Roasted Tomato Soup
IT’S TOMATO SEASON And just in case you don’t believe me – take a look at my counter!! I love tomatoes and at this point I am still enjoying them and all of their bounty (from our garden & the CSA) – so I am …
Tag: veggies
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 …
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 did!
We are lucky that our neighbors still like us enough to be sharing their zucchini and other garden goodies (and they are on vacation so we are getting all of their bounty). I am a HUGE fan of Hummus (great after school snack with some veggies) so I had a feeling that I would be really enjoy this. Turn on your oven, roast those veggies, enjoy the smells & get ready to dip!
Zucchini Baba Ganoush
Adapted from Bittersweet Blog – variation of Baba Ganoush
- 1 1/2 Pounds Zucchini (About 1 – 2 Large or 3 Medium)
- 6 – 8 Garlic Cloves, Separated From the Head but Not Peeled
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, Plus Additional to Garnish
- Pinch [Table] Salt and Black Pepper
- < 2 Tablespoons Sesame Tahini
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1/4 Teaspoon Smoked Salt (I just used regular salt & a drip or 2 of liquid smoke)
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds, spread a little olive oil on the foil, the lay your zucchini in an even (non-overlapping) layer & drizzle some more olive oil & salt/pepper on top of the zucchini. Place the whole cloves of garlic grouped in the center of the sheet so that they don’t burn. Roast for 30 minutes, until the zucchini are nicely browned. Let cool.
Once the vegetables have come to room temperature, peel the garlic cloves, and toss them into your food processor along with the roasted zucchini. Add in the tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and smoked salt. Pulse to combine, until you create a rough and chunky sort of paste. You don’t want it to be smooth. It should take about 5 – 10 pulses.
Sample the tastes & adjust as needed (I should have added a bit more salt, since I didn’t have the right type I suppose). Transfer the finished dip into an air-tight container, and for the best flavor: let it set in the fridge for a few hours (or even better: overnight). Serve with an additional drizzle of olive oil over the top, if desired.
Makes 1 1/2 – 2 Cups
One Year Ago: Sushi @ Home
And I leave you with this, today’s Question of the day… What is your favorite dip or thing to dip? For Me: depending on the day or my mood I love Hummus or Ranch or Salsa (all with veggies so I don’t feel guilty). So what do you love!?
Zucchini, Eggplant, & Tomato Casserole
WARNING: You house will smell AWESOME while this is cooking, so you will be hungry while this bakes
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 is a lighter version and also nice & healthy because some of your filling is a super healthy zucchini.
Feel free to adapt this as needed – I really think that this is one of those recipes where the ingredient amounts (and even what you put in) are totally up to you!
So its time to get creative with Stuffed Peppers… Make this vegetarian by leaving out the sausage. No Orzo – no problem, use brown rice. Want it more spicy: add it. You get the idea. Get out in the garden & then get into the kitchen!
Zucchini, Orzo & Sausage Stuffed Peppers
(Adapted from Pure & Organic – makes 2 pepper halves, I made a total of 4 peppers halved when I made this and doubled (?) the recipe)
- 1/2 cup of orzo
- 2 sausage links, squeezed out of the casings (OR about 1/4 lb ground sausage)
- 1/4 an onion, minced
- 1 – 2 cloves minced garlic
- pinch of red chili flakes
- splash of wine (red, white, whatever’s open)
- 1 medium zucchini, grated
- 1/2 cup of tomato sauce OR small can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup Asiago OR Parmesan cheese,(fresh from a block – microplaned)
- 1 peppers, halved, ribs and seeds removed
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cook your orzo about a minute shy of the package directions. Drain and set aside. Begin to brown your sausage in a large saute pan with a drizzle of olive oil. When the sausage is just about cooked through, add the onion and chili flakes. Allow the onion to soften and become translucent, just a couple of minutes. Then deglaze the pan with a good splash of wine, making sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. Add the zucchini and tomato sauce and let cook for another minute or two, until the zucchini starts to soften. Turn off the heat and stir the cooked orzo your grated cheese. Taste & adjust seasoning as necessary.
When you set your peppers into a pan, make sure they are setting flat (either in a loaf pan OR by slicing a tiny bit off of the bottom [being sure to not leave a hole in the bottom of your pepper]) OR set the peppers into their own little foil beds in the pan. Arrange the pepper halves upon the oven-bound vessel of your choosing and sprinkle the insides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stuff (tightly) the sausage and orzo mixture into each pepper half. Feel free to pile it up. Once your peppers are stuffed, put some more grated cheese atop the peppers and pop them in the oven for anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on your desired level of pepper doneness. It was perfect for us at about 20 minutes – the peppers still have a crispness to them, if you like them softer – feel free to do it that way!
* Any extra stuffing is great the next day on its own or even over some pasta!
And I leave you with this, today’s Question of the Day… What is your favorite food to stuff (shells, peppers, tomatoes, etc) AND what do you love to stuff them with?