Photos of my 2013 Gardens

I planted one box of three different varieties of lettuce. The other box contains bell peppers, spinach, yellow squash and cucumbers.

Yellow Squash

Finally started to produce in early August

Dad decided he needed to plant his own box, so we ended up with 7 rows of lettuce. Our neighbors and friends were very happy! Tip: Use "Bonnie's Herb & Vegetable Plant Food" on your vegetables once a week for truly amazing veggies/herbs!

My beautiful herb garden

Freeze & Preserve Herbs in Olive Oil

My little sister found this great tip online and was sweet enough to send it to me. It's a gem! Thanks Kelly!

 

My herb garden was amazing this year! I hung many of my herbs in bunches to dry. Let them hang for 3 weeks before putting them all in their own containers. I wasn't really impressed with the results, for some of the herbs had turned brown, (my chives molded!) So I was super excited to read about preserving them fresh in olive oil to be used all year long, without ruining the flavor of the herbs. What a brilliant idea! And hey, who knew olive oil froze!? Looking forward to using my own herbs while preparing for big holiday meals this year. 

Source: http://www.thekitchn.com/freeze-herbs-in-olive-oil-173648

Directions:

8 Steps for Freezing Herbs in Oil

1. Choose firm, fresh herbs, ideally from the market or your own garden.
2. If you wish, you can chop them fine. Or leave them in larger sprigs and leaves. Here I froze a whole herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, and oregano.
3. Pack the wells of ice cube trays about 2/3 full of herbs.
4. You can mix up the herbs, too; think about freezing a bouquet garni of sage, thyme, and rosemary to add to winter potatoes!
5. Pour extra-virgin olive oil or melted, unsalted butter over the herbs.
6. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
7. Remove the frozen cubes and store in freezer containers or small bags.
8. Don't forget to label each container or bag with the type of herb (and oil) inside.

 

I labeled each sandwich bag and placed them all in a larger freezer bag, labeled as "Herbs in Olive Oil, 9-1-13"

Pickled Yellow Squash

Hello everyone!

I hope your summer gardens were as plentiful as mine this year. I had so much squash I didn't know what to do with it all, until I tried pickled squash on a veggie burger at a great restaurant in Oregon. So I thought, hey I can do that! 5 hours later and a sliced thumb by my mandolin, my squash is pickled and ready to be enjoyed all year long!

Source: http://www.thekitchn.com/summer-recipe-pickled-yellow-squash-recipes-from-the-kitchn-175125

Makes 3 cups squash (strained)

Ingredients:
2 pounds small yellow squash
1 sweet onion, preferably Walla Walla's
1 small red bell pepper
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground mustard

Directions
Slice squash into very thin rounds. [I recommend using a mandolin to slice all of the vegetables, but watch your fingers!] Remove both onion ends, peel, and cut in half lengthwise. Slice 1/2 of the onion into very thin strips, reserving the other half for another use. Seed and finely dice the bell pepper.

Toss squash, onions, peppers, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add a handful of ice cubes and just enough cold water to cover. Stir well to combine, and set aside for thirty minutes.

Rinse the vegetables well and place in a colander or sieve to drain. Meanwhile bring the vinegar, sugar, and ground mustard to a boil in a small saucepan. Immediately remove from heat, stirring to make sure the ingredients are dissolved, and allow the vinegar to cool for 3-5 minutes.

Gently pat vegetables dry with a towel and place in an airtight container. Pour vinegar over the mixture, tossing a fork to make sure all the slices get soaked. Cover and refrigerate until cool. Strain from brine before serving.

Baked Summer Squash

makes 6 servings
 
Source: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-baked-summer-squash-60018

I loved this dish! If reheating for later, add olive oil each time to eliminate dryness.

