Tomatillo Salsa
Just the other day I was wishing that I had some Tomatillos because I was craving a green salsa! That day just happened to be a Friday and I was getting ready to go over to our CSA. Lo & Behold we got a pound …
Tag: veggies
Zucchini Baba Ganoush
Baba Ganoush is a traditional Mid Eastern dish – similar to Hummus, only instead of being made with Chick Peas – you make it with Eggplant. BUT – cooking is all about being creative, so when life hands you Zucchini you get creative like Hannah …
Zucchini, Eggplant, & Tomato Casserole
I do not remember seeing this in my Food & Wine (either that or I did not have lots of fresh veggies sitting around at the time so it didn’t catch my eye). Right now we (as I am sure you do too) have a lot of fresh veggies sitting around on the counter (and my counters are not too spacious, so it is making cooking even more challenging) – but it is a “problem”I am willing to face!! This casserole is so easily adaptable – do not feel the need to run out to the store to get any new ingredients! If you don’t have eggplant ’cause you didn’t grow it: leave it out! If you want to add some other veggies to roast – go for it!
WARNING: You house will smell AWESOME while this is cooking, so you will be hungry the whole time this is baking (so you might want to have a fresh dip & veggies or Cucumber Boats or something ready while this is cooking so you can not starve).
If anyone can figure out a way to bottle the smell of roasting veggies, please let me know! Or maybe even a candle that smells like veggies and garlic roasting in the oven could be awesome?!? In search of such an amazing item, I was browsing and found “The Roasted Vegetable” cookbook which will at least allow for the smells of roasted vegetables to fill the house every day, anyone own it/opinions?
Zucchini, Eggplant & Tomato Casserole
(as adapted from Food & Wine)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing and brushing
- 3 medium zucchini (1 1/2 pounds), sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
- 2 long, narrow eggplants (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced lengthwise 1/3 inch thick
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 pound plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup chopped basil
- 1/3 cup panko or coarse dry bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 425°. Oil 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Put the zucchini slices on one sheet and the eggplant on the other. Brush the slices all over with oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the slices on each sheet in a slightly overlapping layer. Bake for 15 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the shallot and cook over moderate heat until softened, 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat until slightly softened and bubbling, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Oil a large, shallow baking dish (about 10 by 15 inches). Lay half of the eggplant in the dish and spread one-fourth of the tomatoes on top. Scatter with half of the cheese and basil. Layer half of the zucchini on top, followed by another one-fourth of the tomato and the remaining basil, eggplant and zucchini. Top with the remaining tomato and cheese. Mix the panko with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 20 minutes, until bubbling and crisp. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve hot or warm (perfect for leftovers too)
And I leave you with this, today’s Survey Question of the Day… What smell[s] do you love to have filling the house?
Cucumber Boat Appetizer
This is the season of carefree entertaining and although I love me some roasted veggies (the house smells awesome from roasted veggies right now – look forward to those posts in the coming days & weeks) we don’t always want/need to heat up the house! This recipe easily serves 1 or 2 as an appetizer, but is obviously very easy to adapt for more. Just count (about) a whole cucumber person as you adapt this for your next gathering.
Zucchini, Tomato, Sausage & Orzo Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed Peppers – I am sure that many of you have a go-to recipe for these. How many of you have a Stuffed Pepper recipe that would help you use up some of the over-abundance of Zucchini you are now faced with!? Well, this recipe …
Zucchini Cakes with Jalapeno Ranch
Who needs to plant your own garden when you have good neighbors! I know that this time of year many people feel they are over-run with Zucchini – if you find yourself in this situation, then I am sure you are already being a good neighbor (as well as experimenting with lots of new recipes and growing tired of old favorites).
Our wonderful neighbors gave us quite a few zucchini last week (with more to come this week, but don’t worry – I’m prepared). I came across Just Putzing‘s recipe for Zucchini cakes & I love Crab Cakes (remember I even made those Asian Inspired ones recently) and decided this recipe would be a hit. She suggested serving it with some Ranch and to my delight, I stumbled across Brook’s awesome Jalapeno Ranch dressing.
These cakes were a little soggy, but I think the giant zucchini I was working with might have prevented me from squeezing enough liquid out – so I plan to make these again with the addition of some flour to soak up some of the moisture. Then the ranch has the flavor of the hot peppers, but not the heat so it is an awesome family-friendly variation on ranch (to which Rich added almost a whole habanero on his plate, you know – he is one of those type people!)
So get out in the garden and use some of those veggies for this figure-friendly vegetarian garden meal!
Zucchini Cakes
(Adapted from Just Putzing & from The Life’s Ambrosia)
- 1 large zucchini, grated
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- Salt/pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp spices (I used a mix of cumin/chili powder)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Remove excess liquid from freshly grated zucchini by placing them between paper towels and squeezing. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients & mix thoroughly.
Heat a large pan on medium-low, and spray with Pam. Shape spoonfuls of the zucchini batter into 2-inch (diameter) patties, and drop onto the sizzling pan. Cook each side for about a minute and half or until the outsiders are golden brown. Finish the cakes off in the oven — stick them on a baking pan and broil them for about 2 minutes. Serve hot, alone or with ranch dressing.
Creamy Jalapeno Ranch
(As adapted from See Brook Cook)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayo
- Juice of 1/2 lime (2 teaspoons?)
- 1 small bunch of chives (or 2 Tbsp dried)
- [small] handful cilantro
- 1-2 (or more) jalapenos, seeds and stem removed (or leave seeds in for a bit more heat)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk (optional, depending on texture desired)
Roughly chop the chives, cilantro, and jalapeno then place all of the ingredients except the buttermilk into a blender or food processor. Blend for 10 seconds and check the consistency, blend in buttermilk if desired. Store in an air-tight jar/container in the fridge.
And I leave you with Today’s Question… What garden vegetable do your have an overabundance of and either just can’t get enough of OR just can’t get rid of fast enough!