Summer Recipes

I have some summer recipes to share with you, but first I have a few pictures from our day.  Today we both took the day off from work as last week was incredibly busy for us and Caleb had worked for eight straight days.  It was great to have a day where to we didn't have to be anywhere.  After a sit-down breakfast of whole-wheat blueberry pancakes, we leisurely read and did a few light chores around the house.  We had plans to work outside in the yard, but it poured rain most of the day.  Instead, we went on an umbrella walk and ended up at the library.  We took shelter there and sat down for a while browsing through the new book section.  We ended up checking out several books because we had holds to pick up, so on the walk home we carefully tried to shelter the books, which were thankfully stowed in a sturdy plastic bag.  Our clothes were pretty wet, but Micah and books arrived dry!

While Micah napped, we munched on sandwiches while watching a movie from the library on Caleb's laptop on our covered porch.  When the rain let up, Caleb planted our last garden starts (miniature bell peppers, banana peppers, basil, and cucumbers).  After a while, he disappeared with the car and came back with a surprise for me: some marked-down flowers and potting soil!  He got some ceramic pots (and one unused camping cooking pot!) out of the shed and we planted some flower pots to decorate our porch.  Caleb didn't let the rain stop him from grilling either  - here is our dinner and Micah posing with his dinner of nectarine, potato, and asparagus.

We also tried out a recipe for a light, summery
potato salad that Caleb tried as a sample at the grocery store the other day.  The recipe is posted below.  At my request, Caleb roasted some marshmallows for us over the coals in the grill - they tasted almost as good as the campfire variety!  Now, on to the recipes.

Tangy Fruit Salad
These fruits keep their shape and color well which is helpful when making the salad ahead of time, but other fruits can be substituted based on what you have on hand.  Last time I added diced mango, which was delicious (although there was lots of extra "juice").  
Strawberries, sliced (or blueberries)
Grapes, halved
Canteloupe or honeydew melon, cubed
Kiwi, sliced
6 oz container lemon flavored yogurt
Mix ingredients together and chill.

Basil Potato Salad 
I made several substitutions based on what I had on hand - see my notes.
Red potatoes, cubed and cooked (I used russets)
Shallots, chopped (I used red onion)
Fresh basil leaves, chopped
Grape tomatoes, halved (I used diced "normal" tomatoes)
Olive oil
White wine vinegar (I used plain white vinegar, although I'm sure it wasn't as flavorful)
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix first four ingredients together and add olive oil, vinegar, and seasonings to taste.  Chill before serving.

Dairy-Free Ice Cream 
Commercial dairy-free ice creams and sorbets are quite expensive, so I was pleased to find a cheaper alternative.  It is deliciously creamy!  This recipe is also a good alternative for those of you (particularly pregnant women and young children) who are concerned about consuming raw egg products traditionally found in homemade ice cream.
1 can coconut milk (full-fat)
1 1/4 cup dairy-free milk (rice or soy)
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla
Whisk ingredients together in a bowl until blended, then chill for 2 hours or more before turning in an ice cream maker.  Follow manufacturer's directions for operating the ice cream maker.  After the ice cream is frozen, mix in your add ins - mint extract, candy, fresh fruit or jam, etc.  For a hard ice cream, place ice cream in the freezer for an additional several hours.  Makes one quart.