Ingredients
1 1/2 - 2 pounds summer squash (such as zucchini, pattypan squash, yellow crookneck squash)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, parsley and oregano

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Remove stem ends and slice squash cross-wise in 1/4"-thick rounds. Toss with olive oil.
In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Arrange half the squash rounds in bottom of a 9" by 12" rectangular baking dish, or similar. Sprinkle with half the bread crumb mixture. Arrange remaining squash on top and sprinkle remaining bread crumb mixture.
Cover baking dish with foil and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another five minutes.
Top with chopped herbs and serve.

My Modifications
Instead of using Parmesan cheese, I used quinoa. And another time I used half Parmesan and half quinoa...which I've decided I liked the best. Give it a try! Cuts the calories by a large amount!

The herbs & yellow squash used in this dish all came from my own garden.

Warm Salad of Asparagus & New Potatoes

"A pleasure of both texture and seasonality is the general idea here" (Hopkinson, 2009).

Source: The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson (2009).

Ingredients
1 lb new potatoes, scraped or peeled, sliced.
salt
2 large mint sprigs
2-3 TB. unsalted butter
1/2 lb asparagus tips
hearts of 2 Boston lettuces, leaves separated, washed, and carefully dried.
Sea Salt
2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
handful of chervil sprigs

For the butter sauce 
juice of 1 small lemon
pinch of sugar
5 TB. cold unsalted butter, 
cut into small chunks.
white pepper
1 TB. chopped chives


My modifications
I used 4 large mint leaves, and black pepper. I also used the “real lemon” juice instead of using a real lemon—however I used too much, so be stingy.
I did not include the hard boiled eggs nor the chervil sprigs, only because I had neither. I’m sure they would be delicious!


Directions
1. Simmer the potatoes in lightly salted water just to cover, with the mint, until tender. Drain over a bowl, keep some of the water for now.
2. Place the potatoes on low heat and add 2-3 TB. butter. Stir together, cover, and keep warm.
3. Peel the asparagus tips from just below the bud and slice them in half lengthwise. Add to a pan of boiling well-salted water and boil rapidly for about 2-4 minutes (they should be just tender, not almost raw), then drain.
4. For the butter sauce: take a roomy and shallow saucepan and squeeze in the lemon juice. Add 6 TB. of the potato cooking water and the sugar, them simmer this mixture until reduced by half. Now slowly incorporate the butter, one chunk at a time, whisking over a thread of heat until limpid and homogenous. Season with pepper. Again, keep warm.
5. Add the potatoes and asparagus to the butter sauce. Turn them gently through the sauce with the chives, until all are evenly coated.
5. Arrange the lettuce leaves on four plates and divide the asparagus and potatoes between them. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and judiciously grate the egg over. Generously scatter over chervil sprigs, which are not there just to look pretty; their faint anise flavor is very pleasing.

My Review:
I was hesitant to make this dish at first, for it seemed rather time-consuming. But after trying it, I would say that it didn’t take me too long; about 30 minutes. And I’m a stickler for using the same pots over during the cooking process, if I can. So my cleanup also wasn’t horrendous.

The flavor and texture of the dish was fantastic. I heard a lot of “mmmmm’s” from my family, so I highly recommend this for a cool spring or summer day. 

I would love to hear what you thought of this dish! Please add your comment below.

Asparagus and Spring Onion Tart

This special-occasion tart is creamy-rich and laced with early spring flavors. It was a huge hit with my family at Easter!

Source: Vegetarian Times, April/May 2013

Ingredients
For the shortcrust

1.5 C all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. salt

6 TBS. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

2 large eggs, divided

Directions to make Shortcrust:
1. Sift flour and salt into large bowl. Rub butter with fingertips until mixture resembles course meal. Beat 1 egg and 2 TBS. water in small bowl. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture just until dough   comes together, adding 1 TBS. more water if necessary. Flatten dough into disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour, or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough to 12-inch circle on floured work surface. Press dough into 9-inch spring form pan or fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Trim edges, and prick bottom all over with fork. Line tart shell with parchment paper, and fill with dried beans. Bake 25 minutes, or until barley golden. Remove beans and paper. Beat remaining egg, and brush on bottom of crust. Bake 5 minutes more.

