Veggies, Retirement Party, and Volunteering

I woke up this morning and realized it has been more than a MONTH since my last blog; life has been busy. Dan suddenly retired in September and the world seems to have turned upside down. I’ve been busy with Master Gardener volunteering, bottling and preserving the garden harvest, and living my best life. 

The harvest this year was mixed. The collards, kale, and chard were plentiful. Winter squash was exceptional and zucchini meh. Patty pan squash did well and tomatoes were good but not on par with other years. 

This year we added onions, leeks, and 2 straw bales; all were successful. We planted eggplant in the bales and they are still thriving. We roasted one for dinner tonight and I have 2 in the fridge that need to get used and at least 5 more growing. We love eggplant but I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed - which is a good thing.

We’re skipping our Halloween party this year. After hosting a retirement party for Dan, I need a break. We did have fun; Dan connected with friends and colleagues (some from a long way back in his career) before saying goodbye to the 9 - 5 routine. Lately, he’s been golfing with his mom, volunteering with STEM opportunities, and catching up on his reading. 

I decided to try something a little different with the eggplant that didn’t involve copious amounts of olive oil and frying. I roasted it with onions, leeks, peppers, and some pattypan squash. I added it to eggs and came up with a tasty frittata - and there were leftovers, which is always appreciated. 

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant - cubed

1 small yellow onion chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 medium leek - chopped
1 bell peppers chopped into bite-sized pieces
Cooking spray
7 large eggs
3 oz Feta Cheese crumble
Salt and pepper to taste
A good handful of fresh parsley

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and spray with cooking spray. Roast until tender and browned about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and season well with salt and pepper.

• In a 10-inch oven-safe skillet, add the roasted vegetables, and egg mixture and top with the feta cheese. 

• Sprinkle with parsley and bake for 25-35 minutes, until the frittata has puffed and the center is set. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing into wedges. Serve warm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Spanish Roasted Garlic Eggplant

This dish started way back in late April / early May when Dan and I took a straw bale gardening class from fellow Master Gardener Cris Phillips. It was an experiment (on my part) in growing in a no-soil environment that has turned out very well. There is no comparison to the eggplant in my raised bed, which is small with no fruit and at the moment, mocking me. 

There are so many benefits to straw bales; you can grow almost anywhere (even in your driveway), hardly any weeds, extended growing season, and much easier to maintain. Will I give up my raised beds, no but I will expand next year and move the warm-weather vegetables to the bales - the harvest is so much better. 

Fast forward to last week when I harvested our first eggplant. It was perfect - the color was dark purple, the size just right for the dish, and it was ripe. I combined it with tomatoes, garlic, parsley, and basil (all from the garden) to make this delicious dish, which we willingly ate for 2 nights.

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant
• 2 tomatoes
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• grated Parmesan  cheese
• sea salt & black pepper
• handful of freshly chopped basil

Instructions:

1. Cut 1 large eggplant into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick rounds, season each round generously with sea salt on both sides, add the slices of eggplant into a colander and let them sit for 30 minutes
   
2. Meanwhile, roughly chop 5 cloves of garlic and add into a mortar, season with a little sea salt and using a pestle pound down until you form a paste-like texture, then add in 2 tbsp (8 grams) finely chopped parsley and pour in a generous 2 tbsp (35 ml) extra virgin olive oil, mix together until well combined
   
3. Thinly slice 2 tomatoes and set aside
   
4. After 30 minutes, rinse the slices of eggplant under cold water, then pat each one dry with a dishcloth to remove any excess water & salt, add the slices of eggplant into a baking tray lined with parchment paper, making sure they are all in a single layer
   
5. Lightly season the slices of eggplant with a little sea salt & black pepper, add the garlic sauce over the slices of eggplant, add 1 slice of tomato over each slice of eggplant, and finely grate some manchego cheese over the tomatoes
   
6. Add the baking tray into a preheated oven, bake + broil (bottom + top heat) 210 C - 410 F
   
7. After 15 minutes remove from the oven
   
8. Transfer into a serving dish and sprinkle with freshly chopped chives, serve at once, enjoy!
   

Italian Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

This year’s garden is doing ok. The tomatoes aren’t great but the onions, zucchini, pattypan squash, and eggplant (grown in the straw bales) are doing well. It also looks like it will be another wonderful winter squash crop. 

