Tomato Season Recipes

Here are my first tomatoes of the season - right off the vine. I like to serve them uncooked when the tomatoes are at maximum freshness and most juicy. This is when you taste all the flavor a tomato has to offer.

This cheap$kate gardener seldom has a bumper crop, but the ones I pick will be put to delicious use. If you don't have a garden, maybe you have a generous neighbor, a local fave farmers market, or if you are on the road and just pull over into a roadside veggie and fruit stand with a hand-painted tomato sign.

So read on for the freshest tomato recipes that are just a slice away. And click on any recipe name to be directed to my blog post for the complete recipe text with photo illustrations.

For a fresh garden tomato, just simply slice it and add a couple more ingredients. My favorite recipe is for a Caprese Salad that's composed of fresh mozzarella, a few basil leaves, salt, olive oil, and, of course, thick slices of fresh tomato.

Arrange the parts on a plate and serve at room temperature. Set out a plate for your guests, and be sure to have a couple of bottles of wine ready to pour.

My Latin market, Superior, carries the cheapest whole tomatoes. Smaller Roma tomatoes are usually the least expensive. Store-bought cherry tomatoes pop with flavor.

Summertime is the right time for a chilly tomato soup by way of Spain called Gazpacho. It is a great way to start a patio party, just set out a bowl and let your guests serve themselves while you man the grill.

Gazpacho is a tasty medley of fresh tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic, onion, and cucumber. It gets a rich hit of olive oil to finish in the blender. No cooking is needed for this recipe, and you can see how easy to pull off below.



An Italian version of salsa on tortilla chips is lightly marinated chopped tomatoes served on wedges of toast, which is called Bruschetta. Serve it as a crunchy appetizer.



Salads and large chunks of sliced homegrown tomatoes belong together. Go light on the salad dressing, though, because you want that fresh tomato flavor to come through clearly.

A Warm Corn, Tomato & Cilantro Salad is a simple side dish to make. It's okay to always use cheap, fresh, frozen, or even canned corn.

I have a 2-Minute Salad made with easy-to-get ingredients, including canned chicken (okay to substitute canned tuna), canned beets, spinach, and tomato.

 Click on any photo to see larger.

This cheap$kate salad travels well and can be quickly put together for lunch at your workplace.



My most unusual Hearts of Palm Salad - Brazilian Style uses canned hearts of palm. If you have never tried hearts of palm, then break yourself in with this fresh salad idea.

Heart of Palm Salad

Another salad takes the crown for Best Classic Salad: my version of a Crab Louis Salad. While expensive ingredients are called for, I have recently found jars of asparagus, and I use cheap fake crab or krab.

Of course, if you are cooking to impress, then use real lump crab meat.

Fake Crab Louis Salad

Sauteed sliced steak, or feta cheese, on a salad needs a strong-flavored tomato, and a garden tomato is up for the job in my Warm Steak and Armenian-Style salads, which feature pungent feta cheese.

Warm Steak Salad

Italian pasta sauces will not be much improved upon with a fresh garden tomato. However, the exception is my Rustic Tomato Sauce with Pasta. The fresh tomato is added at the last minute and only cooked until it starts to collapse, but still at peak flavor. 

A big fat tomato slice is what every sandwich requires, at least in my recipe book. I like tomato on my Breakfast Egg Sandwich and even a wedge of tomato nestled in my Chicago-style Hot Dog.

Egg Sandwich

Chicago Hot Dog

For a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich, you gotta have a good tomato. I often kick my BLT up a notch with the addition of sliced avocado.

BLT Sandwich

For my vegetarian visitors add tomato to my delish grilled Portabella Mushroom Burger, or a Veggie Wrap with Hummus.

Portabella Mushroom Burger

 Veggie Wrap with Hummus - ingredients

Mexican cuisine loves the tomato. And the freshest way to use it is chopped into a chunky Pico de Gallo salsa. Serve it with your favorite tortilla chips, or add this salsa to almost any Mexican entree like burritos comprised of Carnitas (pork,) Carne Asada (steak,) Eggs & Refried Beans, Pastrami & Coleslaw (?!!) -- and tacos made with Fish, Carne Asada, Carnitas, Poultry, Breakfast, Tinga (spicy chicken stew,) Chicken Green Chile Verde, and Chorizo & Egg,  

Pico de Gallo - chunky salsa

A Summer Ceviche made with krab, drained black beans, cucumber, tomato, onion, cilantro, and creamy avocado is my go-to patio party starter. Set out a big bowl of chips to scoop up my cool Krab Ceviche. And be sure to have some Picante hot sauce at the ready.

Summer Ceviche - Video

I'll leave you with a bit of cheap$kate comedy about my video visit to a local garden nursery for free noshing on fruit picked fresh from the vine, including a beefsteak tomato. Bon Appetit !

Happy Easter - Egg Recipes

For some, it's all about eggs for Easter this Sunday, and I have a basketful of recipes for leftover ovum. So read on for using up eggs that are hard-boiled, because there is no way youngsters can put away that many.

