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!

Caprese Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Does anyone feel like we’ve moved to Chicago? Maybe it’s me but I don’t recall a Spring that has been as windy as we experienced. And then there is the rain, which I have no complaints about, our lawn hasn’t been this green for a long time and it looks nice. 

The garden is fully planted, some things are doing well, others not so well. You may recall that I’ve struggled to find and grow a cucumber I like. This year I got a tip from a  fellow Master Gardener about Marketmore his description seems to be exactly what I am looking for; smaller fruit, thin skin, few seeds - sounds perfect. 

Unfortunately, the first plants I put in the garden died a quick death. In the second set only 1 remains. I am not sure what the issue is. Fingers crossed that the last one survives. 

I’ve been busy this Spring and am looking for new and fresh recipes. The Caprese Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms, have limited ingredients, easy prep, and only @ 8 minutes under the broiler to cook. 

We served the mushrooms with a fresh green salad and a nice glass of white wine - they were delicious. 

INGREDIENTS

Garlic butter:
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

Mushrooms:
5-6 large Portobello Mushrooms, stem removed, washed, and dried thoroughly with a paper towel
5-6 fresh mozzarella cheese balls, sliced thinly
1 cup grape, (or cherry) tomatoes, sliced thinly
fresh basil, shredded to garnish

Balsamic Glaze: (or you can use store-bought, or this recipe)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar (OPTIONAL)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to grill/broil settings on high heat. Arrange the oven shelf in the middle of your oven.

Combine all the Garlic Butter ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, and melt until the garlic is fragrant. Brush the bottoms of each mushroom and place them, buttered side down, on a baking tray. Flip and brush any remaining garlic over the insides of each cap. 

Fill each mushroom with the mozzarella slices and tomatoes, and grill/broil until cheese has melted and golden in color (about 8 minutes).

To serve, top with the basil and balsamic glaze. 

Enjoy!

Apple Puff Pastry Donuts

The garden is in! Veggies are planted and the rain has been so generous here in Minnesota so watering has been minimal. I’ve planted eggplant, peppers, and watermelon in my straw bales and so far everything is good, which means no dead plants … yet. 

I’ve been volunteering at my favorite communal garden, playing MahJong with my girlfriends, reading books, and lunching with neighbors. We’re heading to the North Shore for waterfall viewing and some hiking in the coming weeks, and working on a fall vacation to Iceland - Life is Good!

Sometimes life is all about dessert. I don’t mind creating something special but sometimes I want something relatively easy. The Apple Puff Pastry Donuts have minimal ingredients and are easy to make. Give them a try, they are like little apple pies. 

Ingredients:

1 apple

cinnamon 

granulated sugar

1 sheet of puff pastry

Instructions:

Combine sugar and cinnamon - stir to combine. Thaw the puff pastry, roll it out, and using a pizza cutter slice it into strips. 

Cut the apple into 6 slices and remove the center core using a small cookie cutter. Dip the apple slices into the cinnamon sugar mixture, ensuring it is coated on both sides. Wrap the puff pastry strips around the apple slices going through the center hole. 

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the apple/puff pastry slices. Bake @ 375 for @ 25 - 30 minutes or when puff pastry is slightly browned. 

Cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!

Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Radishes, Greens, and Feta

I’ve been working hard to get my flowers and veggie garden planted this week. Spinach, collards, chard, onions, leeks, and herbs are all planted. This weekend I’ll work on the rest of the beds and the straw bales.

Onions, leeks, and celery are the new crops this year; it should be interesting. Dan has an amazing leek and goat cheese bread that he makes so I’m sure some of the leeks will find their way into that, and we use onions almost every day.

I was looking for a nice Spring salad that used fresh ingredients and didn’t take hours to make and this one caught my eye. The dressing is tart and flavorful and really compliments the fresh ingredients and it takes 10 minutes from start to finish. Thanks to With Spice for the inspiration.

Ingredients:

• 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• kosher salt
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb. sugar snap peas, strings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces diagonally
• 3 radishes, trimmed, and sliced thin
• 2 - 3 oz baby greens 
• feta, crumbled

instructions:

Combine garlic clove, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt in a jar or large glass measuring cup. Whisk in olive oil, then season with black pepper and more salt to taste. Set aside to let garlic marinate while you assemble the salad. 

Combine snap peas, radishes, arugula, and feta in a large bowl.

Remove garlic clove from the dressing and discard. Add two-thirds of the dressing to the salad then toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing if desired. Serve.