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Cucumber/Eggplant/Squash/Zucchini
- BAKED CUCUMBER CHIPS
- CORNBREAD PANZANELLA WITH SQUASH
- CUCUMBER MUFFINS
- EGGPLANT PARMESAN
- GARDEN CAPONATA
- GRILLED SQUASH
- STEWED ZUCCHINI AND SUMMER SQUASH
- TORTELLINI SALAD WITH ZUCCHINI AND PEAS
- TURMERIC EGGPLANT CURRY
- VEGAN ZUCCHINI ‘MEATBALLS’
BAKED CUCUMBER CHIPS
Ingredients:
- 2 medium cucumbers
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp. sea salt
Directions:
- Slice cucumber very thinly.
- Remove excess moisture from slices using a paper towel.
- Put cucumber slices in a large bowl and toss with oil, vinegar, and salt.
- Place slices on parchment lines baking tray. Put into an oven at 175 degrees F for 3-4 hours or until crispy.
- Allow slices to cool before serving.
CORNBREAD PANZANELLA WITH SQUASH
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 cups yellow squash cut into 1-inch cubes
- 15 oz. store-bought cornbread cubed and toasted (do not use sweet cornbread!)
- 1 cup diced zucchini
- 4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, torn
- ½ cup honey vinaigrette
- Salt and Pepper
Directions:
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium. Add yellow squash, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Toss together cornbread, zucchini, and mozzarella in a large bowl. Add cooked yellow squash, and drizzle with Honey Vinaigrette. Toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.
CUCUMBER MUFFINS
Ingredients:
- 2 cups pureed cucumber – peel and seed before pureeing
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup oil
- ¼ tsp vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking power
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
- Mix the cucumber, eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the remaining ingredients all at once and mix until fully combined and no more flour is seen.
- Fill muffin tins ¾ way full or loaf pans ½ way full.
- Bake for about 20 minutes for muffins or about an hour for loaves.
EGGPLANT PARMESAN
Ingredients:
- 2 medium sized eggplants
- 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Cut the eggplant into circular (quarter inch) slices and toss in an extra large bowl with salt, pepper, and about 1/4 cup of olive oil (don’t skimp on the salt and pepper). Get your outdoor grill set up and produce a nice hot fire.
- Grill the eggplant slices for 15-20 minutes in total, continually flipping to prevent burning; the trick is to nicely char the eggplant and produce a meaty/soft flesh.
- Begin layering the eggplant on a large serving fish, with each layer getting (in this order) a drizzle of olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely diced parsley. 2 eggplants will probably yield 3-4 layers of eggplant. Enjoy hot or cold!
GARDEN CAPONATA
Ingredients:
- 2 medium yellow squash
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 large potato
- 1 large red onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 large can tomatoes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt, pepper, and oregano to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Pour canned tomatoes into a large baking pan and spread evenly
- Chop all vegetable into 1 inch. Pieces, and mice garlic finely.
- Toss all vegetables into the olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano
- Place vegetables into baking pan atop the tomato sauce, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake again for 30 minutes, serve and enjoy!
GRILLED SQUASH
Ingredients:
- 3 medium yellow summer squash
- 1 ½ tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (375 to 450 degrees F)
- Slice the squash on the bias, about 1/2’ thick. Place it in a bowl and mix it with the olive oil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- Place the squash directly on the grill grates and grill for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, until charred and tender. Taste and add a few pinches of additional salt if necessary.
STEWED ZUCCHINI AND SUMMER SQUASH
Ingredients:
- 8 c. zucchini and summer squash chunks
- 1 large white onion, cut vertically in chunks
- 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
Directions:
- Cut zucchini and summer squash into about 1" chunks to yield approximately 8 cups (it's okay if it's not exact ... a little more or a little less is just fine).
- Put all ingredients into a large pot. Stir to combine.
- Simmer until squash and onions are tender, about an hour, stirring approximately every 15 minutes.
TORTELLINI SALAD WITH ZUCCHINI AND PEAS
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. refrigerated whole-wheat 3-cheese tortellini
- 2/3 cup peas
- 2 medium zucchinis
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; add peas for the last 6 minutes. Drain, and cool 10 minutes; place pasta and peas in a medium bowl.
- Using a vegetable peeler, shave zucchini into ribbons.
- Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a medium skillet over medium. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add zucchini; stir constantly until zucchini is slightly softened, about 1 minute. Add zucchini mixture to tortellini mixture in bowl.
- Combine rind, juice, salt, pepper, and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Drizzle over tortellini mixture; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with basil, if desired.
TURMERIC EGGPLANT CURRY
Ingredients:
- 1 eggplant, cut into rounds and halved
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1 tsp. ground turmeric
- 1 tsp. coriander powder
- 2 tsp. cayenne
- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tsp. garam masala
- Salt
Directions:
- Heat oil in a skillet, add the eggplant and sprinkle salt
- Add the ground turmeric, ground coriander, cayenne, ¼ cup water and stir fry on medium heat until the eggplant has wilted and is somewhat crisp, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the coconut milk, then return to heat and simmer four about 4-5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the garam masala, adjust the seasoning, if needed.
- Squeeze fresh lime juice just before serving with rice or any flat bread.
VEGAN ZUCCHINI ‘MEATBALLS’
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 4 cups shredded zucchini
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, drizzle olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Add in shredded zucchini.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, until most of the water in the skillet has evaporated. Transfer to a colander and press out the remaining liquid.
- In a large bowl combine breadcrumbs, egg, seasoning, basil, and parmesan cheese. Mix with the zucchini until fully blended.
- Using a 2 tbsp. scoop, form 20 balls, rolling tightly, and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm and lightly browned.
- Serve meatballs with your favorite sauce on pasta, zoodles, or a hoagie with cheese!