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Summer Squash Salad
Zucchini and yellow squash are two of my favorites and both automatically come to mind when I think of summertime eating! They remind me so much of growing up, my parent’s always had an abundance of both growing in our garden. The last few years when I have planted them in my own garden, they take up a HUGE amount of real estate and never really produce much. They must not like my soil. I skipped out on planting them this year. Thankfully, my parent’s still grow both in their garden and never have a problem sharing with me.
After our family dinner this past week, I came home with a bag full of beautiful yellow summer squash and I couldn’t wait to start cooking with them. They are wonderful sliced and browned up on the grill, sauteed or roasted and added in salads or pasta, etc. Not only as a kid when my dad would cook with them, but now as an adult in my own kitchen, I always find myself eating the raw squash slices as I am cutting them to cook, so I decided I wanted to experiment with a raw salad.
When I was dreaming up this salad, I was so excited about it combining so many beautiful summery ingredients and flavors, some of my favorite ingredients. The soft and flavorful squash pairs so nicely with the crisp and spicy radishes and the peppery arugula rounded it all out with a refreshing bite. The fresh mint was a nice compliment to the light and refreshing dressing, the brightness from the lemon sings in your mouth with every bite and the toasted walnuts were a bonus crunch at the end. I couldn’t help but feeling like this salad is everything that summer is about, on one plate.
The other great thing about this salad are the many wonderful variations you could take, by changing out the herbs and going with fresh basil, oregano or chives. You can play with different nuts and seeds like toasted pine nuts, almond slivers or even sunflower seeds. You could even top the salad with cheeses like feta, goat cheese, fresh parmigiano reggiano, pecorino or asiago. I personally opted for no cheese since we wanted a vegan side-salad to accompany our vegan creamy avocado pasta. There is so much you can do with this salad. Keep in mind when picking squash that smaller, younger squashes are better since the larger squash tend to have larger tougher seeds and sometimes a tough skin.
Summer Squash Salad Recipe
serves 41 pound summer squash (yellow or green, or a mixture of both)
5 to 8 radishes (depending on how large they are)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup whole walnuts
1 bunch of baby arugula, roughly chopped
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly choppedToast the walnuts in a dry skillet, the oven or toaster oven and set aside and allow to cool, then roughly chop.
Slice the squash very thin slices using a mandoline or a steady hand and a sharp knife. Set aside in a large bowl. Do the same with the radishes. Add in the roughly chopped arugula.
Combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk together. Pour the dressing over the squash, radishes and arugula, toss lightly. Let stand for at least 10 minutes. Add in the fresh mint and toasted walnuts, toss gently again to thoroughly combine.
Serve to individual salad plates or on 1 large serving platter, top with fresh mint and freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy immediately.
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Winter Squash Risotto with Radicchio
After a few months with our butts parked here in wintry Buffalo, it’s that time again, we are hitting the road. We leave Saturday morning for Austin, Texas for the South by Southwest Music Festival and Flatstock 29! I love this trip not only because we drive down, and I love a good road trip, but we also get a great dose of some much-needed sunshine and warmer weather plus great music, hang outs with our good friends, good food and so much more. As with all of our trips, though they are an escape from the every day and a bit of a vacation in that sense, they are very much about work and business, so the weeks leading up require a lot of long days and nights of prep. We have to wrap up any client projects we have on deck and we also have to pack and restock all of our handmade goodies, print stuff, sew stuff, etc. I have been trying in these two weeks before, to make meals that require one day of prep and cooking but gives us many meals. I have made pasta Bolognese, vegetarian shepherd’s pie, italian sausage, white bean and escarole soup, slow cooked black beans for tacos and this risotto. It’s been great because we have a ton of leftovers and we’ve been able to just focus on work and when need be, take breaks, heat up some dinner and then get back to work. I love it. Home cooked meals are most important to me when life gets busy and stressful.
This risotto is a nice, hearty winter dish that is comforting, while being light. I love all the different flavors, a good quality vegetable broth in itself has so many layers of flavors, the sweetness from the squash really compliments the sharp bitterness from the little bit of radicchio and the creaminess from the milk and the cheese finish it all off, perfectly. The rich, creaminess from the squash really makes this risotto feel sinful, but you can enjoy it, guilt-free. We served it as our main dish but it is light enough to be a side-dish. If you don’t care for radicchio you could add in baby spinach instead.
