This is a nice refreshing stir-fry with a generous amount of vegetables in it. The original recipe was somewhat more fiddly about how the vegetables are cut; I've simplified it (here and as cooked) with no ill effects.

Beef & Basil Stir-Fry with Summer Vegetables

From Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 165)

Ingredients

• ¼ C soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1+1 Tbsp canola oil
• 500g thinly sliced steak, cut into ~3cm pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp ginger paste
• 2 zucchini or 1 yellow squash, cut into 1cm matchsticks or half-moons
• 2 carrots, cut into 5mm discs
• 125g sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved
• ¼ C fresh Thai basil leaves

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, shaoxing wine, honey, and cornstarch. Buffer.
2. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the first tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat.
4. Add the steak and stir-fry until seared on all sides but still rare inside, ~3 minutes. Remove and buffer.
5. Add the remaining oil, the ginger, and the garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant, 30-60s.
6. Add the zucchini, carrots, and peas and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
7. Add the steak and the sauce and continue stir-frying until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil leaves.

Grilled Chicken and Zucchini

So... I messed this one up a little bit. It was supposed to be grilled chicken and corn. And I even got the corn for it. But then I took a little too long getting to it and the corn had gone off by the time I was making this. Okay, that sucks. But, no worries, I'll just ask TF to run out and get some more. Except apparently no, no I won't. Because she hit up just about every grocery store in town and they were all out of corn. After making five unsuccessful attempts to purchase corn, I told her to just get me any grillable vegetable. So, in the end, we ended up having grilled zucchini, not corn with our chicken. It was still pretty good. But definitely not nearly as good as the corn would have been.

Also, I only belatedly realized that I completely forgot to add the lime zest and thyme after everything was cooked. Whoops!

Grilled Chicken and Zucchini (or Corn)

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds¹, ground
• 3 Tbsp. lime juice
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 4-6 zucchini, halved lengthwise or ears of corn, husked
• 680g skinless boneless chicken breast
• 1 Tbsp. lime zest
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme

Directions

1. Set up a grill for direct heat cooking and allow to preheat.
2. Combine the paprika and cumin and stir to combine.
3. Mix in the lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
4. Brush the vegetables all over with the paprika mixture.
5. Toss the chicken with the remaining paprika mixture.
6. Add the vegetables to the grill and allow to partially cook (5-10) minutes.
7. Add the chicken and grill until cooked through (3-5 minutes per side).
8. Remove from heat and sprinkle everything with lime zest and thyme.

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¹ The recipe called for cumin. And that's what I used this time. But I think it might actually be quite good with dhania-jeera masala either instead or as well. I think I'd be tempted to try using 1/2 Tbsp. of masala + 1/2 Tbsp. of ground cumin next time. ^Back

I picked up some lamb on sale the other day and wanted a nice vegetable side to go with it. I figured lamb and mint are often combined and zucchini has just come into season here, so this seemed like a natural pairing.

I wasn't able to find any yellow summer squash here, so I ended up using all zucchini, but that's not a huge deal. It mainly makes a difference to the aesthetics more than anything else.

Summer Squash Noodles with Mint Pesto

From Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p174)

Ingredients

• 1 c. (~45g) firmly packed fresh mint leaves
• 1/3 c. vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 3 yellow summer squash (~375g)
• 3 zucchini (~375g)
• Olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Combine the mint, broth, Parmesan, garlic, and oil in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler, cut the yellow squash and zucchini into long, narrow ribbons.
3. Pour enough oil into a large nonstick frying pan to film the bottom, and warm over medium heat.
4. Add the shallots and sauté until softened (~3 minutes).
5. Add the squash and thyme and season generously with salt and pepper.
6. Sauté until the squash is just tender (4-5 minutes).
7. Stir in the mint pesto and heat for 1 minute.
8. Remove from the heat, garnish with additional Parmesan, and serve.
9. Transfer to a warmed serving dish, sprinkle with additional cheese, and serve.

Gochujang Jjigae (Gochujang Stew)

I finally managed to get my hands on some gochugaru over here! Of course, much like at home, they don't appear to believe in selling it in small amounts. So now I have an entire kilo of the stuff! But oh well... I won't use all of it in the next two months, but I'll definitely use some. And now I can make more tasty things like this gochujang stew!

Photo goes here.

