Root vegetables are a winter staple in most of the country: nutritious, comforting, and an essential part of nearly every worthwhile stew. But by the time February arrives, they can seem rather, well, boring.  That certainly doesn’t have to be the case.

The next time you’re looking for a sidekick to your stick-to-your-ribs entrée, or a healthy snack for your kids, push aside the worthy potato and consider parsnips and carrots. They’re cousins to each other, after all, each with their own sweet and nutritious kick.  Parsnips, though less exciting in appearance, actually contain more vitamins and minerals than carrots, particularly when it comes to potassium. Plus, they’re a great source of fiber.

And when you roast them slowly with a touch of olive oil and sea salt, the natural sweetness intensifies, just as it does with carrots. The kids may never know they’re eating something so good for them.

Roasted Parsnip and Carrot “Fries”

Ingredients

• 3 large parsnips
• 3 large carrots
• 4 T olive oil
• 2 t kosher salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Peel parsnips and carrots, and slice into 1/3-inch strips
3. Place parsnips and carrots in a large bowl and toss with olive oil and salt.
4. Spread  the vegetables on a large cookie sheet in a single layer.
5. Roast for 15 minutes. Toss, and roast for 20 minutes more. The edges will be lightly browned, and the inside soft and chewy.

No question about it: Winter in Colorado is one of the many reasons people love living here. We get our fair share (and then some) of snow and cold, but we also have warm, blue-sky, sunny days to break up the winter blues. And for most of us, our hands are itching to get back in the dirt and plant our gardens, even though we know that the only wise thing is to wait for Mother’s Day weekend, when the threat of frost has passed.

But no matter how much we may wish to put time on fast-forward, the snowy days are here to stay for a while. And comfort food becomes very appealing. Cabbage, a mainstay in Eastern Europe, forms the basis for comfort food extraordinaire: stuffed cabbage rolls. And besides the emotional benefits of the delicate scent wafting through the house on a cold winter night, there are nutritional upsides as well: Cabbage is a great source of vitamin C, and it contains significant amounts of glutamine, which has anti-inflammatory properties.

I’d like to give credit to my friend, Hollie Rogin, for sharing this recipe— an old family favorite. Thanks Hollie. It takes some time to prepare, so it’s perfect for a long winter’s night. Allow about 4 hours total. Hunker down, spend some time with good friends who like to share recipes, and tune in some soothing music, and turn on the oven!

Enjoy!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Short Ribs

Ingredients

• 1 head cabbage
• 2 medium zucchini
• 1 ½ lbs ground beef
• 1 lb beef short ribs
• 2 medium onions, one chopped and one grated
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ c bread crumbs
• 2 T white rice
• 12 oz tomato sauce
• 6 oz tomato paste
• ½ c packed brown sugar
• ½ c white sugar
• 1 ½ t sour salt (citric acid)
• salt, pepper, and paprika to taste

Method:

1. Core cabbage; place it in a pot of boiling water to cover.  Cover the pot, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
3. Carefully remove cabbage from simmering water, and place in a colander to drain. As it cools, peel 15 cabbage leaves one by one and set them aside.
4. Chop remaining cabbage, and place on the bottom of a roasting pan.
5. Chop zucchini and one onion, and place them on top of the cabbage.
6. Add salt, pepper, and paprika to the short ribs, and place them on top of the vegetables.
7. In a large bowl, and using your hands, mix together the beef, eggs, grated onion, bread crumbs, and rice.
8. Spread one cabbage leaf on a dinner plate. Place one tablespoon of the beef mixture near the core end of the cabbage leaf. Roll once, then fold the sides in and continue to roll. Continue with the rest of the cabbage leaves and beef mixture.
9. Place the rolled cabbage leaves on top of the short ribs.
10. Whisk together the tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, white sugar, and sour salt and pour over the cabbage rolls.
11. Cover the roasting pan, place it in the oven, and cook for three hours, basting occasionally.

The method I’m going to show you is reliable, and quick, once you’ve done it a few times. It also works well for many other types of winter squash. I recommend using a good quality chef’s knife, at least 8” long, and it must be very sharp. Please don’t use this technique with a dull knife as it is not only ineffective, but downright dangerous since dull blades tend to slip more easily.