Winter Squash Risotto with Radicchio
serves 6
adapted from Cooking Light Magazine1 butternut squash (about 4 pounds)
6 cups organic low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 cups sliced radicchio
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons organic butter
1 small onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice
1/4 cup dry white wine (I didn’t have any so I used dry vermouth)
3 tablespoons organic half-and-half or whole milk
fresh ground black pepper
kosher salt
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheesePreheat oven to 375°F.
Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard the seeds and membrane. Place squash halves, cut sides down, on a baking sheet; bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until squash is tender. Cool. Peel squash; mash pulp. Set aside 1 1/2 cups pulp, reserving remaining pulp for another use.
Bring vegetable broth to a simmer in a large saucepan. Keep warm over low heat. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot in a large pan or dutch oven. Add radicchio; sauté 2 minutes or until wilted. Place radicchio in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon each of pepper and salt, set aside. Melt butter in Dutch oven. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Add rice; sauté 1 minute. Stir in wine and 1/2 cup broth mixture; cook 3 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add 2 cups broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of liquid is absorbed before adding the next (about 15 minutes total). Stir in squash pulp. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/4 cups broth mixture (about 9 minutes total). Stir in radicchio mixture and half-and-half. Season to taste with black pepper and kosher salt. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Sprinkle with a bit more cheese and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
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Warm Millet Salad with Delicata Squash, Crispy Tofu and Spinach
Looking at this recipe, it may seem labor intensive and difficult, it really isn’t. You are doing most of the steps simultaneously. This was my first attempt at cooking with delicata squash. It had a really great taste and it was perfect in this dish. A bit on the firmer side, this squash really holds up to being tossed around in the salad. My only complaint is, from everything I read, the skin of a delicata squash is meant to be edible, apparently it is very thin, like the skin on a zucchini. I have to say, I found the skin on the squash I cooked to be one of the toughest I have ever came across on a squash. I am curious if it was because the squash I was roasting, was on the larger side compared to some of the others I saw, or maybe I needed to cook it much longer than I did, though I doubt that was the case. We just peeled the flesh away from the skin when we were eating the wedges that we served on top, no big deal.
If you haven’t tried millet yet, I can’t recommend it enough. A naturally gluten-free grain, millet is loaded with protein and is very versatile. It has a slight sweetness to it and a nutty flavor. Great in dishes like this, as cereal, in soup or in stuffings, there really are so many things you could do with it. Like many other grains, it is great sweet or savory. It is very fluffy when cooked and it is super easy to prepare.
I am quite proud of this dish, it is really hearty and loaded with flavor. On top of all of these things, it is both vegan and gluten-free. Like many of the recipes I share, there are many variations you could take with this. This would be great with quinoa, as well and would work with any winter squash variety you have on hand. You could add dried cranberries, apples or raisins and you could substitute kale or arugula for the spinach. You could even add a chopped toasted nut like walnuts or almonds. Have fun and experiment, these types of dishes are my favorite, each time you make it, can be a new experience.
I served this as our main dish, but it would make a great side and would be the perfect item on a dinner party that includes a vegan.
Warm Millet Salad with Delicata Squash, Crispy Tofu and Spinach
Serves 4-61 medium to large delicata squash
1 cup hulled organic whole millet, uncooked
2 cups water
1 14 oz package of extra-firm tofu, cut into 3/4 – 1 inch cubes, drained and pressed to remove as much liquid as possible
5-6 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
olive oil, enough for drizzling on squash and pan frying your tofu
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh sage, choppedDressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh ground black pepperPrepare your dressing by adding all of the above ingredients to a small bowl, whisk to combine, set aside.
Preheat your oven to 425º F. Cut the squash lengthwise into quarters, scrape out the seeds, then slice the squash into bite-sized, moon-shaped pieces, about 1/2 inch thick each. Drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes (depending on how big the pieces are) in a single layer in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet or until the flesh is tender and the edges have begun to brown. Cube the flesh of half of the squash and place in a large serving bowl.
While the squash is roasting, prepare your millet. Toast the millet in a dry, medium-sized pot over medium-high heat for about 3-5 minutes, until it begins to brown and become fragrant. Add 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Once the millet is done, remove from the heat and keep covered.
