Another zucchini?! It just keeps coming!
...I don't think I need to plant any kind of zucchini or squash in our own garden next year, because the surplus I have been getting from other people is still enough to make me scramble for new ways to cook this stuff!
Just a cool observation... these must have a really high water content... After starting to peel it, I turned around for a minute and came back to a sweating zucchini, the droplets are beautiful! Aren't they?
Also, these zucchini have really big seeds! Who knew? Not me, but that's not a surprise... ;)
 Seasoned and mixed together with red onion and bell pepper...
I did modify the recipe with suggestions from the site reviews... I used brown rice instead of white, doubled the rice amount and added some chicken boullion to it while cooking... used regular onion in place of the green onion... used fresh tomatoes... doubled the spices, but modified them to the spices we like (no basil, and added some Adobo... I think you can tailor the spices to your tastes...)
Ooey gooey cheesiness makes everything great, doesn't it? Well, it sure looks delish with the tomatoes mixed in and the melted cheese on top!
Verdict? The yellow zucchini, by itself, had a strange, strong flavor, but when mixed together with everything, it blended in and the dish was very good!
I think this would actually be a great meal with some grilled chicken or shrimp mixed in!
 The past few weeks, fresh okra has been abundant at the local farmers market... Both red and green varieties... (Thank you Kim for sharing your crop share with me!) In a few steps, it's going to become Roasted Okra... Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-okra
 I'll be honest, I am SUPER intimidated by okra.
Why? Because I've heard horror stories from people about how slimy and gross it is! Texture is a huge part of my eating preferences... so slimy is not appealing.
A few years ago, my husband bought me an okra plant for our garden just because he thought it was funny. (He knew I hated the idea of okra.) Needless to say, I didn't pick them and those okra grew until they were a foot long and so woody and dry that the seeds inside shook like a rattle.
Side note: When choosing fresh okra, look for ones that are 4" long or less... these ones should be less "woody" and more tender.
 It sure looks kind of cool sitting there on the market tables, but I wouldn't dare buy them without having researched a recipe first...
I'm a planner, and I need to make sure I have all of the ingredients I need, so I don't end up wasting it and throwing it away next week because I didn't know what to do with it or have schtuff I needed...
So, I did my homework and found that there ARE ways you can make okra that are supposedly not slimy!
Why would I be scared of these? They look so cool! Look at that cross-section!
Well, for one, they are a little hairy...
And the stickiness of these thangs may have something to do with that slime-factor people are talking about.
They stick to your knife, your fingers, whatever! I did have to rinse the knife a few times to de-stick and de-fuzz...
Side note: I learned that okra are slimy when you cook them in a stew or soup... it's a natural thickener. But if you cook them in a quick, dry heat, that is how you avoid the slime!
Just lovely... one of the coolest looking veggies so far!
Also, in okra's defense, I have met a few people with some southern origins that love fried okra. But I'm trying to learn to like veggies to be healthy, so I'd rather find another way of cooking them than frying.
And all mixed up with the olive oil, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper... Of course they were still sticking to the spoon while mixing too...
Based upon some of the reviews, I left them in a few extra minutes to get a little crispier... and in my mind, a last chance to dry up any last bits of slime...
They do really shrink while cooking, to maybe 2/3 or even 1/2 the size from before cooking.
I was scared... can you tell? I almost didn't even want to try them!
For a split second, I honestly debated just tossing the pan without trying them...
But I bit the bullet...
And what?!? It was actually really good! I immediately went back for another, just to make sure I really tasted it!
And I did taste it right! Yum! I never would have guessed that I would actually like okra - but it just goes to show that you don't know until you try it!
(Side note: I did not notice any difference in the taste of between the green and red.)
 For my birthday, I decided not to cook... But I did get myself a sweet little treat from the Farmer's Market.It's called Shrub. I chose strawberry flavor. This was your choice for a sweet refreshment back in the colonial days. Shrub is actually a drink that is flavored with fruit and spices, preserved with vinegar, sweetened with sugar and served in cold water. I mixed 1 oz of it with a glass full of seltzer water just to get a little fizz and it was like my very own, all-natural, old fashioned soda. You can smell a slight hint of vinegar, and there is a teeny aftertaste of it, but overall it's pretty good if you let it grow on you! Not many places make shrub, and this company is from State College, PA. http://www.taitfarmfoods.com/recipes Next time, I'll need to try this with some wine or champagne!