Because the butternut squash has a relatively soft skin, it is possible to use a standard vegetable peeler. I don’t recommend this method though, because it is tedious, and labor intensive. When cooking, it’s nice to be able to prepare foods quickly, with minimal effort. Using a chef’s knife as described below completes this chore in half the time of using a vegetable peeler.

Cut off the stem. With a firm grip, and fingers a safe distance from your knife, carefully insert the blade into to tip of the squash, near the stem. If the squash is fresh, you should have no trouble cutting off the stem. With an older squash, the shell may be tougher. Sometimes it’s helpful to roll the squash back and forth while applying firm downward pressure to your knife.

Separate the spherical seed-end from the neck. Find the place where the larger, round end tapers off to the longer,  narrow ‘neck’ of the squash and cut all the way through the squash. The spherical end is home to the seeds (which are edible— try them roasted with salt) and the neck contains nothing but the delicious flesh of this beautiful fruit.

Cut the spherical end in half. Place the spherical end flat, cut side down, on your cutting board. With a firm grip on the squash, gently slide your knife into the center of the top of the squash and cut all the way through.

Once open, you’ll see that butternut squash boasts an amazing amount of flesh, especially compared to other varieties of winter squash that typically feature large seed cavities and relatively little flesh.

Remove the seeds. Using a large spoon, scrape out the seeds from each half.

Peel the neck. To peel, start by placing the neck end of the squash flat on your cutting board, with the larger side down. Keep a firm grip on the squash (curl the fingers of your holding hand back to avoid accidentally losing a digit), and begin peeling the squash by making a thin slice into the top, with the blade just between the shell and the flesh.
Carefully work your way down the edge of the squash, peeling the skin and leaving as much of the flesh intact as possible. It’s inevitable that you’ll loose a bit of the flesh, but with a bit of practice, it’s easy to become quite accurate.

Peel the spherical halves. Cut off the end so you have a flat, stable base.

Next, with the flat end resting on the board, start working your way around the outside of the squash, using the same technique you used to peel the neck.

Now that your butternut squash has been peeled, it can be chopped and used in any recipe that calls for peeled, chopped squash.  Try Spicy Coconut Butternut Squash Soup, or Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Bisque.

With crunchy, two-day-old snow 8 inches deep outside my back door, I am craving comfort foods. Winter brings with it a peaceful garden slumber, and a strong desire to savor warming foods and slow cooking. With a limited supply of locally grown fresh produce this time of year, I have a great appreciation for the variety and abundance of long-storing winter squashes. With knobbly, hardened exteriors, and enticing, poetic names like ‘Burgess Buttercup’, ‘Pink Banana’, and ‘Honeyboat’ Delicata, winter squash grow in shapes spherical or elongated, sometimes with scalloped ridges disguising their golden-yellow or brilliant orange interiors.

Most winter squash grows on vines and the fruits are harvested when fully mature (which takes longer than summer squash) and are best harvested in the cooler temperatures of late fall. Because winter squash can be stored for months in a cool basement, they offer a perfect way to enjoy your garden efforts long into the winter season. A great a guide for harvesting and storing winter squash can be found here. In the kitchen, most varieties of squash are interchangeable. While they each offer different tastes and textures, there are no strict rules about how to best cook with and enjoy the earthy sweet flesh of these winter fruits. In fact, even though this recipe calls for the more common butternut squash, most other varieties would be a welcome substitution. Try ‘Gold Nugget’, ‘Sweet Meat’ heirloom, ‘Table King’ Acorn, or even pumpkin, such as ‘Red Warty Thing.’

Adapted from Terry Walter’s, Clean Food, this soup is the perfect comforting supper on a cold winter’s night. Tempered by sweet coconut milk and the creamy texture of butternut squash, the traditional Thai ingredients offer just enough spice to make this soup interesting. If you can’t find galangal (a root that looks similar to fresh ginger) or the other Thai ingredients, you certainly could omit them, and this soup would be delicious as a sweet-coconut concoction. It would, however, be worth the trip to a local Asian market to procure the ingredients if your supermarket doesn’t carry them.