While the squash and millet is cooking, take a large frying pan and coat the bottom of it in olive oil, a couple of tablespoons will do. Heat the pan to a medium-high heat and make sure it is hot when you put the tofu in (it should sizzle). Once all the tofu is in, sprinkle it all with a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper. Now leave them alone in the pan for about 6-7 minutes. Shaking gently to keep them from sticking. Once they being to brown and get crispy, turn them. Continue this process until the tofu is cooked to your liking.
Once the tofu is cooked, remove the tofu to a plate lined with paper-towels to allow some of the oil to be absorbed. Meanwhile, with the remaining oil in the pan, keep the heat at a medium-high and add the spinach, cook for a few minutes until wilted.
Hopefully if timed correctly, when your spinach is done, your squash will now be ready and your millet will be done cooking. Add your cooked spinach to a large serving bowl with the cubed squash and add the cooked millet, tofu and chopped sage. Toss gently to combine all the ingredients. Drizzle the dressing over everything and toss again to combine. Top the salad with the remaining squash wedges. Serve on plates with a wedge or two of squash. Salt and pepper to taste.
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Tofu, Wild Rice and Hazelnut Stuffed Acorn Squash
I had a beautiful acorn squash that I needed to use before it turned and I had been dreaming up a delicious vegan stuffed dish. The smells alone from this were incredible and the flavors couldn’t have been more perfect together. I have to admit, I think I am most obsessed with Autumn and all of the foods associated with it. Even though produce is becoming a bit limited, there is something about experimenting and trying out new recipes with all of the wonderful ingredients that are in season. Each season, I make an effort to try at least one new seasonal ingredient that I have never cooked with. So far for this season it’s delicata squash, I picked one up this week and I am still trying to figure out what I would like to make with it. Got any suggestions? What new seasonal ingredient are you going to try for the first time this Autumn?
This dish had so much flavor, the crunch from the nuts with the creamy squash and the nutty sweetness from the rice were all absolutely made for each other. I had been thinking about adding kale for color and extra nutrients, but honestly forgot until I pulled it out to serve it. Next time. Other great additions to the stuffing would be dried cranberries or even apples. You could also use walnuts or pecans instead of hazelnuts. I love all the variations and improvisations you can take with cooking, you can really make a dish unique every time you make it. Have fun.
Tofu, Wild Rice and Hazelnut Stuffed Acorn Squash
serves 41 medium acorn squash, cut in half
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup uncooked wild rice blend
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 package firm tofu, pressed* and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped and toasted
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepperPreheat oven to 375°F. Cut each Squash in half crosswise. Scoop out and discard the seeds and strings. Place on rimmed baking sheet or in baking pan, cut side up. Sprinkle each half with a little salt, pepper, and fresh sage. Using 1 tablespoon of olive oil, drizzle each half with the oil. Cover the pan with foil and bake the squash just until moist and a bit tender, about 30-45 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook your rice according to the package directions.
In a saute pan, heat your olive oil over medium to high heat. Add your tofu and fry until brown and your desired amount of crispiness is received. When done remove to a paper towel line plate. Reduce the heat to medium, add more olive oil if needed, add chopped onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until it begins to soften, add garlic and saute another 3 minutes until both are soft but before they begin to brown. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, tofu, sautéed onions and garlic, fresh sage, and the toasted walnuts. When the squash is done, remove from the oven and spoon out some of the cooked squash to the bowl with the rest of your ingredients. Be sure to only scrape a little, you will want to leave some squash in the shells. Mix the ingredients together, salt and pepper to taste.
Press the rice mixture into the squash halves, dividing it evenly. You can round the stuffing above the rim of the squash shell. You may have rice mixture left over depending on how big your squash is. It is a great side dish on its own.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the squash flesh is thoroughly tender and it is warm throughout.
*To press tofu, drain the water from the package and lightly squeeze the tofu between paper towels to remove excess moisture.
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Butternut Squash, Sage and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Hazelnut Brown-Butter Sauce (Gluten-Free)
I have been wanting to attempt to make fresh gluten-free pasta for a while, but I didn’t even know where to begin. What types of flours to use, what type of pasta should I make, could I make it without a pasta machine or attachment, etc. After I got my copy of the book “Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: A Love Story with 100 Tempting Recipes“, one of the first recipes that caught my eye was for fresh gluten-free pasta. Their directions include how to cut the pasta by hand and even how to make ravioli. The recipe had relatively few ingredients and the instructions seemed easy enough, so I decided making fresh ravioli would be my first attempt at making pasta. I also had a beautiful butternut squash that I wanted to make some type of filling out of so I went a variation of a recipe that I had saved from Gourmet Magazine from many years ago.
