Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

I know I always say fall is my favorite time of year, but farmer's market season has to be a close second. There's nothing like heading down to the market on a summer Sunday morning, smelling all the fresh produce warming in the sun, and picking out some beautiful specimens to use in dinner that very evening. The fact that the veggies were grown organically not far from your home on a small family-run farm doesn't hurt, either.

This dish is a great way to showcase some of your farmer's market haul. If squash isn't really your thing, feel free to sub out things you like more -- eggplant in particular would be great. A light green salad with a lemony dressing is the perfect accompaniment.

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies
From Cooking Light

• 4 oz uncooked ziti
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow squash
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1 chopped onion
• 2-3 chopped tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Preheat oven to 400 F.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; saute 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic, saute 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, and a big pinch of salt and pepper.

Combine ricotta, another big pinch of salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Variations: Use eggplant instead of yellow squash. Kick up the heat in the dish by adding crushed red pepper.

Beet-Tomato Soup & Shaved Zucchini Salad

I've been looking forward to farmer's market season for months. Yeah, our local farmer's market technically goes all winter long, but only the meat/dairy people are there. It's not until May that all the produce farmers set up shop. We have a few weeks still before the veggies really hit their summer stride, but some really great springtime deliciousness can be found.

This soup & salad meal made use of some of the late-spring produce that I picked up yesterday. A big pile of tiny baby zucchini -- only about 4 inches long, and very thin -- became a shaved zucchini salad with sweet pistachios and salty parmesan. (Never eaten zucchini raw? It's great. It's got a really nice crunch to it.) And two bunches of beautiful beets got transformed into a delicious beet and tomato soup with cumin, kind of like a summery southwestern take on borscht. Together, they made a beautiful and wonderfully fresh Sunday dinner.

Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan and Pistachios
From Food & Wine

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 pounds small, firm zucchini, very thinly sliced lengthwise on a mandoline
• 1/3 cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons lightly salted roasted pistachios

In a small bowl, whisk the oil with the lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the sliced zucchini with the lemon dressing. Add the Parmesan and the pistachios, toss again and serve.

Beet-and-Tomato Soup with Cumin
From Food & Wine

• 1 pound medium beets
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more for garnish
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Creme fraiche (for garnish, optional-- I couldn't find any at the store, so left it out)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (for garnish, optional)

In a large saucepan, cover the beets with water. Bring to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until tender, about 1 hour; if necessary, add more water to keep the beets covered. Drain the beets and let cool slightly, then peel and coarsely chop.

Wipe out the saucepan and heat the olive oil in it. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chopped beets, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes release their juices, about 5 minutes. Add the 1 teaspoon of cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the vegetable stock and tomato paste and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches in a food processor. Rewarm the soup in teh saucepan and season with salt and pepper if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with dollops of creme fraiche (if using). Sprinkle with a little cumin and the parsley and serve.

Stuffed Zucchini with Cheesy Breadcrumbs

If you're anything like me, you feel really fancy whenever you stuff a food with another kind of food. It's just so exciting! And delicious! This is a nice springtime twist on stuffed zucchini. It's bright and fresh with lemon, artichokes, parmesan, and white wine (very convenient if you have some wine left over from making pasta e fagioli with spinach last night). Great as a side dish or on its own.

Stuffed Zucchini with Cheesy Breadcrumbs

From Cooking Light

• 3 slices day-old whole-wheat bread
• 4 medium zucchini
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place bread in a food processor; pulse until fine crumbs form. Set aside. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell. Chop pulp. Place zucchini halves, cut sides up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini pulp and onion; saute 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add artichoke hearts, thyme, and garlic; cook about 1 minute. Add wine; cook 1 minute or until most of liquid evaporates. Combine breadcrumbs and onion mixture in a large bowl; stir in cheese and remaining ingredients. Spoon breadcrumb mixture into zucchini shells. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until just tender.

Quinoa and Squash Gratin

How bummed out are you about this whole New York Times paywall thing? Personally, I read a lot more than 20 articles on the Times website a month, especially in their Dining & Wine section. Every recipe I've tried from them has been pretty stellar. Fortunately, it seems that if you click on a link to an article from social media or a search engine, it doesn't count toward your 20-articles-per-month allotment -- so all you really have to do is follow @nytimesdining on Twitter, since they post the link to every article and recipe. But that takes all the fun out of browsing! Browsing is what first led me to this awesome quinoa and squash gratin recipe from last fall. It's fairly simple to put together, is a real crowd pleaser, and holds up very well as lunch leftovers the next day. Grabbing the recipe was definitely worth using up one of my 20 articles.

Quinoa and Squash Gratin
From the New York Times

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• Salt to taste
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
• 1 1/2 pounds summer squash, diced (I used 2 zucchini and 1 yellow squash)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese (2 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a two-quart baking dish or gratin. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the summer squash, thyme and rosemary. Cook, stirring often, until the squash is tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and stir in the squash mixture, the cooked quinoa and the cheese. Mix well and season, then scrape into the baking dish. Place in the oven, and bake 35 minutes or until it’s set and the top is lightly browned. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Bread Soup with Spring Vegetables

Do you ever wind up with leftover, stale bread that you don't quite know what to do with? Maybe you don't have time to make French toast in the morning, or you're not really a breadcrumb/crouton kind of person, or bread pudding just sounds too heavy. One great option is to throw leftover chunks of bread into a soup. The Italians are famous for doing this in ribollita, a simple, traditional peasant dish. I did something similar last night, a recipe from this month's Everyday Food magazine (you gotta love Martha, right?) - it's a nice light springtime version, brothy and full of veggies.