Enjoy

Spicy Coconut Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil)
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1″ cubes
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 4 to 5 cups vegetable stock
• 6 lemongrass stalks, chopped
• 1 1-inch piece of galangal root, peeled and finely chopped
• 4-5 dried Thai chiles, quartered
• 4 kaffir lime leaves, chopped
• Sea salt to taste

Method:

1. In large, heavy-bottomed stockpot, over medium-high heat, sauté onion, garlic and ginger in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil until soft.
2. Add 4 cups stock, squash, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.
3. Simmer on low heat until squash is soft, usually about 20 minutes.
4. While the soup is simmering, sauté (on medium heat) the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and chilies in 1 tablespoon coconut oil until lightly browned and aromatic. Set aside.
5. Using handheld blender, or by transferring liquid and cooked squash to an upright blender in small batches, purée soup until smooth.
6. Note, depending on the amount of squash, you may need to add additional stock to achieve the consistency you desire.
7. Add in the chili, lemongrass mixture and simmer soup on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Pour through a fine sieve or strainer and serve warm.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Without the pretense of material gifts that most other holidays demand, this celebration feels more authentic, more genuine, and more heart-centered. Thanksgiving is about family, friends, and food, and the coming together of it all— and really, isn’t that what life is about? Couldn’t we mend a hundred fences and the scars of a thousand wars if we simply learned to share the gifts from our garden and come together to eat at the same table?

I am thankful for many things in my life. As I look out my window at the wooden boxes and raw soil, waiting patiently for the seeds of my first garden to be planted next spring, I find myself feeling a great sense of gratitude for my friends at Botanical Interests— Judy Seaborn, whose magical garden and passions for all things botanical inspire me. Thank you, Judy, for inviting me into the Botanical Interests family and supporting this food adventure we call Seed To Saucepan. And Ryan, the garden guru, who is probably the smartest guy I know when it comes to matters of manure, weeds, bugs, fungus, soil, sunlight, and seeds. In other words, all things gardening.

I’m also thankful for food— real food— the nourishment that grows from seeds in the Earth. I can think of no other holiday than Thanksgiving to honor our connection to food.

Inspired by Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I decided this Thanksgiving meal is to be a celebration of local foods. With great enthusiasm, my friend, Jan, and I set out a few weeks ago to create a celebratory meal in which all the ingredients come from Colorado. With some conscious planning, a bit of Googling, and a willingness to modify some of our traditional holiday favorites, we have come up with the following menu:

Warming up

• Homemade Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers with local artisan cheeses
• Colorado Cabernet from Infinite Monkey

The meal

• Free-range, heritage turkey from Bennett, Colorado
• Green Bean Casserole with Caramelized Onions and Hazel Dell Mushrooms
• Wild Mushroom Bruschetta Stuffing with Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese
• Roasted Grant Family Farms Delicata Squash and Onions
• Mashed Purple Potatoes and Heritage Turkey Gravy
• Cranberry Fig Sauce

Sweet dessert

• Heirloom Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Dulce De Leche
• Fair-trade Coffee (with Morning Fresh Dairy Cream and Madhava Wildflower Honey)

If you noticed the Cranberry Fig Sauce, and are thinking cranberries don’t grow in Colorado, you would be right. Not a chance.  Jan and I decided that we would make an exception for five ingredients— things that aren’t grown or raised in Colorado, but would be especially nice for our holiday feast. Our five non-local ingredients are: fresh cranberries, figs (although Garden Coach Ryan does grow figs here in Colorado), coffee (we’ll buy Fair Trade), green beans, and bread (made by a local artisan baker— but the flour doesn’t come from Colorado). Everything else on our menu is grown or raised right here in our home state. We’ve even found a local dairy to provide the fresh cream for the homemade butter we’ll be making. The appetizer crackers will be home made from scratch, using wheat flour that was grown and milled here in Colorado. Our heirloom pumpkin, onions, and goat cheeses all come from local farmers. Surprisingly, we can even enjoy a good quality wine from Colorado vineyards.

Most of our ingredients are coming from Denver Urban Homesteading, a year-round indoor marketplace featuring local farmers, bakers and various Colorado food businesses, and Marczyk’s Fine Foods, a small, locally-owned grocery store that offers outstanding support for local farmers.

