Zucchini & Summer Squash Red Curry

Ingredients:
1 large green zucchini, halved and sliced
1 large yellow summer squash, halved and sliced
1 large white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup peas
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon of cornstarch + 1 tablespoon of cold filtered water
2 cups of lite coconut milk
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce [eliminate for vegan]
1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon of chili paste
1 tablespoon coconut oil
pinch of kosher salt
fresh cilantro and lime to garnish


1. In a large wok, heat coconut oil over a low flame. Add in the zucchini, summer squash, onions and garlic. Heat through for about 5 minutes and then add in the peas and tomatoes.

2. In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and filtered water until smooth. In a large mixing bowl combine the cornstarch mixture, coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice, chili paste and pinch of salt. Whisk together well and then pour the sauce over the veggies. Simmer for about 10-15  minutes.

Serve hot over brown rice or quinoa with fresh cilantro and lime!

Total time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

LIVING SIMPLY GLUTEN FREE

Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Pesto

Pasta Ingredients:
4 medium zucchinis
2/3 cup cooked fava beans [edamame or peas work nicely too]
pinch kosher salt

1. If you are using fresh fava beans, follow the instructions here to prepare and cook them, then set them aside.

2. Wash, dry and cut the ends off from the zucchinis. There are a few different methods you can use to make your zucchini noodles and it doesn't mean rushing out to get another kitchen gadget. If you have a julienne slicer [like I used] cut them on a thin setting. You can also achieve the julienne style by using a sharp knife and cutting the zucchini into thin strips, stack them up again and cut again into thin lengthwise strips. You can also make zucchini ribbons by using a traditional kitchen peeler.

3. For raw noodles, spread them out onto towels and sprinkle on a pinch of kosher salt. Let them dry out a bit while you make your pesto.

4. For cooked noodles, boil water with a pinch of kosher salt. Blanch the zucchini for one minute, pull out and immediately submerge them into ice cold water to stop them from overcooking. Once they are cool, drain well and set aside.

Pesto Ingredients:
1 medium avocado
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon flax powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup filtered water

Place all the ingredients into a food processor or high powered blender. You can adjust the amount of water or oil depending on the consistency you like your pesto sauce. The amounts listed by me produce a light and creamy texture.

Toss the pasta, pesto and fava beans together. Season with sea salt and coarse ground pepper. Serve right away!

LIVING SIMPLY GLUTEN FREE

Sauteed Garlic Scapes & Summer Squash

Ingredients:
1 zucchini
1 yellow summer squash
1-2 garlic scapes
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & coarse ground pepper to taste

1. Wash and thinly slice squash into medallions. I sliced my about 1/8 inch thick. Whatever thickness you cut them, make sure it is uniform so they cook at the same speed.

2. Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat.

3. Once the oil is warmed, add in the squash and cook for 2-3 minutes while flipping every so often.

4. While the squash is cooking prepare your scapes. Make a cut just under the base of the flower and discard. Cut the scapes into 1-2 inch long sections. Toss the scapes in with the squash, give the pan a good shake to mix in the scapes well. Add a splash more olive oil if necessary. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for another 5-7 minutes. The squash should be tender [browning a bit] and the scapes should turn bright green. Sauteing scapes is similar to cooking asparagus. You don't want to overcook it, or it'll become stringy.

Tip: I put leftovers of this saute into the refrigerator and for lunch the next day I discovered it to be fantastic as a cold summer salad. I sprinkled on a handful of freshly chopped mint from my garden and and dug in. Yum!

LIVING SIMPLY GLUTEN FREE

Summer Squash & Zucchini Noodles with Meatballs

 Recipe courtesy of our CSA member Laura

 

Noodle Ingredients

-Summer Squash

-Zucchini

Meatballs & Sauce Ingredients 

-2 pounds grass-fed ground beef

-2 small carrots

-1/2 a large onion

-1 handfull (or 2) of spinach

-1/4 cup of almond meal

-1 egg (optional)

-1 -2 tsp basil (dried) to taste

-1 tsp oregano (dried) to taste

-1 tsp garlic powder

-salt & pepper (optional)

Noodle Directions
-To start, you will need 1 squash (zucchini or summer squash) per planned serving, depending on the size of the squash.  To make a serving of 4, start with 4 squash.  To make enough for 2 start with 2.  As you cut/peel the squash you’ll see how much it makes and can either stop early or add an additional squash if it doesn’t look like enough “noodles” 
-First wash the squash and dry it. 
-Then cut the top and bottom of the squash, you’ll do the same for the yellow summer squash or the zucchini, so that you have a nice flat surface to stand the squash vertically.
- Next, use your vegetable peeler and start at the top and “peel” the squash by creating a peel the length of the squash.If you want shorter “noodles” you can cut the squash in half first, but I like the longer ones so you can actually twirl them around your fork when you’re done!  Continue creating your peeled squash noodles until the remaining squash is too small to peel anymore.  Take the remaining and cut it as thinly as possible so you don’t waste it and add it to the “noodle” pile.
-After you created your noodles, place them in a colander and let them sweat.  This is a tip I took from Melissa Jouwlan’s Well Fed cookbook, and you do this to remove some of the water from the squash which keeps your noodles from being too watery at the end (anyone had this problem before?).  In the colander, coat the squash with sea salt, and then let sit for 20-30 minutes.

