The end of summer is a perfect time to highlight Colorado's glorious produce. And glorious it is.
Palisade peaches from High Country Orchards and Kokopelli Farms should not be missed. They were perfect this year.
Sweet and juicy, they were some of the best I remember in a long time.
Colorado kale from Full Circle Farms and heirloom tomatoes from Dooley Farms were often on my dinner table, along with subtle encouragement to Manservant to eat his veggies.
And now I'm trying to get the last of the Olathe corn and sweet cantaloupe.
Boo hoo. I can't believe the end is near and wonder how it came so fast. Oh-summer I will miss you.
I will miss your corn and tomatoes and cherries. Your chilies and zucchini and kale. And thank goodness for one last weekend of eating.
That's one reason I love Labor Day. I still get a chance to squeeze all of summer's bounty into three last official days of summer. (OK, maybe these are my last official days of summer...)
Yes, there's still time to bake a fresh peach cobbler, while making applesauce from the fallen apples from my tree.
That tree is certainly a giving tree and I have more apples than I know what to do with. We can't pick them up fast enough! But apples signal Fall, and I'm not quite there yet.
Tomatoes are at their peak and since I'm making up for not eating tomatoes in my childhood years, I decided to give you this great tomato recipe for a unique tomato sandwich. (For lack of a better title, this is what I came up with.)
I couldn't decide which tomatoes to buy; there were so many to choose from.
I made it easy on myself though. I just chose my favorite colors!
Zucchini is everywhere and chilies are beginning their short season.
I spotted a few fresh roasted ones last week at Whole Foods and I know if I drove to Federal, the aroma of roasting chilies would be everywhere.
Corn is still smelling and looking good, so I thought what better way to end summer than combining many of my favorite veggies.
I know you will like this calabacitas tomato sandwich.
My father in law declared it disgustingly healthy, but then was pleasantly surprised to discover its salsa cream cheese filling.
It is a pretty dish to serve your family and friends and quick and easy to prepare.
I love its subtle spice, and adore the creamy filling. And even if it is disgustingly healthy, no one need ever know!
Labor Day Feast Recipes:
Apricot, Blue Cheese and Chorizo Appetizer
Buttery Garlic, Parmesan Potato Chips
Red Onion, Blueberry and Pesto Tart
Zucchini Chips
Old Fashion BBQ Chicken
Grilled And Lightly Smoked Peruvian Chicken
Kale Salad with cherries, Almonds and Feta
Farro Summer Salad with Grilled Veggies
Elote Corn in a Bowl
Real Potato Salad
My Mom's Secret Cole Slaw
Blackberry, Blueberry, Basil and Browned Butter Cobbler
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake
Please Pin and Share!
Recipe
Calabacitas Tomato Sandwich
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main Course or Side Dish
- Cuisine: Mexican/American
Description
Calabacitas tomato sandwich is perfect summer food, especially if you have tomatoes in the garden!
Ingredients
2 T olive oil
1 c chopped onion
3 minced garlic cloves
4 c fresh corn OFF the cob
4 c sliced and quartered zucchini
1 chopped jalapeno (I left the seeds in!)
2 c buttermilk
1 4 oz can drained green chilies or Hatch chilies
1 t oregano
1 t salt
Fresh black pepper to taste
Salsa Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 t garlic powder
1 t oregano
½ c grated cheddar
1 T salsa
3-4 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced into 12 thick slices
Sprinkle of oregano, salt and pepper
2 T Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
Heat 2 T olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Ad onions an garlic and cook until translucent. Turn heat own to medium. Add corn, zucchini and jalapeno and cook about 5 minutes or until veggies have softened. Add buttermilk and simmer mixture on low about 15 minutes. (Vegetables should still have a bit of bite to them.) Stir in green chilies, oregano and salt to season.
Preheat oven to 350. While mixture is cooking, prepare filling. Stir softened cream cheese with seasonings and cheese. Stir in salsa to thin out mixture so that it is easily dolloped on tomatoes.
Slice tomatoes into 12 thick slices. Place 6 slices into an oiled dish. Top each slice with a heaping tablespoon of filling. Then top with a large spoonful of calabacitas, drained if necessary. Top with a slice of tomato. Sprinkle with some grated parmesan, oregano and salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes. The tomatoes will be softened and the cream cheese filling should be warmed and oozing goodness.
chef Mimi says
wow! Well this is fun! Can't wait to see what you're up to...
