Summer veggie recipes needed!

[Pat Garaffa]

Especially zucchini, squash, peppers, etc.  Every road stand and farmers market is loaded and you can fill your trunk for 20 bucks.  We make regular stops and 5 dollars will buy enough for the week.   Anymore than that and it gets mushy and tossed into the compost pile.   

And the prices will continue to go lower as we head into August and September.  Most of the stuff can be frozen and you can get half a winters worth for a song! 

Someone just told me that they make Zucchini parmesan.  Sounds like it's worth a try.  And that will also freeze well too. 

We did some roasted vegetable wraps a few nights ago.  They were great.  I used some zucchini, yellow squash, tomato, peppers, red onions and carrots (to add some sweetness).  Or use whatever you have on hand.  (Hint - watermelon probably won't roast too well.  LOL!)

Slice them all about the same size and toss them in a big bowl.  Sprinkle with olive oil and mix them up well so everything is very thinly coated.   Pour the contents on a coated baking sheet and sprinkle with some salt, pepper and herbs de provence (a combination of oregano, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, etc).  Or any other flavorful herb.  And grab the herbs from the garden if you grow your own.  I do and it sure beats paying top dollar for 2 days worth of basil.  Use your favorite herbs because you have to eat it – not me! 

Caution – use the herbs sparingly as the flavors usually intensify as they roast.  You want to eat roasted vegetables with thyme & rosemary.  Not thyme & rosemary with a side of roasted vegetables. 

Slow roast them in an oven for 30-45 minutes at 400-425.  Turn once about halfway through and then pile them in a wrap.  Add some parmesan, feta or any of your favorite cheeses.  Or skip the cheese and keep it healthy.  And in my house, I put hot sauce on everything and that justifies the need for a cold beer with the meal. 

Enjoy! 

[Pat Garaffa]

I think someone put Viagra in my Gagootz bed!  Boing!

The stuff is popping like crazy now.  I had nothing for a long time and then it all started at once.  My yard is small and my garden is only about 100 square feet so I grow a variety of things in small quantities.  I only keep 3 zucchini plants and that's enough for my family.   

I did the Zucchini Parmesian on Saturday.  2 large zucchinis made 2 trays.  One for dinner and one for the freezer.   It's better to use more smaller zucchini so they don't have those big pumpkin sized seeds.  Live and learn. 

I made a vegatable gratin with zucchini, tomato and onion and that was great and super easy.  And tomorrow I'll try zucchini fritters. 

Tomatoes and peppers aren't doing much but everything else seems ok. 

[Jackie Everitt]

When you make Zucchini parmesan do you bread it and fry it?  Do you use Milk and Egg like when I bread meat - Zucchini parmesan sound good and I want to try both that and Eggplant?  How thick or thin do you cut it?  I tried Eggplant once but I think I cut it too thin and it fell apart in the frying pan - I gave up and never tried breading anouther vegatable again but I think it's now time to try again (it was over 15 years ago).  Need to start eating better - I know frying isn't the way to do but I figure if atleast I'm having the Veg. as the main course it's a little better.

[Jody_Branin]

I think someone put Viagra in my Gagootz bed!  Boing!

Like this?

Squash plant timelapse, 45 000	DQ

I'd better go check ours.  There's been nothing, nothing.  Now there's probably baseball bats out there.  

Jackie - try marinating some zucchini sliced lengthwise in 1/2 " strips in a zip lock bag with FAT FREE Wishbone Italian dressing for a few hours or overnight.  GRILL it - it's really delicious!  Much better for you than frying. 

[Jackie Everitt]

Thanks Jody - I'll try it -

[Pat Garaffa]

I agree.  If you are looking for "healthy" you won't find it in a pan of deep fried zucchini baked into a 3 cheese parmesan.

I also grill mine all the time and it comes out great.   In fact, that sounds pretty good!  I picked up some Italian bread from Top Tomato today so I think I'll make a big, fat grilled zucchini sandwich with roasted peppers and fresh mozzarella.  Then I’ll put the open faced sandwich under the broiler until the cheese gets gooey and the bread is toasted.  Then I top it off with some fresh basil and thyme from the garden and little balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Close it up, crack open an ice cold beer and chow down!  

And I don’t have enough so stay away!  
 
I prepared the zucchini parmesan but haven't cooked it yet.  I was going to cook it tonight but my sandwich sounds better.  I made it exactly like eggplant and just substituted one for another.  I cut the eggplant about 3/8 to 1/2 inch.  Anything thinner and it falls apart just like eggplant.  

I breaded it using a mixture of egg/ milk and then the breadcrumbs.  And then I fried in an oil filled pan.  Let it cook for a couple minutes and then flip it once.  The second side will cook in half the time so keep an eye on it.  Otherwise it will be brown on one side and black on the other.  

I always use olive oil but be warned - you'll need a lot.  I skipped the expensive stuff and went with the cheaper vegetable oil for this recipe.    

You may be able to skip frying and bake it.  I've never tried it but it's worth a shot.  

[Pat Garaffa]

I need to take a veggie break.  My wife is going to beat me with one of these zucchinis while screaming "give me meat"!

[Jody_Branin]

Pat, if you pick them small enough they are actually quite good sliced in a salad.  I'm still waiting for ours to grow something but so far nuttin honey.

A friend on another forum has this to say about it - she made me LOL.

"Jo, zuchinni really needs to be hand polinated most of the time. There are male flowers and female flowers. They need to get together. Take one of the male flowers with the pollen on it and touch it to the fruitg flower. Smoke cigarette. "   

Now somebody please tell me how to tell the male from female zuchinni plant.  I'm almost afraid to ask. 

[Kathy_Baratta]

Now somebody please tell me how to tell the male from female zuchinni plant.  I'm almost afraid to ask. 

Jody,

Some older Italian lady told me that you can tell the difference. Here's how according to her. Look at the end of the zucchini (works with eggplant if you want seedless. The males, if I recall correctly, are seedless).

Anyway, if the end spot (not the stem end - the other end) is perfectly rounded, it's a female. If it is sort of elongated, it is a male.

I swear. I am not making this up.

KB

[Pat Garaffa]

"Now somebody please tell me how to tell the male from female zuchinni plant.  I'm almost afraid to ask"

The male is the one holding the remote control!     

I only have three plants and I have no clue if they are male or female.  Maybe I'll just rub them all together in a big, happy George Costanza menage thingy and then and I'll wait and see which one rolls over and goes to sleep.   That will be the male.