Roasted Fruit Salad with Creamy Goat Cheese Dressing

The dying days of summer are bittersweet, but patio dining is not yet finished and the fruits of the growing season are vying for attention. A late summer heat wave got me in the mood for light suppers and what better way to celebrate local fruits than with a vibrant fruit and mixed green salad dressed with a tangy goat cheese dressing, complete with a sprinkle of earthy crunchy nuts. The combination of textures and flavors here won't leave you wanting, especially if served with some rustic crusty bread. Salads never need to be humble and easily take on the shining role.

I've come across more than a few recipes for grilled or roasted late summer fruit salads dressed with goat cheese dressing lately. After some consideration, I went gourmet with this dressing as I happen to have some high quality vinegars in my pantry, but feel free to substitute whatever you have on hand, such as rice vinegar, white vinegar, a little splash of dark balsamic vinegar in place of the white, or some apple cider vinegar if you please. If you are sparing with the vinegars, this dressing won't fail to please. If you have a barbeque, do consider grilling the fruit, though I was pleased with the roasted peaches and plums.

I'm quite certain I will be serving this creamy goat cheese dressing all year round over a variety of vegetables. As is requisite for cooks of all shapes and sizes and vocations, you must taste your food before serving and quite honestly, I tasted the dressing just as is and could easily have eaten a few teaspoons right then and there without any accompaniment. It's really that good.

Roasted Fruit Salad with Creamy Goat Cheese Dressing

Recipe by Lisa Turner Light, warm and refreshing roasted peach and plum salad dressed with a wonderful creamy, tart and tangy goat cheese dressing — perfect for the summer Print this recipe Dressing: 4 1/2 oz (130 g) soft goat cheese 2 teaspoons honey 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil juice from 1 small lemon (2 tablespoons) 1/2 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar (optional) 1 teaspoon champagne or white wine vinegar pinch of sea salt fresh cracked black pepper to taste Salad: 2 medium peaches, pitted and cut into wedges 2 medium red or black plums, pitted and cut into wedges 6 cups mixed salad greens small handful of fresh basil leaves, torn a few handfuls of walnuts and/or pecans, halved if desired Instructions: Whisk together 2/3 of the goat cheese with the honey, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegars, salt and black pepper until smooth. Crumble the remaining 1/3 of goat cheese and reserve for garnish To roast the peaches and plums, preheat your oven to broil and set the rack to the top level. Lightly grease a broiling pan with olive oil and arrange the fruit slices on the pan. Broil until the fruit just begins to dry out and starts to brown slightly on the edges — about 5 to 8 minutes. (Alternately, lightly grill the peach and plum slices on a barbecue or grill for a few minutes.) To serve, arrange a portion of the salad greens and basil on a serving plate and scatter the nuts over top. Arrange slices of the roasted peaches and plums on top. Drizzle with dressing. Garnish with the goat cheese and serve alongside some crusty bread for a complete and satisfying light meal. Makes 4 to 6 servings

Southern-Style Pinto Beans with Rice and Fried Eggplant

Simmered in a rich, zesty and tangy spiced sun-dried tomato sauce seasoned with a little liquid hickory smoke, these pinto beans are so hearty and packed with rich barbecue flavor that even your most barbecue-crazy carnivorous friends won't miss the meat on the grill with this dish. They won't even miss the grill at all, as it's all done on the stove-top. They'll probably be amazed that it's not only vegetarian, but vegan too.

As if the beans aren't delicious enough by themselves, they're also topped with extraordinary eggplant slices tossed with a dry-rub spice and herb seasoning and fried in hot oil. Complete the experience by serving the beans and eggplant on a bed of hot freshly cooked brown rice for a thoroughly nourishing and tasty dinner that will have your family and friends asking for seconds. I made up about 1 1/2 cups dried rice that yielded about 4 cups cooked rice for the quantity of beans that this recipe gives.

This incredible beans and eggplant dish is adapted from a recipe in a book that I recently received called "The Southern Vegetarian" by Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence. Not just a collection of meat-free adaptations of American Southern classics — a cuisine that most of us don't associate with vegetarian-friendly food — Burks and Lawrence use Southern ingredients and techniques to come up with dozens of truly unique and creative vegetarian recipes with a modern Southern flair. This is one of the most exciting cookbooks to cross my path for some time now, and I'm looking forward to trying ideas like strawberry-basil shortcake sliders, sweet potato pancakes with peaches and pecans, green pea hummus, vegetarian gumbo, curried cauliflower soup, peach and tarragon pesto pizza, and plenty more. I'm getting hungry just writing this!

(Note: I received a copy of The Southern Vegetarian for review, but the opinions expressed above are entirely my own.)

Now without further ado, let's get cooking.

