Q.E.D.: One-Pot Mexican Veggie Rice

School has finally started again. I will miss my quiet summer days, but I am excited to be back in the swing of things.

Since school has started, we definitely need another Q.E.D. meal.

Notes: We like things spicy in this house, so I used spicy ketchup and hot sauce. If you're not a fan of spice, leave one of them out.

You could sprinkle some cheese on top of this if you like, but we skipped it.

Feel free to change up any of the ingredients! Use whatever veggies you like.

Ingredients:
1 can black beans
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons spicy ketchup (I used Heinz Tabasco)
10-12 dashes of hot sauce
1 large or 2 small zucchini
1 shallot
4-5 garlic cloves
1 cup of frozen corn
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 cups minute rice
1/2 cup water
1 bunch fresh cilantro
Salt
Pepper
Butter or olive oil for sauteeing

Directions:

Mince the garlic and dice the shallot and zucchini. Add butter or oil to a large skillet with a lid. When the butter melts or the oil is hot, add shallot, garlic, and zucchini cook for about five minutes.

While that's cooking, rinse and drain the beans. Add beans and corn to the pan. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder. Stir everything together. Add tomatoes, ketchup, water, and hot sauce.

Bring everything to a boil. Add the rice and stir. Cover and turn the heat back to medium-low. Simmer for 15 minutes. While the rice is cooking, chop the cilantro and stir it in when the time is up.

Serve and enjoy!

Summer Squash Wild Rice with White Beans and Tomatoes

After the holiday weekend, it's time for a healthy dish to counteract all those burgers and hot dogs!

Notes: You can adjust the cooking time here so that the veggies are cooked to your liking. Simmering the squash for 40 minutes makes it very tender. If you prefer yours toothy, add it when you add the tomatoes.

I used a boxed wild rice medley for this. It's very easy and economical. All you do is add the same amount of water that is listed on the back of the box. You just cook it along side the veggies.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked wild rice medley (I used a boxed mix)
1 3/4 cup water
1 large or 2 small yellow squash
1 large or 2 small zucchini
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1 15 oz. can small white beans
1 shallot
3-4 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch chives
1/2 bunch thyme
8-10 dashes of hot sauce
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Directions:

Mince the garlic and dice the shallot. Slice the squash and zucchini into half moons.

Heat a small amount of olive oil on medium-high in a large skillet (make sure it has high sides and a lid). Sautee the onions and garlic until just tender and fragrant. Add the squash and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the water and bring everything to a boil.

Stir in the rice and then turn the heat down to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the rice is simmering, mince the thyme and chives. Rinse and drain the beans. After the 20 minutes has passed, add the tomatoes, beans, and herbs. Season with hot sauce and another round of salt and pepper. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes until the rice is tender, but still chewy. Enjoy!

Q.E.D.: Black Bean and Zucchini Tacos

Remember how I told you not to toss out the zucchini innards from the mexican zucchini boats? Well, you'll be glad you didn't because now you can make black bean and zucchini tacos!

You may have noticed that we eat a lot of tacos around here. That is partly because tacos are delicious. Who doesn't like tacos? It's like not liking kittens (I'm a dog person and even I love kittens). The other reason we eat a lot of tacos is because we (a) often have leftover bits of something-or-other that we need to use up and (b) tacos are super fast. Tacos: economical and low maintenance.

Notes: If you don't have leftover zucchini innards, you can just substitute 2 small zucchini. 

I had leftover stuffing from the zucchini boats, so my tacos have rice in them. It will make the tacos more filling, but if you're not a fan of multiple starches, you can leave the rice out. 

Tacos are a wonderful excuse to try different kinds of cheese. We experimented with mahon this time. It was great! 

Ingredients:

1 box taco shells

2 small zucchini (or leftover zucchini innards)

1 cup cooked rice

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 15 oz. can black beans

1/2 bag of frozen corn

4-5 cloves of garlic

1 small onion

1 small bunch cilantro

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

10 or so dashes hot sauce

5 oz. mahon cheese (or manchego, or your favorite taco cheese)

2 tablespoons butter

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

Heat the oven to the temperature listed on the instructions for the taco shells (usually 325 or 350). 

Dice the zucchini and the onion and mince the garlic. Roughly chop the cilantro. Rinse and drain the beans.

In a large skillet, heat butter on medium high until it melts. Stir in the chili powder and cumin to form a loose paste. Add the zucchini, garlic, and onion. Sautee until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the rice, beans, corn, tomato paste, and hot sauce. Stir to combine and turn the heat back to medium. 

