried mustard

½ teaspoon of white pepper

S&P to taste

The orange zest, maple Jimmy Dean sausage and sweet potatoes put a spin on regular chili. Not too fattening overall and loaded with vitamins.

This isn't my recipe and I have not tried it yet, but this seems to be the best spot for this: so I click on a link about immigration and the story is about a family from Mexico that opened an ice cream and fruit shop in Chicago, and they sell a drink called mangonada, which is essentially mango ice cream with Mexican chemoy sauce at the bottom. I can't stop thinking about it.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/24/politics/gallery/the-montoya-family/index.html