Summer Squash Capponata

Now that I’m a gardener, every summer I find myself scouring the internet for novel things to do with zucchini and summer squash. This recipe from the New York Times looked interesting. I love olives and capers, and since I’m avoiding beans at the moment, I liked that it included eggs as a protein source.

The recipe was simple enough to make. It does use quite a few dishes and pots, but isn’t super time consuming. I left out the red pepper flakes since I’m avoiding spice. And I used white wine vinegar instead of red wine vinegar since that’s what I had. And finally, I used maple syrup instead of sugar so that Ian would eat it (turns out he’s off maple syrup now too so that was a bust). Since the recipe give no guidance on salt, that required quite a bit of trial and error to get right. And the step where you pre-soak the capers seemed pointless to me since I ended up adding a lot of salt after.

In general I object to recipes that don’t offer at least a salt range. But otherwise, I really enjoyed this recipe. It was definitely better after it had marinated at least a day. I recommend turning it occasionally to ensure it marinates throughout. Without the red pepper flakes, it was just the tiniest bit on the bland side (maybe I’d try paprika next time?). But overall, this was a hit. I happily ate it all week without complaint. And Ian’s mom Sally ate Ian’s portion and said she liked it a lot. I’ll make this one again for sure, maybe with just a bit of tweaking on the flavors.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020320-summer-squash-caponata?action=click&module=Global%20Search%20Recipe%20Card&pgType=search&rank=8

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Tempeh Giardino

Since my only bean intake right now is fermented soy, I’ve been eating a lot of tofu and tempeh. I’ve also had a late summer glut of tomatoes and summer squash and have been pretty low energy as well. So this super simple recipe for tempeh sauteed and cooked with tomatoes and summer squash from Isa Does It, seemed like a perfect choice.

I left out the red pepper flakes since I’m avoiding spicy foods at the moment. Beware, only at the end of the recipe does it tell you to serve over mashed potatoes or polenta. I wasn’t prepared for this and had to rustle up some mashed potatoes at the last minute.

Overall, this was a bit of disappointment. The veggies tasted great. Simple and refreshing. Ian stated them and asked me to make a version without onions or tempeh for him. But frying the tempeh was bland and overpowering. I don’t think I’d make this again, but if I do I’ll experiment with adding a rub or some other seasoning for the tempeh.

https://suitsandspatulas.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/meatless-mondays-tempeh-giardino/

Eggplant Parmesan

I love eggplant Parmesan. I usually make my mother’s vegan version of the recipe. But I felt like trying something new, so I tried a recipe I found on the ny times. I used vegan Parmesan, which worked well. But the recipe had issues. The big issue was that there just wasn’t enough sauce. It calls for 1 28 ounce can of tomatoes. I think it probably needs 1.5x or 2x that. The other issue was that the eggplant didn’t get cooked all the way through, but since my oven is broken, I’m not going to blame the recipe for this. I was able to fix it by pouring tomato sauce over the dish, covering it, and cooking it on the stove until it was cooked through. It made a little mess, but was quite yummy. I honestly think I could make eggplant parmesan without using the oven. And since I really try not to use my oven in he summer, that is quite an appealing prospect. I’m going to try it an report back. I also want to experiment with a gluten free replacement for the breadcrumbs. Lots to try.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1901-jamie-olivers-eggplant-parmesan?action=click&module=RecipeBox&pgType=recipebox-page&region=eggplant&rank=1

Tempeh Bolognese

I was in the mood for tempeh, but didn’t want to spent a long time cooking. I found this tempeh bolognese recipe and was intrigued. I’d never tried making a vegetarian bolognese recipe, but I liked the idea of a filling sauce that didn’t require anything extra to be a full meal. I made it with dried shitake mushrooms and fresh wild stump puffballs I picked from my backyard.

I served the sauce over spaghetti squash and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the dish. The tempeh flavor was definitely present, but I didn’t mind it. The texture was very good and the dish was flavorful and filling, while only requiring 1 pot and 30 minutes to make.

I ended up needing to add extra tomatoes to make the dish saucy enough. It calls for 28 ounces of canned tomatoes, but I used a combination of fresh and canned tomatoes, which might have been why I needed extra. Also, I ran out of sauce before I finished the whole spaghetti squash. Next time I’d 1.5x the recipe.

In my book this was a winner. I’m going to keep it in my repertoire for nights when I need to make something filling and satisfying without much time or work.