Heat the taco shells for about 5 minutes (follow the box directions). While the taco shells are heating, grate your cheese. 

When the shells are done, fill them up and top them with cheese. Enjoy!

Mexican Zucchini Boats

Remember the stuffed tomatoes I made a little while ago? Well, the stuffing-things-into-summer-produce bug has bit me. I made up my mind several weeks ago to try some sort of stuffed zucchini, but I hadn't decided what I was going to stuff it with. I was thinking about burritos the other day and inspiration struck: mexican zucchini boats.

Notes: You can make the rice with just water, but you'd be sacrificing an amazing amount of flavor. Canned tomato puree is easy and inexpensive. I happened to have fresh on hand, but I would have used canned otherwise. It gives the rice a lot of depth.

You want to make sure not to make the rice mixture too wet. If it seems to have too much liquid when it's finished, you can drain it (you'll have your strainer out anyway).

Don't toss out the zucchini innards once you're finished scooping! I've got a plan for those---stay tuned for the next recipe!

These are so cute, they would be great for entertaining.

Ingredients:
1 cup minute rice
1 cup tomato puree
2 medium-large zucchini
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 shallot
1 15 oz. can of black beans
10 dashes hot sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
1 small bunch fresh cilantro
3-4 oz. cheese (I used Mahon), grated
Salt
Pepper
Butter or olive oil

Directions:

Heat oven to 400

Mince garlic, shallot, and cilantro. Rinse and drain the beans. Heat just about a tablespoon of olive oil or butter in a sauce pan over medium-high. When the oil is hot or butter melted, add the garlic and shallots and saute until just starting to turn translucent.

Season with salt and pepper. Add cumin, chili powder, sugar, and hot sauce. Pour in tomato puree and stir. Bring the mixture just to a boil and add the rice. Turn off the heat and let stand 5 minutes.

While the rice is finishing, cut the zucchini in half length-wise (I cut mine in half across first to make shorter boats). Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop some of the innards out of the zucchini. Be careful not to dig a hole in the bottom or the sides. Place the boats in an oiled baking dish and season the inside with salt and pepper.

When the rice is done, add in the black beans and cilantro and stir everything together. Using a slotted spoon to drain off the excess liquid, scoop the rice mixture into the zucchini boats, packing it in. Put grated cheese on top of each boat. Bake covered with foil for about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for about 8-10 more minutes until zucchini is fork tender and the cheese starts to just brown.

Serve and enjoy!

Q.E.D.: Vegetable Curry with Couscous

Spring produce is appearing in our local grocery store, which makes me so happy. Spring and summer are the best seasons for cooking because you have such an amazing selection of produce to choose from. It might also be the case that because winter was so hard this year, any sign of spring brings me joy!

Notes: I used to make vegetable curry a lot and for some reason it's fallen out of the rotation. I'm not really sure why.

This one is on the cusp of Q.E.D. because it's right at 30 minutes. But you can do it!

I bought a box of couscous that was on sale a few weeks ago. When I planned to make curry, I thought: why not use couscous instead of rice? Better yet, since couscous absorbs liquid so easily, this dish can become a one-pot wonder.

Ingredients:
1 box of couscous
1/2 a medium-sized zucchini
1 small broccoli crown
1 small yam or sweet potato, peeled
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 13-15 oz. can of unsweetened coconut milk
2-3 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
1 small bunch of fresh basil
Salt
3 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

Directions:

Dice the zucchini and the yam, and cut the broccoli into florets. Mince the garlic and ginger and slice the basil.

Heat the butter or oil on medium-high until it melts. Add the basil, garlic, ginger, salt, and curry powder and stir until fragrant. Add in the yam and cook for about a minute. Add in the coconut milk. Let the mixture cook for about 3 minutes.

Add in the broccoli florets and cook for about 5 more minutes. Then add the zucchini and cook for about 3 more minutes.

Bring the mixture to a boil and stir in the couscous. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. When 5 minutes is up, stir to make sure the couscous is cooked. If it's not, let it sit for another 2 minutes. Enjoy!

Zucchini Pesto Pizza

Well, spring is starting to show up here in Philly, so it's time for me to come out of hibernation!

Some friends of ours were in town last weekend, so I decided to do some cooking. Pizza makes for great casual entertaining food, so I made two: one traditional pepperoni (Scott's favorite) and a vegetarian option. It was delicious, if I do say so myself!