While our holiday feast will not be crafted entirely from local ingredients, we’re honoring the spirit of this holiday in the best way we know— making conscious choices about what goes on our table. Thanksgiving is about family and friends, and without question, the food grown by us— or our neighbors in the community— is what brings us all together.

May your Thanksgiving be full of love, and laughter and nourishing food.

Christy

Beets— sweet, seductive and full of earthy promise— are deceptively easy to peel.  There are no special tools, no complicated techniques, and anyone with a thumb and forefinger can properly peel a beet.

However, before I delve into this lesson on peeling beets, it should be noted that it’s not a requirement to de-skin these crimson roots before eating, and while there may be an occasional good reason to feature a naked beet in a recipe it’s typically only a requirement of food vanity. The rough, course exterior of the beet is perfectly edible. If you choose to forgo peeling your beets, just be sure to wash them and give them a good scrub.

Raw beets are most often served grated in a variety of salad combinations, and they make for a healthy, sweet juice concoction, when combined with juiced celery, carrot, and parsley (or any others of your liking). But raw is not the only way to enjoy beets— cooking brings out their unique, decadent, complex personalities.

Personally, I prefer roasted beets to raw, in any manner of salad, and when combined with creamy, crumbled goat cheese as in the Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese recipe, I imagine any non-beet-lover might be converted. Keep in mind, fresh beets are far superior in both taste and texture to the canned versions so if you’ve never had a home-grown, freshly-cooked beet, please give it try before you swear off this winter rich staple.

How to Peel Beets

The trick to peeling beets is simply this: cook them whole. Honestly, it doesn’t matter how you cook them— you can roast them as I do below, boil them, or bake them (either wrapped in foil or placed in ovenware with a tight fitting lid).

STEP 1: Cook beets whole (without stems and greens)

For this article, I chose to slow roast my beets, uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 60 minutes.

Roasting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut off beet greens near the top of the root. It’s ok to leave a bit of the stems (Beet greens are edible, so save them for another dish if you like.)
3. Wash and lightly scrub beets.
4. Place in oven safe cookware and rub beets with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt.
5. Cook for 50 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the beets.
6. Beets are done when the skins are puckered and a toothpick inserted into the center of the root can be inserted easily with just a touch of grab) and removed without sticking.

Note: For this method of roasting, it’s not necessary to cover the baking dish. The beets roast in the dry heat of the oven.

Garden-fresh beets, with a rub of oil and a sprinkle of sea salt

STEP 2: Allow beets to cool long enough so they are comfortable to handle.

Beneath these leathery-looking exteriors you'll discover some seriously delicious beet goodness.

STEP 3: Peel

Once the cooked beets have cooled enough to handle, with your thumb positioned near the top of the beet (the end where the greens were cut), gently apply pressure in a downward motion. The skin will literally peel off with just a slight bit of pressure.

Continue to work your way around the beet, pulling back the blackened skin, until the entire beet has been peeled.

NOTE: Beets, especially red ones, will stain most everything— clothes, cutting boards and fingers.  If you don’t want your cutting board to be pink, use glass dishware. As for fingers, gloves are always and option, but I like to have a good feel for my food and opt to sport a bit of color for a day. Generally washing your hands with soap right away removes most of the color.

We’ve had some beautiful late Fall weather here in Colorado. Last week, on an unusually warm October evening, I found myself sitting outside in the back yard well after dusk, enjoying wine and talking with neighbors about the typical neighborly topics— travel, kids, other neighbors, and gardens. Having just moved to the neighborhood, with a barren back yard that is begging for a garden to be planted next Spring, the topic of gardening adventures came easily for us all. When Tina gave me the tour of her humble vegetable garden, smiling like a proud parent, I was reminded of how rewarding it can be to grow a garden. It wasn’t a large garden by any means, but it was clear to see that the past growing season had offered my neighbors many delightful, edible gifts— and one particular crop was still giving. Tina’s chard was flourishing— enormous, regal leaves with stunningly colorful stalks, defying the pull of winter’s impending arrival. As she filled an enormous “to go” bag of her magnificent chard, I was filled with gratitude for good neighbors and for being able to harvest delicious vegetables in the middle of Colorado’s October.