Gochujang Jjigae

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Calire

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. gochugaru (Korean chile flakes)
• 1 Tbsp. dasida (Korean beef stock powder)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. gochujang (Korean chile paste)
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• black pepper, to taste
• ~750g potatoes
• 1 large onion
• 5-10 mushrooms¹
• ~300g zucchini
• 300g tofu (preferably firm or medium)
• 3 green onions
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• ~450g stewing beef
• 6 c. rice water²
• 1-2 Cheongyang chile, sliced (optional)
• 1 mild red chile, sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the gochugaru, dasida, sugar, gochujang, soy sauce, fish sauce, and black pepper. Mix well and set aside.
2. Cut the potatoes, onion, and mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
3. Cut the zucchini and tofu into bite-sized pieces and set aside in a separate bowl.
4. Chop the green onions, keeping the whites and green separated. Add the white parts of the green onions ot the flavour paste.
5. Mince the garlic and add it to the flavour paste.
6. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
7. Add the beef and cook until seared on all sides.
8. Reduce heat to medium and add the flavour paste mixture. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
9. Add the potatoes, onion, and mushrooms along with the rice water and bring to a boil.
10. Cook until potatoes are just tender (~12 minutes).
11. Add the zucchini and tofu and cook until zucchini is tender (6-7 minutes longer).
12. Sprinkle with the green parts of the green onions and chilies (if using).
13. Serve with rice.

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¹ Aaron recommends 5 shiitake mushrooms, but suggests oyster, enoki, and/or white button mushrooms as possible alternatives. Given that white button mushrooms were on sale this week (but much less flavourful than some of the other options), I just used them and tossed in twice as many as the recipe called for. ^Back
2 This stew is best served with a bowl of rice. Save the water you use to rinse it before cooking and use it in this stew. If you forget, plain water is also fine to use. But I prefer using the rice water if I can. Both because it gives the stew a bit of extra starch and because... why waste it? I'd much rather use the rice water than pour it down the drain! ^Back

My original plan had been to do an overnight recipe for breakfast today. I had been vaguely thinking about doing some overnight cinnamon rolls. Unfortunately the evening kind of got away from me and I didn't actually end up assembling anything last night. So that left me trying to throw something together this morning.

I have to admit, I wasn't thrilled with this zucchini bread, but it was alright. It had a good amount of zucchini in it, so it was nice and moist. Unfortunatley it didn't rise very well. Personally, I'd be inclined to try a different recipe next time, but this at least got the job done for now.

Zucchini Bread

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. oil
• 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 280g zucchini, grated
• 190g flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour a 23x13cm (9x5") loaf pan.
2. Beat the sugar with the oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla for ~1 minute.
3. Stir in the zucchini.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Sift in the baking powder and baking soda and mix well.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
8. Bake at 180°C (350°F) until done (50-60 minutes).
9. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.

Zucchini finally went on sale at the grocery store and I had ~100mL of diced tomatoes in the fridge that needed using, so this omelette seemed like a natural choice. The herbs and Parmesan worked very well with the veggies and produced a satisfying breakfast.

Zucchini, Tomato, and Green Onion Omelette

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• ~1/2 c. chopped zucchini
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ~100mL diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh basil (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 5 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1-2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. butter
• 1 handful baby spinach (optional)
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the zucchini, green onions, and garlic, and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, rosemary, basil, and salt and pepper to taste and cook for another minute or two.
4. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
5. Beat the eggs with the eggs, water, and a bit more salt and pepper.
6. Melt the butter over medium-low heat.
7. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook for a minute or so.
8. Carefully lift the edges of the egg to allow the uncooked egg to run underneath and cook for another minute or so.
9. Add the baby spinach (if using) to one half of the egg.
10. Top with vegetable mixture and cheese.
11. Once eggs are almost completely set, fold the omelette over.
12. Carefully flip the omelette and cook until heated through (~1 minute longer).
13. Serve with toast and/or buttermilk biscuits.

This was okay once it finally cooked, but it took forever for the zucchini to cook through. More than twice what the recipe specified! Also, I had one less zucchini than called for an one onion was still nowhere near enough! I've doubled the onion and tripled the vinegar relative the what was called for in the original recipe. I think that makes for much better proportions. And I have no idea what to suggest for the bake time. I'm going to recommend starting out with twice the time called for in the recipe and then going from there.