Notes: I neglected to take a photo of this one since we had guests!

The crust for the zucchini pizza was a mostly whole wheat crust because I happened to have some white/wheat flour to use up. I don't really prefer it for pizza crust because I think it comes out too dry, but the flavor paired nicely with the homemade pesto.

I used havarti instead of the traditional mozzarella for this pizza. Havarti melts beautifully and you don't get the excess liquid that you can occasionally get with fresh mozzarella.

If you have a mandolin, you can make quick work of the zucchini. I have one, but mine is such a pain to clean and store, I just used a knife.

You can slice the zucchini and make the pesto ahead of time if you're using this recipe to entertain.

Ingredients:
1 ball of homemade pizza dough
Some homemade pesto
1/2 a medium-sized zucchini
Approximately 5 oz of havarti cheese

Directions: Position the oven racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven. Heat the oven to 500. While you're waiting for the oven to heat, shred the cheese and thinly slice the zucchini.

Roll out your pizza dough to your desired size and shape (I used a regular round pizza pan).

Spread the pesto on the pizza (reserve some for garnish). Cover the pizza evenly with a layer of cheese. Lay the zucchini slices on top of the pizza.

Bake the pizza on the bottom rack for 8-9 minutes and then move the pizza to the top rack for 8-9 more minutes until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown just slightly. Top the pizza with the reserved pesto. Slice and enjoy!

Roasted Summer Squash and Tomatoes with Roasted Garlic Chive Toast

Here in the northeast, summer in waning, which means we have to savor summer food while we can. What better way to do that than with a big ol' bowl of summer vegetables?

Notes: The only people who wouldn't like this dish are people who hate delicious things (and I guess people who hate vegetables). Roasting the tomatoes gives them a deep, sweet flavor. Roasted broccoli has a nutty taste. And I don't know about you, but I could eat summer squash any old time.

You could easily make this as a side dish if you need to feed a crowd. I love it as is. If you have a garden with a boatload of summer squash, this is a great way to use it up.

Don't skimp on the fresh herbs here. They make a huge difference. If you're not a fan of garlic, do me a solid and just try it. Roasted garlic doesn't have the bite that raw garlic does.

Ingredients:
For squash:
1 large or 2 medium yellow squash
1 large or 2 medium zucchini
2 small heads of broccoli
2 pints of cherry or grape tomatoes
4 tablespoons of olive oil (divided)
1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon herbs de provence
1/2 bunch cilantro
Salt
Pepper

For toasts:
2-4 slices of bread (I used sourdough)
1 small bunch chives
3 tablespoons butter

Directions: Heat oven to 425.

Dice the squash and zucchini into 1-inch pieces. Cut the broccoli into small florets. Split up the head of garlic keeping the skin on each of the cloves. Leave the tomatoes whole.

Using two baking sheets, spread out the squash, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic cloves, and broccoli into one layer (I put the squash on one sheet and the broccoli and tomatoes on the other. I split the garlic between the two). Drizzle each tray with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle the herbs de provence over the squash. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the veggies around with your hands until they're all coated with oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Chop the fresh herbs. Put butter in a small bowl and let it come to room temperature (it needs to be softened) while the veggies are roasting.

Right before the veggies are done, pull the garlic cloves out of the oven. Peel them and make a paste with your knife: slice the cloves and then using the wide end of the knife, mush (technical term) them around on the cutting board. Add the paste and half of your chopped chives to the butter and mash everything together with a fork. Spread half the butter on the bread.

When the veggies are done, pull them out and put the bread in (it takes about 5 minutes). Put the remaining butter and cilantro on the veggies and toss together. Serve the veggies in bowl alongside the toast. Enjoy!

VTMK: Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I've become quite taken with vegan baking. I'm afraid this is for entirely unprincipled reasons, namely laziness and frugality. I love to bake, but I don't love having to run to the store when I realize that I don't have eggs or buttermilk (this is a problem, as you'll recall, because I am an impulse baker). I also don't love keeping eggs and buttermilk on hand because I don't use them that often and they end up spoiling (thus wasting money).

Vegan baking solves these problems. The staples in vegan baking are things I usually have either in my pantry or in my fridge already. The finished product turns out just as delicious as the non-vegan kind. It's a win-win.

Notes: I adapted the bread from this recipe. The original only calls for brown sugar, but it wasn't quite sweet enough for my taste. I wrote it with the added sugar.

This is a great way to use up extra zucchini. You could also replace the applesauce with a mashed up banana if you have one.