And be sure to set aside a few raw eggs for some of my recipes listed below (click on any recipe name to see the original blog post.)

Eggs are coming down in price since the Bird Flu is subsiding in the industrial poultry complex.

The easiest leftover use of eggs is a simply delish Egg Salad. It's the quickest and easiest way to use up leftover boiled eggs.

Half a dozen cooked and peeled Easter eggs mixed with a little mayo and some chopped celery will yield a bowlful of creamy deliciousness that can go between 2 toasted slices of bread, as a topping for your favorite salad, or spread on your favorite crackers as appetizers.

Egg Salad Recipe - Video

Play it here. The video runs for 1 minute and 45 seconds. 

Ingredients (about 3 sandwiches)

• 6 eggs - I used small eggs. Boiled, peeled, and chopped. about 2 cups total after chopping.
• 1/4 cup mayo - I used light mayo. Okay to add more. Add a teaspoon at a time to reach the desired creaminess. Extra-large eggs will need more mayo.
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped - including leaves on the stalk -- if it comes with them. About 1/2 cup total after chopping.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Water to boil eggs.

*Many recipes call for mustard, but I like it without. But you can add it - try a teaspoon of Dijon or regular mustard. You can also use 1/2 teaspoon of dried mustard powder.

Directions
In a pot, add eggs and cover with an inch of water. Turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Just when eggs start to boil, turn off the heat completely and cover the pot with a lid (or plate). Let sit for 15 minutes. Eggs will continue to cook in the hot water. (Okay to use any favorite boiled egg recipe you may already have).

Meanwhile, chop one stalk of celery, including leaves. Chop finely.

After 15 minutes, remove the eggs and rinse them off in cold water, so you can peel them without burning your fingers. You can also let them sit in a bowl of cool water with some ice cubes for about 5 minutes.

Now is the time to bring it all together. Peel, discard shells, and chop the eggs. You can add them as you chop to a large bowl. I usually chop the eggs in half, then place them yolk side down on the chopping board and finish slicing.

Add all the chopped eggs to a bowl. Mix in the chopped celery. Finally, scoop in 1/4 cup of mayo. Mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. Try out a small spoonful of Egg Salad. At this point, you can add more mayo if you like, a teaspoon at a time to reach the desired creaminess.

I find less mayo and mustard (optional) the better, as they easily overpower the mild egg flavor.

A scoop of Egg Salad goes well with your favorite vegetable salad. Egg Salad is a tasty party dip on your favorite chips or crunchy veggie slices. Also, try a spoonful on an avocado half. But I like an Egg Salad Sandwich the best.

This recipe is easy to double using a dozen eggs -- just add another 1/4 cup of mayo and another rib of chopped celery. Keep the finished Egg Salad covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Okay, let's take an ovum break -- for kids, there is a lot of chocolate on the scene like this.

Another early recipe of mine is a silly Devilish Deviled Eggs I made one Halloween. Fun and tasty. Of course, leave out the spicy chili peppers for kid-friendly bites. And you can find all the yummy recipe details from my food blog by clicking on any recipe name.

For extra eggs you haven't boiled yet, there are a lot of my cheap$kate recipes to choose from, like a filling Pasta alla Carbonara with egg yolk and crumbled browned bacon over spaghetti, or a baked omelet-like Frittata with pasilla chili, chorizo, potato, and cheese.

Scrambled eggs come in many variations. Jewish delis have a couple of good ones that I've adapted. I get corned beef on sale during St. Patrick's Day, so it's only natural to have some of it sautéed with eggs (even better is pastrami made from corned beef - my Pastrami with Eggs recipe is here.

Small packages of Cream Cheese and Salmon come cheaply, and I like to add it to my Jewish Breakfast Scramble. And add a dollop of cream cheese, and you have a lighter substitution for Lox and Cream Cheese Bagel. Try it sometime, I know you will like it, too.

On my last visit to New York City I visited a local bagel shop and came away inspired by all the Spreads they had, including Cream Cheese with Boiled Eggs. 

Nothing to the recipe, really. Just allow the Cream Cheese to soften at room temperature, then mix in a chopped Boiled Egg. I like this on a toasted Bagel, but it's okay to use any favorite toasted bread or roll. Check out my yummy recipe video below.

Booze and eggs go together, especially if you're making my Homemade Eggnog. This video recipe is one of my holiday favorites. You won't believe your eyes when you see my intoxicated antics after imbibing on one Eggnog too many. Be sure to watch this recipe video all the way to the end!



One of my earliest published recipes is also one of the quickest and easiest to make: Scrambled Eggs and Sundried Tomatoes. I like to keep a jar of pungent dried tomatoes in herbs and oil in the refrigerator, right next to my carton of eggs. For a non-oil, lighter version, use plain dried tomatoes in a plastic pouch, too (this is what my wife uses.)

My Mom has an outrageous Breakfast Tacos with Scrambled Eggs and Curly Fries that will blow your mind and stoke your taste buds -- seeing is believing...below.