Baked Zucchini with Red Onion and Mint

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 red onions, halved and sliced
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 680g zucchini, trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 c. fresh mint, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Put onion in a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat and then spread out into an even layer.
3. Bake at 200°C (400°F) until softened (~10 minutes).
4. Push the onion to the side and place the zucchini pieces cut-side-down in the baking dish.
5. Spoon the onion over the zucchini and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
6. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for ~20 minutes.
7. Flip the zucchini over and bake until tender (10-15 minutes).
8. Transfer zucchini to a serving dish.
9. Add the mint and vinegar to the onion and toss to combine.
10. Spoon the onion mixture over the zucchini and serve.

This is a very simple tomato sauce with lamb and zucchini. It incorporates no herbs or seasonings other than the rosemary and a bit of salt and pepper. (I did add a single clove of garlic as well, but that wasn't in the original recipe.) I also added a bit of tomato paste and some pasta water to give the sauce a little more body.

I think it probably could have done with a little more simmering, just to deepen the flavours a bit more, but it was still quite nice as it was. And doing it with the short simmer recommended by the recipe does, at least, make it a quick meal to prepare.

Pasta with Rosemary Lamb Sugo

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
• 450g ground lamb
• 1/2 Tbsp. salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/4 c. dry white wine
• 1 (~800mL) can diced tomatoes
• 2-3 small zucchini, diced
• 375g rotini (or other short) pasta, cooked
• 1/4 c. grated pecorino Romano

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, and rosemary, and cook until softened and beginning to brown (~10 minutes).
3. Add lamb, 1 tsp. of the salt, and the pepper and cook until lamb is no longer pink (~5 minutes).
4. Add tomato paste and cook until darkened (~3 minutes).
5. Add wine and cook until almost completely evaporated (3-5 minutes).
6. Add tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10-20 minutes, stir only very occasionally.
7. Add the zucchini and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.
9. Once pasta is al dente, add ~1/4 c. of the pasta water to the sauce and stir it in vigorously.
10. Drain the pasta (discarding the rest of the pasta water) and add the pasta to the sauce, mixing well.
11. Stir in the cheese.
12. Serve topped with additional Romano or Parmesan.

Aehobak Jeon (Korean Zucchini Pancakes)

I wanted a vegetable side to go with my tteobokki and Korean sausage and zucchini pancakes sounded really appealing today. They're very simple. Just slice up some zucchini, dredge it in flour, coat it in egg and fry it up. Ideally with some chile slices for additional colour and flavour, but they're also delicious without them.

You can take the same approach with tofu, SPAM, shiitake mushrooms, eggplant, and a plethora of other things depending on what you have on hand and what sort of flavour you're going for. I was quite fond of how the zucchini ones came out. And it turns out that the Kidlet loves them too!

Aehobak Jeon

From Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 2-3 zucchinis
• salt
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1-2 red chilies, sliced thin

Directions

1. Trim the ends off the zucchinis and slice them ~1cm thick.
2. Sprinkle both sides with salt and set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Heat a wok or frying pan over medium heat and drizzle in a little oil.
4. Pat dry and dredge in flour.
5. Dip in beaten egg to coat completely.
6. Fry over medium heat until underside is beginning to brown.
7. Press a slice of chile into the top of each pancake.
8. Flip and cook until other side begins to brown.
9. Serve immediately.

I picked up a discount bag of zucchini at the grocery store yesterday. Which was handy because it made for the perfect side dish to go with our dinner. Very quick, very easy, very simple, but still pretty tasty. Although I did significantly reduce the oil (from 1/3 c. down to 3 Tbsp.) and I think, if I were doing it again, I'd cut it back even further. Even 3 Tbsp. seemed like a lot. If I'd used the full 1/3 it would have been absolutely swimming in oil! It was good otherwise though, so I'll give it a pass.

Sautéed Zucchini

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 900g zucchini
• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1cm thick pieces.
2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the zucchini and sauté until just tender (~5 minutes).
5. Add the basil and cook for another minute or so.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

I haven't been buying fish lately because it's failed to be on sale. But it's been a while since we've had any and I felt like we were overdue, so I got a bit of salmon anyway. It went nicely with the soup. And the fried chickpeas that I did as a side dish actually made nice "croutons" for it.

