We had three meals this past week using local products that I thought were worth noting. Although simple, they were so wonderful that I will be making them again and again and I wanted to share the details!

First, there was the layered veggie pasta bake. We had quite a few veggies that needed to be used so I threw them all into this meal! I am not calling it a lasagna because I did not use a tomato sauce, but I guess some might still consider it one. This dish starts with a layer of lasagna noodles placed on the bottom of the pan with one layer of tomatoes on top. Then add a single layer of each of quarter inch sliced eggplant, zucchini, and squash with a sprinkling of Asiago cheese and repeat. I was only able to do two layers like this! Finally, I topped the cheese with bread crumbs and caramalized onions...YUM! All the produce was local as well as the cheese and the breadcrumbs were homemade. The pasta was from a box, but my husband's and my next adventure is to make our own! For this recipe, I recommend seasoning the sliced veggies with sea salt, garlic powder, and cumin before layering. Also, it helps to boil the pasta for a couple of minutes first!

The second meal we had this week was homemade pizza! We love pizza and making it at home is so much better for us that we now have it more often than when we ordered it from a pizza place. Making it at home means we avoid all the grease, high fat cheeses, and low quality meats. I must say, this one is a keeper! First, my husband made the dough, pressed that out onto the baking sheet, and brushed it with EVOO. Next came the layer of thinly sliced slicer-tomatoes (which had been set out on a towel to drain some of the liquidoff). Here is the cool part. We then layered thin slices of yams and sunburst squash on top of the tomatoes. Not your run-of-the-mill pizza here! Lastly, we sprinkled a mix of Italian cheeses and herbs and topped it all with, our favorite, caramalized onions! Seriously, this was one of the best pizzas I have ever had. It is a must try for everyone!

The third delicious meal made with local products I wanted to talk about was the sandwiches we made last night. They started with my husband's homemade sandwich bread which we slathered with mayo (should have been homemade, but I didn't think of it until too late!) and sliced tomatoes. While he was doing that, I was lightly sauteing sweet onions and pan frying slices of zucchini and squash in EVOO. Once the squash and zucchini were browned on each side but still firm I set them on a plate to cool for a minute. Then we layered the veggies onto the bread and topped with local smoked cheddar cheese. The crisp veggies, melted cheese, and sweet tomatoes made this sandwich both healthy and memorable. We each ended up having two and wanting more!

So, if you find yourself in a rut trying to find new ways to use local products, try out these recipes. I am telling you, they are easy, healthy, and super scrumptious!

The Asiago and Smoked Cheddar cheeses used in these recipes are from St. Andrew's Bay Cheese company which is located in Havana, Florida and their products can be found at New Leaf Market.