Several years ago, when I first attempted to grow a small garden, chard was the one vegetable that did exceptionally well for me. Chard grows quickly, and offers fresh greens from early Summer into late Fall— and in mild climates can be grown year round. It’s also is a great vegetable for container gardening, with multiple varieties to suit your aesthetic— classic white-stemmed varieties like Fordhook Giant, or more colorful varieties (often referred to as Rainbow Chard), such as Bright Lights and Five Color Silverbeet.

Of course, bright colors and majestic posture can only get you so far in the vegetable kingdom. Being a nutrition powerhouse, with a buttery flavor and not-too-wimpy-when-cooked texture, are the other notable qualities that put chard at the top of my short list for all-around best vegetable. Locally grown chard will keep well in the refrigerator for a week or maybe two. Unfortunately, store-bought chard doesn’t offer the same grace period— it is typically trucked in from faraway lands and can easily be at least a week old by the time you get it. When you buy chard at the store, look for brightly color leaves and make sure the stalks are still rigid— and then plan on using it in the next day or two.  If, when you hold chard upright, it bends over like a sleepy child, put it back to bed on the shelf and tell your store manager you want fresher produce!

And by now, you know I’m going to tell you the remedy for limp, store-bought chard. Grow your own. It is, no doubt, one of the easiest and most delightful vegetables to grow and eat. Young chard leaves (2” to 3”) can be harvested and enjoyed raw in salads, and mature leaves can be savored in numerous ways. Here are some ideas for making the most of your abundant chard crop throughout the season:

• Add chopped chard to omelets, scrambled eggs, and quiches (chard and eggs play well together).
• Steam chard until leaves are just wilted (the key with chard and other leafy greens is to avoid overcooking) and sprinkle with sea salt. Notice and savor the simple, buttery flavor that distinguishes chard form other leafy greens.
• Add chard to your favorite lasagna recipe for a boost of flavor, fiber and nutrition.
• Give your pasta dishes a generous dose of chopped chard. All your favorite pasta dinners, from primavera to mac ‘n’ cheese, will taste better with chard.
• Steam the large leaves and use them as wrappers for delicious fillings, like sautéed mushrooms and onions, or Italian sausage, rice and sun-dried tomatoes.
• Add left-over steamed chard to your burrito the next day
• Sauté chard in a splash of olive oil with fresh garlic, any all the other homegrown vegetables (tomatoes, fennel, onions, sweet peppers, green beans, etc).
• Replace spinach with chard in your favorite Greek spanikopita recipe.
• Try “beans and greens”. Beans and greens are a classic combo that always work well. I especially love the combination of tender cannellini beans with the silky, buttery flavor of chard.

I generally like to have a no-fuss kitchen, which means that most often I prepare vegetables in very simple ways. Chard is one of those vegetables that is so easy to cook and enjoy— simply steamed with a sprinkle of sea salt, served on a bed of rice or as a main dish. It’s easy. It’s delicious.

How to prepare chard

Chard boasts a huge leaf with a firm stalk in the center. Because chard stalks are more dense than the leaf, it’s a good idea to remove the stalks (either by cutting out the stalk or gently pulling off the leaves with your hands) and cook them separately, otherwise your beautiful chard leaves will be overcooked by the time the stalk is tender. Chard stalks resemble celery stalks and only require an extra minute or two for cooking before adding in the leaves.

I find soups to be a perfect complement to the cooler nights of late Fall. This recipe pairs silky white beans and buttery, colorful chard for a dish that’s sure to please. Serve it with a crusty loaf of french bread and enjoy!

Five Color Chard and Cannellini Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Five Color Silverbeet chard, stems removed (and saved for another use) and leaves cut lengthwise in half, then sliced into thin slivers
• 4 cups cooked cannellini beans (other white beans such as Great Northern, or navy will be a fine substitution), rinsed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, stalks removed (and saved for another use) and bulb sliced into thin slivers
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Method

1. Sauté onion and fennel in oil over moderate heat, until slightly softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. Add beans, stock, water, bay leaf, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
4. Add chard and salt, then simmer, uncovered, until chard is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Adjust salt and pepper seasonings to taste.