Zucchini Soup with Roasted Salmon

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 680g salmon fillets
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 900g zucchini, chopped
• 2 c. vegetable stock
• 30-40g pecorino romano, grated
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

Directions

1. Brush salmon with a little of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat remaining oil over medium heat.
3. Add shallots and garlic and cook until softened (4-5 minutes).
4. Add zucchini, season with a bit of salt and pepper, and cook until it begins to soften as well (~4 minutes).
5. Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly, and simmer until zucchini is tender (~15 minutes).
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and roast salmon until cooked through (10-12 minutes).
7. When zucchini is tender, use an immersion blender to puré (or process in standard blender jar in batches).
8. Add the cheese and lemon juice and stir to combine.
9. Adjust seasoning to taste.
10. Serve soup topped with salmon and sprinkled with lemon zest.

These were meant to be done on the grill. And if I'd actually made them in July like the date on this post implies, I almost certainly would have done that. Unfortunately, I actually made these on a cold, wet, grey day in November. When the sun had already set by 5pm. So, I wasn't about to go out there and fire up the grill for that. I just popped them under the broiler in the oven and cooked them that way. Not quite as nice a result, but infinitely better cooking experience given the conditions outside.

Recipe as written, these kebabs were only meant to have chicken, tomatoes, and zucchini. I had some mushrooms left over from another recipe though and I felt like a bit of onion would go well, so I added both to my kebabs. I think red onion would have been even better, but the yellow onion worked just fine. And I definitely feel like the extra ingredients elevated these kebabs a bit. I enjoyed the slightly more varied mix of tastes and textures.

Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 1/2 c. chopped green onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 680g skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
• 2 zucchinis, thickly sliced
• ~2 dozen cherry tomatoes¹
• 200-250g cremini mushrooms, trimmed
• 1 1/2 small red onions, cut into eighths

Directions

1. Combine yogurt, green onion, garlic, cilantro, oil, salt, and pepper and mix well.
2. Add chicken and toss to coat.
3. Cover and chill for 3-24 hours.
4. Soak ~12 wooden skewers in water for 20-30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat grill for direct, high heat cooking.
6. Thread zucchini slices, tomatoes, mushrooms, onion pieces, and chicken chunks onto the skeweres in whatever arrangement you prefer.
7. Slather the kebabs with any residual marinade and season with a bit of extra pepper.
8. Grill, turning as needed, until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through²

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¹ The cherry tomatoes at the grocery store didn't look that great, so I got a bunch of much larger "cocktail" tomatoes and just cut them in half for my kebabs. ^Back
2 The book says this should take ~8 minutes. I'm unclear on whether that's meant to be 8 minutes total or 8 minutes per side. I suspect, with a good hot grill, you could get these cooked in 8 minutes total. Unfortunately, I was not wooking with a good hot grill. I was working with a broiler. I ended up cooking my kebabs for ~20 minutes, turning every 5. The results were great! Just a bit slower than on the grill. ^Back

I got some zucchini for another recipe recently and accidentally overshot slightly and ended up with one extra one left over. Unfortunately, a lot of the zucchini recipes that I was looking at to potentially use it up called for more than one zucchini. Eventually though, I did find a few that called for more moderate squash quantities. Technically this recipe actually wanted a yellow summer squash, not a zucchini, but I figured it was close enough. And it sounded tasty. And looked reasonably healthy. Bonus!

I made a few small tweaks: reduced the sugar; added a chile, a bit of shaoxing wine (绍兴酒), and some toasted sesame seeds; swapped out the yellow summer squash for green zucchini, and reduced the oil slightly.

I think next time I'd change the order of the ingredients slightly. The recipe calls for adding the aromatics, carrots, and bell pepper together and then cooking the onion, zucchini, and peas as a separate batch before combinging everything. I think, if I were to do it again, I'd do the aromatics separately, then add the carrots and onion, then the bell pepper and zucchini, and then the peas (and maybe a green onion). It's not a huge deal though. Either order should work fine.

