Squash and Tortillas

Just as I expected, more squash! Which is just fine, because I’ve got more squash preparations up my sleeve. Please try the squash burritos recipe that was in the CSA email this week. I know its sounds weird but I made it last year and they were awesome! I’m going to make them this week, and for those who read this blog but don’t get the farm emails, I’ll give a brief explanation of the recipe.

This week’s seasonal menu

Hot Wings with Sugar Snap Peas, Carrots, and Ranch

Actually I’m using chicken drumsticks, but I’m still going to slather them in buffalo sauce and grill them. And I’m making my ranch dip using a packet of dry ranch dressing mix and mixing it with plain yogurt and sour cream to cut some of the fat.

Local produce used: sugar snap peas and carrots

Squash Burritos on Homemade Tortillas

You don’t HAVE to make your own tortillas. Store-bought would work just fine, but because homemade tortillas are SO good. I’ll include the recipe below. If you don’t have the recipe for the squash, basically you sauté your squash, add a taco-type seasoning and black beans, and wrap in a tortilla with your favorite burrito fixin’s.

Local produce used: summer squash

Grilled Fish on Rice with Toasted Walnut Zucchini

I’ll give the recipe for the zucchini below. It’s easy. This whole meal is super simple, but super delicious.

Local produce used: zucchini

Peanut Stir-Fry

This stir-fry features a spicy peanut sauce and stir-fried sugar snap peas. You can also add thin sliced chicken to the mix and broccoli if you have it. I’m going to serve mine over rice noodles, but I’ve also served it over rice or spaghetti noodles, too. I’ll give the recipe below.

Local produce used: sugar snap peas, broccoli

Squash Patties and Quinoa with Steamed Broccoli (or a Spinach/Arugula Salad)

If you didn’t use all of your squash for the burritos, you can finish it up with this dish. I’m serving mine with broccoli, but if you have spinach and arugula on hand, a salad would be great, too. And quinoa… it cooks up very similar to rice, however it’s really a seed rather than a grain, so it’s a nice protein boost on those nights when you’re going meatless. The recipe for the patties is here: Summer Squash Patties

Local produce used: squash and broccoli

Recipes

Homemade Tortillas

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ cup oil (I use olive)

1 cup warm water

Combine water and oil in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients and lightly knead just until the dough stays together in a ball-like form. Cover and let sit about 10 minutes. Grab dough by the handful and roll into a ball. 

The dough ball should be about this size

Repeat with the rest of the dough. You should end up with about 12-15 balls. Cover and let rest for about 10 minutes again. In the meantime, hook up your nonstick electric griddle (or a nonstick pan over medium heat) and set it to about 350-375°F. Dust rolling surface with flour and roll out a ball of dough about as thin as you can get it with out it breaking (this takes some practice – don’t get discouraged, just try, try again!). If the dough sticks, lift it frequently and dust surface with flour. 

Toss the tortilla on the griddle. Flip it when you see little bubbles popping up and cook a minute more. 

Showing off her tortilla flipping skills, my daughter helps with this step.

Immediately transfer to a tortilla warmer or large pan with lid while you cook the rest of the tortillas.

*note: 1)Keep the dough and completed tortillas covered whenever possible. It’s crucial to keep the moisture in.  2) Once you get really proficient at rolling, if you’re using an electric griddle, you can get multiple tortillas cooking at once, which saves you some time. I like to let my daughter flip the tortillas for me while I do the rolling. It’s a fun “team” recipe :)

Pile tortilla high with your favorite filling...

... and roll, for finished homemade deliciousness!

Toasted Walnut Zucchini

2 medium zucchini, sliced in  ¼ - ½ inch medallions

handful of walnuts

drizzle of olive oil

ground nutmeg (fresh ground is best)

kosher or sea salt to taste

Toast walnuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool. Drizzle a large nonstick pan with olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add zucchini (try not to crowd the pan too much). Don’t stir – let sizzle a couple minutes then flip the medallions. Once flipped, use a microplane to grate nutmeg over the top (or sprinkle with ground nutmeg) and sprinkle with salt. Cook another couple minutes, then serve with toasted walnuts on top.

Peanut Sauce for Stir-fry – about 4 servings

* I warn you, the measurements are approximations. I usually just taste it until its how I want it. Also, I like to cut the richness with broth, which is why I’m using it, when authentic recipes do not.

½ cup peanut butter

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 tsp grated ginger root

1 clove garlic, minced

1/8 tsp red pepper (more or less for heat)

½ cup chicken or vegetable broth

Mix peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and pepper. Add broth gradually, mixing often until smooth. Stir fry vegetables of your choosing. Serve atop rice or noodles with a drizzle of peanut sauce.

Closing Thoughts

Be creative, flexible, and lighthearted. Here's a shot of the Roasted Beet and Gorgonzola Pizza

Beautiful isn't it? However, the opinion of it in our house is nothing short of comical. My daughter lured in by the bright colors, begged for a bite while I scarfed a slice driving up to the farm to pick up our veggies. I indulged her... and in a matter of seconds was debating if I should pull over to administer Heimlich. My husband, when forced to divulge his opinion, told me that it took a lot to get it all down. To which I replied, "You DO realize you didn't even have a full slice? You had one bite off my plate." He sheepishly said, "Oh I did?" ....... so basically it comes down to this: As far a beets go, I thought it was delicious... as far as pizza goes, the general opinion is that I went too far. Oh well... laugh it off, and don't let it stop you from trying the next crazy thing - it might be a masterpiece!