I cannot even begin to describe how amazing it was to eat fresh pasta, that I made myself, by hand. It was tender and the texture was exactly as it should be. Being that I have never made fresh pasta, I had this fear I would spend the time making it, stuffing and sealing each ravioli and then it would fall apart the minute it hit the boiling water. This didn’t happen. They went in, cooked through beautifully, rose to the top of the water and when I took them out to drain, I knew immediately that they would be delicious. They looked like little clouds.
The butternut squash goat cheese filling was so incredible that I couldn’t help but eat some as I was filling the ravioli. The fresh sage with the roasted squash is truly what Autumn tastes like and the creaminess from the goat cheese was rich but not too heavy. Lucky for me, the squash I used was rather large and there was a decent amount of the filling leftover. It was great on its own for lunch the following day. The hazelnut brown-butter sauce is decadent and had a lovely sweetness to it. I hadn’t had brown butter in a long time, I forgot what a great nutty flavor it has. Though it doesn’t look like much on a large dinner plate, you really can only eat about 4 of these ravioli and with a small salad to start the meal, it is a perfectly filling meal. Certainly if you are not gluten-intolerant and don’t wish to make fresh pasta, you could use store-bought won ton wrappers and make a quick ravioli the same way.
It should be noted, that since I have a scale in my kitchen I decided to weigh my flours as opposed to measuring. This is something I rarely do, but I decided I should really start doing it more. I have read that it is important when baking and cooking with flours and probably even more so with gluten-free cooking as the ratio of flours is so important to the final outcome. I most definitely plan on making ravioli often this fall and winter and experimenting with lots different fillings. Now I can’t wait to get the pasta attachment for my KitchenAid mixer so I can make other shapes with this pasta recipe, too.
Butternut Squash, Sage and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Hazelnut Brown-Butter Sauce
serves 4Fresh Gluten-Free Pasta
via Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef2/3 cup (70g) corn flour
1/2 cup (70g) quinoa flour
1/2 cup (60g) potato starch
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon guar gum
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs (I prefer to use fresh brown eggs from Painted Meadows Farms)
4 egg yolks from large eggsEgg Wash
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of milk, half and half or cream
Whisk togetherButternut Squash, Goat Cheese filling
a 2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped finely
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
4 ounces crumbled goat cheese, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano cheese, gratedHazelnut Brown-Butter Sauce
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/3 cup hazelnuts,toasted lightly and skinned and chopped coarse
1 teaspoon fresh sage, finely choppedMake the filling. Put squash halves, flesh sides down, a baking sheet and roast in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until flesh is very tender. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh into a bowl and discard skin. Mash squash with a fork until smooth.
While squash is roasting, in a skillet cook onion and sage in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes, or until onion is golden brown. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Cool onion mixture slightly and add to squash. Add goat cheese and parmesan reggiano and stir to combine well. Set aside while you make your pasta.
Make the sauce. In skillet cook butter with hazelnuts over moderate heat until butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes, and immediately remove from heat (nuts will continue to cook), add fresh sage. Season hazelnut butter with salt and pepper and keep warm, covered.
In a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to a gentle boil for ravioli.
Make the pasta. Sift the corn flour, quinoa flour, and potato starch into a large bowl. Add the xanthan gum, guar gum and salt, stir. Sift the entire mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer.
Put the eggs and egg yolks into the bowl of dry ingredients. Run the stand mixer on medium speed with a paddle attachment until the dough feels fully formed, about 3 minutes. The final dough should feel firm, yet still pliable, a bit like playdough.
If you are using a pasta machine, cut the ball of dough into quarters and roll each piece of dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. You can flour your surface and rolling-pin with potato starch to keep it from sticking. Run your dough through the machine, increasing the setting each time, until the dough is paper-thin and long. If the sheet start to break, it is thin enough.
If you are making your dough by hand, as I did, I cut the large ball into 8 pieces. Roll out each piece of dough as thin as you can. I didn’t have a very large work space and I was struggling a bit with my dough sticking, so next time I am going to work with even smaller pieces of dough.