While I was at the farmer's market... I came across these beautiful beans that matched my Fairytale Eggplants! I wasn't quite sure if I could use up the whole basket, but when a cute little old man came over to check them out too, we decided to split a basket! It was meant to be!
I'm still not crazy about beans, and these are much larger than the little haricot vert that I like... but the colors and cool name convinced me to give them a try. How can you say no to Dragon Tongue Beans?
The lady at the veggie stand suggested sauteing the beans in a little butter with garlic, salt and pepper.
They do lose their purple colors as they cook... And I really wanted them to be tender, so I think I kind of over cooked them, hence all of the brown-ness...
Taste test!
And, surprise! They kind of tasted like green beans! I think they wouldn't be too bad, but since I over-browned them a bit, that taste was a little overpowering. I still ate what I put on my plate, but I would definitely cook them differently next time.
Yes, these tiny little eggplants are really called Fairytale Eggplants... How could you not want to try them? I even color coordinated my attire with them today ;)
 Not only are they cute, but these tender little eggplants are less bitter than regular eggplants and don't require "salting". (See previous eggplant post...) I'm going to attempt to make Eggplant Croquettes with them. This recipe had hundreds of reviews with 4.5 stars, so I figure it has to be good, right? Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggplant-croquettes/detail.aspx
Chop em up, nuke em til tender, and then mash! Larger eggplants should probably be peeled, but peeling all of these tiny things would have taken forever...
Form patties... I recommend adding some extra bread crumbs if needed until it's a good consistency for forming the patties.
Based on some of the reviews, and my preference to avoid frying, I baked them in a 350 oven for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
 I didn't intend on making veggie burgers but that's basically what these are... I've never eaten a veggie burger, and would have probably hesitated at the thought, but since I know exactly what went into them and they look pretty good too, I have to give them a shot...
Side note: When I read reviews that recommended putting them on a bun, I decided to add some of my fave burger seasonings to the mix before making the patties, which included worstershire sauce and spicy montreal seasoning.
Sniff test... It didn't really have a distinct smell...
Eggplant veggie burger = success! I put it on a bun with some mustard and it was quite good! You could layer on lettuce, tomatoes, and any other normal burger toppings...
Or you can make it a southwest veggie burger by adding killer salsa like Brandon does... :)
Fresh hot peppers from our friend, Larry's, garden. We should have some from our garden soon!
Scorpion Moruga (world's new hottest pepper, hotter than the "ghost chili"), Yellow Scorpion, and Bhut Jolokia (ghost chili, not in the pic)
With my honorary veggie person for this week, Brandon... Maybe by the end of the season he'll build up his tolerance to snack on one like this... me on the other hand... not even close!
Wear gloves when cutting hot peppers... think about wearing double layers when you cut these little badasses...
All three peppers went into his little batch of killer salsa. My container of salsa is twice as big, with only 3 jalapenos in it!
He loves the heat... that's my husband!
 What do you do when Dad's garden is growing zucchini faster than he can pick them and use them, and then he brings a monster like this over? You find something to do with it. And luckily, Lexi just told me about this awesome recipe last week... Zucchini Crab Cakes! Recipe: http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2012/06/zucchini-crab-cakes.html
I followed the recipe and used half zucchini and half crab. Except I made the patties and broiled them for 5-6 minutes on each side instead of coating them with flour and frying them.
My friend Lexi had so much zucchini that she completely omitted the crab and used only the zukes, and said you couldn't even tell that there wasn't crab!
And they turned out awesome! You honestly couldn't even tell that there was zucchini in it... However, when following this recipe, the end result was really heavy on the Old Bay, so I'd probably use half of the Old Bay next time.
But so, so good! And a new way to use up those zuke's that are overflowing your garden! Yum!!!