Vegetable Stir-Fry with Tofu

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day

Ingredients

• 340g extra-firm tofu, cubed
• 2-3 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 fresh red chile, minced (optional)
• 3-4 carrots, sliced diagonally
• 1 onion, sliced lengthwise
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 225g sugar snap peas (or snow peas), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1-2 green onions, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/4 c. chicken stock
• 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. hoisin sauce¹
• 1/2 tsp. light soy sauce
• 3/4 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
• 2 Tbsp. canola or peanut oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• ~1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Do all your mise en place and get your ingredients ready.
2. Dust the tofu with the cornstarch.
3. Mince the garlic, ginger, and chile (if using) and set aside.
4. slice the carrots and onion, place in a separate bowl, and set aside.
5. Chop the zucchini and bell pepper, place in yet another bowl, and set aside.
6. Chop the peas and set aside.
7. Combine the chicken stock and five-spice powder and set aside.
8. Combine the sugar, hoisin said, soy sauce, vinegar, and wine, mix well, and set aside.
9. Heat wok over medium-high heat.
10. Drizzle in 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the wok.
11. Add the tofu and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
12. Transfer tofu to a bowl or plate and set aside.
13. Return the wok to medium heat and add the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. of oil.
14. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds.
15. Increase heat to medium-high, add the carrots and onion, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
16. Add bell pepper and zucchini and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.
17. Add peas and green onions (if using) and stir-fry for 1 minute.
18. Add the five-spice powder and broth and return the tofu to the wok and cook for 2-3 minutes.
19. Drizzle in the hoisin mixture and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
20. If mixture is too dry, add a little more broth or some water. If it's too wet, cook for a minute or two longer.
21. Remove from heat and sprinkle with sesame oil and sesame seeds.
22. Serve over rice or egg noodles

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¹ We ran out of hoisin, so I made up the difference with oyster sauce. It's not quite the same flavour, but it's still a thick, sweet, umami-rich sauce, so it worked well enough for my purposes here. ^Back

These were surprisingly tasty! I wasn't expecting much from a filling made up predominantly of zucchini and corn. Especially since the dish seemed to rely entirely on store-bought salsa for its seasoning. But it actually produced really nice results. A bit lacking in protein maybe, but there were certainly no issues with the flavour!

If I were doing this again, I might try swapping out half of the zucchini for some black beans, just to make it a little more filling and nutritionally balanced. But overall, it was very good.

Vegetable Enchiladas

Adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini
• 1 (400mL) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 c. frozen corn
• 1 onion, quartered and sliced
• 1 c. grated cheddar cheese
• 2 (~400mL) jars salsa verde, divided
• 12 corn tortillas (20cm/8" size)
• 1 c. grated Monterey jack¹
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. lime zest
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 avocado, divided
• 2-4 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Quarter the zucchini lengthwise and slice crosswise.
3. Combine the zucchini, beans, corn, onion, and cheddar and mix well.
4. Wrap the tortillas in a tea towel or tortilla warmer and microwave until softened (30-60 seconds).
5. Pour 1 jar of salsa into a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
6. Place a warm tortilla on your work surface and put 2-3 Tbsp. of filling down the middle of it, then roll up and place seam-side-down in the prepared baking dish.
7. Assemble remaining enchiladas in the same way.
8. Pour remaining jar of salsa over the enchiladas and top with Monterey jack.
9. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
10. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, combine the sour cream, green onion, lime zest, salt, and half the avocado and mix very well, mashing the avocado as you stir.
12. Slice the remaining half avocado.
13. Serve the enchiladas topped with avocado slices, sour cream mixture, and cilantro (if using).
14. Radishes and tomato salsa/salsa roja also make good toppings.

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¹ I ended up swapping out the Monterey jack for 125g of sliced Swiss cheese instead, which worked reasonably well. More cheddar would also be acceptable in place of the jack. ^Back

I miscalculated and didn't end up getting quite enough zucchini for this recipe. Luckily we had a bottle gourd squash in the fridge, so we were able to chop that up and use it in combination with the zucchini to make the stew.

I was slightly dubious about adding eggs and cheese to this chunky vegetable and sausage stew, but it was delicious! The cheese really made it. Especially when served with some tostadas on the side. Although I think a nice, crusty bread would also work nicely.

I also went a little heavy on the sausage. The recipe only called for 225-340g, but I didn't want to be left trying to figure out what to do with the remaining sausages, so I just used the whole 450g package. And I would definitely do it that way again in the future. Very tasty!

I used hot Italian Beyond Meat sausages for the "meat" component of this dish. Thus, keeping it vegetarian and adding a little extra heat. (Not much, to be fair, but it was something.) I'd definitely recommend using spicy sausages if you can. If not, it might be worth adding an extra chile or two to make up the difference.

The author notes that you can use green or yellow zucchini for this stew or even a mixture of both. And I can now confirm that bottle gourd squash works well too. It might even be interesting to go the ratatouille route with it and use a mix of zucchini and eggplant.¹
That said, it's excellent as is. I don't think it needs a different mix of veggies. But it is nice to have the option to mix and match depending on what's available.