Filling the ravioli. Cut the rolled out pasta into 2-inch square pieces. Dollop the filling in the middle of a square of pasta. Brush the edges with your egg wash. Place another pasta square on top and press down, crimping the edges with a fork.
Cook your ravioli. Add the ravioli in batches of about 5 at time, so as not to crowd them. Cook until the ravioli feels soft and pliable, about 4 to 5 minutes. Take one out of the water and test the edge with a fork, if it yields to the fork easily, it is ready to eat. Drain the ravioli.
Plate the ravioli on each plate and top with the warm hazelnut brown-butter sauce and a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan Reggiano cheese.
The filling is good enough to eat on it’s own. -
Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto
My sister, Vicky, and I took an amazing trip out to the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen yesterday, and I will be posting about this trip separately very soon, once I can organize all of my thoughts properly. It was an incredible experience, there is so much to say and I can’t wait to share it with you. After the beautiful drive, we went back to my parent’s house for our usual Sunday dinner with the whole family, where I made a big pot of this delicious risotto. Nothing sounded better than a delicious Autumn dinner with squash after driving through beautiful New York looking at all the colorful leaves and seeing farm stands selling squash everywhere. Vicky and I ended up stopping at one and I picked up butternut and acorn squashes and two beautiful sugar pumpkins for baking, so look out for lots of squash and pumpkin recipes in the next week or so. YUM!
I have never made a squash risotto myself, but I have eaten it at restaurants before and I have been so excited for squash season to come so I could try it out. It was incredible. So many delicious Fall flavors, and it was so filling and satisfying. The squash is so sweet and perfect with the spinach and salty tang from the cheeses, the colors in this dish were as pretty as the countryside we had driven through all day. Oh and I really love one pot meals so much, such easy prep and clean-up. My dad was very concerned this wouldn’t be enough food for 7 adults, but not only was it enough, but seconds were had by most of us and there were even leftovers.
Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto
serves 8 as main-course3-4 lb butternut squash (or two smaller squashes)
6-8 cups organic, free-range chicken broth (use vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted organic butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups Arborio rice
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup finely grated blend of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
4 oz arugula or baby spinach (6 cups), stems discarded and leaves very coarsely choppedPreheat oven to 450°F.
Halve squash lengthwise and seed, then cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices and season with salt. Roast slices, skin side down, in a shallow baking pan in middle of oven until tender and golden, about 50 minutes.
Set aside 6 crescent-shaped squash slices for serving and keep warm. Cut flesh from remaining slices into 1/2-inch pieces, discarding skin.When the squash has about 10 minutes left, you can begin the risotto. Bring broth to a simmer and keep covered and barely at a simmer.
Meanwhile, cook onion in butter and olive oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add rice, garlic, and cook, stirring, 3 minutes.
Stir in 1/2 cup simmering broth and cook at a strong simmer, stirring frequently, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is creamy-looking but still al dente (it should be the consistency of thick soup), about 25-30 minutes. (There may be leftover broth)
Stir in squash pieces, then stir in cheese, salt, sage, and arugula (or spinach) and simmer, stirring, 1 minute. Serve risotto immediately, spooned over reserved squash slices, top with fresh cheese and freshly ground pepper.
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Mexican Frittata
Andrea and I decided on a whim to whip up this Mexican Frittata the last morning we were all together at the beach house and I have to say, I am super impressed with how it came out for completely winging it. I really love cooking for people, I could have stayed at the beach house another week and just continued to cook, enjoy that view and relax. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible, we leave again in a few days for Seattle, then Chicago. I guess we will have to just make this a yearly trip, then.
My measurements are not exact on some of this, we were trying to use up a lot of the food we had on hand from the week at the beach. I only used half of a green pepper and 11 eggs, because that’s what we had. You can definitely improvise with frittatas, use what you have on hand and get creative. There really are no wrong ingredients. Frittatas are a great way to make breakfast for a large group of people with very little effort. For us, it was a great way to put a lot of the fresh leftover ingredients to good use. I had some ground pork breakfast sausage from Sojourner Farms that I really wanted to make something with, so we came up with the idea to do a Mexican inspired frittata.
Later that same day, we took a trip out to Sojourner to pick up our chickens for the rest of the season, it was so awesome to be able to show our friends the farm where a lot of the food they ate over the week came from and introduce them to the man who grows it all. We even got to meet and pet a bunch of the pigs. Pierre took us around and we really got to spend some quality time on the land. I really cannot recommend enough that you find a pasture-raised farm close by you, that you truly love, that raises safe, healthy and natural animals. Sojourner Farms has pasture-raised chickens, pork, beef and eggs, he also raises bees and makes honey. We are so lucky that it is a short trip to get there and we are rewarded with supporting a sustainable farmer who raises his animals from birth to market and has a great love not only for his practice and the animals, but also for the land he raises them on. It is so important to see where your food comes from and how it is raised. Find a grass-fed farm near you using Eat Wild
This is Sam and Black from Sojourner Farms, they are huge lovable adults used for breeding.
Mexican Frittata
serves 83/4 lb ground breakfast sausage, I use pastured-raised, antibiotic and hormone free, pork breakfast sausage from Sojourner Farms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 small yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons butter
12 fresh farm eggs, I use brown eggs from Painted Meadows Farms
1 cup mexican blend cheeses, grated (Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Colby, etc)
1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes
2 or 3 scallions, sliced thinly
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly choppedHeat large oven-safe non-stick skillet (or cast iron skillet) over medium heat until hot, add sausage and cook until browned. Remove the sausage from the pan and drain off most of the liquid, leave a bit and add olive oil. Once hot again, add garlic and shallot, cook and stir until tender. Add in green pepper, zucchini, squash and red pepper flakes, stir and sauté until tender, about 5-10 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid. Whisk eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the sausage and butter to the vegetable mixture in the skillet, allow the butter to melt. Add the beaten eggs to the skillet, fold gently to combine. Allow the eggs to begin to set. With a spatula, lift up an edge of the frittata and tilt the skillet to allow the uncooked mixture to flow to the bottom of the pan. Continue to lift until the egg on top is barely runny. Top the frittata with the halved cherry tomatoes, sprinkle with grated cheese and slide the skillet into the oven. Bake the frittata until it is firm to the touch, about 5-10 minutes. Slide the frittata out of the pan onto a serving platter, top with red pepper flakes, sliced scallions, chopped cilantro and a bit of kosher salt, cut into 8 wedges. We served a bit of salsa verde on the side.
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Southwest Rice Salad
I came across this recipe a week or so ago while browsing on the Epicurious iPhone app (which I am obsessed with) and couldn’t wait to try out my version of it. I changed a few things around like using brown rice instead of white and I added some things that weren’t in the original recipe (the beans, banana pepper, green zucchini, etc). Also, considering the corn that we got at the farmers market this week was still very small and a bit early in the season, we didn’t have a lot of it in the dish. Later in the season, that part of the dish will be even better, so we will for sure have to make this again when the corn is tastier. I was very excited though, that we did get to include the first banana pepper of the season from our garden to add a little heat on top of the poblano that was already in there. I made a bit larger of a serving that what the recipe called for, so we could eat it for lunches throughout the week. For a side dish at one meal, you could probably get away with just making 1 cup of rice.
We decided to cook up the corn and other veggies on the grill, which we were already heating up, so we could get some of that lovely smokey grill taste in the dish. You could easily cook the veggies in a non-stick skillet over a medium heat on the stove top if that is easier. This dish was light and refreshing and was the perfect side to the pork steaks from Sojourner Farms that we were cooking up. It had a very subtle spicy kick from the peppers and a great bright flavor from the lime.
Southwest Rice Salad
serves at least 8 as a side dish, less if you are serving it as your main entree
adapted from Bon Appétit2 cups long-grain organic brown rice
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 2 or ears) or frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 large fresh poblano pepper, diced
1 seeded spicy banana pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini, cubed
1 medium yellow squash, cubed
1 avocado, halved, peeled, diced
1 cup of canned organic black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt
freshly ground black pepperCook rice until just tender, follow directions on the package. Ours cooked for 50 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again. Meanwhile, whisk lime juice, garlic and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
Start your grill and get it to a medium-high temperature. Wrap the ears of corn in foil and place them on the grill. Toss the peppers, squash and zucchini with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add to a grill pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the grill pan on the medium-high grill. Cook the corn until it is done, approximately 10-15 minutes, cut off the cob once done and slightly cooled. Sauté the vegetables until they are just tender and starting to brown up a little, 15-20 minutes; scrape into a large serving bowl. Add rice, beans, green onions, cilantro, and dressing; toss to coat, top with avocado. Season with salt and pepper.