Enjoy!

Perusing the farmer’s market last weekend, I happened upon a vegetable I had never cooked before, and rarely eaten— okra. Being a cook who loves exploring new foods, I couldn’t resist buying a large handful of this unusual vegetable.

Here in Colorado, we don’t eat okra very often, and honestly, I don’t recall ever seeing it in the grocery store. In fact, until I discovered these sweet little seedpods at the market, I was under the impression that okra only grew in the South. And while it is true that okra is better understood and appreciated in the South (most commonly served fried or in classic recipes like gumbo), it is a delightfully delicious vegetable and relatively easy to grow in dry climates. With beautiful flowers adorning the garden (Botanical Interests garden guru, Ryan Schmitt, tells me the flowers are hibiscus), the okra plant yields a generous crop. The edible seedpods can grow as long as 9”, however, unless you’re trying to win a state fair contest for longest okra, it’s best to harvest the pods when they are about 3 to 4 inches in length. The best way to check okra for ripeness is to hold the pod in your hand and bend the bottom tip with your thumb. If the tip snaps easily, you’ve got okra that will have a great flavor and texture. If the tip bends a bit without breaking, then it is likely over-mature and will have a very coarse texture.

Perhaps the reason okra isn’t sold in most stores is because it doesn’t keep long once harvested— which, like so many other vegetables, is yet another reason to have a garden. Plant foods eaten shortly after harvesting are infinitely better tasting and more nutritious than the vegetables shipped from across the country to your local grocery. Okra is no exception. As I discovered this week, fresh okra has its own charm— delicate and uniquely flavorful.  Okra can be pickled, fried, sautéed, baked, and even frozen for enjoyment during the winter months.

Being a bit of a purist and not having ever eaten much okra, I wanted to learn more about its essence— what does it taste like, in its unadulterated form? I discovered that simply sautéing okra with a few other fresh ingredients from the garden is a magnificent celebration of this southern staple.

What about the slime? Most folks who aren’t fond of cooking okra will tell you stories about the unpleasantness of the “dreaded” okra slime. Admittedly I don’t have much experience cooking okra, so I had to resort to some internet research and discovered that indeed, cooking the pods can result in the releasing of a certain gooey substance, or slime, if you want to use a more technical term. And thanks to many okra cooks who have come before me, I quickly found dozens of tips for minimizing the sliminess— most involved cooking the pods quickly on high heat, as in a stir fry, or cooking with a small amount of an acidic ingredient, such as citrus, tomatoes, or vinegar. And apparently, when the pods are thinly sliced and cooked slowly over time (for example, in gumbo), the offending slime dissolves.

I decided not to take my chances with okra slime and added a small amount of tomatoes to my dish. This was a good decision, in hindsight, as I detected no evidence of the dreaded okra goo, and the tomatoes tasted terrific in combination with the okra and garlic.

I’m happy to report that this simple sauté was delicious, earthy, and satisfying. So much so, that I am already planning a spot in my garden for next year’s okra! I served mine with a good heaping of cooked quinoa, but rice or mashed potatoes would be equally complementary.  As with all the other delights from your garden or the farmers market, I encourage you to be a little adventurous. What have you got to lose?

Enjoy.

Okra sautéed with garlic, tomato, and onion.

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 cups fresh okra, sliced
• 1 large ripe tomatoes, chopped (or ½ cup canned diced tomatoes)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt, to taste

Method

1. Heat oil in heavy-bottomed, large skillet over medium heat
2. Add chopped onion and garlic, and sauté until onion is translucent and soft
3. Add okra and tomatoes and sauté until okra is al dente (tender yet firm)
4. Season to taste with salt
5. Serve over rice, quinoa, or just enjoy it all by itself!

Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad traditionally made with bulgar (cracked wheat) and a classic combination of mint, parsley and lemon. The fresh flavor combination of tabbouleh is unmistakable, and during these last days of late summer, this deliciously healthy, refreshing dish celebrates some of your garden’s finest fruits: firm, sun-ripened tomatoes, and sweet, crunchy cucumbers.

