Each summer there seems to be a point we reach where there is an overabundance of summer squash everywhere. A plethora, if you will. Gardening friends and familiy try to pawn it off on one another, CSA boxes go through a heavy squash period, and farmers market tables overflow with all kinds of squash varieties. Some people wonder, “what the heck am I going to do with all this squash?” I got ya covered.
Time for some real talk. I don’t always get to all the glorious fruits and veggies hanging out in my fridge. I shop the farmers market with recipes in my head, but they don’t always get made. I have honest intentions, but real life can throw those off. Or, you just forget. You open the fridge and move the half eaten jar of olives, near empty egg carton, and leftover dish of I-don’t-even-know-what-that-is-anymore only to discover a couple wrinkly-skinned peaches laying there nearly lifeless.
As a little girl I made several trips to basements retrieving glass, sometimes dusty, jars of preserved food. Both sets of grandparents lived on farms in southeast Nebraska and grew a lot of their own food. “Jaime, run downstairs and get me 2 quarts of green beans.” “Jaime, can you go to the basement and pick out a jar of dill pickles?” “Jaime, go grab a pint of tomato juice from the basement cupboard.” I grew up with canned (jarred) food and really didn’t think too much about it. My mom and grandma would spend many summer days “putting up” sweet corn, beans, tomatoes, beets, pickles, relish, etc., and although my older sister and I would help out from time-to-time (mainly snapping beans or shucking corn), I wasn’t too interested in it nor did I understand the value or importance of it. It was just there, in the background of my childhood.
Summer’s here! My CSA is kicking serious booty and the produce at my local farmers market is bangin! Summer is my favorite season of the year. My anniversary, birthday, and husband’s birthday all occur over the next few steamy months, but most importantly [wink]…the veggies are KILLER. And, hello!, tomatoes are just around the corner! That means my love affair with fresh bloody marys will soon begin again. Swoon.
My CSA box last week was abound with summer squash and basil (along with kale, cilantro, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, cucumbers, kohlrabi, and salad mix!). I’ve also got loads of garlic scapes from the CSA and market which I’ve been using for a lot of pestos, sauces and veggie sautees. I knew the summer squash was destined for the grill – grilled squash is superb! – but I wanted to jazz it up a bit and use up some of the basil and garlic scapes, but not in the usual pesto. I happened to have mint and lemons hanging around in the fridge, so I decided to make a gremolata to top the grilled squash.
Summer is nearing and we need to make room for the hot-weather veg about to grace our tables. This is a fantastic way to use up any spring veggies you have on hand.
This pasta takes advantage of the spicier spring produce available: peppery arugula and piquant radishes. The cilantro pesto — made with garlic scapes, toasted almonds, red pepper flakes, lime juice and avocado oil — compliments those flavors and steers us in the direction of the Southwest. Fiber-rich black beans and fresh, milky mozzarella round out the dish for a hearty, healthy meal. To add an additional kick of spice and flavor, drizzle on some sriracha! Let’s get the party started!
The beauty of cooking asparagus is that it’s best when left to humble methods with few ingredients. Simply grilled with a little olive oil, salt & pepper is divine. Steamed with a squeeze of lemon and garlic salt is incredible. Asparagus doesn’t need much to be an amazing side dish.
This recipe follows suit: few ingredients and a simple preparation. I stumbled upon this recipe while reading Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Literacy (a phenomenal book/cookbook). It called for braising the asparagus. I was curious; I haven’t done a lot of braising — it’s a technique I tend to shy away from because in my head it’s synonymous with “it takes a really long time.” Well, apparently it doesn’t. This dish is ready in 20 minutes. It’s fantastically simple and enormously flavorful. The veg is cooked just past al dente and you’re left with a light buttery sauce you can soak bread in. It makes for a nice, light meal or a hearty companion.
I’ve been making this ultra simple dessert for years and I look forward to strawberry season specifically for this treat! Grilled bread, topped with Nutella, sliced strawberries and whipped coconut cream is the perfect ending to any springtime meal, especially when you’ve already got the grill fired up.
In years past, I topped the strawberries with homemade whipped cream (the dairy kind), but this year I decided to give whipped coconut cream a try…and all I could think was, “Why the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks didn’t I try this sooner?” It’s good. Darn good. So stinkin’ good. I. like. really. lots.
If I was to choose one boozy beverage to sip for the rest of my days it would be the classic “G & T”…gin & tonic, with a squeeze of lime. It’s refreshing, lightly fizzy, lovingly sour, perfectly bitter, and just a smidge sweet. Most people tend to sip it in the warm spring or summer months, but I indulge year ’round – although there is little else that’s better than an ice cold gin & tonic on a hot, sunny evening after a long day’s work. And that’s about where we’re at right now – it’s officially G & T season!
Pea shoots, pea tendrils, pea sprouts…what’s the difference? Pea sprouts are the first thin stems that sprout after planting, are light green, and may or may not have leaves. Pea tendrils are the delicate, curly vines at the top of the stem. Pea shoots are the more mature stems with leaves and tendrils attached. Pea shoots are sometimes called pea tendrils, pea greens or pea tips.
Hummus and I go way back. During my college years in San Francisco, my husband and I lived on bagel and hummus sandwiches. It was vegetarian, it was filling and it was cheap. It was the broke-college-student-Californian version of ramen noodles. After that, I couldn’t eat hummus for years. Especially because the cheap hummus we bought was akin to eating spackling paste…I did say it was filling (horribly bad pun intended). But years have gone by, I’ve birthed a human, landed back in the Midwest, and I can once again eat hummus. Time heals all wounds.
Hummus tends to be the go-to party dip and I’ve found the best hummus is either at a Mediterranean restaurant or homemade. So skip the store-bought paste and make your own!
the Seasonal Veg Head 