I planted our favorite honeynut and acorn squash but added a new variety; carnival - they are pretty in color and hopefully live up to the hype of their deliciousness. I am already planning next year and red kuri squash will be in the garden. 

Monday night’s storm wreaked some havoc in the garden; some of the tomatoes were leaning on the fence and the squash arbors, well let’s just say I thought they were going to fall over. Dan came to the rescue tho he got everything back up and tied down. Everything else seemed to survive even my neighbor's nearly dead maple tree. I was sure it would be lying on the ground but it was standing tall - go figure. 

As I mentioned, squash is doing well at the moment we have 2 zucchini in the fridge; 6 pattypans on the counter, and new squash coming in every day. I decided to try something new but stuffing the squash with mushrooms, onions, and quinoa and then topping with homemade tomato sauce and Italian seasoning - it was delicious!

Ingredients:

• 6 patty pan squash (about 3 inches or 7.5 cm in diameter)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (1 tablespoon to fry up the quinoa mixture and 1 tablespoon to drizzle over patty pan squash just before baking)
• 1 onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 1.5 cups quinoa cooked (we used multi-colored but you could use plain or even rice)
• ½ cup spinach frozen (thawed and all the liquid squeezed out) – you can also use 3 cups fresh garden spinach and stir fry or steam just until wilted and bright green.
• 4-5 Tomatoes large peeled fresh (we simply cut the tomatoes in half. Grate the flesh side to the grater and then all that is left is the skin and you pitch that- much easier than that whole boiling ice water hack for peeling tomatoes) – add 1 tomato into the quinoa mixture and 3 for the tomato sauce.
• 1 teaspoon fresh basil 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Prepare the quinoa mixture: In a medium pan, add the olive oil, onion, and 2 of the 4 garlic cloves and sauté until translucent. Add the cooked quinoa, spinach, tomato, and basil. Season with salt and pepper and stir fry until all incorporated – 1-2 minutes. Add parmesan cheese (if using) and toss. Set aside.
• Prepare the Patty Pan Squash: Wash the squash and cut off the top. With a small spoon, scoop out the seeds carefully. (Try using a little coffee stirring spoon, teaspoon measuring spoon, or a scooper for this task)
• Prepare the Fresh Tomato Sauce: Spray the bottom of a medium-sized baking pan 9 x 9 with a little oil or rub with a little olive oil. Place the remaining 3-4 chopped tomatoes, 2 garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix to incorporate.
• Place the prepped patty pan squash on top of the bed of fresh tomato sauce in the baking dish. Stuff each patty pan squash with the prepared quinoa mixture press and pile high. Place the tops of the patty pan and squash in the pan. Drizzle the Italian stuffed Patty Pan squash with olive oil and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the patty pan squash is tender.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mediterranean Green Bean Salad

It’s been ages since I last posted on my blog - guess I’ve been busier than I thought or lazy. The weeks seem to fly by; volunteering, playing mahjong, working in my own garden, and every now and then cleaning. It is the one thing that seems to go by the wayside in Summer. 

I’ve made this green bean salad 3 times this Summer and have gotten rave reviews each time. It didn’t hurt that I had So Many Green Beans early in the season and I am a sucker for olives and feta - I’m definitely a salty/savory person. 

The preparation is pretty simple and the entire salad comes together quickly. If you wanted to serve it as a main dish you could add tuna or chicken. 

Ingredients:

For the Salad

• 1 lb green beans trimmed and blanched (I leave them whole but feel free to chop them)
• ½ lb grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half  (feel free to use any type of tomatoes you like)
• ½ cup Kalamata olives
• 1 shallot peeled and minced
• ¼ cup combination of chopped fresh dill and parsley
• ¼ cup feta crumbled

For the Dressing:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2-3 Tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic peeled and grated
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ Teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional)
• ¼ Teaspoon oregano

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil and cook beans for just a few minutes then drain them and place them in a ice water bath to stop the cooking process. You want them tender crisp.
2. Drain and pat dry and add to a bowl. Add the tomatoes, shallots, feta, olives and fresh herbs to the bowl.
3. Mix the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad and toss well to combine and coat.  
4. Serve and enjoy!