 (FYI, Edamame = Soy Beans)
I LOVE edamame now! (Thank you Jess for making me try it at Hibachi last year!)
It's such a yummy snack, but I always buy it frozen. I haven't found it fresh yet. So imagine my excitement when I recognized it at the local farmers market!
I had no idea it grew like this, but if I would have come across this a year ago, I would have had no clue what it even was! Oh how far I've come in the veggie world... (and still so far to go!)
Two things to note: Fresh edamame is much fuzzier than the frozen... It's a little intimidating, but I built up the nerve to try them anyway.
The other thing: Fresh edamame must be refrigerated! I bought some last week and didn't know that... But this week I asked more questions before I bought it.
I gave these suckers a good bath 3 times before I put them in the steamer. It really helped to get a lot of the fuzz off of them.
Then steam for about 5-6 minutes until bright green... sprinkle with some salt if desired...
 And to my delight, it was just as good as the frozen! I think steaming them must have softened the fuzz because I didn't notice it anymore than the frozen kind... And THESE ones were grown by local farmers with no chemicals... Yay! I love knowing where my food comes from and supporting our local farmers! :)
Side note if you haven't seen my earlier edamame post - You don't eat the pod! Well, BK tried, but it's not tasty. You just pop the bean out of the pod with your teeth or fingers and eat the bean inside.
I think I'm going to have to grow some of these in my garden next year!
A double veggie recipe, as an attempt to make up for the lack of veggies lately...
I've been successfully avoiding beets for a few months now... My friend, Lexi, recommended this recipe to me, but something about beets is intimidating to me... Maybe because it's in the root family and I haven't been a huge fan of these root plants.
 I finally saw fresh local beets at the farmers market 2 weeks ago. They are nice and small, which make me think that they'd be more tender. They've been living in my fridge since then because it's been way too hot to turn on the oven! But tonight, these little puppies are about to become Roasted Beets n Sweets! Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-beets-n-sweets/
I'm not going to lie... washing the beets was really gross because those roots feel exactly like a rat's tail. Well, I've never touched a rat's tail, but I imagine it would feel just like that. Not a very appetizing start, beets!
And I did get out the gloves... dyed pink hands wouldn't go with my outfit for work tomorrow.
Beets are so bright when they're peeled and chopped! This picture looks a little like raw meat, but I promise it's not.
Good thing I wore the gloves! Oh, side note for those of you who have also never eaten a beet - it might make you pee pink tomorrow... I haven't experienced it, but have been told that it's normal. And after seeing how they stain your skin and anything else, it doesn't surprise me.
Much less scary, sweet potatoes, I'm back in my comfort zone... these aren't all that different from preparing regular potatoes.
All seasoned up! Yum!
All mixed up and ready to roast!
All caramelized and crispy from roasting... The beets are a little less scary with the sweet potatoes and onions in there to help even them out.
Trying a beet all by itself, I'm a little leery....
Annnnnd... I survived! I may not plan on making beets all by themselves anytime soon, but they weren't horrible.
Sometimes mixing flavors together is a better way for me to buy into it... Even with other veggies, I like to have a "shish-kebob" - aka a little of each flavor at once!
 And the shish-kebob method was much more successful! The whole dish was quite sweet, maybe a tad too sweet, I'd probably knock the sugar down next time. But overall, it wasn't bad, especially with the veggies mixed together.
Verdict? Semi-success! Not a fan yet of beets on their own, but this recipe made me give them a shot and I even kind of liked them! And sweet potatoes? They're not hard to like :)
Thanks for the recipe Lexi!
 (yes, I know there's been a few missing weeks or months between the veggies...)
Time to celebrate because it's fresh, home-grown, home-made salsa season!!!
One of the best times of the year :)
Fresh from the garden tomatoes, hand-picked bell peppers, jalepenos from Dad's garden, sweet onion from the farmer's market, plus a sprinkle of garlic salt, black pepper and italian dressing = ahhhmazing and oh-so-good!
I will probably be eating this for the next few months... (and progressively hotter as our hot peppers ripen)
|
RSS Feed