Ingredients
For the filling

1/5 lb. trimmed asparagus spears

1 TBS. plus 1 tsp. olive oil

2 C spring or green onions

4 large eggs

1.5 C whole milk or heavy cream

1 oz. (1/4 C) grated Parmesan cheese

Directions to make the Filling
1. Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling, salted water for 3 mintues. Drain, and cut into 1 1/4-inch lengths.

2. Heat oil in skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, and cook 8-10 minutes, or until softened. Remove from heat.

3. Whisk together eggs and milk in bowl. Stir in onions and asparagus. Pour into Shortcrust, and place pan on baking sheet. Sprinkle tart with Parmesan. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until tart is set in center, covering edges with foil if they start to get too brown. Unmold, and serve.

Nutritional Information:
Per Slice 292 calories; 11 g protein; 17 g total fat (9 g sat fat); 23 g carb; 170 mg chol; 173 mg sod; 2 g fiber; 3 g sugars

My Review
Personally, I loved this tart. I thought it was delicious! However, it definitely took a lot of time. And my spring form pan fell apart as I was removing the tart...although that did not effect the taste. If you have time, then I definitely recommend surprising your guests with this great-for-spring-time tart. They'll be so impressed!

Sorry I don't have a photo for this one! If you make it yourself, feel free to upload your creation! :-)

Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion and Spinach Lasagna

“It’s a really nice seasonal update of traditional lasagna,’’ (Kim Quay).

Source: The New York Times: Well's Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2012

Ingredients
1 large butternut squash

6 TBS. olive oil, divided

3 red onions, medium, julienne

1 lb. part-skim ricotta cheese

2 TBS. rosemary, chopped

2 eggs

1.5 C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

3 TBS. unsalted butter

Scant 1/2 C all-purpose flour

3.5 C whole milk

Pinch nutmeg

1 bag chopped frozen spinach (1-lb.), defrosted and drained

6 sheets fresh pasta, or no-boil lasagna noodles

Salt

Pepper

Directions
1. Roast the butternut squash. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place in roasting pan and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Place in oven and cook until soft all the way through, about 1 hour. Set aside until cool. When cooled, remove skin and place in food processor. Purée until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.

2. To caramelize the onions: Place 3 tablespoons of olive oil in sauté pan. Heat until hot but not smoking; add onions. Toss to coat with oil. Turn heat down to medium and cook until onions are soft and browned, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. Prepare a ricotta cheese mixture. Mix ricotta cheese, chopped rosemary, eggs, half the grated Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

4. Make a spinach Mornay sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and stir. Cook 2 minutes. Add milk and stir until it comes to a boil. Add the rest of the grated Parmesan, the nutmeg and the defrosted spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

5. Assemble the dish. Spray a 9"x 13" pan with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of the spinach sauce on the bottom of the pan. Cover with a layer of fresh pasta sheets. Spread half of the roasted butternut squash on top of the pasta sheets. Top with another layer of pasta sheets. Spread ricotta cheese mixture on top of pasta sheets, and spread caramelized onion on top of ricotta mixture. Cover with an additional layer of pasta sheets. Top with the other half of the butternut purée and then another layer of pasta. Finish by using the rest of the spinach Mornay sauce for the top layer. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover and cook for 15 minutes more.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

My Review
I have to give my buddy, Pat, kudos for this dish--he strongly recommended it. This was my first time making lasagna from scratch, and I loved it! I had so much fun preparing the dish, and my dinner guests for Christmas sure enjoyed eating it! It didn't matter that I was the only vegetarian at the table, everyone loved this recipe and I've been asked to make it again next year.

I'm a big fan of the Well's Vegetarian Thanksgiving blog. I strongly recommend it!

 This is a perfect Autumn dish. After you've tried it, let me know what you think with a comment below. :-)