Zucchini: Part 1

Now that our summer garden is underway (and I'm not so crazy busy at work), I'll be posting more. I promise.

our monster zucchini plant

Zucchini is known as that vegetable that people can't give away in the middle of the summer, but I really love zucchini and I'm looking forward to finding the best ways to use lots of the green stuff. We grilled the first 4 or 5 zucchinis of the season. Grilled zucchini is wonderful, but not very exciting and it gets old fast. So last night I made stuffed zuchini. This recipe is simple, healthy and very adaptable (nearly all ingredients can be swapped out) and I've made something like this many times as a stuffing for peppers, summer squash and winer squash, too.

Suffed Zucchini
Serves 4 as main dish

2 to 2 1/2 cups cooked rice or other grain (I like brown rice because it has a cramy texture, but I had some interesting Bhutanese red rice so that's what I used this time)
3 large zucchinis
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1/2 cup other chopped vegetables (mushrooms, celery, peas would work)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 hot vegetable stock
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (leave this out to make it vegan)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
s & p to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare zucchinis: Slice lengthwise and use a large spoon to scoop out center of each half. Leave walls of zucchini at least 1/3 inch thick on all sides. Chop innards of zucchini and set aside.

Heat oil over medium heat in large pot. Saute garlic and onion until soft and add other vegetables and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While vegetables are cooking, steam zucchini halves in a large pot or in microwave until tender but still firm. Place steamed halves into large baking dish.

Add cooked rice and stock to vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Add parmesan cheese and s & p to taste. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

Fill zucchini halves with rice stuffing mixture and sprinkle a little more parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.

One more wintry meal

Trying to look on the bright side of this unseasonably cool and wet weather we're having...one last chance to make some of my favorite wintry meals. Last week I made Three Bean Chili with Quinoa Cornbread and on Sunday I made The Veggie Queen's Winter Squash Enchiladas. A healthy and really delicious dish from "Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment" by Northern California vegetarian chef Jill Nusinow ("The Veggie Queen"). I had a chance to meet Jill at the Gravenstein Apple Fair last Fall and this is probably my favorite dish from her book.

Fish is easy

We just finished this fabulous home-cooked meal that was better than I've had in some really nice restaurants. Halibut is not cheap, but it is my favorite fish and well worth a splurge once in a while for a nice dinner. We had our halibut and greens from the garden with some amazing roasted potatoes that MO made following the lengthy but accurate method outlined in the latest Cooks Illustrated.

Seared fish is delicious, healthy and quick (fish itself takes less than 10 minutes from fridge to plate) and this dish is a great reminder that I should make fish more often.

Pan-Seared Halibut with Sauteed Greens

Serves 2

2 halibut fillets, 6-8 ounces each (with or without skin)
olive oil
S&P

1 bunch greens (spinach, chard, beet greens or whatever you have), cut and torn into 1-inch strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

First prepare greens. Saute garlic and tomatoes in olive oil until tomatoes begin to burst. Add greens and cook for 4-5 minutes. Season with S&P, cover and remove from heat.

Pat halibut fillets dry with paper towel. Season liberally with S&P on both sides. Heat oil in large sautee pan (be sure to use enough to coat bottom of pan). When oil ripples put filets in pan, skin side down. Cook for approximately 4 minutes (tip: don't move fish around in pan until well seared). Turn fish over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until golden brown and flaky. (I know this sounds like a short time, but it's really easy to overcook fish and halibut is so delicious and delicate when cooked perfectly, so don't overcook it).

Put half of spinach tomato mixture on each plate, and top with halibut filet. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

Summer Salad #1

In my attempts to eat a little healthier and with summer finally hitting Northern California, I've been making a lot of salads. This one was a definite winner - easy, delicious and quite beautiful (plus, there's alliteration!).

Southwest Shrimp Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
This salad barely needs a recipe, but here goes...

For the shrimp: Fresh or frozen would both work fine. Peel thawed shrimp and pat dry with towel. Season (I used Adobo, but simple S&P would work) and saute them with some chopped garlic for 2-3 minutes on each side. Set shrimp aside while you prepare salad ingredients.

For the salad: Basically you put together a green salad (I used romaine and butter lettuce from the garden) and top it with whatever veggies and "southwest" ingredients you have on hand. I used red peppers, avocado, red onions, carrots, cucumbers, black beans (canned), corn (frozen this time), cilantro, etc. Things I might add next time: jicama, cherry tomatoes, roasted corn, scallions...

For the dressing: In a small blender or food processor (this is where my Magic Bullet comes in handy!), combine juice of one lime, handful cilantro leaves, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. cumin. Add 2-4 Tbs. vegetable oil to taste.

Asparagus and Peas: Take One

Asparagus and peas are two of the best offerings Springtime has. We had some peas (and baby spinach) in the garden and I picked up some gorgeous asparagus at the Farmers Market and combined them with farro, my new favorite grain. Simple, delcious, and so springy...

Farro Salad with Green Spring Vegetables

1 cup farro (my new ingredient of the week)
1 cup asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 cup fresh peas (frozen would work, too)
large handful fresh baby spinach
1 bunch scallions, chopped
juice of one lemon
zest of half of the lemon
2 Tablespoons olive oil
s & p

Prepare farro following package instructions. 2 minutes before cooking time ends, add asparagus, peas and baby spinach. Drain all and rinse with cold water. Add remaining ingredients, stir and season with salt and pepper. Chill in refrigerator and serve at room tempature or cold. Great accompaniment to any springtime meal!

