Summer squash frittata

6 eggs

grated cheese

salt + pepper + red pepper flakes

butter or oil for pan

1 tbsp olive oil

salt

1 onion

1 - 2 yellow squash / zucchini, sliced thinly

3 - 4 small potatoes, sliced thinly

4 cherry tomatoes

handful or two of basil, chopped

more grated cheese

balsamic reduction, if you're feeling fancy

I don't have a cast iron skillet (yet), so I make frittatas by baking them - without starting them on the stovetop. Bear with me.

Preheat oven to 450 and grease a small baking dish or pie dish. Beat the eggs, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and mix in some grated cheese. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add onions and salt. Saute until tender, 5 minutes or so. Add yellow squash / zucchini, potatoes and tomatoes (and whatever else you want to use up, of course). Cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until vegetables are tender. 

Pour eggs and veggie mixture into baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, top with basil and grated cheese. Return to oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven, drizzle with balsamic reduction, and serve. 

Chickpea Summer Squash Curry

I usually end up grilling summer squash or scrambling it with eggs and whatever other veggies I have on hand, but it's also delicious in a curry! Any variety of summer squash or zucchini will work here, and next time I'll try adding some hot peppers in addition to the bell.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4-6 summer squash, cubed
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons curry powder, plus more to taste
• sea salt
• juice of one lime (or lemon)
• handful chopped basil
• handful chopped scallions

Add the onion to the olive oil over medium heat and saute for a few minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Add chickpeas, summer squash, pepper, broth, coconut milk, and curry powder. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until veggies are cooked through and curry reduces a bit. Remove from heat. Add salt, lime juice, basil, scallions, and more curry powder to taste. Delicious over brown or wild rice.

Pickled yellow squash

I love pickled everything. I love the taste, of course. But I also love the fact that pickling expands shelf life of precious vegetables.

My pickling technique is something I learned from my Aunt. It's quick, easy and most importantly, YUMMY!

This yellow squash pickles can be stored in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks. I honestly don't know because I usually finish eating them in 3 days. :) It goes very well with any meat dish!

Ingredients

6 yellow squash (last week's squash were very small, so if normal size, use 3-4)
2 small onions (I used last week's onions)
1.5 cups of white vinegar
3/4 cup of water
1/2 cup of sugar
2 Tbs kosher salt
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp celery seeds
1-2 green chilli (Jalapeno), optional

photo from www.mirarev.com

1. Put vinegar, water, sugar, salt, mustard seeds and celery seeds in the pot.
2.Let it boil.
3.Wash yellow squash and onions.
4. Slice them. I sliced squash thinly so I can pack it in the jar.
5. If you are going to put chilli, I recommend taking all the seeds out. Chop 'em.
6. Pack it in the jar.
7. When liquid boils, turn off the heat, gently pour it into the jar.
8. Close the lid when it's still hot.
9. Let it cool, and store in the fridge.

Yellow squash soup w/cinnamon & cloves

It not much of a recipe – mostly guesswork – but it came out pretty good:

• Sautee garlic and onion w/butter, salt, cinnamon, rosemary in large pot or skillet
• Add cubed squash, honey/brown sugar, cloves cook under a lid until tender
• Add small amounts of water as needed
• Remove cloves
• Puree in blender

Summer Time means Summer Squash

Well folks, we are in the peak of summer, and many of you have probably noticed that summer squash is also peaking as they pile up in your weekly CSA share or at your local farmers' market. It is easy to turn to the usual steamed or sauteed squash dish each night with dinner, but it can be equally easy to use them in a completely new and unique way with nearly the same ingredients and time. Because squash are so plentiful and popular in the US, a quick internet search of "summer squash recipes" will yield thousands of results. I personally use the Food Network site as my go-to recipe finder, but there are many other websites out there, and I highly suggest searching around for your own favorite. Here are a few squash and zucchini recipes that I love to get you started. Happy hunting!

Summer Squash Soup with Basil
courtesy of Food Network's Curtis Aikens

fresh basil, julienned

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 pounds summer squash of any variety, roughly chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 cups vegetable stock*
1/2 cup basil, julienned
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
Sour cream or plain yogurt, optional
*I sometimes add a 1/2 cup or so of cream in place of that same amount of stock to help give it a thicker, creamier texture

Directions: Heat the oil in a large saucepan or stockpot, add zucchini and onion. Saute for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and zucchini is crisp tender. Then add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and partially cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add basil during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Mix the butter and flour together into a paste. Remove 1 cup of simmering stock and whisk in butter mixture until smooth. Add back into soup, stir until thickened. Remove soup from heat to a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt. Serve with toasted sourdough bread, if desired.

Summer Squash Pancakes
courtesy of About.com's Diana Rattray

3 cups grated summer squash
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1 cup biscuit mix
Pepper, just a dash or to taste
milk as needed

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add enough milk as necessary to make a thin pancake-like batter. Drop by spoonfuls onto hot oiled griddle or skillet. Turn over when bottom is golden and cook until browned on both sides. Serve with butter, sour cream, or any desired topping.

Zucchini "Pizza"
courtesy of About.com's Diana Rattray

3 cups zucchini, grated
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup flour
salt, to taste
2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
1/2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 artichoke hearts or pickled peppers, finely chopped
jalapeno peppers, optional
1 tablespoon fresh oregano (1 teaspoon if using dried)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh basil (1/2 teaspoon if using dried)
3 to 4 tomatoes, thinly sliced
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: Generously butter a 9x13-inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 450°. Put grated zucchini in a colander and press out as much excess liquid as possible. Put zucchini in a mixing bowl. Add well-beaten eggs, flour and salt. Mix well and spread in buttered pan. Bake in a 450° oven for 8 minutes. Remove pan and reduce oven temperature to 350°. Cover the zucchini base with cheese. Combine ripe olives, onion, and chopped pickled peppers. Spread over cheese. Arrange jalapeno pepper rings over top. Sprinkle with fresh or dried herbs. Arrange tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350°, uncovered, for 25 minutes.

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