Vegetable Lasagna

If you were having trouble keeping up with all that squash and froze some for future use I have a recipe to use up that eggplant this week! It's so yummy, my dear husband requested it when he found out we were getting more eggplant. He says, "It's doesn't sound like it should be good but it is!" I got the recipe from America's Test Kitchen awhile back and have modified it since.

Microwaved eggplant doesn't look awesome
but does amazing things for this dish.

 One of the strangest steps in this recipe is actually key. Microwaving the eggplant stops it from getting super soggy with oil and liquids from the other vegetables. 

Once everything is sauteed and combined you get this delicious filling:

After layering and baking the steps in this recipe really shine. I hope your family likes this dish as much as mine does. (PS. my lasagna is in the freezer for future cooking. I'll update with pictures once I bake it.)


Squash and Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients

4 oz. or 2 c. Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 c. cottage cheese, (I like whole milk here, but use whatever you like)

1 c. heavy cream (I said it was good, didn't say it was low-fat)

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 tsp. corn starch

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 lb. eggplant, peeled and diced

1 lb zucchini, diced

1 lb yellow squash, diced

5 tbsp. olive oil

12 oz. baby spinach, rough chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried)

3 c. tomato sauce (use your favorite)

12 no boil noodles 

12 oz. or 3 c. mozzarella, shredded 

Fresh basil

1. Mix the first 7 ingredients together and set aside.
2. Combine the eggplant with 1/2 tsp of salt and spread on a large microwave safe plate lined with a double layer of coffee filters. Microwave on high until shriveled and slightly dried, about 10 minutes, mix halfway through cooking. 
3. Combine the eggplant with the other squash in a large bowl. Add another 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 pepper. Heat a 12 inch nonstick skillet with 2 tbsp. oil over med. high heat. Saute 1/2 of the squash mixture until the vegetables are lightly browned. Set aside, heat 2 more tbsp. of oil and saute the other half. Add to the first.
4. In the still hot pan at the last tbsp. of oil, saute the spinach until wilted, add the garlic and thyme and heat until fragrant. Toss all of this with the squash.
5. Assemble the lasagna in a 9"x13" pan: 1 c. sauce, 4 noodles, 1/2 the veggies, 1/2 the cream sauce, 1 c. mozzarella, 4 noodles, 1 c. tomato sauce, the rest of the veggies, the rest of the cream sauce, 1 c. mozzarella, 4 noodles, the last of the tomato sauce, and the last cup of cheese.
6. Bake, covered, in a preheated 375 degree oven for 35-45 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil before serving.

Note: If you are using frozen squash, defrost and drain in a colander before going on with step 3. This dish may be frozen before baking. To cook, thaw and add 10 minutes to the cook time.

Spaghetti Squash Genius!

Oh beautiful winter squashes. A couple of weeks back we got a lovely spaghetti squash in our share. A little happy dance happened when I got home as it is one of my FAVORITE alternatives to eating pasta (oh insulin resistance, I could totally live without you). A couple of days later I had the sad day of cutting it open only to find it rotten. Blessedly we were able to get another squash a week or so after that that has been sitting on my counter waiting for the perfect pairings - well, that and for us to finish eating what I hadn't frozen of the summer squashes.

Today was the glorious day when I dove in an made some deliciousness. My lovely friend brought over some beautiful tomatoes from her garden. Remember the recipe for Tomato Basil Spaghetti well replace the spaghetti with roasted squash, add some shrimp and omit the Parmesan (or not) and you get this fabulous dish: 

Tomato Basil and Shrimp Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

1 med. Spaghetti Squash

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 small onion, sliced very thin

1 small cubanelle pepper, halved and sliced thin

2 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed

1 lb fresh tomatoes, small diced

8 oz. raw shrimp

1/4 c. fresh basil, chiffonade

salt and pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash lengthwise and place on a cookie sheet. Roast for 45-50 minutes or until fork tender. Shred with a fork and set aside.

In the last 10 minutes or so of the roasting, heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet on medium. Add the onion and pepper, saute until translucent. Add the garlic and tomatoes, bring to a simmer. Add the shrimp in one layer, when they are just cooked on one side, flip and add the spaghetti squash and basil to the pan. Turn off the heat and toss with 1/2 tsp of salt, a few grinds of pepper and a good measure of high quality EVOO. Enjoy.

Vegan Bean and Summer Squash Chili

We have meatless Friday's in our house. It can be challenging to find things that my family would enjoy that were different from week to week. My husband loves chili and we had a ton of squash one year so I came up with this variation on my chili recipe.

Diced up peppers (you can use any combination from this weeks share, though if you throw in the Anaheim peppers cut back on the chili powder), onion, and celery (I threw in some scallions to this batch). 

Time to add in the spices and the tomatoes. I used canned here because that's what I had on hand but fresh work just as well as long as you use equivalent weights.

Add the squash and simmer 15 minutes, then add in the beans.

