Zucchini, squash & broccoli with tomato crab meat sauce over whole wheat penne pasta

Here's something I made last night after getting home at 9pm (not from work, don't worry, but from tennis). It was late, we were hungry and I wanted something light and quick. So here it is. It'll probably take me longer to post this than it took me to make this dish, but then, I'm a slow typist and I do have a way with the chef knife.

While the salted water for pasta gets to a boil, heat up some vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, garlic and hot red pepper flakes , cook until the garlic starts to become fragrant or to color a bit then add the chopped veggies. If you're not ready with the veggies, add some white wine, to cool down the cooking process a bit. The veggies do not need much cooking (as they are perfectly good raw), so 5 minutes after adding the veggies, add the chopped tomato and the crab meat (you don't need a lot, though the more the better) and turn off the heat. Sprinkle herbs on top of the veggies and in the cooked pasta and serve hot.


The best thing about this dish is that it can be done really quickly and is really versatile. In the winter I make a white wine cream sauce , and I usually add whatever veggies I have in the fridge. Crab meat is pricey and hard to come by, but one can easily use shrimp or fish or mushrooms. The leftovers are great too (even cold, as I had today for lunch). I omitted any quantities from this recipe because I really like the freedom to add as much of something as I like or have, and as I need. Enjoy!

Parmesan-Crusted Squash recipe from Whole Foods

We used up all our yellow squash last night with this recipe. The result is a crunchy, salty exterior with a delightful sweet, burst in the middle! We added extra olive oil to the pesto so that it stuck more easily to the squash.
-Johanna

Parmesan-Crusted Squash with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Vegetarian

Fresh and sundried tomatoes blend together for a simply delicious tomato sauce that perfectly complements the herbed topping in this recipe. This breading method is also delicious for chicken and fish.
Serves 6

* 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
* 1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
* 1/4 cup chopped parsley
* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1/2 cup prepared basil pesto
* 2 pounds zucchini or yellow squash, cut on an angle into ½-inch thick rounds
* 4 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
* 1 pound ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
* 1/2 cup orange juice
* Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Put breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley and red pepper flakes into a wide, shallow dish and mix well. Spread a bit of the pesto on both sides of each piece of squash, then transfer to dish and press gently to coat on both sides with breadcrumb mixture. Transfer squash to prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, put sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, orange juice, salt and pepper into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Serve squash hot or at room temperature with tomato sauce on the side.
Nutrition Info

Per serving (about 10oz/291g-wt.): 220 calories (130 from fat), 14g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 8g protein, 17g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 10mg cholesterol, 540mg sodium

this week's share

what a diverse bounty!! i told you the greens would eventually be replaced with the brilliant colors of summer. although i must admit i do miss them sometimes! so last night i managed to use the onions, anaheim peppers (my addition to the recipe), potatoes and corn in one recipe!! it's from gourmet magazine and was quite tasty! if you aren't feeding a lot i suggest freezing half of it for later. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/POTATO-CORN-CHOWDER-242862

there is also another recipe that we are going to try tonight with the eggplant. i'll let you know how it goes. marinated eggplant with capers and mint. it calls for japanese or italian eggplant but i'm going with the regular ones that we got yesterday! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/MARINATED-EGGPLANT-WITH-CAPERS-AND-MINT-242842

on a side note...does anyone know why the red leaf lettuce is no longer quite so red? i wonder if it has something to do with the heat or the later part of the season? when we first started getting it the leaves were deep red all the way down and now there's barely a red tinge on the tips. just curious.

another resource for recipes

this link was sent to me by one of our predoctoral fellows. it is her brother's farm CSA and has an excellent drop down list of recipes for seasonal produce. it is in california so they have way more fruit and veggie options but i think everything we get is listed. http://www.tdwilleyfarms.com/csa/frrecipes.html

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