Baked Eggs in Ciambotta

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 450g hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 sweet onion, halved and sliced
• 1-2 serrano or jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (~800mL) can diced tomatoes
• 900g zucchini², quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1cm pieces
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped
• 2-4 Tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)
• 4-8 large eggs
• 1-2 c. grated fontina, mozzarella, or mild gouda
• crusty bread and/or tostadas, to serve

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-low heat.
2. Add the sausage, break up into smaller pieces, and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink (~5 minutes).
3. Add the onion and cook until it softens (~5 minutes).
4. Add the pepper(s) and garlic and cook for another minute or two.
5. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.³
6. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Add the zucchini, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender (~15 minutes).
8. Add the basil and parsley (if using).
9. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
10. If the stew seems too thin, bring to a boil, and cook for another 5 minutes.
11. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
12. Make 4 divots in the mixture and crack an egg into each one.
13. Sprinkle with cheese.
14. Bake at 200°C (400°F) until the cheese is melted and the eggs are set (~15 minutes).
15. Scoop each egg into a bowl along with a bunch of the surrounding stew.
16. Serve with bread and/or tostadas.
17. Any leftover stew can be saved and reheated. Add more eggs and cheese as needed.

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¹ As I started typing that eggplant suggestion, I got a bit curious and decided to look up some more info on ciambotta. Based on the quick search I did, it looks like ciambotta is closely related to ratatouille with some sites referring to it as "Italian ratatouille". There are lots of regional variations, but it looks like eggplant is a common inclusion. (As is potato in some places.) ^Back
2 Or a mix of zucchini, bottle gourd squash, potatoes, and/or eggplant. ^Back
3 I haven't tested this recipe with potatoes, but I think it would be best to add them at this point if you're going to use them. The acidity of the tomaotes will slow down the cooking, so I think they'd benefit from the extra 20 minutes of simmering. ^Back

I haven't been great at keeping up with posting recipes lately. Heck! I haven't been great at cooking recipes lately! It's been busy and the days have kind of gotten away from me. So, on the one hand, my recipe backlog isn't as long as you might expect considering how many days it's been since the last write-up. But, on the other hand, there've been a lot of last-minute scrambles and emergency fast food dinners lately. (And no bread in the house!) I'm going to try to get back on track, but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. But, in the meantime, I figured I could at least catch up on this frittata recipe that I tried out a few days ago.

This is yet another recipe courtesy of The Good Egg. And it made for an excellent way to use up some of our overgrown mint and the zucchinis that I bought during the last grocery shop and whose original purpose I can no longer remember. Great!

Unfortunately, I wasn't that big a fan of the actual frittata. It wasn't terrible, it just wasn't great. And there are a lot of great frittata recipes in this book. So I was a bit disappointed that this one fell a bit flat. But at least it bought us a few days of not having to worry about breakfast!

Zucchini and Red Onion Frittata with Goat Cheese and Mint

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 450g zucchini¹
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
• 1/3 c. chopped fresh mint
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 8 large eggs
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1/2 c. fresh goat cheese²

Directions

1. Trim each zucchini and quarter them lengthwise, then cut into 1cm slices.
2. Heat oil over medium heat.
3. Add the zucchini and onions and cook until zucchini is tender, but not mushy (5-6 minutes).
4. Add the mint and garlic (if using) and cook for another minute or two.
5. Add 1/4 tsp. of the salt and ~1/2 the pepper.
6. Beat the eggs with the milk and remaining salt and pepper.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour the egg mixture into the pan.
8. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then gently lift one edge of the frittata to let the raw egg flow under. Repeat at several points around the edge of the pan.
9. Reduce heat slightly, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese.
11. Transfer to broiler and cook, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 3-4 "medium" zucchini, but also says that they should come to ~1lb. total. I only had two zucchini -- both of which I would have considered medium-sized -- and they came to just over 1lb. So, I guess, go for smallish zucchini if you can find them, but otherwise just use what you have. Simmons suggests using a variety of colours and I just happened to have one green and one yellow, so that worked out well but, again, use what you have. ^Back
2 Simmons suggests ricotta salata or a mild feta as possible substitutes here. I used a mix of soft goat cheese and pressed cottage cheese. ^Back

Fusilli Corti alla Campagnola (Fusilli with Eggplant, Zucchini, and Bell Pepper)

As if often the case with Hazan's recipes, I find the ratio of sauce to pasta a bit low, so I cranked up the sauce significantly here while leaving the pasta quantity alone. End result was tasty but lacking in protein; might want to be served as a side dish, or perhaps combined with eggs somehow.