Chard, Potatoes, and Paprika

I’m always on the lookout for Swiss chard recipes. While I will eat it sautéed in olive oil with a little garlic, salt, and pepper, it needs more “doctoring” for Dan to truly appreciate its deliciousness. Swiss chard is one of the forgotten greens it’s low in calories, fat, and carbs and has vitamin C, iron, and magnesium. 

The garden is doing well. The greens (chard, collards, and kale) are exploding and I’ve been incorporating them into most meals, I have yet to see a zucchini or summer squash. In the past week, I’ve picked at least 2-gallon bags of green beans and quite a few snow and sugar snap peas. 

The garden stars are the turnips, beets, and winter squash. The onions and leeks are coming along but the tomatoes are meh - we need less rain and more sun - Mother Nature please give us a break!

I had some baby potatoes left over from a dish I made earlier in the week and I wanted to use some of that chard so I chopped and sautéed and ended up with a fabulous dish. We paired it with some leftover eggplant curry, rice, and naan. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Swiss chard

1 pound potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Rinse the chard well under cool water. Cut out the thick stems and chop them about 1 inch. Place to one side. Chop the Swiss chard leaves.

If you are using large potatoes, peel and dice or slice the potatoes about 1 inch thick. If you are using baby potatoes, simply quarter them.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Generously salt the water and add the potatoes and stems of the Swiss chard. Allow to simmer until the potatoes are almost tender - about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Fry the onion until soft then add the garlic and fry until soft. Turn off the heat and add the paprika. Stir well to combine.

When the potatoes are nearly tender, add the Swiss chard leaves a couple handfuls at a time. Allow to simmer until the potatoes are tender - about another 5 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and chard and add them to the pot with the onions. Toss well to coat everything, taste, and add additional seasonings if needed.

Thanks for stopping by!

Peach, Mango, Avocado, and Summer Greens Salad

This Summer is quite a change from the last few years. Instead of extreme drought, we’re experiencing a lot of rain and cooler weather. My garden loves the rain but we need more 80-degree days to get the warm-weather plants to take off. My peppers are giving me the finger and the eggplant and okra and tiny tiny plants - ugh.

 I’ve harvested two batches of turnips (and greens), Swiss chard, kale, cilantro, spinach, dill, and parsley with more to come. The winter squash is going crazy (can you say we love the cool weather) and the first round of green beans looks good. Soon I’ll have to decide which watermelon plants stay and which go; it’s all good.

Dan and I have been doing some walking and hiking (Two Harbors, Gooseberry Falls, Minnehaha Falls, our local walking haunts), and gardening. This year, Dan built an octagon garden, and we are working on a planting plan. We’re thinking of grasses, sedges, and some flowering plants to give it some color. It’s in a place with filtered sun so partial shade plants will be the best option. 

Tonight I was hungry for a batch of roasted veggies. We had turnips (from the garden), carrots, zucchini, onions, cauliflower and mushrooms. I added a couple of vegetarian Field Roast Italian Sausages to the mix and made a green salad with peaches, mango, avocado, lime, honey, and cumin dressing - it hit the spot. 

The veggies are simple, chop, dress with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. 

The salad was quick, simple, and tasty, the lime, honey, and cumin dressing added a bright flavor.

Ingredients - Salad

1 mango - diced

1 peach - diced

1 avocado -diced

1 bunch kale - sliced in ribbons

1 bunch of Swiss chard - sliced in ribbons

1/2 bunch spinach - stems removed

Dressing:

1 lime juiced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 - 2 T honey - I used Manuka honey

1 tsp cumin

Instructions:

Add all dressing ingredients to a small jar and shake until combined

Chop all salad ingredients and add to a bowl. Add dressing and toss. 

Enjoy!