Week 11
Hello everyone,
We have nice heavy bags for all of you this week! Full of lots and lots of great veggies.
Here's the breakdown:
Cucumbers
Salad mix
Summer squash (assortment)
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Beans
Basil (variety)
Red Onions
Swiss Chard
Eggplant or Sweet Peppers
NOTE Although some of the peppers are long, red and pointy, they aren't hot - they're actually a variety of sweet pepper, though not one you would recognize from the grocery store. I'll always let you know if we give you hot peppers!
ZUCCHINI & SUMMER SQUASH
We include a variety of green zucchinis, a bright orange/yellow zucchini, a few different varieties of yellow summer squash including long ones with green bottoms, crookneck squash, and patty pan, or little scallop summer squash.
They all cook up about the same and have similar flavors, so feel free to mix and match!
Here are a bunch of recipes, and especially with a focus on summer squash/zucchini, since you're getting a lot of it right now. But it's only for a short season, so enjoy it! Savor it!
One of my favorite tastes of summer...
1) Swiss Chard with Chick Peas (aka Garbanzo beans) and Fresh Tomatoes
from Allrecipes.com
Serves 4
2 Tbsp olive oil 1 shallot or small onion, chopped 2 scallions, chopped ½ cup chickpeas, drained salt and pepper to taste 1 bunch Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped 1 tomato, sliced ½ lemon, juiced
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Stir in shallot/onion and scallions. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes until soft and fragrant. Stir in garbanzo beans, season with salt and pepper, and heat through.
Place chopped chard in the skillet, and cook until wilted. Add tomato slices, squeeze lemon juice over greens and heat through. Serve immediately.
2) Zucchini & Carrots with Walnuts
½ cup chopped walnuts 2 medium zucchini (or any summer squash) 2 large carrots, peeled 1 Tbsp olive oil ⅛ tsp thyme ¼ tsp salt ⅛ tsp black pepper
Toast the walnuts in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat (or in the oven - check your basic cookbook) stirring often, 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Tip out onto a plate and set aside. Wipe out the skillet.
Halve the zucchini lengthwise and cut the halves crosswise in two. Cut each piece into thin strips lengthwise. (I didn't write that - just copying from a recipe, I promise)
Use a vegetable peeler to cut long strips from the carrots (save the cores to use in another dish)
Heat the oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and sprinkle with the thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, tossing often, for 3 minutes or until nearly tender.
Add the zucchini and cook, tossing, for another 3-4 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with the walnuts.
3) Zucchini Cakes with Chutney
from the Flat Belly Diet cookbook 4 servings [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
2 lbs shredded zucchini 6 scallions, thinly sliced (or onion) 1 egg 1 tsp ground fennel ½ tsp salt ½ tsp pepper ½ cup flour ¼ cup grated Romano cheese ¼ cup canola oil, divided ½ cup prepared or store-bought mango chutney
Place zucchini and scallions in a large, cold, non-stick skillet and set over medium-high heat. Cook, tossing frequently for 5 minutes or until the zucchini give off some, if any, liquid. Transfer to a colander and drain, pressing with the back of spoon to squeeze of extra water. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Allow to cool to room temp. Wipe out the skillet.
Whisk the egg, fennel, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add the flour and cheese to the zucchini mixture. Toss. Add the egg mixture and toss again.
Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute, until sizzling. Place the zucchini mixture in 8 mounds in the pan (you may not fit all 8 at once). Flatten the mounds slightly with a spatula and cook for about 3 minutes or until well browned on the bottom. Carefully turn the cakes over and cook, reducing heat if needed, until well browned and cooked through. Remove to a platter. Repeat with remaining oil and zucchini mixture.
Serve cakes with chutney on the side.
Several good-sized summer squash (zucchini, yellow, patty pan, etc.) 2 beaten eggs 2 - 2½ cups Italian style bread crumbs Olive oil cooking spray 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese ½ cup Parmesan cheese 1 jar spaghetti sauce
Preheat oven to 425°F and spray cookie sheets with cooking spray.
Slice squash into ¼-inch thick rounds. Dip slices in the beaten eggs, then coat with the bread crumbs and place on the cookie sheets. Spray tops with oil.
Bake for 10 minutes, flip the slices over and bake another 10 minutes.
Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray and spoon a small amount of sauce into the pan.
Alternate layers of squash, mozzarella, Parmesan and sauce. For the last layer, just use sauce and top with Parmesan.
Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.
I'd love, love, love to hear what you're doing with your vegetables! Don't worry about sending a whole recipe, just send me a note with a few things you've done that you particularly liked -my email is:
Thanks and enjoy summer to the last drop!
Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm