At this time of year, we have had zucchini in so many ways. And the squash and the eggplant are still coming in strong. I have a favorite easy way to use up this bounty that can easily be adjusted to taste and whatever veggies are on hand. The first night we had this over pasta with some browned Italian sausage. I eat it a lot for lunch with a little feta on top. And I've used it as a pizza sauce and toppings. Last weekend I put some on an open faced roll and melted a little cheese on top. YUM! I love this ratatouille!
Crock Pot Ratatouille
Layer in a crock pot
1 large onion, sliced
1 large eggplant, cut into bite sized pieces
1-2 zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
1-2 yellow squash, cut into bite sized pieces
1-2 bell peppers, cut into bite sized pieces
8-16 ounces tomato sauce
Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Showing posts with label side dish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label side dish. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 21
Sunday, August 10
more zucchini ideas
I really love this time of year in my kitchen. The abundance of fresh produce makes last minute meal planning really simple. If I had the foresight to thaw some kind of meat, I can go from there, and if I didn't, then I quickly defrost a pound or two of ground beef, grab my big skillet and start throwing stuff in.
The last couple of weeks I have tried to have more of an idea in place. Did you see the new thing in my sidebar that says what's for dinner this week? Really that's there for me. I have a place to write down my plan that won't get misplaced or colored on or thrown out. Friday I was going crazy looking for my grocery list. I couldn't find it and had to make a new one. I did finally find my list. Duane had taken my notebook with my list to drawn some plans for his dream bathroom. lol
I am starting to dread Sunday nights. Since Duane has been doing construction, I pack a lunch for him in the mornings. And I like to send him out the door with some kind of breakfast thing too. That means on Sundays I need to make sure that I have all the stuff I need for that ready. Baking bread, mixing up chicken salad or tuna salad, and getting an egg casserole ready is on the list. By Sunday night I just want to sit down and relax. Not the plan these days.
Today we are going to some friends' after church to brew beer. (That sounds kind of odd doesn't it? That's the oddity of my life!) I am taking some crock pot meatballs. I found the easiest thing. I take the frozen meatballs, add a jar of chili sauce and a can of cranberry sauce. Yum. Totally easy too. I need to go get those in the crock pot come to think of it.
I am also taking zucchini brownies.
Oh, back to the title about more zucchini ideas. This week I was looking at recipes online and found an Italian type of zucchini thing. I sauteed onion, zucchini and garlic, mixed it with some spaghetti sauce and baked that with a little cheese on top until it was nice and bubbly. It was a nice side dish that was different. I also thought it had a lot of possibilities. Adding ground beef or TVP or pasta.
Friday night we had a similar dish. I cooked some cheese tortellini and put that in the bottom of a casserole dish, Then I covered that with the onion, zucchini, garlic and bell pepper mixed with spaghetti sauce. Again with the cheese on top. It was a nice casserole to eat while we watched the Olympics.
OK, have to get to baking now. More later.
The last couple of weeks I have tried to have more of an idea in place. Did you see the new thing in my sidebar that says what's for dinner this week? Really that's there for me. I have a place to write down my plan that won't get misplaced or colored on or thrown out. Friday I was going crazy looking for my grocery list. I couldn't find it and had to make a new one. I did finally find my list. Duane had taken my notebook with my list to drawn some plans for his dream bathroom. lol
I am starting to dread Sunday nights. Since Duane has been doing construction, I pack a lunch for him in the mornings. And I like to send him out the door with some kind of breakfast thing too. That means on Sundays I need to make sure that I have all the stuff I need for that ready. Baking bread, mixing up chicken salad or tuna salad, and getting an egg casserole ready is on the list. By Sunday night I just want to sit down and relax. Not the plan these days.
Today we are going to some friends' after church to brew beer. (That sounds kind of odd doesn't it? That's the oddity of my life!) I am taking some crock pot meatballs. I found the easiest thing. I take the frozen meatballs, add a jar of chili sauce and a can of cranberry sauce. Yum. Totally easy too. I need to go get those in the crock pot come to think of it.
I am also taking zucchini brownies.
Oh, back to the title about more zucchini ideas. This week I was looking at recipes online and found an Italian type of zucchini thing. I sauteed onion, zucchini and garlic, mixed it with some spaghetti sauce and baked that with a little cheese on top until it was nice and bubbly. It was a nice side dish that was different. I also thought it had a lot of possibilities. Adding ground beef or TVP or pasta.
Friday night we had a similar dish. I cooked some cheese tortellini and put that in the bottom of a casserole dish, Then I covered that with the onion, zucchini, garlic and bell pepper mixed with spaghetti sauce. Again with the cheese on top. It was a nice casserole to eat while we watched the Olympics.
OK, have to get to baking now. More later.
Tuesday, July 29
Zucchini Corn Casserole
My neighbor gave me the recipe yesterday. I had to make some adjustments based on what we had on hand, but we really enjoyed it.
