Vegetables

Ingredients

• 4-5 small zucchinis, washed
• 5 ounces thin pancetta slices, cut into bite-size pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400*F.  
2. In small bowl combine garlic, rosemary, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons olive oil.  
3. Place each zucchini between 2 chopsticks and slice into thin slices, using the chopsticks to keep from cutting completely through the zucchini.  You want to leave the bottoms of the zucchini intact.  
4. Carefully distribute the pancetta between the cuts in the zucchini.  Place zucchini in baking dish then brush with garlic mixture.  Season with pepper and bake, 40-50 minutes, or until crispy on the top.  

Comments

This recipe is from Paleo Grubs and it was a great way to use zucchini.  The pancetta turned out nice and crispy, and the butter mixture had a ton of extra flavor.  This would be really great with parmesan cheese as well.

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₂ cup plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound zucchini, cut into sticks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler. Place a rack about 5 inches from the broiler element. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, dill, garlic, and lemon juice. If necessary, thin with water to a pourable consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Toss zucchini sticks with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Place zucchini on baking sheet and broil, flipping occasionally, until slightly charred and tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Remove from broiler.
5. Serve zucchini warm or chilled with yogurt-dill sauce.

Comments

My first week at the farmers market brought me zucchini and dill, so I found this recipe from the kitchn.  Delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 pounds various summer squash, sliced ¹⁄₄ inch thick (I used zucchini, pattypan, and yellow squash.)
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¹⁄₂ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup panko
• ¹⁄₂ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450*F.  
2. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Add squash, shallot, and garlic to skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is just turning tender, about 4 to 6 minutes.  
3. Add cream and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat and stir in ¹⁄₂ cup panko and ¹⁄₄ cup parmesan cheese.  
4. Transfer mixture to shallow 2-quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining panko and parmesan, season with salt and pepper.  Bake until top is golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.  

Comments

This recipe is from Martha Stewart and I really enjoyed it!  The squash flavors really shone through and all of the other flavors were subtle and very pleasant.  I think this would be a nice dish to serve for company.  Yum.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds japanese eggplant, sliced in half and scored in a cross hatch pattern
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

For the tahini sauce

• ¹⁄₄ cup tahini
• ¹⁄₄ cup water
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon parsley, minced
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon sugar
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

1. Place eggplant halves on cutting board with cut side up and sprinkle with salt.  Let sit 20 to 60 minutes and prep your grill.  
2. Meanwhile, prepare sauce by placing all sauce ingredients in immersion blender cup or mini chopper.  Process until smooth.  
3. Brush eggplant with oil and place eggplant cut-side down on grill.  Press eggplant to grate and grill until well browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Flip eggplant and grill until cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes more.  Brush with remaining olive oil then serve with tahini sauce.  

Comments

This recipe is from Simply Recipes and it was simply great!  I actually bought more eggplant the next week just to use up the remaining sauce.  The eggplant gets so creamy and awesome when cooked this way.  Yum.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• ¹⁄₂ cup buttermilk
• ³⁄₄ cup flour
• ³⁄₄ cup cornmeal
• ³⁄₄ teaspoon baking powder
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg, beaten
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red onion, halved and sliced in thin half moons
• ¹⁄₂ cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 8-10 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 425*F.  Grease medium baking dish with olive oil.  
2. Stir melted butter and buttermilk together in small bowl.  Mix together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda in large bowl.  Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture then stir in egg.  
3. Mix tomatoes, garlic, and red onions together in baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper then toss to combine.  
4. Spoon dollops of batter over top of tomatoes.  Bake until biscuits are golden and cooker through, about 20 to 25 minutes.  
5. Before serving, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, basil and drizzle with extra olive oil if desired.  

Comments

This recipe is from Mark Bittman via AARP.  I was SO excited about this recipe and it was such a huge letdown.  I think it has a lot of potential, but it was not achieved as the recipe is written.  I would like to revisit this recipe in the future and I’ll cook the tomatoes mixture in a skillet with some balsamic vinegar first.  Or maybe roast them in the oven.  Something to break down the tomatoes and make them awesome.

Ingredients

• 3 leeks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¹⁄₂ cup chicken broth
• ¹⁄₂ cup water
• 1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Trim roots of leeks if overly long, but leave enough to keep bases intact.  Trim most of the green tops.  Slice leeks in half lengthwise and rise under running water, gently fanning the layers to rinse away any trapped grit.  
2. Heat oil and butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Place leeks in skillet, cut side down, and sauté, turning occasionally with tongs or spatula, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  
3. Add broth, water, and 1 tablespoon parsley.  Bring to simmer, reduce heat, and cover pan, cooking until leeks are tender, about 10 minutes.  
4. Arrange leeks on plate, cut side up.  
5. Add lemon juice and mustard to pan, stirring to combine.  Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.  Pour vinaigrette over leeks and top with remaining parsley.  