Eggs make a great binder for my sister Denise's Veggie Eggplant Burgers. (You should make sure to check out the video we made that features a wacky shopping spree in my local 99c only Store.) And you want to add a scrambled egg or two when you make my cheap$kate version of Chinese Fried Rice.

Ever make Crepes Suzette? There's not much to it really, just eggs, flour, milk, and to quote Julia Child's nephew: "lots of butter." And who's the famed chef's nephew anyway?

Well, just watch the video to see this outrageous character shopping in the Hollywood Farmer's Market -- then moving on to the kitchen to show you how to make a tender and delicate pancake-like dessert.

 Do you have a package of frozen veggies in the freezer accumulating frost, and a crisper drawer full of veggies that are close to being thrown out? Well, just rinse off the frozen veggies and slice off the brown spots from the bell pepper and onion to make my colorful Veggie Frittata. For this photo story recipe, I ran out of eggs, but my neighbor Nuno was kind enough to lend me a few. (How's that for a cheap$kate move, free eggs!)

Also, if you have a small patio garden, then I have a couple of nutritious recipes to use the freshly picked bounty. An easy veggie to grow is bright green Swiss Chard. Just saute it for a couple of minutes and add it to your favorite omelet recipe. - My recipe is here.

Every time I change out the dirt from my teeny garden, seeds sprout willy-nilly. Often it's some kind of squash that never bears fruit. Oh well, that's okay because the flowers make a great Squash Blossom Omelet.

I grew up in the South and was raised on Mexican food for a while. Almost everyone in Texas has tried Migas, which are tortilla pieces scrambled with eggs. And, you can't get simpler than having Refried Beans and Eggs. I didn't think I would like this meal at first, but learned that scrambled eggs elevate any humble ingredient!

Refried Pinto Beans & Scrambled Eggs

I get all types of Mexican chorizo, including beef, pork, and soy (vegetarian). Mexican chorizo is different than Spanish chorizo, mainly in its texture. Spanish chorizo is hard like salami, and Mexican chorizo is soft like ground meat. It's a pungent and flavorful protein that mixes well with Chorizo and Scrambled Eggs. And use it to stuff a Breakfast Taco or Breakfast Burrito.

Huevos Rancheros are the Eggs Benedict of Mexican cuisine. A corn tortilla with refried beans and a fried egg that's topped with crumbled queso fresco (cheese) and your favorite salsa is a decadent and filling way to start the day. Make a batch of this with your family sometime, it's quite easy to do when you follow this cheap$kate's recipe.

You can top any of my Mexican breakfast entrees with a favorite jarred salsa or go here to see my list of Homemade Salsa Recipes, with links, that include:  Roasted Salsa Verde (tomatillo), Red Chili (2 dried types - but the same recipe), Pico de Gallo, and Mango.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Looking to impress an overnight guest, then serve them my recipe for Eggs Florentine for breakfast. This creamy spinach and egg dish will keep any afterglow going. And if that doesn't work, then I have a sensuous Fried Egg on Breadcrumbs with Asparagus.

I like a challenge. A favorite breakfast fast food is the classic Egg McMuffin. It's not as cheap as it used to be, so I figured out how to make my own cheaper version. And I share it with you in this homemade video recipe.


And for an extra hardy breakfast, be sure to add my Old School Hash Browns to the menu.

If you are flush with cash and your ship has come in, then make like a bonus bloated Wall Street con artist and serve up my Billionaire's Crab Omelet. (I even give you a cheap$kate shortcut, just in case the stock market crashes, your government bailout  is rejected, and all your chips have been cashed in.)

I made a classic - a French-style Cheese Omelette. What's the difference between it and the ones you get at a typical American diner? Well, it is all about technique, mainly you just soft scramble the eggs in butter, add the cheese, and gently roll the egg to close up the omelette. Most American-style omelets are cooked dry, while a French omelette is slightly moist in the middle. It's a different way to cook an omelette, but I've grown to like it.



From deep in the Louisiana bayou comes a recipe from my brother-from-another-daddy, the Swamp Chef. The recipe is a riff on the above French Omelet called a Swamp Omelet. The main ingredients are crawfish, cheese, and the Cajun Trinity -  a combination of bell pepper, onion, and celery. Check out this wild recipe you'll only find here.

Eggs for dinner? Heck yeah, especially when pizza is on the menu. Break an egg on your favorite homemade or store-bought pizza during the last 10 minutes of oven-baking. A mix of creamy yolk is a sumptuous topping, so be sure to try my Pizza with Egg recipe.

And finally, if you're looking for a bit of levity, well, I have an early morning fried egg comedy video to brighten your day, here.



Whew, that's a lot of ovum riffing, I'm exhausted. You've just scrolled through over 19 years of recipes from my food blog.

And if you want even more egg pictorial poetics, then click here to view a fun video.

Cooking with eggs is cheap. While not as inexpensive as they used to be, it's still affordable, especially when you use any of my creative and tasty recipes listed above.