Meatball and Sauce Directions

 -To make the meatballs, use a mini prep food processor and chop the veggies (carrots, onion, and spinach) and then throw all the other ingredients in a large bowl and mix it together.  Create meatball from the meat mixture and place in the pan to cook.
-After the meatballs are mostly cooked, I add 1 - 2 cans of marinara sauce to the pan and then let it simmer for about 10 minutes (you can just add it and let it heat up too, the cooking is done at this point).  Now before you judge, I  know that I’m takeing a shortcut by using Trader Joe’s Marinara Sauce...I know its sacrilegious to not make my own sauce, but this one doesn’t have any crappy ingredients, tastes great, and helps to get dinner on the table faster!  Trust me about the can too, it’s $1.79 (I think) a can and the best value for your dollar!
-After you’ve let the squash noodles sit, rinse the salt off and then dry the noodles (you just did all that work to remove the excess water after all).  Then throw them in a large saute pan.
-I added a tiny bit of coconut oil since I didn’t want them to stick.  Toss the noodles in the pan, moving with a wooden spoon for 3 to 5 minutes, until the squash is tender.  Place the squash on plates and get ready to serve!

Baked Eggs with Summer Vegetables and Capers

Adapted from TheKitchn blog.

Baked Eggs with Summer Vegetables and Capers
Makes 2 hearty servings

Ingredients
2 cups yellow straightneck squash and/or zucchini (green or gold) and/or patty pan squash, cut into ½-inch pieces
⅔ cup chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons capers
⅓ cup fresh mozzarella cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 large fresh basil leaves, cut into long, thin strips and divided
4 eggs
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash/zucchni and tomatoes. Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in capers. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender.
3. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in 4 large fresh basil leaves, cut into long, thin strips, and fresh mozzarella. Divide the vegetable mixture between two ramekins. Crack two eggs into each ramekin, taking care not to break the yolks.
4. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake until the whites are almost cooked, 7 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 2 additional minutes, or until the white are cooked and the yolks are still soft.
5. Sprinkle each serving with remaining fresh basil and serve immediately.

Honey Zucchini Bread

This recipe comes from Food.com and it's only sweetened using honey!

Honey Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup honey
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts or 1 cup pecans (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butter two 8- by 4-inch loaf pans.
3. Beat eggs well.
4. Add oil, then honey (put honey in measuring cup after oil because the oiled cup will allow the honey to drip out more easily) and vanilla.
5. Stir in zucchini.
6. Mix dry ingredients together.
7. Stir into zucchini along with nuts.
8. Pour into the prepared loaf pans.
9. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until tested done.
10. Cool in pans for 15 minutes before turning out.

Raw Zucchini Salad with Red Onion

This is a Martha Stewart creation. She writes, “Raw zucchini, sliced into ribbons with a peeler, is mild-tasting; a short soak in vinegar and oil mellows and softens the onion but leaves enough bite to keep it interesting.”

Raw Zucchini Salad with Red Onion
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
4 small or 2 large zucchini (about 1½ pounds total)

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper. Stir in onion, and let stand 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, slice zucchini into paper-thin ribbons, avoiding seeds. Add to bowl with dressing, season with salt and pepper; toss to combine.

Roasted Summer Vegetables with Feta

Roasted Summer Vegetables with Feta

makes one serving (you can easily double, triple, etc. this recipe for additional servings)

2 T olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

1 T brown sugar

1/2 t dried rosemary

1/2 t kosher salt

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small zucchini, diced

1/2 red onion, cut into quarters and chopped

1/4 C feta cheese crumbles

1 C cooked quinoa or grain of your choice

1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Add the chopped and diced veggies to the bottom of a glass baking dish.

3. Pour the vinaigrette over the veggies. Gently shake the dish to make sure all the veggies are evenly covered by the sauce. Flip any tomatoes so that they are cut-side up.

4. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently toss. Roast for an additional 10 minutes, then gently toss again. Let roast for an additional 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.

5. Serve the roasted vegetables over a bed of quinoa (or couscous, rice, etc.) and top with feta cheese crumbles.

Zucchini Feta Chopped Salad

This recipe comes from the Family Fresh Cooking blog. The author recommends enjoying this salad as soon as you prepare it as it tends to get watery when stored in the refrigerator.

Zucchini Feta Chopped Salad
Ingredients
2 large zucchini cut into quarters
1 chopped bell pepper
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
handful chopped cherry tomatoes
handful of chopped Kalamata olives
splash garlic olive oil (or plain extra virgin olive oil)
pinch of ground black pepper
some fresh or dried dill

Directions
Julienne zucchini in food processor. Put in medium bowl and gently toss with the rest of the ingredients.

