Summer Vegetable Recipes
I subscribe to a weekly produce delivery from Johnson’s Backyard Garden. Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSA) they call it. I love the idea of supporting a small local farmer (with whom we’ve also shot a couple of videos — fried green tomatoes and beet borscht) and I love the reality of getting a surprise box of fresh-picked-that-morning vegetables and a half dozen eggs dropped off on my porch every Tuesday. This helps me eat seasonally which is great because we all know that produce eaten in its best season tastes better and usually has more nutritional value. But one can only eat so many bowls of cucumber salad and fresh tomato salsa before one goes a little berserko. So here’s a recipe round up of many ways to use those summer vegetables.
Tomato Recipes
Tomato Focaccia from Just Eat Life
Chunky with Tomato Sauce with Hot Italian Sausage from Full and Content
Farro Salad with Tomato, Cucumber and Feta from Gourmet Veggie Mama
Zucchini and Tomato Lasagne from FoodFash
Guacamole with Tomatoes from SweetTidbits
Eggplant Recipes
Quinoa salad with roasted eggplant (recipe link below!)
Quinoa Salad with Eggplant and Sesame
Stuffed Eggplant from The Little Kitchen
Grilled Eggplant and Chickpea Sephardic Salad from What Jew Wanna Eat
Eggplant Stir Fry with Green Beans and Cashews from Gourmet Veggie Mama
Farro Stuffed Eggplants from What Jew Wanna Eat
Eggplant Lentil Chili from Lizz Delicious
TexMex Sabich with grilled eggplant and Israeli salad from What Jew Wanna Eat
Cucumber Recipes
Chinese Cucumber Salad from Mary Makes Dinner
Cool Cucumber Soup from Local Savour
Tomato Cucumber Barley Salad from 15 Spatulas
Summer Squash Recipes
Zucchini Pancakes (Fritters)
Ricotta Cheese Zucchini Rolls from Local Savour
Grilled Zucchini Caprese Sandwich from The Little Kitchen
Ratatouille Gallete from Just Eat Life
Sausage Stuffed Zucchini from 15 Spatulas
Zucchini Involtini from The Voluptuous Table
Vegan Tempura (use squash, peppers, green tomatoes, beans) from Mary Makes Dinner
Pepper Recipes
Bell Pepper and Quinoa Salad from Mary Makes Dinner
Pepper Bowl Gazpacho from Local Savour
Okra Recipes
Skillet Fried Okra and Potatoes from Addicted2Recipes
Okra in Tomato Sauce with Creamy Polenta from Gourmet Veggie Mama
Helaine’s Okra and Tomatoes from Caramelized Blog
Cajun Grilled Okra from Three Diets One Dinner
Bhindi Aloo from The Voluptuous Table
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That eggplant chili is really making me hungry and think about it…
You should think about making it. 😉
Are you vegetarian?
Whoa -thanks! I get a CSA box weekly also (from Tecolote). Haven’t tired of the cucumber salad yet (and my son’s pickle-making is ON like donkey kong) but I did end up making tomato soup this weekend; 2 cups each chopped onion, carrot, celery, and a head of garlic all sauteed down in olive oil, then added 12 cups tomatoes that I peeled first, cooked all that with 3 cups homemade chicken stock for an hour or two and then blended it smooth. I added about a cup of half n half to finish (that is an optional step.) OMG it was so good. Cheese-toast completes the meal.
I have never made so much soup during the summer as I have when I’m getting the csa box, Ha ha!
I’m going to try a couple of your okra recipes, I think we get our first batch this week. Thanks!
Ooh, girl, that tomato soup sounds wonderful! And a great way to use a bunch of tomatoes. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Great Collection !! Eggplant Parm isn’t the only recipe for eggplant and zuccini bread not the only way to dispose of zuccini!
Thanks!!
Bill
These are some delicious ideas Hilah ~ Thanks!
Hi Hilah,
We always have Tomato and Cucumber salad, not just in summer, but all year long because it’s so good.
Cut up a large tomato and cut it into small dice. No need to seed it or skin it. Peel and chop a cucumber the same way. Add it to the tomato. Add two green onions, chopped, and the juice of one lemon. Add a pinch of salt and some pepper.Chill it before you serve it.
It’s great anytime.
Thanks for sharing, Teri!
Holy crap, Hilah, this post just saved my life you have no idea. This is the first year I’ve ever joined a CSA (partly due to your videos about them) and I’ve been a little overwhelmed. Well, a lot overwhelmed. I think I have like a million tomatoes right now the size of my head and there’s only so many sandwiches and tomato pies one can make. (Speaking of which, I would love to see your take on a tomato pie. I’m sure it would be delicious!)
It has definitely forced me to think creatively and introduced me to a lot of stuff I’ve never seen before. My favorite creation I’ve come up with so far has been chorizo stuffed patty pan squash. I’ll leave the recipe below.
Ingredients:
4 large patty pan squash
1/2 lb chorizo
1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 small bunch celery, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 large cloves (or 6 regular sized cloves) minced garlic
1/2 Tablespoon each dried rosemary, basil, and oregano (can be adjusted to taste)
Directions:
Slice tops off patty pans and set aside.
Scoop out and retain insides of patty pans. Dice onions and celery and add to the insides that you scooped out. Set aside.
In large skillet brown chorizo stirring constantly to remove excess fat and so that it takes on the consistency of ground beef. Once browned, reserve some of the grease in the skillet (enough to coat pan, but not so much that it pools) and place chorizo on paper towels to drain.
Begin to preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
To chorizo greased skillet add garlic and sautee until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Add celery/onion/squash mixture and sautee until squash cooks down and celery and onions begin to look translucent. The squash may release a lot of water depending on freshness, so you may have to drain once or twice during cooking so that vegetables don’t start to boil in the released water. Once celery and onions are just beginning to look translucent, add herbs and cook an additional 3-5 minutes. Drain well.
Place chorizo and vegetables into a medium or large mixing bowl and mix until combined. Stuff scooped out shells with mixture until overflowing and replace tops. You may have some stuffing left over. Place patty pans on cookie sheet and bake at 400 F until shells are tender, approx. 15-30 minutes depending on the size of the squash.
Notes:
Watch the tops of the patty pans closely. Once they begin to look slightly black around the edges the squash is probably done. Poke the main body of the squash gently with a fork. The fork may not penetrate, but it’s pretty easy to tell when the squash has softened enough to eat.
For a spicier dish, try adding fresh jalapenos, chili powder, and/or red pepper flakes to the vegetable mixture.
Left over stuffing would be great on nachos or in a tortilla with salsa. However, I’ve never kept it around long enough to find out as it’s always eaten as I wait for the squash to cook.
Dangalang! This sounds fantastic, Kevin! Thanks so much for sharing. Patty pan squash is probably my favorite kind of squash and the only place I ever see it is at the farmers markets. I’ve heard it’s too perishable for regular groceries to carry it.