Preserve your Summer Tomatoes

A great way to preserve late harvest summer tomatoes is to dehydrate them. Store-bought sun-dried tomatoes are so expensive and not nearly as good as the ones you can make yourself.

Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

Amazing summer tomatoes

S&P

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1) Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Meanwhile, cut tomatoes into equal pieces (I prefer mine quartered), season, and place on oiled sheet tray. 

2) Dehydrate tomatoes for 6-8 hours, or until moisture is gone but tomatoes are still flexible.

3) Place inside a sterilized glass jar with air-tight lid and fill with extra virgin olive oil.


Enjoy your dried tomatoes (which plump up in the olive oil) in pesto, on pasta, on bread, in salad, or any other way you can imagine! Dehydrating tomatoes concentrates their flavor, so a few go a long way.

Breaking the Fast: Boiling Softly

Soft boiled eggs. Blistered fresh pita. Fresh ground pepper and kosher salt. Mug of black tea not pictured.

To replicate the wondrous oozy consistency of these perfect soft boiled eggs...

1) Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.

2) Carefully drop eggs in (no more than three at a time so the temperature doesn't drop too drastically). Add a healthy pinch of salt to make peeling easier.

3) Boil for exactly 5 minutes, then take off heat, drain and run cold water over eggs until easy to handle and peel.

4) Peel eggs. Add seasonings of choice. Serve with your favorite bread for dipping into creamy yolk.

This is a sunny morning breakfast. Enjoy when the sun is showing his fickle face or when the clouds have taken over the skies. 

Bon appétit! 

Budget Bites: Dressed-up Ramen

I've always loved Ramen noodles (anything but the chicken flavor). As a kid I remember adding a quarter of the water recommended so they would be extra flavorful and noodle-y as opposed to soupy.  As a college student living on a minimal income, Ramen certainly does come in handy in a pinch. We all know it's not the healthiest meal in the world, but it is quite easy to add some nutrients.
(Disclaimer: the noodles in many Ramen noodle packages are fried and are basically empty white carbs, but when you're hungry and you have 5 dollars for the week you do what you can)

For the tastiest Ramen, I go to the Asian store out in the 'burbs and stalk the foreign aisles until I come out with a bottle of something funky, a cellophane bag of something crunchy, and a few packages of quality Ramen noodles. I really can taste a tremendous difference in these noodles and the ones in a regular grocery store.

Step 1: Julienne (slice into long thin strips) a bunch of veggies. Whatever you have on hand will do; I used kale, carrots, cucumber and green peppers.

Step 2: Prepare Ramen noodles according to the package instructions or, you know, according to your own Ramen standards. Go nuts.

Step 3: Add in the veg with the noodles and let them simmer for a little while. I like mine still crunchy and colorful, so I only give them a couple minutes. No one likes soggy noodles and floppy vegetables.


Step 4: Chow down! I topped mine with some shredded roasted seaweed (great find at the Asian supermarket).

There are so many variations possible with Ramen noodles (or any pasta). Get creative, use up those lonely carrots in the back of your fridge, and happy snacking.