While there are few vegetables that I don’t absolutely adore, I have to confess that my passions run extremely deep for a particular type of cucumber— the lemon cucumber, which I have featured in this week’s recipe. Rarely seen in standard supermarkets, and well worth the trip to a local farmer’s market to procure (or better yet, grow your own!), the lemon cucumber is a yellowish orb, usually a bit smaller than a baseball— a perfect handful. It offers a mild, sweet flavor and when perfectly ripe, a cool crisp bite. If you’ve never seen one before, you’ll likely not think of it as a cucumber at all when judging only by appearance, as neither shape nor color reflect the characteristics of the common “cuke”. But a single taste of this uncommon edible sphere and your limited notion of cucumbers being oblong and green, will forever be disrupted by this little garden gem.

The lemon cucumber gets its name from its obvious lemon-like appearance, and not because it tastes lemony.

If you don’t happen to have a lemon cucumber on hand, please don’t disregard this recipe— an English cucumber will suffice. And honestly, tabbouleh, is much more about the parsley than the cucumber. I prefer the Italian flat-leaf variety for its fresh flavor and tender bite, but since we’re veering away form any form of tradition with this recipe, feel free to substitute curly parsley if that makes you happy. And speaking of parsley, I’d like to give a nod to David Lebovitz, who, in his blog article about tabbouleh, reminds us that traditional Lebanese Tabbouleh is an herbal salad, not a bulgar salad— a noteworthy distinction in a culture where most of us, if we’ve even tasted tabbouleh, have experienced a heavy, wheat-laden dish with speckles of herbs and a token dice of tomato. While my quinoa version does feature a bit more grain than Anissa Helou’s classic lebanese tabbouleh that David features in his article, I unabashedly concur with the “more vegetable, less grain” sentiment. Tabouleh, like all other grain salads, is better when the emphasis is on the salad part, and not the grain part.

While I enjoy traditional tabbouleh made with bulgar, I prefer using quinoa. Quinoa, in my opinion, is one of the most nutritious foods we can eat. We most often classify it as a greain, because it cooks like grains, but it is really a grain-like seed. One of the only plant-based foods that is a source of complete protein (meaning it contains all the essential amino acids), quinoa offers up a perfectly tender, yet firm texture that works so well with this dish. And what i love about quinoa is how easy and quick it is to prepare. Cook it in a large pot of boiling water for about ten minutes, until the tiny dot in the center goes from opaque to translucent. Then drain and cool.

I have two tips to share with you when making this recipe. First, use the freshest ingredients possible (including using the best quality olive oil you can afford)— home-grown, or locally procured produce will make a astounding difference in the end result. Second, I recommend loosely following this recipe. You’ll want to taste is as you go along, adjusting the amount of each ingredient to your preference. keep a close watch on the amount of lemon juice— start with less and add more if you like. These flavor combinations work so well together, but the amounts of each ingredient cannot easily be reduced to a mathematical science.

Have some fun with it. Enjoy.

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Fresh Summer Tomatoes and Lemon Cucumber

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups fresh, flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup scallion, diced
• 4 medium, firm tomatoes, diced (no need to deseed, but do set over a colander to drain for a few minutes)
• 4 lemon cucumbers, diced (or substitute one large English cucumber, diced)
• 1/3 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• Sea salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup feta cheese (optional)

Method:

1. Place all ingredients, and a large pinch of salt, in a large bowl and gently stir.
2. Taste.
3. Mindfully adjust the amount of lemon, parsley, mint, and salt.

When I think of summer squash, one word comes to mind: prolific. If you grow a vegetable garden, or have friends or neighbors who garden, you know what I’m talking about here. From mid to late summer, there is never any shortage of summer squash; and if you got carried away with planting several varieties earlier this summer, you are probably finding yourself with a bit of a dilemma this time of year— what to do with all that squash. Fortunately, the ubiquitous squash is quite adaptable, and is as comfortable in the starring role of a magnificent summer dish as it is in a less-prominent supporting role.

The term “summer squash” is generic, representing a wide variety of related vegetables with mythical, fairy-tale names like Black Beauty, Cocozelle, Patty Pan, Crookneck, and Emerald Delight, just to name a few— each with their own distinctly different shapes, colors, and flavors. Zucchini and other summer squashes are easy to grow and require moderate water and minimal care, so it’s easy to understand why so many people have an abundance of squash this time of year.

