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... :)
 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!
 (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)
I think this is a zucchini, however the sign at the store said "Green Squash"... I have eaten some zucchini before, some ways I like it, and some ways I really don't. I decided to try grilling some of this little zucchini with some other veggies!
I am in love with this little grill wok that I found at Lowe's. Just mixed in bell peppers, onions, baby bellas and zucchini, a little olive oil, cracked pepper, sea salt and some garlic powder. You get the roasted veggies without all of the complications of shish kebobs!
Yum! Fresh veggie season is almost here! I love these bright colors! And, the zucchini in this mix was a success!
 I tried to keep the recipe simple this week, especially because I tried 2 different types of green beans and wanted to be able to taste the difference if there was one. And you might be wondering, "Cassie, how have you made it this far in life without eating something as basic as green beans???" Well, I think I've tried them, canned, or mixed in with vegetable soups, but never on their own and fresh, so I'm here to prove myself wrong that hopefully fresh green beans can taste good! Recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-essence-of-emeril/haricots-verts-recipe/index.html
The beans on the left are "french green beans" which I think are the same things as "haricot vert", the beans on the right are regular ol' green beans...
Blanching for a minute or 3... I added the regular green beans a few minutes early since they would need a little longer than the french green beans.
Both types of beans sizzling away together in the saute pan for a few minutes after their ice bath. A little sea salt and fresh cracked pepper really go a long way with lots of veggies!
The vibrant green of these babies just looks fun and healthy too! I know I sound a bit crazy, but it's all good...
 So what's the verdict? I went back for seconds! Well, I actually had seconds of the skinny french green beans. They were a little more tender and had a slightly different flavor. Yep, I picked those ones out of the skillet for a second helping. The big ones weren't all bad, but they have this flavor that I associate with what I imagine is a "grassy" or "earthy" flavor and I feel like the rabbits out back would love it... lol... I have quite the imagination when it comes to food if you haven't noticed ;) But those little french green beans? Yum!!!
Side note: Brandon liked them and didn't realize there were even two different kinds! It's all in the pickiness of the eater I guess...
 My 1st eggplant recipe is a little cliche, but I've never tried it before, so here we go with Eggplant Parmesan! This recipe bakes (not fries) the eggplant so it's healthier. And it had over 1000+ reviews and 4.5 stars, so how could it be bad? I did decide to reduce the recipe as a side and only used 1 eggplant in an 8x8 dish. Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggplant-parmesan-ii/
Surprise #1: The inside isn't purple! I guess if you know veggies, you would have known that, but it was a surprise to me!
Surprise #2: Holy seeds batman! I thought my eggplant went bad until I googled it and found that it is totally normal...
Based on reviews, I decided to "sweat" the eggplant by sprinkling sea salt on the slices. This removes the bitterness. The seeds hold a liquid that can make the eggplant taste bitter, and by doing this and letting is sit for 30 minutes, you can literally see the liquid that it draws out of the slices!
After the salt, rinse & dry thoroughly!
Dipped in egg & bread crumbs and placed on a cookie sheet. Baked for 10 minutes on each side (another tip from the reviews) - and use parchment paper so they don't stick to your pan :)
Now for the yummy parts! Layered with sauce and cheese...
Looks good so far!
After baking for 35 minutes, hot, bubbly and golden brown!
All of the surprises made me a little nervous, and I tried to remind myself that it's NOT lasagna so I wouldn't have that expectation...
And the eggplant is a success! The sauce and cheeses were definitely a help for my first attempt at eggplant.
It was way better than I was expecting, but I still didn't love it quite enough to make as a main course yet... I'll have to let it grow on me just a little more for that...
No particular recipe this week, just sauteing a new type of mushrooms for dinner with our steak! I'm in love with Portabello, so I thought, why not give these little guys a try!
All washed up and chopped... I like that the little fins on these mushrooms are white, so I really feel like I've cleaned them thoroughly...
Good luck Shiitake!
My dad helped with these, and we just threw some things together... butter, chopped garlic, shiitake, bell peppers and some fresh cracked pepper...
Sizzling in the pan til tender...
And topped on our t-bones!
Not too scared of these ones since I know I like Portabellos...
And they were good! Yummy flavor with the steak... I still think I like Portabello a little more, but it could be the marinade that makes the difference. Still, 2 out of 2 for fungus! ;)
This is kind of a vegetable re-do because my previous baby carrot recipe was a no-go. I was told that real carrots have much better flavor than baby carrots.
So I bought big fat carrots from the farmer's market.
And I bought little skinny carrots from the farmer's market.
And then I let them sit in my refrigerator for the past 2 weeks, because I really didn't want to eat carrots. Yes, I fell off the horse for a little here, but I got my act back together, made the darn carrots and I'm ready to move on! PS - the carrots are so much nicer looking when they still have the greens on top.
So I peeled 'em, sliced 'em and dropped 'em in a Ziploc steam bag. Added 1T of water and some sea salt & ground pepper for a little flavor. I must say, these steam bags work quite well.
Freshly steamed and not crunchy! (Woo!)
Kate was willing to try them with me again. The skinny carrots were more tender than the big guys.
And I actually ate them! They weren't fabulous on their own, so I slathered some good old butter on them with a little extra sea salt, and that made them better! (What isn't better with a little butter?) Carrots, by far, are not my new favorite veggie, but at least I can say I've eaten them as a side! I'll probably keep them in my soups or maybe mixed with other veggies.
They're lovely little veggies if you take the time to appreciate them...
Not the healthiest with the added parm, but I have to start liking it somehow, right? Mmmmm mmm, olive oil, parmesan, garlic, sea salt & ground pepper!
And my sister is back for taste-testing!
Success! Nice and tender, perfectly moist and what a delectable mixture of seasonings... YUM!
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