Fusilli Corti alla Campagnola

The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Guiliano Hazan (p.122)

Ingredients

• 450g dry, store-bought fusilli or similar pasta
• ½ C olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 chinese eggplants (about 600g), peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 zucchini, cut into 1cm cubes
• 2-3 bell peppers, cored and cut into 1cm squares
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 (400mL) tin diced tomatoes
• fresh basil, chopped

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep-sided skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, ~5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the eggplant. (It will immediately soak up the oil; this is normal.) Cover the skillet and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Uncover and stir in the zucchini, bell pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 5-10 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking until they have reduced and separated from the oil, another 5-10 minutes.
7. Cook the pasta al dente, then stir the basil into the sauce, toss with the pasta, and serve.

I had a surplus zucchini that needed to be used up and I'm always looking for good ways to use up sourdough starter and/or discard. I mostly followed the recipe, but I did try swapping out some of the sugar for chopped dates and I used monk fruit sweetener for the rest. I figured it might help cut the calories a bit. Plus, I thought the flavour of the dates would be nice with the bananas and the spices.

Sourdough Banana-Zucchini Muffins

Adapted from Cultures for Health

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. chopped dates
• 1/4 c. boiling water
• 1/3 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. monk fruit sweetener with erythritol
• 2 c. eggs
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 250g sourdough starter (fed or discard) @ 100% hydration
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. orange zest (optional)
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 c. chopped pecans
• 1 zucchini, grated

Directions

1. Pour the water over the dates and set aside to soak for a few minutes.
2. Cream the butter with the sweetener until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
4. Mix in bananas and dates.
5. Mix in starter, vanilla, and orange zest (if using).
6. Add the flour on top of the batter.
7. Sift the baking powder and baking soda on top of the flour.
8. Add the salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg on top.
9. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until almost combined.
10. Add the pecans and the zucchini and stir them in.
11. Add cupcake liners to a muffin tin and fill with batter.
12. Set filled tin aside while the oven preheats to 180°C (350°F).
13. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 18-20 minutes.

This was originally supposed to be a zucchini and goat cheese frittata, but I swapped out the goat cheese for pressed cottage cheese. I also reduced the oil, replaced the half-and-half with 2% milk, and increased the basil called for. Overall, I'm pretty happy with these changes. The resulting frittata is still flavourful, but hopefully a bit healthier than the original.

If you'd like to cut a few more calories, you can try making it with 5 whole eggs + 10 egg whites. I've had good luck with replacing up to half the yolks with additional whites in the past. I find frittatas and omelettes made entirely with egg whites to be not to my taste, but as long as they still have some yolks in the mix, I do find that I'm able to play around with the ratios a bit and still get palatable results.

Zucchini Frittata with Cherry Tomato Sauce

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country June/July 2020

Ingredients

• 10 large eggs
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground, divided
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 450g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 onion, halved and thinly sliced, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil, divided
• 1 tsp. seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 zucchini, shredded
• 100g pressed cottage cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Whisk eggs with milk, pepper, and 3/4 tsp. of the salt. Set aside.
3. Melt 1/2 Tbsp. of the butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add the tomatoes, ~1/3 of the onion, half the garlic, and remaining 1/4 tsp. of salt and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down (~5 minutes).
5. Remove from heat, stir in vinegar and half the basil, transfer to bowl, and set aside.
6. Return skillet to medium heat and add the remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp. of butter, zucchini, remaining onion, and garlic to the pan.
7. Cook over medium heat until zucchini has softened (7-8 minutes).
8. Stir in egg mixture and sprinkle evenly with cheese and remaining basil.
9. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until frittata is just set (12-14 minutes).
10. Let rest for 5 minutes then slide onto plate, cut into wedges, and serve topped with the tomato sauce.

Mole de Olla (Mole Cooked in a Pot)

I picked up some pork neck bones on spec at the Asian grocery store a while back. If nothing else, they're great for making sisig. I didn't feel up to making sisig right away, so I dropped them in the freezer and forgot about them for a few months. Then I ran across this mole recipe in a Mexican cookbook that TM had lent me. It sounded interesting and not too difficult to put together, so I figured I'd give it a try.

