Quick Zucchini Sauté (Vegan Option)

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 2

I really don’t know why it always amazes me when simple dishes turn out to be so extraordinarily good.  I should know by now that when you use fresh, good quality ingredients (local, of possible) you can’t possibly go wrong. This side dish comes together in less than 10 minutes (veggie prep included) and is good enough to serve to company. The original recipe called for zucchini, but I only had some local yellow pattypan squash.  I also had a handful of local green beans that I didn’t want to go to waste.  I cut those into tiny bits so that they would be perfectly cooked when the squash was done. (If you don’t have green beans, don’t worry your pretty little head about it. This will taste fantastic with just the squash, I promise.)  I didn’t have sliced almonds, so I chopped whole almonds and they worked great, adding a satisfying crunch. To make this vegan, you can either omit the cheese or use easy homemade Vegan ParmesanCheese.  Frankly, I think that it would be a crying shame to leave off the Parmesan or Vegan Parmesan Cheese.

P.S. My husband said, “Wow! Mmmm!  What’s that bacon flavor?”  And I answered, “It’s almond magic.”

1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons thinly sliced almonds or whole almonds, chopped

1 medium or 2 small zucchinis (or yellow summer squashes), cut into 1/8-inch matchsticks

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Peelings of Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, to taste (optional)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high and add enough olive oil to coat the pan well. Heat the oil until hot, but not smoking, then add the almonds to the pan.  Cook them, stirring, until the almonds are golden-brown, approximately a minute or two.  Don’t skimp on this step; they provide a depth of flavor that carries the whole dish.  Add the zucchini to the pan, tossing it with the oil and almonds until it just begins to glisten, about one minute.  The idea is not to cook the zucchini so much as warm it so that it begins to soften.  Season well with salt am pepper, slide onto a plate, top with cheese (if using) and immediately dig in.

Nutritional Information:  (1 of 2 servings w/½ Tablespoon Parmesan cheese) 97 calories; 1 gram fiber

Pasta with Peppers, Squash, and Tomatoes

Recipe from Everyday Food

Serves 4

Husband-Tested in Marimar’s Kitchen

(Alice’s Daughter-in-Law)

Our daughter-in-law made this for the family while we were vacationing in Mexico.  It was so good, we scraped the bowl clean!  This dish is easy and quick enough to make on a weeknight.  Serve it with a crisp green salad.

Kosher salt

¼ pound rigatoni (or other pasta)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed

1 bell pepper (not green) cut into ¼-inch strips

1 small yellow squash or zucchini, cut into ¼-inch rounds

2 pounds cherry tomatoes, halved (red or yellow)

Red pepper flakes

Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to package instructions.  Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and cook, breaking apart with a slotted spoon until cooked through, about 6 minutes.  With the slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a bowl.

Add 1 Tablespoon oil and bell pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until browned in spots.  Add the squash and ¾ of the tomatoes, cook 1 minute.  Add ¼ cup pasta water and cook until the tomatoes soften, 4 minutes.  Return the sausage to the pan and add the remaining tomatoes.  Season with red pepper flakes, to taste.  Cook until the sausage is warmed through and the juices thicken slightly, about 2 minutes.  Toss with the pasta, and if necessary, add remaining pasta water to create a light sauce that coats the pasta.  Serve with Pecorino Romano cheese.

Pasta with Peppers, Squash, and Tomatoes

Recipe from Everyday Food

Serves 4

Husband-Tested in Marimar’s Kitchen

(Alice’s Daughter-in-Law)

Our daughter-in-law made this for the family while we were vacationing in Mexico.  It was so good, we scraped the bowl clean!  This dish is easy and quick enough to make on a weeknight.  Serve it with a crisp green salad.

Kosher salt

¼ pound whole-wheat rigatoni (or other pasta) 

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed

1 bell pepper (not green) cut into ¼-inch strips

1 small yellow squash or zucchini, cut into ¼-inch rounds

2 pounds cherry tomatoes, halved (red or yellow)

Red pepper flakes

Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to package instructions.  Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and cook, breaking apart with a slotted spoon until cooked through, about 6 minutes.  With the slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a bowl.

Add 1 Tablespoon oil and bell pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until browned in spots.  Add the squash and ¾ of the tomatoes, cook 1 minute.  Add ¼ cup pasta water and cook until the tomatoes soften, 4 minutes.  Return the sausage to the pan and add the remaining tomatoes.  Season with red pepper flakes, to taste.  Cook until the sausage is warmed through and the juices thicken slightly, about 2 minutes.  Toss with the pasta, and if necessary, add remaining pasta water to create a light sauce that coats the pasta.  Serve with Pecorino Romano cheese.

Olive Oil Zucchini Bread

Makes one 4”X8” Loaf

Recipe from New York Times Cooking Melissa Clark

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Now that summer’s almost over, I’ve had this urge to make haste about baking some zucchini breads to store up for the cold months to come. I’ve made Whole-Grain Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Parmesan Loaf, Dark Chocolate and Walnut ZucchiniBread and an old standby ZucchiniSpice Bread. Well, this one is quite good as well. I loved the idea of using olive oil and lemon. This loaf has a very nice color, moist texture and a lovely hint of lemon.  

Oil spray for the pan

1½ cups finely grated zucchini

⅔ cup light brown sugar or Sucanat

⅓ cup olive oil 

⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch loaf pan with oil spray or brush with melted butter.

In a large bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix together the grated zucchini, sugar, olive oil, yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract.

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, lemon zest and spices in a separate bowl. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the walnuts if using.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. The bread will be done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and cool on a rack completely before cutting and serving.

Options:

• You can use the batter to make a dozen muffins.  Bake for 18 minutes.
• You can substitute yellow squash for the zucchini.
• Try using buttermilk instead of yogurt.
• Replace the nutmeg with ½ teaspoon each of cardamom and ginger.
• Add some raisins or dried cherries.
• Add ¼ cup small dark chocolate chips.