1-Pan Tempeh Bolognese

Mushroom Bourguignon

This recipe came up on when I was reading the New York Times. It looked so good I had to make it. Plus it can be served over grits. Grits here I come!

The result was kind of mixed. The flavor was very good. And I liked that there were additional veggies rather than just mushrooms. On the other hand, there was way too much liquid and it didn’t thicken the way I think it was supposed to. I’d half the wine and stock.

I bought chanterelles especially for this recipe. They were very expensive. Only after buying them did I realize that they were just meant to be put on top of the stew, not in it. I really don’t think they added much and given the price, weren’t worth it. I’d leave them out next time.

I kept thinking that this would be really good with seitan in it. I might try adding some next time.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020738-mushroom-bourguignon

Ratatouille with Fennel

Have I mentioned that I love fennel? Or that all summer my garden was overflowing with zucchini? Well in my constant search for fennel recipes and for recipes that would allow me to use zucchini, this unusual ratatouille recipe caught my eye. Well I have to say, it looked better than it tasted. It was fine, but I wouldn’t make it again. The zucchini and fennel were just strange combination along with all the other veggies. Ah well…back to the search.

https://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/ratatouille-with-fennel

Fettuccine al Limone with Asparagus

I was looking for a very decadent pasta recipe to break Passover with. Bonus points if I could use my asparagus from the garden. This recipe ticked both boxes. I love a lemony pasta, so this sounded really good. I used a fancy fettuccine instead of spaghetti because I don’t really like spaghetti.

So…when you say you want something decedent…be careful what you wish for. This recipe calls for 2/3 cup (2/3 cup!!!!???) of olive oil. I cut the olive oil down to 1/2 cup, but it was still an absurd amount of olive oil. I think 1/3 cup would have been fine. That said, the recipe was very yummy and a great indulgent way to use garden asparagus and bask in post-Passover carbs. Still, I don’t think it’s likely I’ll make it again. Just can’t stand to use that much olive oil.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/spaghetti-al-limone-with-asparagus

Ciambotta

Like many of the cookbooks in my house, I acquired Nonna’s Italian Kitchen from the discard shelf of one of my family members. I brought it home to try out the vegan cheese recipes, but hadn’t gotten it together to make them. I was looking for a novel recipe to use up some late summer veggies, and found this recipe for southern Italian vegetable stew. I liked that it sounded kind of like ratatouille but with potatoes. The result was good not great. The flavors of the mixed veggies was very very good. I was really surprised by how flavorful it was considering it was basically just basil, tomatoes, and salt. But the recipe did need some tinkering. I think the potato chunks were too big. The size prevented them from really absorbing the flavor of the stew. Next time I’d cut them smaller and cook them for less time. The zucchini was undercooked. I think next time I’d add them 12 minutes in instead of 15. The peppers were perfectly crunchy though, so I’d still add those at minute 15. Finally, I thought the recipe would really benefit from some kalamata olives. I tried adding a few and indeed I really liked the result. I’m on the fence about whether I’ll make this again. It was super easy to make. But I finished it in a couple days. Not up to my standards of week-long meals. If I make it again I need to 1.5 the recipe.

Broccoli Salad with Yogurt Dressing

I needed to make some food out of what I had in the refrigerator. I had broccoli. I had nuts and seeds. I had yogurt. I had raisins. And I had onions. So I found this recipe from page 92 of The Greek Vegetarian. It wasn’t bad. I don’t know if I’d make it again. But for a salad essentially made from the apparently strange combination of broccoli, raisins, and yogurt, it was surprisingly edible. I don’t know if I’d necessarily go out of my way to make it again. The onion was a little too overpowering but the yogurt helped some.

Hummus with Fennel and Golden Beets

I was looking for a recipe that would feature my homegrown beets without overpowering them. I saw this recipe from page 76 of The Greek Vegetarian Cookbook and was sold immediately. I love fennel and the pomegranate seeds sounds yummy too. Since I’m lactose intolerant I left out the fennel and didn’t miss it. The recipe came out really well. I’ll definitely be making it again. It was super yummy, healthy, and looked pretty too. The only issue was that I ran out of beets before everything else. Next time I make it I’ll add an extra beet. The recipe is intended to be paired with chickpea hummus. I used a the walnut hummus recipe from Fresh Food Fast. The pairing was very good.