It calls for ancho and pasilla chiles. I was all out of both, but ordered a few from a local kitchen store. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get them in time, so I ended up substituting poblano and Anaheim chiles respectively. Ancho chiles are just dried poblanos, but while poblanos are normally sold green here, ancho chiles are dried when the pepper reaches its red-ripe stage. So, between the drying process and the extra ripening, they do taste fairly different, but I was hoping it would still be close enough. Pasilla chiles are the dried form of the chilaca chile. I've never seen fresh ones for sale here, nor could I find any of the other dried chiles that I'd normally consider reasonable substitutes: California or guajillo. So I just tossed in a few Anaheim peppers and hoped for the best.

Sadly, I couldn't find the epazote for this dish either. I was especially disappointed by that since it's meant to be one of the key flavours. I added some cilantro and ground fennel seeds to make up for it, but everywhere I looked people kept reiterating that nothing tastes quite like epazote and you can't really replicate it with any of the substitutes. So, if you can find epazote where you live, definitely use it!

Mole de Olla

Slightly adapted from the Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy

Ingredients

• 1.25kg pork neck bones (or "boiling beef" with bone)
• 2L water
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 ancho chiles¹
• 4 pasilla chiles²
• 1 c. chopped tomatillos (tomates verdes)³
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/8 tsp. cumin seeds
• 3 Tbsp. oil⁴
• 450g zucchini, cut into sticks
• 100g green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
• 1 cob of corn⁵, cut into 6 pieces
• 250g chayote squash⁶, cored and cut into 5mm wedges
• 250g potatoes, cubed
• 3 sprigs epazote (Mexican tea)⁷

Directions

1. Have the butcher cut the meat and bones into serving pieces.
2. Place the meat and bones in a large pot and add the water and salt.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until tender (~50 minutes). If using beef, it may need an extra 20-30 minutes of cooking to become tender.
4. Meanwhile, heat a comal, tawa, or similar and toast the chilies well, turning frequently to avoid burning. (If using fresh chilies rather than dried see footnote 1 below.)
5. Allow the chilies to cool, then remove the seeds and veins. DO NOT SOAK.
6. Add the toasted chilies to the blender along with the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and cumin seeds and blend until smooth.
7. Heat the oil over medium heat.
8. Add the sauce from the blender and fry for ~5 minutes. (Longer if using fresh chilies.)
9. Add the sauce to the meat.
10. When the meat is tender, add the zucchini, beans, corn, chayote, and potatoes and cook slowly, uncovered, until vegetables are cooked through (~30 minutes).
11. Add the epazote in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
12. Adjust seasoning as desired and serve with warm tortillas, lime, and fresh minced onion.

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¹ I used poblanos in place of the anchos in my rendition. I halved and seeded them, then cooked them under the broiler until the flesh was soft and the skin was blistered, then tossed them in a plastic bag to rest/steam for ~15 minutes, then peeled the skins off and added flesh to the blender. ^Back
2 As I didn't have pasillas either, I swapped in some Anaheim chiles. I gave them the same treatment as the poblanos above. ^Back
3 The recipe calls for "1 cup tomates verdes, drained". To me this implies that the author is expecting you to bo using some sort of canned or preserved tomatillos. I ended up just getting a pint of fresh tomatillos and using those. If you can't find either fresh or canned tomatillos, I think that a jar of salsa verde would make a reasonable substitute. It'll have some spices and other things added to it, but I think it would be fine in this application. ^Back
4 The recipe calls for peanut or safflower oil. I think any neutral oil would work. I also think that lard or bacon fat would work well if doing the pork neck bone version of this recipe. I didn't get this recipe written up right away, so I can't remember which fat I ended up going with, but I think I probably went the bacon fat route since we have a bunch of that that we've been trying to use up. ^Back
5 It's best if you can use the corn on the cob, but if you don't have any on hand, a cup of frozen corn will do in a pinch. ^Back
6 Kholrabi makes a decent substitute for chayote if you can't find the squash. ^Back
7 Everyone seems to agree that there really is no substitute for epazote. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any, so I added ~1/2 c. of chopped fresh cilantro and 1/2 tsp. ground fennel seeds at the end of cooking to try to make up for it. I'm sure it wasn't the same, but it still tasted good. ^Back