Summer's Bounty

No matter where you live in the northern hemisphere, September is harvest month and the season of golden light, harvest moons, warm days and cool nights reminding us that autumn is just around the corner. Sounds peaceful and calm, but harvest time is anything but! Many are working long days bringing in bushels of tomatoes, endless zucchini, red peppers, and of course grapes. I will let the winemakers deal with ‘the crush,’ but will offer you some suggestions for the aforementioned vegetables. If you don’t have your own garden, be sure to visit your Farmer’s market for the freshest organic, seasonal vegetables.

Recipe #1: Summer in a Pan: Tomato and Squash Tart
This is great served with some crusty French bread; we have wonderful local choices.

Serves 8

2 large tomatoes, about 1 pound, vine ripened
1 medium zucchini, about 8 ounces
1 medium summer squash, about ½ pound
1 large potato, thinly sliced, no need to peel
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup Swiss cheese, grated, divided
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup fresh herbs, basil, oregano, rosemary and parsley are good choices
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Butter a 9-inch pie plate or shallow casserole dish. If you prefer, you may rub with olive oil, instead of using butter. Remove stem ends from tomatoes; cut in half through stem end; thinly slice crosswise. Cut zucchini, summer squash and potato in half lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, summer squash, potato, onion, 3/4 cup of the Swiss cheese, eggs, salt, fresh herbs, and pepper until well mixed. Arrange half of the tomato slices on bottom of pie plate. Evenly spoon vegetable mixture over tomatoes, pressing slightly to flatten. Arrange remaining tomato slices on top. Bake until vegetables are tender about 50 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Per Serving: 108 Calories; 5g Fat (42.2% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 60mg Cholesterol; 294mg Sodium.

Recipe #2: Zucchini Pizza

Personally, I prefer to leave out the ground turkey, but certainly add it if you like. If you don’t use the turkey, serve with a green salad with garbanzo beans and then you have a complete protein (brown rice in the pizza, plus the beans=complete protein.) You may use less cheese if you like or change the type of cheese used.

Serves 6

4 cups zucchini, grated
2 cups brown rice, cooked
1 1/2 cups Monterey jack cheese, or mozzarella, grated
2 eggs, beaten

1 pound ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1 teaspoon oregano, or 3 tablespoons fresh, washed and chopped
1 teaspoon basil, or 3 tablespoons fresh, washed and chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1. Combine the grated zucchini, brown rice, jack cheese and the eggs. Press into a greased 15X11X1" jelly roll pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

2. In medium skillet, brown ground turkey with onion and herbs. Set aside.

3. Pour marinara over crust, sprinkle with turkey mixture and top with cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Per Serving: 677 Calories; 32g Fat (42.6% calories from fat); 38g Protein; 59g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 187mg Cholesterol; 739mg Sodium.

Recipe #3: Creative Sautés

This one is a non-recipe, my favorite way to cook.

Wash, slice or chop all the fresh, seasonal veggies you can get your hands on! Pat dry so you won’t be splattered by oil when you add them to the pan. Also have fresh herbs, sea salt and freshly ground pepper handy.

Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and warm. Add a little olive oil or if you like simply vegetable broth. When you place cold oil in a warm pan, it spreads faster and you actually use less oil. Warm pan, cold oil.

Remember to add the vegetables that take the longest to cook first. I like to add slices of onions and let them cook for a few minutes, then I add sliced or chopped red pepper. Again, cook for a few minutes. Remember that if you add too many veggies all at once they will most likely steam instead of sauté, which, by the way, is fine too. Next I add thinly sliced greens such as kale (my personal favorite) or chard and at this time I add the summer squashes such as zucchini, crookneck or patty pan or a combination thereof. I also wait until now to add some minced garlic and chopped fresh herbs. In the summer, basil and thyme are wonderful flavors with all these veggies. Sea salt and pepper to taste. That’s it! Serve with baked tempeh or roast chicken.

If you have leftover veggies, in the morning place them in a pan with a bit of broth (not too much) and warm. Break eggs on the top and cover the pan until the eggs are poached. This is one of my favorite breakfasts. Remember that when you eat a healthy breakfast you set your intentions for the day.

In good health!
Patty