Vegetables

Spaghetti Squash Pie 2

Published at In Category Blog, Recipes, Spaghetti Squash, Vegetables Tags:

Yay – spaghetti squash!

Here’s your plan of attack. Wash it. Cut it in half, scrape out the seeds and strings as you would any squash and cook. Microwave: arrange the halves in a microwave-proof dish and lightly cover with waxed paper and cook at high for about 6 minutes. Test squash – it’s done when squash is softened and flesh can be separated into “noodles” using a fork. Oven: arrange halves on a rimmed baking sheet, cut side down and bake at 375 for 30 to 40 minutes. Same test for doneness. In either case, let squash cool slightly before separating into strands.

Now – use the no-cook pasta sauce above and you have a low-carb dinner, or try something completely different and bake a pie.

This is a recipe I tested for the AJC. It comes from a friend for whom this is an old family favorite.

Pasta with Fresh NoCook Tomato Sauce

Published at In Category Blog, Recipes, Tomatoes, Vegetables Tags:

So many tomatoes! And in their travels from farm to us, a few of them got bruised along the way.

Here’s my general plan of attack for tomatoes. I sort through them and set aside the ones that are perfect and will live to be enjoyed another day.

For the ones with bruises and the occasional very soft spot, I rinse them and then cut out all the bad spots. Chop the remainder with olive oil, garlic and herbs of my choice, and then season with salt and pepper. Now I have a no-cook pasta sauce that can sit in the refrigerator getting better and better for a couple of days. Here’s a more formal recipe.

Delicata Squash – Easiest Preparation

Published at In Category Blog, Delicata Squash, Recipes, Vegetables Tags:

We were told they were coming, and here they are – delicata squash. Always the first “hard”-shelled squash of the season. Easiest preparation is to wash, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and then bake, cut side down at 350 degrees until tender. Turn them right side up, season with olive oil/herbs/salt/pepper or butter/honey/brown Read More…

Cucumber Soup

Published at In Category Blog, Cucumbers, Recipes, Vegetables Tags: , ,

Yes, Virginia, you can eat cooked cucumbers. (Goodness, am I the only one old enough to get that reference?)
Probably 2 years ago I put out a recipe that called for adding peeled chunks of cucumber to a stir fry. You put them in just at the last minute and cook only until the cucumbers are heated through, stopping before they lose their crunch. Really delicious.

And we’ve a recipe or two for cold cucumber soups, usually yogurt- or buttermilk-based, and with the cucumbers used raw. This recipe for a soup with cooked cucumbers is from Paige Witherington of Serenbe Farms. She adapted it from “Home Made” by Yvette Van Boven.

Field Pea Tamales

Published at In Category Blog, Field peas, Recipes, Vegetables Tags: , , , ,

This is an adaptation of an African street food dish called Abala. In Senegal, the little packets are wrapped in banana leaves. At one time I had a banana tree in my yard, and could harvest my own banana leaves for wrappers. I used them to make a Burmese dish of steamed sweet rice – yum. But I digress. If you don’t have your own banana tree, there are plenty of banana leaves for sale at the DeKalb Farmers Market in both fresh and frozen form, and probably at any store that caters to a Caribbean or African customer base.

Or – make it simple – use corn husks as I suggest here. Those are pretty ubiquitous these days.

Just reading through the recipe will remind you that many cultures have leaf-wrapped dishes with a starch – like field peas or corn masa – surrounding a savory filling. And the relish here? If this were a recipe from Mexico, we’d be calling it pico de gallo.

Okra Creole

Published at In Category Blog, Okra, Recipes, Vegetables Tags: , , ,

Unlike melons, okra is one tough vegetable. This old-time recipe is a great way to enjoy and truly, cooking the okra in tomatoes seems to cut down on the “slime” factor. But full disclosure – I love okra in any form, I never get the “it’s slimy” contingent, so can’t promise this still won’t seem “slimy” to the okraphobe.

By the way, perfectly fine to eat the little okra caps, as long as the okra is small and tender, like the ones we’ve been getting.

If you cooked and froze some of the corn bounty from earlier this year, then you’ve got a cup of frozen kernels perfect for this dish. If there’s no fresh, or your own fresh-frozen, corn available, it’s ok to use commercial frozen corn (the only frozen vegetable you’ll ever find at my house), or just skip it. Try adding a cup of diced squash instead. Or in addition to the other vegetables. It’s up to you.