Summer Squash & Caramelized Onion Frittata

summer-squash-frittataToday is the day after CSA day. A kind of day where I’m still getting down from that high of checking out all the amazing farm-fresh goodness that came from my weekly share. If you follow along on Facebook or instagram, you know all about my weekly CSA share posts. So you may already know about the abundance of summer squash I’ve been getting the past few weeks. It’s amazing. I love supporting a local farm through the CSA and also love knowing that all the vegetables and eggs that I’m eating came from less than an hour away from  me.

So back to the summer squash. What’s not to love about it? It’s a mild-tasting and very versatile vegetable. Like a zucchini, you can do a lot with it. Add it to salad, chop it up and stir-fry it. The list goes on.

I love the way summer squash looks and I love highlighting the yellow skin when possible. I thought a frittata would be a great way to give this vegetable a lead role. Pairing it with some caramelized onions and some freshly picked basil leaves is a great way to let the summer squash shine.

I sliced up some onions and let them caramelize with some garlic. I then added most of the squash abd let them soften a bit. I poured in some beaten eggs and then added some basil, goat cheese, salt and pepper. I added some more thinly sliced summer squash on top.

I then placed in the oven until set.

The combination of all the flavors is perfect. Knowing that every item came from the farm makes the meal that much tastier. Well the basil didn’t come from the farm. I grew that on my fire escape. Do I get bonus points for that kind of commitment?




Summer Squash & Caramelized Onion Frittata
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, sliced thinly
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 summer squash, sliced in thin rounds
  • 10 cage-free large eggs
  • 8 basil leaves, chiffonade slice
  • ½ cup goat cheese, crumbled (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400.
  2. Heat oil in a large oven-safe pan.
  3. Add onions and garlic to pan and saute on medium low until the onions begin to caramelize. This should take about 20 minutes.
  4. Add salt, pepper and most of the squash rounds to the pan. Leave a handful of the squash to the side for later.
  5. Turn the heat to medium high and let the squash cook for about 5-7 minutes.
  6. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add them to the pan.
  7. Chiffonade cut the basil leaves and add them to the pan.
  8. Place the squash rounds and crumbled goat cheese over the eggs.
  9. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake in the oven until the eggs are set. Should take around 15-20 minutes.
  10. Cool a few minutes before slicing and eating.
  11. Enjoy!

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Creamy Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup & Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Veggies and Cream Sauce

This year, Passover falls out very early in the calendar year. Most years, I am pretty put together with my Passover plans, but this year, I have put off a lot of my menu planning. The opportunity to write some recipes featuring Temp Tee cream cheese for JoyofKosher essentially got me to wake me up.  Passover is right around the corner.

My seder menus are pretty easy to plan. The menu has been pretty much the same since my childhood. It’s those days in between that really get you. I usually work during the intermediate days of Passover, so just like any other day, I need to come up with a fast and easy dinner. Because it’s still March and we are still feeling bits of winter, we are still eating nice and warm foods right now.  My Creamy Roasted Garlic & Potato Soup and my Zucchini Ribbons with Veggies and Cream Sauce are the perfect dairy dishes for weeknight dinners or lunch.

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The Creamy Roasted Garlic & Potato Soup comes together easily and pretty fast. The toughest part is having to wait for the garlic to roast, which takes about a half hour. Once you have that done, it’s smooth sailing. I always have vegetable broth on hand to make soups like this. The combination of the use of the immersion blender while adding the cream cheese, gives this soup an amazing creamy texture and flavor. Check out the recipe over at JoyofKosher.com.

Zucchini-Strips

The Zucchini Ribbons with Veggies and Cream Sauce is my answer to lack of good pasta on Passover. Nobody in my house will eat the packaged Passover potato pasta, so we improvise. Instead of making a noodle out of eggs, we look to our veggies for that texture. By using a peeler or cheese slicer, you can easily get a thin ribbon of zucchini. If you have a julienne peeler, you can achieve more of a spaghetti look and feel. I paired this dish up with whatever veggies I had on hand. The dish is easily adapted. In the past, I’ve simply sautéed the squash in olive oil and herbs. I wanted something richer this time around, and the Temp Tee cream cheese was the perfect addition. The cream sauce really turned this vegetable from a side dish to a dinner meal. You can check out the recipe here.