Magazine Clippings: Curried Rice with Shrimp

This is one of the many many recipes I had torn out of magazines over the past 6 months, but this one I actually made...and loved! It's easy and quick, but beautiful and is a perfect one-pot meal. It has a mild warm curry flavor - not overwhelming - and a beautiful color.

I pretty much followed the recipe exactly except I added about a half a cup of frozen peas (I love peas and rice!) at the end of the rice simmering, before I added the shrimp. Also, I never have basil on hand this time of year, so I have used both parsley and cilantro in its place (both were great). I'm looking forward to experimenting with some different vegetables.

I originally found the recipe in the magazine Real Simple and you can find the recipe on their website.

Vegetable Potstickers

This was probably the fourth or fifth time MO and I have made homemade potstickers, but evertime we do I am amazed by how delicious they are. We use pre-packed wonton wrappers, so they're simple to make, too. I highly reccomend trying this recipe and adapting it according to your taste and what you have in your fridge...

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. oil
1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced (I've also used chopped sushi ginger in a pinch!)

1/2 head cabbage, shredded (Chinese is nice, but any kind will work. You can also use 2 cups any hearty green, shredded)

2 large carrots, grated

1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped

2 Tbs. soy sauce

2 Tbs. rice vinegar

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 Tbs. Sriracha chili-garlic paste

4-5 scallions, chopped (white and green parts - set aside a few slices for the dipping sauce)

1/2 lb. firm tofu, diced (1/4 inch cubes work well)

1 package dumpling wrappers (like these)

Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, ginger, cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms. Saute, stirring occassionally, for 10 minutes or until wegetables are wilted and tender, but not mushy. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha chili-garlic paste, and scallions. Stir well and heat through. Add diced tofu and stir just until combined (be carfeul not to break up tofu).

Remove pan from heat and let mixture cool in colander over sink or bowl to drain excess liquid. While vegetable mixture is cooling grease a large baking sheet and cover with a damp towel for your assembly area.

Take a wrapper from package and place a spoonful (I just use a silverware spoon) of filling in the center. Gently wet the edge of the wrapper with water (fingers work best for this). Fold wrapper over filling and press with to remove air. To seal potstickers, I use a fork and press gently around the edges (I haven't mastered the fancy crimping method yet, but I plan to try it next time). Place potstickers under damp cloth so that they don't dry out. It takes some time to fill and wrap all of the dumplings, so try to get some help (MO is really good at this).

After you've wrapped all of your dumplings, cover the bottom of a flat frying pan with a little oil. Heat over high heat and add dumplings, flat side down. When they have browned on one side, flip them and add 1/4 cup water to the pan. Turn down the heat and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until water has evaporated and browned sides are crispy again. Serve hot or at room temparature as an appetizer or alongside miso soup and fried green beans for a delicious light meal. Mix a little soy sauce, rice vinegar and scallions for a dipping sauce and you're ready to go!

Summer Rolls in Winter Time

As a part of this "trying to eat healthier" thing that I've been trying out for a few weeks, I decided to finally try to make my most favorite healthy asian dish...the Summer Roll. It has always seemed a little daunting (which is why I bought the rice paper wraps 2 years ago and still hadn't touched them), but it actually wasn't as hard as you'd think. I admit the first roll looked and looked quite hideous, but after a few tries, they were looking pretty darn good if I dont say so myself. There are lots of versions of these little gems - Vietnamese, Thai, etc., but here's the s.d.m. version:

The quantities in this recipe are approximate. Do a little experimentation, but this should make 6-8 rolls (enough for 3-4 people as a main course or 6-8 as an appetizer)

6-8 rice paper wrappers
2 oz dried rice vermicelli
8 small lettuce leaves
1 medium to large carrot, sliced into thin matchsticks
1 small cucumber, sliced into thin matchsticks
1/2 red pepper, sliced into thin matchsticks
1/2 Haas avocado, sliced into thin pieces
4-6 oz. baked thai style tofu (shrimp would be good, too)
6-8 sprigs cilantro
8-10 mint leaves
Dipping sauces (recipes below)

• Cook rice noodles according to instructions. Set aside to cool.
• Slice and prepare all ingredients and lay out on a large clean surface.
• Fill a large shallow dish or pan with warm water. Dip each rice paper round in water for 15-20 seconds. ** Wrapper will not feel completely pliable. Let it rest for 30 seconds before filling it and it will become soft**
• Place rice paper wrapper on clean surface, such as cutting board or a clean lint-free kitchen cloth.
• The amount of ingredients in each roll will depend on how mnay items you have and how much of each you'd like. Start with a lettuce leaf and experiment a little with combinations, but a general rule of thumb is approximately 1/4 cup cooked noodles,5-10 strips each of carrots, cucumber and red bell pepper, 2 slices avocado, 2 slices tofu (or shrimp), 2 mint leaves and 1 sprig cilantro.
• The rolling part takes a little practice, but this is what I found to work best: place ingredients in center of wrapper, laying horizontally. Bring bottom of wrapper up to cover filling, fold sides in, then tightly roll to top. Again, it takes practice and I ended up peeling the wrapper off of my first 2 because they were so ugly!
• Slice each roll into 2 or 4 pieces and enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce. Yum!