Once it comes back to a simmer it's done :-) Serve over some brown rice if you like or just by itself. 

Vegan Bean and Summer Squash Chili

Ingredients

• 2 onions, about 2 c., chopped fine
• 3 peppers any color, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 cans, 28 oz., crushed tomatoes or fresh roma tomatoes pureed to the same weight
• 1 small can tomato paste, optional
• 3 tbsp - 1/3 c. chili powder (I like the 1/3 c.)
• 2 tbsp. cumin
• 2 tbsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. dried leaf oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. coriander, optional
• 2 vegan boullion cubes (mine prepare 4 c. of liquid) such as Not Chicken Broth
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 lb. dry kidney beans, cooked (or 2 cans of kidney beans)
• 1 lb. summer squash, diced (seeded is good too)

Directions

In a large pot, or dutch oven, saute the onions, pepper, and celery until the onions are translucent.
Add the tomato products, bouillon and spices and bring to a simmer (do not over salt at this point most vegetable broths are VERY salty you can always add more salt at the end if you need it).
Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced squash and simmer another 15 minutes. You can add a little water or the liquid from cooking the beans if the chili begins to look too thick at any point.
Add the beans. Bring this back to a simmer and serve over rice or by itself.

Teriyaki Pork Cabbage Wraps

Squash has been the name of the game this week.  Squash for lunch, squash for snacks, squash for dinner, squash for breakfast - yep, I tried it ;).

The Squash Tots I made on Sunday from The Curious Country cook were really good.  I used Parmesan cheese and Italian breadcrumbs.  They taste just like veggie meatballs - yum!!!

And the squash for breakfast . . .  If I could only recreate my husband's exasperated face!  I'm just using my resources honey! I made Naturally Ella's "Zucchini Bread Pancakes" (with the squash we had).  They weren't bad.  I would definitely use the fine shredder side next time we try these.  Then there would be less to chew!

The BIGGEST winner, however, has been the Cabbage Wraps.  (Which don't have squash in the title at all - maybe that's the win ;).

These babies are phenomenal!!

I've been making the pork for a few years now - it's a fabulous marinade.  1 part soy sauce, 1 part Maple syrup to 1/2 part lime juice and throw in some garlic, salt and pepper.  This is awesome on pork chops and chicken.  The first time I made it was for camping.  We went shopping a few days before and I stuck the pork in the marinade in the freezer.  By the time we wanted to cook it, it had thawed beautifully in the cooler and grilled up in a yummy way.  Last time we went on a meat hall to Sam's, Frank and I packaged some cubed pork in a Food Saver bag so it'd be good to go.  I defrosted it and thought . . . hmmm . . . this would be good with some squash!

I sauteed up the squash with some onion, salt and pepper, then added the marinated pork.  We steamed up some rice, washed some cabbage leaves and got out the hoisin sauce.  Don't pass it up - this stuff is awesome!!

When your meat is fully cooked and your rice is steamed, assemble your goodness:

• Spread Hoisin sauce on your cabbage leaf
• Add a bit of rice
• Finish off with the pork/squash mix
• Enjoy!

Kale Potato Short Ribs & Zucchini Squash Spaghetti

Kale, Potato Short Ribs

One bunch Kale }
5-6 new potatoes }  From our Fiat Farms CSA
2 small onions   }
1 qt broth, garlic, cumin, aji panca (peruvian red pepper paste), salt, pepper

Cooked in crock pot for 10 hrs on low.

 

Zucchini Squash Spaghetti

Original recipe found here

 

How we did it...

 

We started by grating two yellow squash and our one zucchini.  At the same time we were boiling and pot of water and cooking a 13oz package of whole wheat spaghetti.

 

Next we prepped the 2tbs lime juice, zest of one lime chopped, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup thinly sliced basil.

 

 

Heat 2 tbs oil in a large skillet and sautee 2 minced cloves of garlic until fregrant(~30sec).  Add zucchini and squash until wilted (~1min), stir in lime juice for 1 min.  Lastly, take everything off the heat, mix together, and serve with a little extra parmesan and olive oil sprinkled on top.

 

 



13oz whole wheat spaghetti
2 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 zucchini juilenned
1-2 yellow squash juilenned
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs fresh lime juice
1 tbs lime zest chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sliced basil

1) boil water and cook paste until al dente
2) Heat oil in large skillet and sautee garlic until fregrant (30sec).  Add zucchini and squash until wilted (1min).  Pour in lime juice and cook 1 min longer.  Season with salt and pepper.  Take off heat.
3) Stir all ingredients together.  Top with parmesan and olive oil.

Zucchini Bread

I may as well get this out of the way - Zucchini Bread. By far this is my family's favorite treat. The versatility of this recipe is awesome because you can substitute a wide variety of squashes for the zucchini including pumpkin puree. The spices are warm and inviting. Yes, their is sugar involved but, this treat is loaded with natural vitamins and minerals that you will never get out of something from the store in a box. So here we go:

First step: weigh your squash. This is super important. \While 2 small zucchini are about a pound the amount of zucchini significantly affects the recipe.