Thomas Murphy says
I follow you on pinterest as rounder9834
rounder9834 @yahoo.com
Thomas Murphy says
2- I am a email subscriber as rounder9834 @yahoo.com
Thomas Murphy says
1- I am a email subscriber as rounder9834 @yahoo.com
Thomas Murphy says
I like corn on the cob in the summer.
rounder9834 @yahoo.com
Amanda Sakovitz says
pinterest follower mandy375
Amanda Sakovitz says
email subscriber 2
pokergrl8 at gmail.com
Amanda Sakovitz says
email subscriber 1
pokergrl8 at gmail.com
Amanda Sakovitz says
I love avocado!
pokergrl8 at gmail.com
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
Can you believe I've not had one single Colorado peach this year. Sheesh, moving has been more time consuming that I imagined. This looks good Abbe.
DeniseL says
And I follow on pinterest as deniseleb.
DeniseL says
I'm a subscriber.
[email protected]
DeniseL says
I'm choosing tomatoes. I know, I know they are really fruits.
Elle says
I follow on pinterest.
Elle says
My favorite summer veggies are green beans.
prettyinhotpink6 at gmail dot com
Dee says
I follow you on pinterest as deeg131.
deeg131 at gmail dot com
Dee says
I am an email subscriber.
deeg131 at gmail dot com
Dee says
My favorite summer vegetable is squash and corn on the cob! 🙂
deeg131 at gmail dot com
Biz says
I am following you on Pinterest - I thought I actually was, but now signed up 😀
Hope you had a great long weekend!
Guru Uru says
Yum, I love this sandwich's filling a lot - yes 'sandwich' 😛
It looks so springy and delicious!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Calli W says
squash is my favorite!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
I don't think I've seen a dish quite like this one. Fun!!!! I like new. The list of ingredients tell me this is a happenin' dish.
Alicia Boyde says
following on Pinterest my user name is faitcamofthree 🙂
Alicia Boyde says
subscribed to emails!
Alicia Boyde says
Summer squash is my favorite!! <3
dentistvschef says
Lovely and comforting recipe.....
i can imagine the refreshing tangy tomato flavour on it!
Sharon D says
Great giveaway, Abbe. I love this 'healthy' version of a sandwich. It's good! ♥
Barb | Creative Culinary says
I'm with you Abbe; almost in tears at the end of summer produce. NOTHING coming up compares. I'm out today to find some more peaches; they have been SO fantastic! Tomatoes and corn together in this dish are killing me! I just went to a luncheon about all the fabulous offerings our state has and you've highlighted much of what they did...aren't we lucky?
lil_lady_dz says
I subscribe via email under name: lil_lady_dz yahoo account
lil_lady_dz says
I Follow you on Pinterest: pinterest.com/lilladydz
lil_lady_dz says
My favorite summer vegetable is zucchini. We grow it every year in our garden.
Nicole.ddziedzic at gmail dot com
Daraya Johnson says
I followed you via Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/darayaj)!
Daraya Johnson says
I'm already a subscriber! 🙂
annalana25(at)gmail(dot)com
JC says
Follow on Pinterest.
JC says
I'm a subscriber
JC says
I love sweet corn and zucchini in summer.
Angie Schneider says
A fantastic tomato sandwich with corn and salsa to celebrate the harvest, Abbe.
VP22 says
Not sure how much of a Summer vegetable it is but my favorite would be roasted corn.
Elena says
Follow you on Pinterest: pinterest.com/elena8
[email protected]
Elena says
I subscribe to your emails
[email protected]
Elena says
My favorite vegetable is tomato
[email protected]
Kitchen Riffs says
I love tomatoes! And as you know, our squirrels do too. So I've been buying loads of tomatoes lately, just so we get some. I'm fresh out, but will get some these weekend -- and should try this. Terrific dish. Perfect for one last summer tomato fling!
Georgette C says
I also follow on Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/ladygduran.
Georgette C says
I subscribe by email to the blog:
email address is
gigicoan at yahoo dot com
Georgette C says
My favorite summer vegetable (and I don't know if it's quite a "summer vegetable" but the only time I can find them is the summertime, so I think they may be?) is low-acid tomatoes...my stomach can't handle the acidity in regular ones...so I pretty much eat them only during the summer.
gigicoan at yahoo dot com
Liz Berg says
LOL at your FIL's initial comment. Leave it to family to tell us exactly what they think! Your sandwiches/tomato casserole does sound wonderful. I'm still dreaming of the peaches I ate off my sister's tree when I was in Denver. As far as veggies go, we can't get enough corn on the cob! I'll be picking up some more tomorrow. Have a terrific Labor Day weekend!!!
evanoff says
My favorite is Michigan sweet corn!
Nancy says
I also am a follower of your via Pinterest.
Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
latanya t says
pinterest follower as sweetums82
Nancy says
In addition, I am also an email subscriber.
Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
latanya t says
email subscriber
latanya t says
I love squash
Nancy says
Oh, how hard it is to pick just one summer vegetable! I love all summer vegetables! I'd have to say corn, since I love corn on the cob.
Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com