What a good feeling it was to go out to the garden, grab some food and make it for dinner.
Fresh from a trip to the lake, the kids and I were hungry and I looked no further than my backyard for inspiration.

I had some chicken breasts and produce to work with in my fridge. But how would I pull it together for meal for my family? The answer was growing right under my kitchen window.

Outside among the long cucumber vines just beginning to flower, I snipped some lettuce, rosemary, basil and a few green beans and said a little prayer that my tomatoes would be the next plant to bare fruit. The zucchini is growing out of control (see my ONE plant in the foreground of the top photo), so I have a feeling I will be blogging about gluten-free zucchini bread not too long from now.

But in the meantime, here is what my little garden helped me to create:

1. Caprese Salad: This easy and light dish is a good starter. Simply layer basil, slices of mozzarella and tomatoes (slices are even better, but all I had were cherry tomatoes) and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and serve with crusty bread or crackers. I grabbed some slices of homemade bread I had in the freezer from my gluten-free May and toasted them up. I believe the brand was Bob's Red Mill that I made in a bread machine and sliced, then froze. The bread went well with the fresh basil salad stacked on top.

2. Rosemary Chicken: I whipped up a quick marinade and poured it over a few whole chicken breasts. It barbecued up nice and made use of my bounty of rosemary. To make, simply whisk together 1-2 sprigs chopped fresh rosemary, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over chicken and refrigerate 30 minutes or more. Then, they are ready for the grill and are full of the woodsy taste of rosemary and tang of the vinegar.

3. Salad: The lettuce grew fast and plentiful and I am finding myself eating a lot of salad, which is a good thing for my health and waistline. For dinner, I made a simple tossed salad with cucumber and more tomatoes, but I love to play around with different combos. One of my favorite ways to enjoy my leafy produce is to toss with pear or apple slices, walnuts and dried cherries. Also, I like to wrap chicken salad in lettuce leaves as a gluten-free and healthy lunch. The trick is to eat the lettuce quickly enough --- I find if I let the plants grow too large, they can taste pretty bitter.

4. Green beans: I only had a handful today, but know how to cook them quite a few ways. I can see that there are going to be gobs and gobs of them soon, so I have made a plan to blanch them in hot, boiling water for a few minutes, cool, then freeze in freezer bags. Then, I can have fresh beans all year. For now, a quick steam and dab of Smart Balance butter will do. Another good way to enjoy fresh green beans (especially after you get some tomatoes on your vines) is to saute them with diced tomatoes and sliced garlic in olive oil. I also like them sprinkled with sesame seeds and balsamic vinegar or chopped and added to a homemade soup. There are as many possibilities as there are tiny sprouts on my bush bean plants!

It is quite a thrill to be able to pluck the food straight from my garden and serve it to my family. I hope to have lots and lots of fresh ideas from my little garden. Stay tuned.