Zucchini Corn Casserole
saute
1 onion in 2 Tbsp olive oil til softened
stir in
4 c sliced zucchini
2 cloves minced garlic
allow that to cook down a little
add 1/4 c chopped peppers (I used anaheims, the original called for chiles that I didn't have defrosted)
4 c frozen corn, defrosted (the original was a can of creamed corn, but I used what I had)
allow that to cook and reduce about 10 minutes
remove from heat and stir in 4 beaten eggs and 1/2 shredded sharp cheddar cheese
pour into prepared casserole, cover with another 1/2 c shredded cheese
bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until hot and bubbly
Zucchini Corn Casserole
saute
1 onion in 2 Tbsp olive oil til softened
stir in
4 c sliced zucchini
2 cloves minced garlic
allow that to cook down a little
add 1/4 c chopped peppers (I used anaheims, the original called for chiles that I didn't have defrosted)
4 c frozen corn, defrosted (the original was a can of creamed corn, but I used what I had)
allow that to cook and reduce about 10 minutes
remove from heat and stir in 4 beaten eggs and 1/2 shredded sharp cheddar cheese
pour into prepared casserole, cover with another 1/2 c shredded cheese
bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until hot and bubbly
Saturday, July 26
cucumbers
mmmmm...that was a new thing this week from our farm share. We got "slicers" this week. Those are what we typically think of as eating cucumbers. I like pickling cucumbers to eat too, but they weren't ready yet. I don't know that I plan on making many pickles this year. I made soooo many pickles last year and we still have quite a few. That way I can hopefully focus my energy somewhere else.
I took advantage of the cucumbers by making a big batch of my Grandma Joy's cucumbers and onions. It's one of those things that everyone has their own way of making. I like this version because the cukes and onions soak in salt water for 24 hours first. That really helps them to last a long time. My Grandma uses a lot of sugar in hers, but I don't add nearly that much. The bad part of that recipe is that it's 48 hours before we can eat them.
I made a batch of cucumber sunomo to eat in the meantime. It's the Japanese version of the recipe I guess. Here's my recipe for it.
Cucumber Sunomo
In a covered contained put
2 large cucumbers, sliced
Pour over the cucumbers
1/3 c rice wine vinegar
4 tsp sugar (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
about an inch of shredded gingerroot
Chill for 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.
I use white sugar here because I want it to totally dissolve. More natural sugars would work too, I just use white here. And for my ginger, I buy a gingerroot, peel it, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it. That's a trick from Rachel Ray. I like to do it that way because the ginger just kind of melts into whatever it's going into.
I took advantage of the cucumbers by making a big batch of my Grandma Joy's cucumbers and onions. It's one of those things that everyone has their own way of making. I like this version because the cukes and onions soak in salt water for 24 hours first. That really helps them to last a long time. My Grandma uses a lot of sugar in hers, but I don't add nearly that much. The bad part of that recipe is that it's 48 hours before we can eat them.
I made a batch of cucumber sunomo to eat in the meantime. It's the Japanese version of the recipe I guess. Here's my recipe for it.
Cucumber Sunomo
In a covered contained put
2 large cucumbers, sliced
Pour over the cucumbers
1/3 c rice wine vinegar
4 tsp sugar (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
about an inch of shredded gingerroot
Chill for 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.
I use white sugar here because I want it to totally dissolve. More natural sugars would work too, I just use white here. And for my ginger, I buy a gingerroot, peel it, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it. That's a trick from Rachel Ray. I like to do it that way because the ginger just kind of melts into whatever it's going into.
Friday, July 11
Zucchini Pancakes
A holdover from our low-carb, Atkins days. I'm not sure which one of those cook books this came from originally. This is a savory side dish that my family absolutely inhales!
Zucchini Pancakes
1 c grated zucchini
salt
Put the zucchini in a colander with a sprinkle of salt and allow it to drain for 30 minutes. Squeeze out all the excess water and blot with clean kitchen towel.
In a large bowl, combine the batter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp water
2 Tbsp grated parmesan
1 Tbsp flour
lots of black pepper
1 tsp dried basil (or even more to taste)
the drained zucchini
In a non-stick skillet (or on a griddle), melt 1 Tbsp butter with 1 Tbsp olive oil until foaming. Drop the batter by Tablespoons onto the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned. Turn over and brown the other side. Pile the pancakes on a platter, salt lightly and serve.
Zucchini Pancakes
1 c grated zucchini
salt
Put the zucchini in a colander with a sprinkle of salt and allow it to drain for 30 minutes. Squeeze out all the excess water and blot with clean kitchen towel.
In a large bowl, combine the batter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp water
2 Tbsp grated parmesan
1 Tbsp flour
lots of black pepper
1 tsp dried basil (or even more to taste)
the drained zucchini
In a non-stick skillet (or on a griddle), melt 1 Tbsp butter with 1 Tbsp olive oil until foaming. Drop the batter by Tablespoons onto the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned. Turn over and brown the other side. Pile the pancakes on a platter, salt lightly and serve.
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