Green Tomato Relish

It is officially Autumn here in good 'ol Provo, Utah which means that it's time to crank up the thermostat, break out the sweaters, and harvest all of the leftover green tomatoes left on my vine outside the kitchen. If you are like me and have a tomato vine full of semi-ripened tomatoes that you hate to see lost to the autumn frosts, OR if you'd just like an alternative to the preservative-laden and overly sugared condiments sold in the grocery store, this recipe is a life saver.
I took the recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Farm Girl. You can click on that link to get the recipe, or you can keep on reading here. I changed mine slightly because I wanted a product that more closely resembled sweet pickle relish, since my 7 year old won't eat tuna fish sandwiches without it. If you want a more savory, salsa-like relish, stick with Farm Girl's original recipe. What I ended up with is a slightly spicy, flavorful, tangy relish with a mild texture. It was extremely easy and fun to make (the aforementioned 7 year old and I spent the afternoon chopping and mixing- one of our favorite family activities). I'm looking forward to cooking with it.


Farmgirl Susan's No Sugar Green Tomato Relish
Makes about 3 pints
Recipe may be doubled; increase cooking time by 10-15 minutes

2 lb. green tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 lb. white or yellow onions, chopped
3/4 lb. sweet red peppers, cored and chopped
1/2 lb. tart cooking apples, such as 'Granny Smith', cored and chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup 5% acidic organic raw apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt
4 jalapeno peppers, roasted, cored, seeded if desired, and finely chopped (optional)
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
2 Tablespoons honey

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Progressive Meal Plans

I've been playing around a lot lately with the idea of progressive meals. I'm not talking about the church dinner socials where you travel from one home to the next for each course. I'm talking about the idea of starting off with one entreé and over the course of a few days making different meals out of it. Here is my favorite so far, a.k.a. "how to feed a family of 4 for 3 days in a row with a single chicken."
You can pick up a rotisserie chicken at most grocery stores for around $7. They are delicious and pre-cooked and are great for working moms who don't have a lot of time to prepare an elaborate spread after work. (As a middle-school teacher I REALLY appreciate meals like these!).
They are relatively nutritious and most people with special dietary regimens can eat them. Plus, I can usually stretch one chicken out into about 3-4 different meals for my family of 4.

The first night I usually just serve the roast chicken with some mashed potatoes (I cook the potatoes in the microwave on high for about 10 minutes, turning once, then slice them into bits and mash them- ta da! Homemade mashed potatoes in under 20 minutes!) and some greens. We use up most of the breast meat and the drumsticks doing this.

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Presto Pesto Chicken Pizza

Yields 8 slices

1 ready to bake 12” pizza crust or mini crusts as pictured above (like Boboli or Mamma Mary’s)

1-2 Tbs olive oil

1 packet creamy pesto sauce or regular pesto sauce (prepared- about 1 cup)

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Approx. ½ pound cooked chicken breast (shredded or cubed)

1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts

1 small jar roasted red peppers

Preheat oven to 450⁰F.  Place pizza crust on baking sheet and brush with olive oil, making sure to brush to the edges. Spread prepared pesto sauce over crust and top with chicken and ¾ of the cheese. Arrange artichoke hearts and roasted peppers on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Reduce oven temperature to 425⁰F.  Bake for 7-10 minutes or until crust reaches desired amount of browning. Cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve and enjoy!

TIP #1: I usually make this when I have baked chicken left over from a previous meal.

TIP #2: If I have any leftover ingredients after making this, I use them to make Mediterranean wraps or grilled sandwiches.