Comments

This recipe is from Blue Kitchen and I thought it would be a great way to prepare the leeks I got from the farmers market.  (Leeks!  At the farmers market!  That was a new one for me.)  The dish was very tasty, but I think it could use some improvement for next time.  Since the leeks were mostly whole, they were very fibrous and difficult to cut.  If I make this again, I’ll cut the leeks into bite-size slices and then proceed with the recipe as written.

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₂ small shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces and cooked until crisp, 1 tablespoon fat reserved
• ¹⁄₄ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 head green cabbage, cut into quarters

Instructions

1. Prepare grill for medium heat grilling.  
2. Whisk together shallot, vinegar, mustard, and sugar.  Gradually whisk in bacon fat and ¹⁄₄ cup oil.  Stir in bacon and season with salt and pepper.  
3. Drizzle cabbage with oil then season with salt and pepper.  Grill over medium heat, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred, about 15 to 18 minutes.  
4. Serve cabbage topped with vinaigrette.  

Comments

This recipe is from Bon Appetit.  I had picked up cabbage from the market and wanted something new to do with it.  I did end up using an entire package of center-cut bacon instead of just six slices and I also blended the vinaigrette, pre-addition of bacon, with an immersion blender in a blender cup.  It was super delicious and extremely easy to bring together.

Ingredients

• 14-16 ounces extra firm tofu
• 4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon peanut oil 

For the marinade

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 2-3 teaspoons sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons Sriracha
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced or grated

For the sauce

• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
• 2 tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter 
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water

Instructions

1. Remove tofu from package and drain in colander for 5 minutes.  Cut tofu in half, lengthwise, to make two thinner pieces.  Place double layer of paper towels on cutting board and place tofu on the towel.  Top with another double layer of paper towel and place a heavy object on top of paper towels to press water out of tofu.  (I used my Dutch oven.)  Press for 10 minutes.  Discard paper towels, replace with new towels, and press again for 10 more minutes.  
2. While tofu is pressing, whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, Sriracha, and ginger to make the marinade.    
3. Heat oven to 400*F.
4. Cut each pressed tofu piece into 10 strips, each about ¹⁄₂ inch wide.  Lay tofu strips larger side down in baking dish.  Pour marinade over tofu, turning pieces to fully coat.  Marinate 10 to 20 minutes, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.  
5. Brush baking sheet with peanut oil.  Lay tofu strips on baking sheet and bake 20 minutes.  Turn carefully and bake 10 to 20 more minutes, or until browned and, hopefully, crisp.  
6. While tofu bakes, combine all sauce ingredients in immersion blender cup or food processor and process until smooth.  
7. Serve tofu hot, cold, or room temperature with dipping sauce.  

Comments

This recipe is from Kalyn’s Kitchen.  I wanted something vegan, yet high in protein, to take to my end of semester choir party and this recipe fit the bill.  It was surprisingly well received and a lot of the people at choir devoured them.  I was very pleased!  

My sticks never crisped up, but they did firm up and have great flavor and color.  Since I did end up with leftovers of the sticks and the sauce, I used them both in stir fry.  I cut the sticks in half and added them to stir fry and then I used the sauce on top for an added kick.  Very delicious.

Ingredients

• 2 large vidalia onions, sliced into very thin half moons (¹⁄₈-inch thick)
• 4 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¹⁄₂ cup heavy cream
• ¹⁄₄ cup sour cream or creme fraiche
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¹⁄₄ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Fresh herbs of your choice, if desired

Instructions

1. Place onions in steamer basket set over pot of boiling water.  Cover and steam for 6-10 minutes or until onions are cooked through but still have a bit to them.  Remove and cool.  
2. Whisk together ¹⁄₄ cup cream, egg yolk, and sour cream in small bowl.  
3. Saute bacon in skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp.  Transfer bacon to sieve set over a bowl and drain well.  
4. Add butter and bacon to skillet, remaining cream, and the onions.  Toss to coat and cook until cream reduces slightly.  Add the egg-cream mixture and Parmesan cheese, tossing frequently until sauce reaches desired consistency, about 2 minutes.  
5. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  Serve with additional cheese and freshly chopped herbs, if desired.  

Comments

While I got this recipe from Oui Chef, it’s originally from Chef Michel Richard.  Art actually got to eat this in his Central restaurant in DC and it was fairly amazing.  This dish is equally amazing and really delicious.  

True story, when I was dishing up plates Lance asked for more and I said, “you know these are onions, not pasta, right?”  And then he asked for less.  But later he went back and had seconds.  I count this dish as a complete success and can’t wait to make it again.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 ounce Parmesan, grated or shredded

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F.  Spread pine nuts on baking sheet and toast, tossing once, until golden, about 4 to 5 minutes.  

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add asparagus and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 to 6 minutes.  Add pine nuts and toss to combine.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with lemon zest and parmesan.  

Photo

Comments
This recipe is from What Megan’s Making and it was yummy.  It’s a nice, simple way to prepare asparagus but it packs a great flavor punch.