I will add my proviso here that this recipe is vegan to my knowledge, which is limited, so procede with caution.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup grated zucchini (about one medium zucchini)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 chia egg (1 tablespoon of chia seeds + 4 tablespoons water)

Directions: Heat oven to 350. 

Add all the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, salt) to a large bowl and whisk to combine. 

Add the wet ingredients (water, vinegar, vanilla extract, applesauce) to a measuring cup and stir to combine. 

Mix up your chia egg in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients, the grated zucchini, and the chia egg to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. 

Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes then turn the loaf out on to a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way. Enjoy!

Summer Salad Series: Brown Rice, Zucchini, and White Bean Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

I promised a summer salad series, didn't I? Well, here's salad #2!

Scott was a fan of this salad for its heartiness. He's not always the biggest fan of citrusy or fruity salads, but this one is more substantial.

Notes: This salad turned out really well. Remember that brown rice is chewy, so cold brown rice will likewise be chewy. It's OK -- the chewy texture is great mixed in with the light veggies.

As with the last salad, this one involves the oven. If you'd rather not turn it on -- even at night -- you could leave the corn raw and just saute the zucchini.

This salad is also, like the last one, VTMK! I'm on a roll!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown rice
1 1/3 cups water
2 small zucchini
1 15 oz. can navy beans (or any white bean)
2 ears of corn
10-12 basil leaves
1 lemon
1 tablespoon herbs de provence
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt
Pepper

Directions: Heat oven to 425.

Slice the zucchini into half-moon shapes. Toss on a foil-lined baking sheet with salt, pepper, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Pull off any dried leaves from the corn husks and slice off the tassels at the top. Bake them in the oven right on the oven rack. Bake the zucchini until it is fork tender. Both will take about 20-30 minutes.


Bring the rice and water to a boil, turn it to a simmer, and let it cook for 30-35 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, chop the basil, zest the lemon, and drain and rinse the beans.

When the zucchini, rice, and corn is done, add the rice and zucchini together. Strip the kernels off the ears of corn and add those to the pot. Add beans. Season everything with salt and pepper.

Juice the lemon and whisk the juice with the herbs de provence. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil while whisking.

Pour the dressing over the salad, add the basil and lemon zest. Toss to combine well.

Chill for at least two hours or overnight. Serve cold and enjoy!

Q.E.D.: Zucchini Chive Fritters

After overdosing on Thanksgiving or after going out to eat too much, you need a meal in your arsenal that's on the lighter side. I suppose that should mean something that isn't fried, but let's not quibble. It's made of vegetables.

I've been wanting to experiment with a variation on potato pancakes (latkes, if you want to be fancy and probably correct). Normally I make potato pancakes with mashed potatoes, but I don't make mashed potatoes much anymore. And I'm not keen on the elbow grease it takes to grate a potato. And sure, potatoes have vitamins, but vegetables have more vitamins.

Smitten Kitchen's recipe for zucchini fritters looked like the perfect way to experiment. I tweaked it a bit.

Notes: I would not use flour next time. I would definitely use a mix of flour and cornmeal or a mix of cornmeal and just grated cheese. I think I had slightly smaller zucchini than the recipe called for, so mine ended up a little on the gummy side in the middle. Not so appetizing. Something other than flour would have prevented that problem. Other than that, these were excellent. Mine yielded 8 2-2 1/2 inch fritters.

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
1 large egg
1/4 cup of grated romano or parmesan cheese
Pepper
2-3 tablespoons frying oil of your choice
Unsweetened applesauce (for serving)

Directions:

Grate your zucchini on the large holes of a box grater directly on to a clean kitchen towel. Add the teaspoon of salt and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop your chives. Crack the egg into a bowl big enough to hold your zucchini and beat it.  Add the chives and pepper.

When the 10 minutes is up, wring the excess water out of your zucchini. Taste it to check the salt levels and add more if you need to. Add the zucchini to your egg mixture and mix in flour, baking soda, and grated cheese.

Heat your oil to medium-high. Drop in a tiny piece of zucchini to test it: if it does nothing, the oil isn't hot enough. If it burns up in a fury of bubbles, the oil is too hot. It should bubble immediately, but not burn.

When the oil is ready, drop your fritters into the pan. Flatten them a little with your spatula. I have a big skillet, so I can fit four 2-inch fritters at a time. They need about 5-6 minutes on the first side and only about 4 minutes on the second side. Drain the finished ones on a paper towel.

Serve them hot with a dollop of applesauce. Enjoy!