Creamy Roasted Garlic & Potato Soup               Zucchini Ribbons with Veggies & Cream Sauce

Meatless Monday: Zucchini "Pasta" with Pesto

I am almost ashamed to post such a ridiculously simple recipe. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to make this.

My husband came home on Friday with a massive bag of some very large zucchini. He explained to me that the farmer’s market was closing up and they offered them to him. He isn’t one to say no to free vegetables.

Of course, I do realize that we will be eating zucchini every day this week.

Like every night, I needed a fast dinner for the kids. I had some pesto in the freezer to use up. I thought I would test out this famed low-carb and gluten free pasta idea.

I have a julienne slicer taking up space in my drawer. I love playing with it, but don’t use it as often as I should. Since it only cost about $2 on Amazon, I am not too distraught. This slicer would be perfect for what I had planned with the zucchini.

The verdict? Two thumbs up. My 5-year-old kept asking for more. Will have to make again.

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Zucchini “Pasta” with Pesto
Ingredients:

1-2 large zucchini, washed – 1 large zucchini served 2 hungry kids
2 tsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup peas
1/2 cup pesto
pine nuts
Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

With your julienne slicer, turn you zucchini in to long thin strips. I cut mine up over paper towels to drain the “pasta” a bit.

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Heat up the oil in a large pan.

Toss in the garlic cloves.

Add in the zucchini noodles and cook for two minutes.

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Add in the peas

Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook for another two minutes.

Sprinkle with some pine nuts and more Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

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Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini

As I walked in to my local kosher store, I eyed the big zucchinis in crates in the entry way. At 49 cents a pound, I had to toss a few in my cart.

I usually just chop up some zucchini in to a dish – for the most part, it becomes an afterthought. I find that I often use it as a way to stretch a recipe. I decided that I wanted the zucchini to shine tonight. I had never made stuffed zucchini before. I think the last time I ate one was back in summer camp. I didn’t have fond memories. I knew I could top the vegetarian menu at camp. I am pretty happy with the way this turned out.

Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients:



2 large zucchini
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 package of cremini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 package of soy italian sausage, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, chopped well
thyme
basil
oregano
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, powder or shredded, plus two tablespoons
1/2 cup bread crumbs or corn flake crumbs, plus two tablespoons (can use gluten free option)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Wash the outside of the zucchini well.

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise.

Scoop out the insides of the zucchini. Chop the zucchini pulp and set aside.  There should be a 1/4-inch layer of skin all around. Be careful not to puncture the skin.

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Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place in over for around 10-12 minutes.

While the zucchini shells are baking, prepare the stuffing.

In a large pan, saute the onion and garlic in some olive oil and butter.

Add in your spices.

Add the soy sausage and mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes.

Add in the chopped zucchini pulp and the chopped tomatoes.

Cook for another 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Stir in the cheeses and the bread crumbs, reserving the two tablespoons of each.

Taste the mixture now. Add salt if necessary.

Scoop the mixture in to the zucchini shells.

Sprinkle on the remaining bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

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Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Turn the oven up to broil and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Bread crumbs and cheese should look a little toasted.

Remove from oven and enjoy!

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Zucchini and Mushroom Saute over Couscous

I came home from work, picked up the kids, and took said kids to swim lessons – with a dinner plan in mind. The plan was to dine one a yummy salad, some grilled chicken, and some sushi rice. It was a Monday. Things can never go as planned. I opened the fridge and saw that the chicken was still frozen, popsicle frozen. It was already 7pm. I had about five minutes before my six-year-old would self-combust with screams of “I’m Hungry!” I had to do something. I offered tuna or salmon salad. She would have none of it. I found some baby hot dogs. I grilled them up with some onions and served them to her with some ketchup, sliced cucumbers and tomato, and some baby dill pickles.
Now what was I going to eat? Eyeing the fridge and the pantry, I came up with a concoction that was tasty and met the task at hand.

Monday Rushed Dinner – Served over some whole wheat couscous

3 shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
½ large zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
5 Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 Veggie Italian Sausage by Lightlife, diced
½ cup of cooked or canned cannellini beans
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ cup of vegetable broth
Chopped Fresh Basil
Chopped Fresh Thyme
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

 

Sautee the shallots and garlic in olive oil. Add in the Zuchini and squash. Add the “sausage.” Add the rest of ingredients. Cook it on medium heat for 15 minutes. It mushes up a bit. The broth gives it some sauciness.
I served it over couscous, but it would be just as good over rice or pasta even. Enjoy! Have a good week!

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