Technically, squashes are fruits, but because they are savory we tend to call them vegetables. In terms of harvesting your summer squash vegetables, remember that their best flavor and texture comes from the smaller vegetables, so make a habit pick (and enjoy) them when they are young and before the seeds mature. Consistently harvesting squash when they are small will encourage the plants to produce multiple small vegetables instead of a few large ones. Squash plants tend to be vulnerable to a particular mildew, but Botanical Interest’s garden guru, Ryan, has a great tip to stave off that inevitable powdery mildew. For an all natural remedy, Ryan suggests mixing 1 gallon of water with 1.5 tablespoons baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon mild dish detergent. Spray this mixture on the upper and lower leaf surfaces, and you’ll be enjoying squash until frost.

From the culinary point of view, all varieties of summer squash can be cooked in the same manner— with a variety of cooking methods available for the experimentation. One of my favorite ways to prepare summer squash, perhaps because the simplest of cooking methods allows this glorious, earthy delight to shine, is to simply grill it. Sliced anyway you like, brushed with a bit of olive oil on both sides, and sprinkled with a quality sea salt, this technique is simple, quick and easy… and there is nothing better than sitting down to a feast of freshly-picked, grilled squash. Enjoy this in its simplicity, or be more adventurous and try adding a sprinkling of feta, or freshly shaved pecorino, perhaps a smattering of torn fresh basil, mint, or other favored, aromatic herb from your garden, a drizzle of fine balsamic, with a side relish of fresh cherry tomato, cucumber salad. Of course, a glass of cool pinot grigio and the company of close friends or family completes the story perfectly.

And when you are grilling up this summer feast, don’t hold back— left-over grilled squash can be the perfect solution to summer-lunchtime blues. Grilled squash is wonderfully delicious the next day (or the second or third, as well). Served cold, or warm, on any manner of sandwich breads, with a dollop of basil pesto, topped off with caramelized onions, freshly sliced tomatoes, other grilled vegetables, or even hummus or ham— there is really no way to ruin a sandwich with the addition of freshly grilled squash. And then, don’t get me started on the salads. The best of summer salads, for me, always include a good serving of grilled summer vegetables, with squash being the old faithful. And if that’s not enough for you, try generously adding your left-over grilled squash, chopped or sliced, into your favorite pasta dish for a quick boost of nutrition and taste.

Of course, grilling is not the only way to make good use of your summer squash harvest. A quick search for squash recipes will reveal a million different ideas for stuffed zucchini, and there is certainly no shortage of soups, stews, or casseroles that feature this versatile vegetable. And don’t forget baking— zucchini bread is probably the most common mom-appreciated and kid-approved remedy for the overgrowth of the summer zucchini. Take this idea one step further and you discover that summer squash is as comfortable being sweet as it is savory— the simple addition of shredded summer squash turns a non-nutritious chocolate cake into something of a paradox— do we dare say, healthy dessert?  If you still need more inspiration for what to do with your squash harvest, try making summer squash risotto or pasta primivera. And, one of my favorite blogs, The Smitten Kitchen, recently featured an absolutely wonderful recipe for zucchini fritters. OK, you get the idea.

The following recipe is a simple summer zucchini soup— easy to make, and delightful to eat. Enjoy it with a hunk of fresh french loaf, maybe slathered with a pesto or tapenade, and you’ll have a beautifully light, nourishing dinner on a hot summer night.

Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 clove fresh garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 to 4 medium-sized zucchini (1 1/2 lb), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

Method

1. Heat saucepan over medium heat, add oil and sliced shallots. Cook until shallots are soft and slightly translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add zucchini, and lemon zest, and cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is softened but not cooked through, about 5 minutes.
3. Add broth and simmer until zucchini is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Purée zucchini mixture, including zest, along with parsley and dill in a blender until smooth. NOTE: Be careful blending hot liquids— it’s better to blend in small batches, so you may want to blend 2 or 3 batchesfor this recipe.
5. To chill the soup quickly, transfer puréed soup to a bowl, then set bowl into a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Cool, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
6. Stir in yogurt
7. Taste and season with salt.