 As you can see, I have about 1 1/2 pounds here, so my recipe will be multiplied by 1.5. Next cut off the stem end and split in half. This is only so that it goes into the food processor... if you use a box grater you may just leave the squash whole. 

Next the food processor goes to work. Oh, how I love how quickly it gets the job done!

Next get the dry ingredients together. I use white whole wheat flour. You can use any combination of AP (all purpose) and whole wheat you desire. My family is used to the texture and flavor that the white whole wheat flour provides baked goods now. 

The dry ingredients get set aside as we prep the wet. The butter needs to be melted and then cooled. Mix together with the sugar and molasses as seen here.

One by one mix in the eggs until mixture is fully incorporated and light in color. Add vanilla if you so desire.

Take the wet mix and slowly fold into the dry. Do not fully mix this... there will still be a lot of the dry mixture visable when it's time to add the zucchini.

See here comes the zucchini. Gently fold this together until it's homogeneous. 

Like this. Now this can either be baked as a loaf or as muffins, which is what I chose this time.

1/3 c. of batter in each of the cups and then into a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes (45-55 if in a loaf). BTW - yes that is a broken pizza stone in the bottom of my oven. I like even heat :-)

Once a toothpick in the center of the muffin/loaf comes out clean, let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling (if they last that long). 

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

16 oz. zucchini

10 oz. (about 2 c.) of white whole wheat flour

2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ginger, 1/2 tsp. clove)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

4 tbsp. butter

7 oz. (about 1 c.) white sugar

1 tbsp molasses (optional)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

3/4 c. of chopped nuts, rasins or dried cranberries

Directions

1. Heat an over to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan. Shred the zucchini. Set aside
2. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients.
3. In medium bowl melt and cool the butter. Blend with the sugar and molasses (if using) then add the eggs one by one and mix until smooth and light in color.
4. Add the wet mixture into the dry and slowly fold until the mixture is shaggy, with dry flour still present. Add the zucchini and any add in that desire. Fold until thoroughly combined.
5. Pour into a loaf pan and place in the middle of the oven for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with only a few dry crumbs. 
6. Cool in the pan 10 minutes and then on a cooling rack until room temperature. 

Here Comes Week 2

Once again I picked up for two family's this week. One share of produce this week:

 Add the second family's in and I have quite a lot of work cut out for me:

So the take, Napa cabbage, zucchini, radishes, beets, onions, "zephir" yellow squash, head lettuce. I knew I was going to be doing a lot of washing, chopping, blanching and freezing so a pot of water went on to boil, sheet pans lined with kitchen towels and I got down to work.

I started my prep by removing the greens from the radishes (save for stock or add to compost) and beets. The radishes got covered in water and placed in the fridge for eating. My friend's share may find a quick pickle treatment for storage.

Beet greens get blanched and frozen just like the kale and chard. They are very good I hear prepared like mustard and collard greens. I tend to give them to my friends as my family won't eat them. The beets themselves are going to get roasted today. I've never had them before and this sounded simplest for prep and serving. And it appears you need to thoroughly cook beets before freezing.

As for the summer squash (both zucchini and the zephir), my friends share got diced, blanched and frozen. I have never blanched squash before freezing but according to The National Center for Home Food Preservation it's a must. Since I was blanching so many other things it wasn't a big deal to add to the rotation.






I shredded both heads of cabbage blanched and froze those as well. All and all it was about an hours worth of work, but totally worth it to have all those veggies prepped and ready.

Favorite thing to do with frozen diced squash? Veg. Enchiladas!

Black Bean and Squash Enchiladas: 

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp. oil

1 onion, minced

1 bell pepper, any color

1 zucchini (about 8 oz.), diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely minced

2 1/2 cups of your favorite enchilada sauce

2 cups of your favorite cheese, divided and shredded or crumbled (cheddar, colby jack, feta, queso fresco all work well)

1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped (parsley or spinach can be subsituted)

1 small can of chopped green chilis

12 6-inch corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a 12 inch skillet set to med. high, heat 1 tbsp. oil and saute the onion pepper and zucchini. Once everything is soft and lightly browned remove from heat and add the garlic to the pan.
3. In a large bowl lightly mash the black beans, some should remain hole. Add 1/2 c. of the enchilada sauce, 1 c. cheese (a melting cheese is preferred here), the cilantro, chilis and the contents of the skillet. Gently fold together. Taste for salt and pepper.
4. Warm the tortillas in a microwave (about 1 - 2 min. on high works for me) then assemble the enchiladas. Place 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in a 9x13" pan. Take a warm tortilla, place about 1/3 c. of the filling in the center and roll up. Place seem side down in the pan. Continue rolling and placing the tortillas until the pan is tightly packed. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake in the over for 45 mins. to 1 hour. Serve hot.