Southern-Style Pinto Beans with Rice and Fried Eggplant

Hearty pinto beans simmered in a rich, tangy and spicy barbecue-style tomato sauce with hickory smoke flavoring Print this recipe Beans: 1 1/2 cups dried pinto or romano beans 5 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water or more as needed 2 bay leaves 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil 1 onion, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 3 fresh hot peppers jalapeño, cayenne or serrano), seeded and finely chopped 1 tomato, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 2/3 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/2 to 1 teaspoon liquid hickory smoke, to taste 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste fresh ground black pepper sliced green onion for garnish (optional) Eggplant: 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1-inch thick slices 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon dried basil 2/3 teaspoon dried red chili flakes pinch of paprika pinch of cayenne 1/2 teaspoon sea salt fresh ground black pepper Instructions: Rinse the beans and soak for 8 hours or overnight in several inches of water. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Pour in the stock or water and add the bay leaves and vinegars. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until the beans are tender. Add more water as needed — the beans should not be too dry. Meanwhile, soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes, then drain and chop. Heat the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and stir for 5 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, celery, hot peppers, tomato and garlic, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened, stirring often. Now stir in the paprika, cumin, thyme, cayenne, mustard and liquid smoke, and to stir for 1 more minute. Pour the vegetable and spice mixture into the cooked beans. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Add more water as needed. You don't want a soupy consistency, but there should be enough liquid to serve as a sauce. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. To make the eggplant, combine 2 tablespoons of oil with thyme, basil, red pepper flakes, paprika, cayenne, salt and black pepper in a large bowl or plastic bag. Toss the eggplant slices with the seasoning to coat evenly. After removing the eggplant slices, use your fingers to gently rub in the seasonings. Heat another 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat. When the oil starts to smoke, add the seasoned eggplant slices and cook until charred on each side — about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove from the pan, drain on kitchen towels, and repeat with the rest of the eggplant. Add more oil to the pan as necessary. (Note: The hot oil will splutter and pop out of the pan when the eggplant is added, so take care). To serve, spoon some rice onto a serving plate, top with a generous portion of beans and finally lay a slice or two of the eggplant over top. Garnish with green onion slices if desired. Makes 6 servings

Cherry Pudding Cake

This warm, soft pudding cake dessert has been an old and favorite stand-by in my family for years. It's perfect for assembling when you want to make a treat on short notice, without too much thought or preparation — if you have fresh or frozen fruit on hand, all the other ingredients are almost certainly to be staples in your pantry, and it's so ridiculously easy to put together that even people who don't bake can make this one. Soft, spongy and with a delicate golden-brown sugar crust, the pudding cake is surrounded by warm, bubbling fruit juices and smells just heavenly.

I hadn't made it myself for a good while, but browsing through my old recipes and seeing a bag of fresh sweet cherries just waiting to be used up had me craving this comfort food again. You can use two cups of any combination of berries instead of cherries if you like — blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries — next time I think I'll use strawberries and some rhubarb. You can also prepare the pudding cake well ahead of time and simply reheat it in the oven for 20 minutes to serve hot, although it's delicious at room temperature or even right out of the refrigerator.

Cherry Pudding Cake

Easy, soft and moist cherry pudding cake — a simple and comforting dessert Print this recipe Ingredients: 2 cups fresh or frozen cherries, pitted and chopped 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 cup unbleached white flour 2/3 to 1 cup white sugar or coconut sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup milk or plain yogurt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 cup boiling water Instructions: Preheat an oven to 350° and butter or grease an 8-inch baking pan. Toss the cherries with the cinnamon and lemon juice in a mixing bowl and pour into the prepared baking dish. In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, half of the sugar and baking powder. Stir in the milk and butter. Spoon the batter over the berries. Combine the remaining sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and sprinkle over the batter. Slowly pour the boiling water over the entire dish. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the pudding has risen and the top is golden brown. Serve hot or warm. Makes 4 to 6 servings

More easy desserts you will enjoy:

Corn and Green Pea Tomato Curry

I've grown tomatoes in planters in the backyard for the past several years, but this year the plants are yielding the most abundant crop yet. This of course means that I currently have an excess of tomatoes, so I am trying to focus on them when making meal plans. I may just have to dry them or preserve them in jars for the winter if they keep coming off the vine as fast as they have been lately.

In the meantime, my husband enjoys cutting the juicy fruits into slices and eating them sprinkled with sea salt and a little freshly cracked black pepper. And I have been adding tomatoes to salads, curries, salsas and dips and include them whenever in anything I can where they might be appropriate. The night that I made this simple vegetable curry was an oppressively hot and humid day when all I wanted was a light refreshing meal — especially after having eaten a rather large and heavy brunch. The occasion of having some beautiful local fresh sweet corn and garden peas was just the inspiration I needed to, for a light but zesty and extraordinarily flavorful dinner. The lovely contrasts in color are matched by the layers of sweet, tangy and spicy flavors and the pop-in-your-mouth bites of fresh corn and peas in a smooth and zesty tomato sauce.

I cooked up some quinoa to go along with the curry and served it all up with a few poppadums for a perfect light summer meal that made good use of local produce too. Feel free to included whatever vegetables you may have on hand, adjusting the liquid component and cooking time accordingly.

Corn and Green Pea Tomato Curry

Simple, light and zesty Indian-style tomato and vegetable curry with fresh sweet corn and peas popping in your mouth Print this recipe Ingredients: 2 ears fresh corn or 2 1/2 cups frozen corn 2 teaspoons oil or butter 1 large shallot or small onion, finely chopped 1 medium carrot, diced 3 red or green chilies, seeded and finely chopped 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced or grated 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri or other chili powder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pinch of asafetida 1 large tomato, partially seeded and finely chopped 1 cup fresh or frozen peas generous handful of fresh parsley or cilantro, trimmed and chopped 1/2 teaspoon garam masala 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste Instructions: If using fresh corn, lightly roast the ears in their husks in a preheated 425° oven for 15 minutes. Cool and then pare the kernels from the cobs. Alternately, you can boil the ears for 5 minutes or until the corn is just tender. Set aside. Heat the oil or butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the shallot or onion and stir for 2 to 3 minutes to soften. Add the carrot and stir for another 2 to 3 minutes. Toss in the chilies and ginger, and continue to stir another 2 minutes. Add the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, cayenne and asafetida to the pan and stir for 30 seconds. Add the tomato. If using fresh peas, add them now as well. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until the tomato starts to thicken. Now add the corn and half of the parsley or cilantro. If using frozen peas, add them now. Continue to simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the corn and peas are tender but still plump. Stir in the garam masala and sea salt, and let simmer for another minute. Stir in the remaining parsley or cilantro. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot with fresh cooked white rice or quinoa. Makes 4 servings