Fruit of the Month Club

Have you ever seen the Everybody Loves Raymond episode where he buys his parents Fruit of the Month Club? And, in typical Marie and Frank form, they act as though he has order stinkbugs to their house on a montly basis. "It's a club??!! Oh, my god! What do I do with all this fruit?"

In seems as though, at some point every summer, people turn into Marie and Frank Romano over their zucchini. I notice the prices on the zucchini get cheaper and cheaper as the summer gets on. Except no one is buying....because zucchini has taken over their gardens or their friends' gardens or their friends' friends' gardens and people can't seem to give it away fast enough. It can become so unweilding, that may parents decided to skip the whole zucchini craze in their garden this season.

Which I am sad about. Because I happen to love zucchini!

It also so happens that the only way people ever think of using zucchini is in a baked goods. Zucchini Bread. Zucchini Muffins.  Not so good for the diabetic.

Instead of producing muffin tray after muffin tray (which you know I'm totally down with too), I've started to use shredded zucchini as the main base for many of my salads. This has become my new favorite salad, complete with Pickled Red Onions (recipe to come)!

Shredded Zucchini & Kale Salad

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: raw salad avocado beans kale zucchini summer

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Ingredients (1 large lunchtime salad)

Shredded Zucchini and Kale Salad:

• 3/4 - 1 c shredded zucchini
• 1 cup shredded Tuscan Kale
• 2 medium-sized carrots, sliced
• 1 ear of corn, kernels removed from the cob (you can use leftovers!)
• 1/2 c garbanzo beans
• 1/4 - 1/2 cubed avocado (depending on your preferences)
• 1 - 2 spoonfuls of Pickled Red Onions (recipe to come), or raw red onions

Lemon Basil Dressing:

• 1/3 c rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• zest of half the lemon
• 1 large handful of basil
• 1 garlic clove
• water if needed for consistency

Instructions

1. Add all chopped veggies into a bowl.

2. Combine all salad dressing ingredients in a food processor or mini-blender, adding water if you prefer a thinner dressing.

3. Add dressing to salad, toss, and eat!

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Mind Games

Every weekend, Jerry and I play this game. It's the "Let's Ask Each Other What We Want for Breakfast Until the Other Person Says What I Actually Want for Breakfast" game. Except he doesn't know we're playing.

Me: What do you want for breakfast?
Jerry: I don't know. What do you want for breakfast?
Me: I don't know.
Jerry: How about some oatmeal?
Me: No, definitely not oatmeal. Oatmeal's okay for my regular weekday breakfast, but NOT my special weekend morning breakfast. How about some muffins?
Jerry: I don't like muffins. (Liar) How about....?

On and on, until someone either agrees to the other's breakfast choice OR we just make separate breakfasts. One morning, I announced that I really wanted to make Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. I didn't care that Jerry doesn't like muffins (Liar). I wanted to make them.

Then, Jerry suggested something amazing! Chocolate Zucchini Pancakes (made with oat flour)! The muffin versus oatmeal dilemma was solved.

For now.

Chocolate Zucchini Pancakes

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: breakfast oats zucchini

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Ingredients (9 - 10 pancakes)

• 1/2 c oat flour (or use all whole wheat flour)
• 3/4 c whole wheat pastry flours
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp sweetener of choice (I used Sucanat)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 c shredded zucchini
• 1/2 to 2/3 c milk, depending on consistency
• 1/3 c chocolate chips, optional

Instructions

1. Mix all the dry ingredients until well combined.

2. Add liquid ingredients, including zucchini. You can add chocolate chips to the batter or put them on top of the pancakes when done.

3. Heat a pan over medium high heat.

4. Using a 1/4 cup measurement, pour pancake batter onto the pan. Flip pancake when you start seeing bubbles rise to the top. Cook until golden brown.

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Quick Summer Meal

Some days, I come home from work absolutely starving! When I get finally get home, there is the urge to just eat PB&Js every night. But then I realized that I'd like to consume a meal that wasn't in the lunch box of every summer camper under the age of 5.

Enter the quick and easy veggie meal.

TA DA!


Isn't it pretty? It's also quick and easy....just the way I like my women!

I'm not sure there's really anything else to say besides EAT THIS NOW!

Zucchini Pancakes with Sauteed Sweet Corn

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: entree snack vegetarian zucchini corn

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Ingredients (8 - 10 medium-sized pancakes)

• 1 large zucchini, shredded*
• 1 large red onion, divided in half*
• 1/3 c shredded cheddar cheese (can also use Parmesan)*
• 1/2 - 3/4 c whole wheat flour (depends on consistency)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 c seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 eggs
• splash of milk
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 ear of corn, kernels removed from cob*
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Grate half of the red onion and chop the other half.

2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients with the exception of the chopped onion, corn kernels, and red pepper flakes.

3. Combine pancake mixture well, adding more flour to soak up any additional liquid the zucchini may give off.

4. Heat two pans with olive oil. In one pan, add the red onion with salt and pepper. Saute until onions are soft and starting to brown. Once browned, add corn and red pepper flakes. Season again to taste. Let corn saute.

5. In the second pan, heat up or spray with olive oil. Use a 1/4 cup measure, add pancake batter to the pan, being sure to flatten slightly with the edge of your cup. Do not crowd the pan! Only three to four pancakes at a time.

6. Allow pancakes to cook for a minute or two until bottom is firm. Flip and brown on the other side.

7. Serve pancakes topped with corn or applesauce or (the way Jerry likes it) with everything in your fridge.

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*denotes that these items are locally produced

You Forgot the Shrimps!

Though I really love Puerto Rican food, I had my fill a few days into my trip. By our third day, I was craving a salad like a diabetic craves cake. Since coming home, I have definitely had the urge to eat lighter. Not only to lose the Puerto Rican food baby I developed while gone, but also because I likes light, summery dishes in warm weather!

I was dreaming of this salad on the airplane on the way home. When it came to me actually putting it together, I suddenly had this ridiculous need to add shrimp. Now, I don't really eat shrimp. I had one summer where we got a bad batch of shrimp and I haven't really liked it since. But this salad needed to have shrimp, damn it! Even if the shrimp is $15.99/lb! What?! I know!

But it was a nice addition to the dish.  

Zucchini-Bulgur Salad with Lemon-Mint Dressing


Ingredients
1 cup bulgur
1 medium zucchini
1/2 red onion, diced in 1/4 inch pieces
1/3 - 1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup feta
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 - 2 chopped garlic cloves
1/2 lb jumbo shrimp, shelled and cleaned

Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 handful fresh mint
1 tsp of your choice of sweetener
1 - 2 garlic cloves
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil

Method
1. Boil 1 1/2 cups of water. Add 1 cup of bulgur, turn off heat, and leave covered for 30 minutes.
2. Dress the shrimp with salt, pepper, chopped garlic cloves, and olive oil. Heat a small pan and cook shrimp until they turn pink and curl in a tight "C", only a few minutes.
3. Chop zucchini in 1/4 dice as well as the red onion while shrimp cools.
4. Add zucchini, red onions, and walnuts to cooked bulgur.
5. Grate the zest of the lemon directly into the salad, careful not to get the white pith which is bitter.
6. Add all the ingredients on the dressing list and blend until combined, leaving mints into small flecks.
7. Add shrimp and dress salad with lemon-mint dressing. Then, add the feta as the last ingredient.