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Entries in Side Dishes (29)

Monday
23Nov2009

Acorn Squash Bowls with Wild Rice

DateMonday, November 23, 2009 at 11:26AM

A taste of autumn using acorn squash halves as (mostly) edible bowls filled with wild rice and other flavors, by Dave Utrata.

This recipe is certainly not completely unique.  In fact, doing a bit of research for this, I found numerous recipes that make use of winter squash as bowls, and lots of variation on how to stuff acron squash halves.  Undeterred, I tried to use my own ideas for flavors I felt went together well.  I tried this out on friends and we all enjoyed it.  Feel free to make variations to suit your own tastes and whims.

 

Ingredients

2 Acorn squash, halved, with seeds and pulp removed

1 cup wild rice blend, cooked

½ cup chopped celery

1 tsp savory leaf

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp allspice

¼ cup chopped pecans

3 thin ham slices

3 pineapple rings

 

Directions

Place acorn squash halves on baking trays; you may need two to fit the squash, depending on their size.  My friends and I used 3 halves that fit on one large pan. The 4th was prepared on the side just to have roasted squash.  Also note that the volume of the squash-stuffing mix can vary depending on the siz and number of acorns you have.  We used 3 rather large halves here.

Mix the spices, nuts and celery together, then blend into the cooked rice.  The above amount of ingredients filled these three squash halves almost to overflowing for us, so you may wish to adjust this to fill the number and size of “bowls” you use.

After your squash halves are filled, fold and arrange a slice of ham on each bowl.  Top this with a pineapple ring.  Cover the squash halves with aluminum foil; you’ll want to keep them moist.  Place in the oven at 375oF and cook for about 40 minutes.  For a lower temperature, use a longer time.  In any case, check the squash so that they’re cooked and tender to taste.

We found this recipe gave a blend of flavors that hinted in a few directions without overpowering a nice earthiness from the pecans, rice and squash.  It also had a nice appearance that made dining together more fun.  Enjoy!

AuthorDave Utrata | Comment1 Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Wednesday
19Aug2009

Grilled Green Tomatoes Recipe

DateWednesday, August 19, 2009 at 7:44PM

This green tomato recipe comes to the rescue for an overflowing garden, from Trevy Thomas.

Green tomatoes. Photo: Preben HansenSnatch green tomatoes from the vine before they turn red, and you can enjoy a uniquely summertime flavor that can’t be found in the middle of winter. This recipe is an excerpt from an excellent grilling cookbook, Born to Grill, which I recently reviewed. You can also try a Cornmeal Crusted Green Tomato recipe.  Every time I’m tempted to complain about the vegetables overflowing on my countertop, I remember that this is exactly what I miss in cold weather. There is nothing quite like the flavors of sun-kissed veggies, especially when a husband is the one out there doing all the back-breaking work. Don’t despair.  We have plenty of tomato recipes.

Grilled Green Tomatoes Recipe
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or other hot pepper sauce
  • 6 medium green tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
  • Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Fire up the grill, bringing the temperature to medium (4 to 5 seconds with a hand test).
  2. Combine the melted butter and Tabasco sauce in a small bowl. Brush the mixture over both sides of the tomato slices and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
  3. Grill the tomatoes uncovered over medium heat for 7 to 9 minutes, turning once, until tender and juicy. If grilling covered, cook the tomatoes for the same amount of time, turning once midway.
  4. Serve the tomatoes hot. The tomatoes are also as tasty a match as their ripe cousins with slices of fresh mozzarella.

From: Born to Grill, Cheryl & Bill Jamison

Green Tomato on Foodista

 

AuthorTrevy Thomas | Comment2 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Wednesday
12Aug2009

Tomato Recipes

DateWednesday, August 12, 2009 at 2:19PM

Tomatoes. Photo: JarsemIt’s been 100 degrees lately, and the only thing moving around here are the tomato plants. And cucumbers, zucchini and peppers. It’s even been too hot to grill, so a lot of the cooking going on in my kitchen has been the cold kind. A little chopping and drizzling I can handle. Slow-roasting meats, not so much. One of the great things about having a garden is that you don’t really have to go to the store. Food just magically appears. So rather than complain about too many tomatoes, I am being a good lazy cook and finding simple, tasty things to make with them. Here are some tomato recipes for those of you who also have an abundance.

Make a homemade tomato salsa

Fake a pizza. Slice tomatoes, zucchini and peppers from the garden, and top a garlic-and-oil rubbed baguette. Sprinkle with basil and grated cheese. Broil a few minutes until crispy looking.

Easy cheese-tomato sandwich. Toast bread. Top one slice with cheese and put in toaster oven until just melted. Put cold sliced tomatoes over the melted cheese and season with oregano, salt & pepper. Add remaining piece of toast.

Easy one-pot dinner: Tomato Pasta

Make a Peach and Tomato Salad

Try Cornmeal Crusted Green Tomatoes

Make a homemade tomato sauce

Grill Green Tomatoes

Bake Roasted Tomatoes

Cook an easy Pasta with Tomatoes, Parsley and Garlic

That should keep you busy for a while.

Tomato on Foodista

AuthorTrevy Thomas | Comment1 Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Saturday
08Aug2009

Easy Squash and Rice Recipe

DateSaturday, August 8, 2009 at 2:09PM

Summer Squash. Photo: Trevy ThomasThis easy squash and rice recipe makes fast use of yet another summer squash in the garden, by Trevy Thomas.

Sometimes I’m feeling low on creativity, and that can definitely happen when there are too many squash. We seem to have more yellow squash than zucchini, so I’m trying to just toss them in with whatever else I’m making. Last night, I made chicken cacciatore, and wanted some rice to go along with it. Then, I looked guiltily at the pile of squash and decided just to toss it in too. It was surprisingly good. You could add an onion or garlic as well, but I had enough of that in the chicken.

 

Squash and Rice Recipe

  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium squash, halved then sliced
  • 1 cup converted rice (try a mixture of white & wild)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube
  1. Add rice and stir to coat in oil.
  2. Add water and bouillon cube. Stir then bring to boil.
  3. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and let sit, without lid, for 5 minutes more.
  5.  Toss with fork and season with salt and pepper.

Zucchini and Rice Casserole on Foodista
AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Wednesday
22Jul2009

Farmers Market Salad (Peach & Tomato)

DateWednesday, July 22, 2009 at 2:58AM

Farmers Market Salad with Peaches A fruit and vegetable summer salad by Heather Forsyth


 


 


I wouldn't normally presume to give a "recipe" for salad, but I had two salad revelations recently that I thought were worth sharing.  First, as lovers of peach salsa have already figured out, tomatoes and peaches are great together (perhaps because a tomato is actually a fruit?!).  Second, you can slice fresh, raw okra and put it in a salad!  It's the new kiwi!  Really!  Choose small, tender okra, slice into rounds, give them a quick cold water bath to rinse off the okra goo, and you have cute little crisp disks that add a wonderful visual element as well.  So this recipe is the result of my "aha" moments -- it's a great summer salad because it holds up in the heat much better than leafy greens, it's picnic-friendly (can be served at room temp) and goes great with grilled foods.


Farmers Market Salad with Peaches


Ingredients:



  • 1/2 small sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, cut lengthwise into quarters, and seeded
  • 1/2 lb. tender green beans, topped and tailed, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 big beefsteak (or similar) tomato, sliced thickly
  • 2 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 10-12 small okra, sliced horizonally into 1/2" disks
  • spash each of olive oil and lemon or lime juice
  • 1/4 c. thinly cubed feta (optional)
  • salt, to taste


Directions:



  1. Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 1 minute (and only 1 minute!), plunge into cold water, drain and dry.
  2. Slice okra (discard "hats") and swish the slices around in a bowl of cold water for a minute or two, drain, then repeat, to rinse off the goo.
  3. After you've peeled and seeded the cucumber, and sliced it lengthwise into quarters, cut each "stalk" into 1/2" disks.
  4. Cut thick slices of tomato into quarters (you want these pretty hefty so they don't fall apart).
  5. Combine onions, cucumber, green beans, tomato, peaches and okra in a salad bowl.
  6. Add the feta if you'd like.
  7. Dress with a splash of olive oil and a couple of good squeezes of lime (or lemon), more or less to taste.
  8. If you've used the feta, you probably won't need salt, but add to taste (carefully, too much salt will throw off the flavors of this particular salad).


These quantities make about 6 servings.

AuthorHeather Forsyth | Comment2 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
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