Garden Bounty Sandwiches

I don't have a garden aside from herbs (basil, thyme, cilantro, epazote) but, strategically, I'm friends with a lot of people that either grow vegetables or have easy access to homegrown vegetables.  Yesterday, I was the happy recipient of the first bounty from my neighbor's friend's garden: tomatoes and green beans. 

No one will argue that the healthiest way to eat vegetables is raw and, for most of them, it's definitely my preferred method.  I especially love raw green beans; my new favorite way to prepare them and not get tired of them is to slice thinly on a sharp angle and use the "shreds" like you would lettuce.  Sandwiches, burritos, salads, whatever.

I also happened to have an excess of store bought fresh dill after using a little bit of it in a recipe over the weekend, though I imagine anyone that planted it for this particularly dry summer has an abundance of it.  I picked up a few more things at the grocery store (cucumbers, cheese) and a pack of whole wheat pitas from Holy Land to make these awesome sandwiches:

The dill havarti spread is straight outta Moosewood; the restaurant's New Classics cookbook, to be exact.  (This is by far the most inspiring cookbook I've ever laid my hands on.  Mine is a gorgeous crumpled page, sauce-spattered, Post-it noted mess.)

David's Dilled Havarti Spread
© Moosewood Restaurant New Classics 2001

1 cup shredded dill havarti cheese, lightly packed
2 Tablespoons fresh dill
1/4 cup minced scallions
1/3 cup mayonnaise

The instructions are pretty straightforward: blend together in a bowl.  They also suggest using regular havarti and additional fresh dill in lieu of dill havarti, which is what I did (3 tablespoons total of fresh dill).

Corn is starting to appear, I see.  What else is popping up like crazy and, more importantly, what are you doing with it?

Comments

[marina]

I may have a black thumb; my dill didn't fare so well.

[Alexis]

If it makes you feel any better, my cilantro (an alleged lover of warm, dry soil) just up and died on me very recently.

[MOM]

Oh, Lex, I think all those peppers in my garden are serrano...

[Alexis]

If they're 50% smaller and 100% hotter than the jalapenos, then they're serranos.

[Sarah Buckley]

Oh It is beet season!!!! I just made beet risotto with tons of garlic and then blue cheese on top... yes I know it is 90 degrees out! I still loved it! I also am swimming in grape tomato. You know where I live come grab some they are in the back next to the house.

[Leigha]

I'm up to my eyeballs right now in cucumbers, and my gajillion grape and roma tomatoes are about to be fully ripe any minute now.

Aside from eating the cucumbers plain on salads, or sliced up into a particular side-dish of their own, I've tried some new recipes via Epicurious: 1) Cucumber Goat Cheese Spread (YUM! - excellent with baked pita chips); and 2) Cold Cucumber Avocado soup (meh).

I've made cold cucumber soups in the past that were pretty good, but this recipe wasn't so hot. However, I found a way to salvage the end result: using it as a sauce over spicy foods in lieu of sour cream...it's equally refreshing, and gives it a little extra kick and dairy-free flavor.