Yellow Squash Lunch – 5 Minute Vegetarian Meal September 12, 2013

.

So much squash, tomatoes, onions, and basil coming out of the garden.  This is my attempt at making a small dent in our bounty !  To make this meal a little heartier, you could add some pre-cooked chicken or black beans.

Yellow Squash Lunch

1 medium yellow squash, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 small onion (mine was a Walla Walla Sweet)
2 large basil leaves, sliced thinly
1 Tbsp butter
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add onions and sautee until they are translucent and begin to caramelize.

Add squash, salt, and pepper to pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes. I like my squash “al-dente”, so it doesn’t take long. Add the tomatoes and basil at the very end.

Super-delish, Super Easy !

Squash Goulash – A One Pot Dish September 11, 2013

We have a TON of squash and tomatoes coming out of the garden.   The onions were medium sized Walla Walla Sweets, and the garlic was a hardneck purple variety that the better half plants every year.

This is an easy weeknight dinner if you can cook the ground beef in advance, and if you are a vegetarian, I think omitting the beef, and adding a can of black beans would taste delicious as well.

Squash Goulash

1 lb. ground meat
2 medium onions, sliced
2 large yellow squash, diced (zucchini would be good as well)
6 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 C. Salsa
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 C. Pepperjack Cheese

Cook ground beef, and sautee onions. You can cook the beef in advance and just add it to the pan like I did for a quicker prep time on a weeknight.

Add seasonings to beef and onion mixture.  Add the tomatoes and salsa, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until the liquid from the tomatoes cooks down a bit.

Add the squash, cover and let simmer for a few more minutes until the squash is just tender (I don’t like squishy squash). Top with Pepperjack cheese.

Low Carb Mini Pizzas ! July 14, 2013

Fat 12.96 | Carbs 8.60 | Prot 17.45 | KCals 212

.

We have an abundance of squash coming from the garden right now, what to do !  I started digging through Pinterest to see if anything looked good (honestly I am not a fan of squash, but my gardening hubby is).

So, I stumbled across a few promising recipes.  This one comes from Kalyn’s Kitchen.

The end product is pretty darned tasty….and for those of you missing pizza while low carbing, this might hit the spot.  I grilled my zucchinis, and had to store in the fridge while I waited for my cheese to defrost (you can buy mozzarella on sale and freeze – it does fairly well).

.

Low Carb Mini Pizzas

1 large squash, cut into 1/4″ thick rounds
Pizza Sauce (I used Ragu)
1 oz mushrooms, sliced into thin strips
1.5 oz shredded mozzarella
8 slices turky pepperoni
Kosher salt

Lay the zuke rounds on a baking pan, and sprinkle both sides with Kosher salt.  Let sit for about 30 minutes.  It’s amazing how much moisture you will extract.  Pat dry with a towel.

Light Barbeque, and set to high.  BBQ the zukes until you get nice grill marks, turn, do the same for the other side.  If your BBQ is super hot/dry, you can spritz the zukes with a little olive oil before placing on the grill.

Lay your grilled zukes out on a baking sheet, add the pizza sauce, mushrooms, pepperoni, and cheese to each mini round.  Broil for about 2 minutes – they are done when the cheese is bubbly and slightly brown.

Makes one serving, but can easily be adapted to make two entire sheet pans, AND, you can add YOUR favorite toppings.

Low Carb Stuffed Squash Boats May 19, 2013

.

These are fairly quick and easy, if you happen to have some leftover meat sauce in your fridge.  Paired up with roasted sweet potato and asparagus, this is a GREAT weeknight meal for you working parents.  It can also be prepped in advance and frozen, also the leftovers keep well.

Stuffed Squash Boats

4 squash (zucchini or yellow)
1/2 recipe of Jabberwock’s Meat Sauce
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Cut the squash in half lengthwise.  Place cut side down in covered glass baking dish with 1 Tbsp. water and microwave for 3-4 minutes.

Scoop out the innards/seeds and arrange in 9″x13″ pan.  Fill the boats with Jabberwock’s Meat Sauce.  Top with mozzarella and Italian seasoning. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Emeals Review: Baked Steak with Roasted Acorn Squash March 16, 2013

Emeals Baked Steak with Baked Acorn Squash

Ingredients: 2 lb. steak, onion, ketchup, cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce.

Embellishments: I increased the onion from 3 Tbsp. (minced) to using half of a very large onion (slliced).  I also had a sweet red bell pepper, so sliced it up, and tossed it in.

Cook/prep time:  Prep was very easy, about 10 minutes.  Cook time per the recipe was 2 hours, however I prepped the dish in advance, and it was sitting in the fridge most of the day, so increased to about 3 hours.

Comments:  Easy prep, perfect for make ahead, delicious taste.   For the side, I opted to not have salad, and made Baked Acorn Squash and some Cauliflower mash.  Thumbs up for this Emeals dish.

Emeals Baked Steak

Emeals Baked Steak

Emeals Baked Steak

Baked Acorn Squash

Baked squash was not something we ever ate growing up.  Occasionally I would attend a holiday event at someone’s house and they would serve Acorn squash with butter and brown sugar, which was absolutely terrible tasting (read too sweet !).

This recipe came from Emeals, and it was surprisingly delicious.  As you all know, I like fast and easy prep for meals and side dishes.

Baked Acorn Squash

1 large Acorn Squash, cut into quarters
Olive oil
4 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder

.

Drizzle the squash with olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.  Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. of Parmesan cheese on each piece.

Bake at 350 F for about 20-30 minutes.  Test with fork to determine done-ness.  I burnt mine a little, but it STILL tasted GREAT.

Salmon with Summer Squash Gratin March 10, 2013

.

Our wonderful neighbor Ron recently caught a couple of Salmon, and was generous enough to give is a very large piece.  I am very spoiled !

Salmon with Summer Squash Gratin

Gratin:
4 large summer squash, sliced (mine were yellow, but zucchini would be a nice addition).
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Layer the sliced squash in an 8″x8″baking dish.  Bring cream to a simmer, add cream cheese and mustard, whisking until smooth.
Stir in 1 1/4 cups of cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and whisk just until the cheese melts. Transfer squash into an 8×8 pan, and pour sauce over the top.  Stir, so it’s all coated.

Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 375 F until browned and bubbly hot (about 15 minutes).

Salmon
1.5 lb Salmon
1/3 cup white cooking wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp dry basil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Pull the pinbones from the salmon if desired, place in 9″x13″ baking dish.  Add wine, drizzle the fish with olive oil, and sprinkle on seasonings and garlic.  Cook uncovered in 375 F oven for about 10 minutes.
.

If you like these dishes, you probably should check these out !

Pesto covered Klickitat River Salmon

Baked Herbed fish with spinach orange salad

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese that even a 12 year old will eat