Baked Zucchini Fries

LFFC Green Zucchini

These Baked Zucchini Fries from The Comfort of Cooking blog look like the perfect treat for the upcoming holiday weekend. The author writes, "They are flavorful and crispy, easier than potato fries to perfect, and a tasty way to get you and your family a serving of vegetables." Enjoy!

Baked Zucchini Fries
Serves 6

Ingredients
3 medium zucchini, sliced into skinny sticks
2 large eggs, beaten
3 heaping tablespoon flour

½ cup bread crumbs (the author suggests using panko)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, beat egg with a fork until frothy. In another bowl, place flour, and in a third bowl, place your bread crumbs. Toss the breadcrumbs with garlic powder and Parmesan cheese, and set aside.
3. Dip the zucchini sticks into the flour, then egg, and then into the bread crumb mixture. Make sure all sides get coated well. Place the sticks on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Serve warm with Ranch dressing, marinara sauce, or just as is.

Confetti Pancakes

Thank you to Maryland CSA shareholder Julie, who shared this recipe from a friend's blog, Bitchin' Dietitian. She tells her twins that these pancakes are "confetti pancakes" and adds a teaspoon of agave to cut the bitterness of the collard greens.

Confetti Pancakes
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sweetener (agave nectar, sugar, etc.)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup shredded zucchini
¼ cup finely diced collard greens
¼ cup shredded carrot
dark chocolate chips, optional (“Chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, anyone?!”)

Directions
Mix all ingredients together, and add more almond milk as needed for thinner pancakes. Cook in a large skillet with a touch of oil. Add fruit sauce, maple syrup, agave, or nothing at all.

Cheddar Cauliflower Soup

The following recipe is adapted from La Tartine Gourmande Blog (http://www.latartinegourmande.com/). As always, the author has a few tartine suggestions to go with the meal (a French-style open-faced sandwich): “…a few slices of my favorite bread topped with goat cheese, thin pieces of Alaskan smoked salmon, steamed peels of zucchini and thin slices of pink radish. A few leaves of fresh Thai basil and gomasio complete these quick-to-make tartines."

Cheddar Cauliflower Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 head cheddar cauliflower, washed and cut in pieces
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
1 stick lemongrass, cut in small pieces
2 tablespoons Thai basil
1 tablespoon coriander, chopped
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
2 garlic cloves
1 shallot
4 cups vegetable broth or water
2 tablespoons canola oil
salt and pepper
crème fraîche to serve (optional)
1 zucchini (for the peels, optional)

Directions
1. Cut and discard the outer part of the lemongrass, and slice the stick.
2. Take a large saucepan and heat 2 tablespoons oil.
3. Add the ginger, lemongrass, garlic and shallot and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on low heat until fragrant.
4. Add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the stock (or water) and the coriander. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Then add half of the basil and let rest for 2 minutes before mixing the soup in a blender.
6. Serve with the rest of the basil, zucchini strips steamed for 2 min, and a dollop of crème fraîche. Accompany with your favorite tartines.

Zucchini Ribbons with Lemon and Almonds

Sylvia, a site host in Mount Airy, sends in this delicious-sounding recipe. Enjoy!

2-3 zucchini
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 T olive oil
1 T fresh lemon juice
sea salt, to taste
shaved parmesan cheese

1. Peel zucchini and then use a vegetable peeler to cut zucchini into ribbons. Put ribbons in a large bowl.
2. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and salt.
3. Add dressing to zucchini and toss to coat. Adjust seasonings if needed.
4. Lightly toast almonds until golden brown. Sprinkle over zucchini.
5. Add shaved parmesan cheese, toss and serve.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Thanks to CSA member from Bala Cynwyd, PA, for sending in this recipe from the November 1995 issue of Bon Appétit.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Serves 12

Ingredients
2¼ cups sifted all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1¾ cups sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about 2½ medium)
1 6-ounce package (about 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour 13"x9"x2" baking pan. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter and oil in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions each. Mix in grated zucchini. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan.

Zucchini Fritters

Welcome to the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative CSA Recipe Group!

The staff at LFFC wanted to create a space for CSA members to share recipes and tips as they prepare the vegetables in their shares. So here it is!

Below is the first recipe posting, sent to us from a CSA member in South Philadelphia:

Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
2 medium size zucchini (grated)
1 egg
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 onion (approximately ¼ cup, chopped)
chopped parsley or cilantro
salt and pepper (to taste)
sour cream (optional)
micro greens (optional)

Directions
Scoop approximately a fourth of the fritter mixture onto a medium heated skillet with some olive oil. Allow each side to cook for about 4-6 minutes, or until golden brown. Place the cooked fritters onto paper towels or cloth to absorb any excess oil. Top with sour cream and micro greens and enjoy!