If you're saving some of the soup for the next day, add the bread individually to the bowls at serving time instead of to the pot all at once when you first make the soup, as the recipe directs. That way the bread won't get soggy.

Bread Soup with Spring Vegetables
From Everyday Food

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 large celery stalk, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 medium zucchinis, half lengthwise and sliced crosswise
• 1-2 sprigs thyme
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
• A few slices of day-old crusty bread, torn into bite-size pieces
• Roughly chopped fresh parsley, for serving

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add zucchini and thyme and cook until thyme is fragrant, 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high, add broth and 1 cup water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add peas and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove thyme stems, stir in bread, and season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, top with parsley.

Israeli Couscous Tagine

Joe and I lived together for the first time in 2008 during our second summer of law school. We sublet an apartment in the Chinatown area of DC (which incidentally is one of the most pathetic Chinatowns you've ever seen, but that's another story). I was really excited about this turn of events and had been hoarding recipes for months in advance so that I would be fully prepared to wow him with my culinary skills. One of the recipes was torn from some magazine that I don't remember, and it was a recipe for a dish involving Israeli couscous. The only problem was that when we got to DC, I couldn't find Israeli couscous anywhere. Both grocery stores we regularly went to failed to stock it. Whole Foods had a spot for it on the shelf, labeled and everything, but I checked every single week and it was always maddeningly empty. Over the course of the summer, I became steadily more obsessed with Israeli couscous, but I never found it. Sadly, I was never able to impress Joe with my Israeli couscous, but I guess it worked out okay because he agreed to live with me again after we graduated (whew).

Well, it just so happens that our Harris Teeter in Arlington does carry Israeli couscous, and when I discovered this, I eagerly bought a box the second I saw it even though I had long ago thrown away the recipe I wanted to make that fateful summer. Fortunately, I found another recipe and finally got around to making it last night. It's from Mark Bittman's awesome compendium How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, and it was delicious. Joe, I hope you were wowed.

Israeli Couscous Tagine
From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
• Half a head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup Israeli (pearl) couscous

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon sticks, and some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the broth, apricots, tomatoes, chickpeas, zucchini, cauliflower, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the couscous and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the couscous is al dente. Remove cinnamon sticks, adjust seasonings as necessary, and serve.

Moroccan Zucchini and Chickpeas

So I've pretty much learned by now that if a recipe has "Moroccan" in the title, I'm probably going to like it. I mean, that word tells me the dish is going to have lots of cumin and coriander, some cinnamon, some mint, and it's probably going to be served with couscous. That's a recipe for success in my book.

Another thing I've learned is that healthy eating is much easier when the food you prepare is really flavorful. Healthy food should never be bland or boring. You know what has zero calories? Spices. This recipe is a great example of a dish that's low-cal, low-fat, and super tasty because it has tons of aromatic and delicious seasonings. It's a great way to keep that new year's resolution going as long as possible.

Moroccan Chickpeas and Zucchini

From Appetite for Reduction

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Generous pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 2 zucchini, sliced into half-moons
• One 24-oz can whole tomatoes
• Two 16-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus a little extra for garnish
• Couscous, for serving

Preheat a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions in the oil until translucent, about 4 minutes. Use a little nonstick cooking spray or broth if needed. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, and saute for another minute. Add the remaining spices and salt, and saute for about 30 seconds. Deglaze the pot with the veggie broth and mix in the carrots. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the zucchini. Break up the tomatoes with your fingers and add them to the pot, including the juice. Mix in the chickpeas.

Cover the pot and bring to a slow boil. Cook for about 15 minutes. Then adjust the lid so that there's some room for steam to escape. Cook for another 15 minutes; the liquid should reduce a bit, but not too much. Add the mint and let sit for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld. While the stew is resting, prepare the couscous. Remove the bay leaves from the stew and adjust the salt if necessary. Serve the stew over the couscous and garnish with mint.

Ratatouille's Ratatouille

First things first: I must give credit where credit is due. This wonderful recipe came from one of my very favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen. I have made it many times and each time I love it more and more. Huge thanks also go to Joe, who actually assembled and prepared this meal for us to eat tonight. (He has these few weeks off work, and let me tell you, having a house-husband is awesome.)

It should come as no surprise, given my love of Pixar, rodents, and food, that Ratatouille is one of my favorite movies. I simply adore the scene towards the end where the titular rat prepares a beautiful dish of ratatouille -- not the traditional peasant style stew, but a gorgeous haute cuisine version (developed in real life by Thomas Keller). And the food critic is transported and has a revelation and all ends well, of course, since it is a children's movie.

This is pretty much that dish. I don't know if it's exactly how Mr. Keller himself would have prepared it, but it is so intensely flavorful with the fresh vegetables and the thyme and the garlic that I just don't know how it could possibly be any better.

Ratatouille’s Ratatouille

• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
• 1 cup canned tomato puree
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small eggplant
• 1 smallish zucchini
• 1 smallish yellow squash
• 1 longish red bell pepper
• Few sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper
• Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving
• Orzo, couscous, polenta, crusty bread, or some other grain, for serving

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pour tomato puree into bottom of a baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil, and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube. On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them. Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop orzo, polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain.