Garden Summer Squash and Potato Pie

When I was a kid my Dad had a garden in our backyard. I didn't notice. I also didn't notice how amazing the Grand Canyon was when we went to visit. I was preoccupied with important kid things. Growing and killing our own food seemed very "country" to me and I would rather have Hamburger Helper, hold the veggies please.

Fast forward 20 years and a cross country move to California, I now prefer my food to be served from the garden, the farmer's market or the produce section, hold the meat please. I return to the South and  find my Dad hard at work keeping up my Grandfather's garden after his recent passing. Cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, tomatoes, cucumber, potatoes and squash. I drool at the sound of the "Farmer's Market" right in my Grandmother's front yard. I would love to bring my reusable bags and load up.

Why is it that we appreciate things more when we are older? Is there a way that I could get my future kids to appreciate a garden now and not when they are 30? Why do things taste different? Why do we now enjoy being around our parents? Why do we talk and care about the weather more? Why do we drive slower? I often hear people reminiscing and wishing they could be younger and go back to the "good old days". I disagree, personally I would like to be right where I am trying out a recipe using the squash and potatoes from my Grandfather's garden.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Bon Appetite June 2001

Serves 3-4 as a side dish
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound potatoes, peeled, cut into thin rounds
2 medium yellow summer squash, cut into thin rounds
3 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease one 8-inch-diameter cake pan. Toss cheese, flour, thyme, salt and pepper in medium bowl to blend. Layer potatoes in bottom of pan, overlapping slightly. Next, make a layer of squash, drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with cheese mixture. Repeat until you reach the top and have enough room to finish with a layer of potatoes and the remainder of the cheese mixture. Press potatoes down to flatten. It will likely be about five or less layers. Cover pan with foil and bake until potatoes are almost tender, about 35 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered until potatoes are tender and the top begins to brown, about 20 minutes longer.

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Crispy Wedge Potatoes

When I was in college as a desperate attempt to lose 10 lbs, I did what any normal college girl would do. No, I didn’t cut out alcohol or drive thru windows, I turned to Dr. Atkins. For those of you who don’t know  Dr. Atkins, he invented the quick weight loss solution of cutting out ALL carbohydrates. So for two weeks, I put my roommates through hell because when you deplete your body of ALL carbs you become CRAZY. The day my roommates came home and found me basically licking the peanut butter jar clean (well bc I couldn’t have bread or apples) they demanded I call it quits. As soon as I touched a piece of bread to my lips, I instantly gained back the 6 or so pounds I lost. True story.

Now that I am older and much wiser, I understand the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates and their place in the balanced diet. And so today I share with you my favorite thing to do with a potato. You can use this as a side dish with almost anything you are having (breakfast burritos, steak on the grill, veggie burgers) just don’t forget to also have a side of greens.

Any kind of potatoes will do in this recipe; however, I often use the waxy  potatoes (red, new, yellow) instead of the russet as in my experience you can get a better crisp on them.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Wash potatoes and cut into uniform wedges .Toss with olive oil and seasoning of choice. Spread them out on a greased cookie sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to flip them over and stir them around. Roast for another 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve. Simple.

.*Note: They will get crispier if you give them room to breath on the cookie sheet instead of piling them on top of each other.  You can also put them in the microwave for about 4 minutes to get rid of their moisture content before roasting.

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Chipotle White Bean Casserole and Kale Crisps

I now return to my regularly scheduled program. The “shutdown” is over. What does that mean? It means no more 4am wake up call, no more 8pm bedtime, no more 1 drink maximum and no more carnivorous dinner requirement. And while there are several athletes and hard workers who survive and thrive on a vegetarian diet, I am not one to argue with a man who is waking up at 4am.

Wahooo! I will celebrate by sharing my favorite vegetarian dish and a bottle of wine. (well I likely won’t share the wine). This dish comes from 101 Cookbooks. The author has several vegetarian cookbooks with a focus on all natural ingredients. I serve this dish as a meal but it could prove successful as a holiday side dish or an appetizer served on top a sliced crusty baguette.

Serves 5-6 as a meal
2 tbsp olive oil
2 pinches red pepper flakes
2 pinches garlic salt or salt
1-2 large cloves of garlic minced
1-28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1-2 tablespoons of dried oregano
1-2 tablespoons of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers*
3-15oz cans of white beans
1 block of feta cheese
1 bunch of kale **(see bonus recipe for leftovers)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make a tomato sauce by adding olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and minced garlic to a cold saucepan. Heat on medium heat until garlic is fragrant then add tomatoes, oregano and adobo sauce*. While sauce is simmering, rinse 1/2 bunch of kale, de-stem and finely chop. Drain and rinse white beans. Add beans and kale to the tomato sauce. Pour into a casserole dish and top with feta cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

*The Adobo sauce is intense but adds a very appealing smokiness to this dish. Although optional its worth searching for and usually found in the Mexican food aisle.
** You can use any green in place of kale but I urge you to try it. It is packed with vitamins and nutritional benefits. With the remainder of the kale I BEG you to try the following delicious and addicting snack.

In a bowl, combine a tablespoon of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. Rub the liquid into the leaves and set on a pan. Sprinkle salt on the kale and bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes or until the leaves start turning brown and crispy. Munch on these right away or save for later. The picture shows dinosaur kale but curly kale works great also.

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Discovering Spaghetti Squash and San Marzano Tomatoes

 dis·cov·er : to notice or learn, especially by making an effort

I was introduced to the spaghetti squash about two years ago and it is one of my favorite things to cook and eat (shhhh, don’t tell my first love, the avocado). You will spot the squash at your farmer’s market or in your grocery starting around September. It’s oblong in shape and usually a golden hue. After breaking down and cooking the squash you can run a fork through the insides and it comes out in spaghetti like strands. To try and explain this amazing phenomenon won’t do it justice until you experience it yourself. I promise a smile on your face as you discover this magical squash. 

 In the recipe below you can use any tomatoes you choose but I will take this time to tell you about San Marzano tomatoes. These beauties are considered to be the top notch tomato for saucing. I have seen “San Marzano tomatoes” on top pizzeria menus around the city and finally came across them at the farmer’s market. You can also find them canned in the grocery store. If you can get your hands on some try them and bring your sauce to the next level. That would be level awesome!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Marzano_tomato 

Spaghetti Squash topped w/ San Marzano Tomato Sauce:
Feeds 2-3 as a main dish with a side of cheesy bread
1 spaghetti squash
6-8 tomatoes, sliced in half (*San Marzano, Roma, vine ripened)

Olive oil, 2.5 tablespoons

Oregano, 1 tablespoon

1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using caution and your sharpest knife, cut the two ends off of the squash. Stand it up and slice down the middle. Next, using a spoon, scoop the seeds and strings out of the middle and discard. On a roasting pan, lay the squash skin side down, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and roast for about 25-30 minutes or until you can pierce easily with a fork. At the same time that the squash is roasting, put tomatoes in a dish drizzled with 1 tbsp olive oil and sliced garlic. Roast for about 20-25 minutes.

While the squash is cooling make the tomato sauce. Using a small saucepan on medium heat, add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and roasted tomatoes with their juices. Use a spatula to mash up the tomatoes and garlic and add 1 tablespoon oregano. Let sauce simmer on low while you handle the cooled squash. Take a fork and scrape the insides out of the squash and place in a dish. The insides will come out in spaghetti like strands.



Serve squash topped with tomato sauce and a side of cheesy bread* 

*any type of bread in the oven drizzled with olive oil and topped with cheese for 8 minutes and finished with a minute of broiling

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