Simple Baked Zucchini Recipe

Just want to write down this really simple healthy zucchini recipe. You just need zucchini (chopped into cubes about a half inch square) plus a fat (butter or oil) and a bit of flavor (even just a few shakes of salt and pepper). Chop the zucchini into small pieces, toss it with the oil, salt, and pepper -- maybe throw in some chopped onion or garlic, or sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top -- and bake for 15-20 minutes at about 375 degrees, until the zucchini pieces reach your desired tenderness. I like them to cook pretty much all the way through but not completely soggy. Use a decent amount of oil/butter/salt for a stronger flavor if you prefer. Use this little starter recipe with whatever else you want to throw in -- tomatoes, red peppers, fresh basil, etc...

chopped zucchini

tossed with oil, salt, pepper, and chopped onion

glass baking dish, about 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes

done, super easy, less than 5 ingredients, from the yarden to the table

served with steamed homegrown broccoli and a pizza from Donatelli's

Simple Broccoli Bacon Quiche

What does one do with 9 backyard broccoli plants putting out some serious florets? How about a quiche!?! You'll need a bunch of broccoli, a half dozen eggs or so, 1-2 cups of shredded cheese, milk, butter, chopped onions and garlic, salt and pepper, a pie crust, and I highly recommend bacon!

Have the pie crust ready in a pie pan. Chop up the bacon (maybe remove some of the fat in the process) and start cooking it in a pan over low-medium heat. After a moment, add a tablespoon or 2 of butter to the pan, and then the chopped broccoli, onions, and garlic. Cook slowly until the veggies get soft. Scoop/pour into the pie pan and sprinkle some cheese on top. 

Mix 4-6 eggs and about a half to whole cup of milk. Add your salt and pepper, the rest of the shredded cheese, and some more butter (melted) to the egg mixture. Pour this over the veggies in the pie crust and bake at about 350 until the middle sets, about 25-30 minutes.

JoeSoChallenges Update: June Rewind

I don't think I've given a 30-day challenge update since May. Although I decided to skip July, I did have a pretty successful June -- See a Friend a Day. Whether I met them for coffee, a passing handshake, or a weekend road trip, I resolved in June to see a different friend every day (with no repeats). "New friends" counted toward the goal, but strangers did not. In other words, if I didn't meet up with a friend somewhere I couldn't just say hello to a stranger and count that as meeting a friend. This one started out really easy and ended up really hard (because I couldn't use any repeats). I succeeded 24 out of 30 days, with 5 of my 6 misses coming over the final 8 days of the month. That final week I had a very busy time at work, and, well, I just kind of ran out of friends.

Open for Business

I just divvied up this week's harvest into manageable packages to distribute among friends. Nice...

Everyday I'm Harvestin'

With my Bloomfield urban yarden fully popping off as we roll through these lazy, hazy days of Summer, and Weird Al Yankovic releasing 8 new videos, I really wish the master of parody had turned Rick Ross's 'Everyday I'm Hustlin'" into 'Everyday I'm Harvestin'" so I could use it as my theme song this Summer...

Anyway, I have harvested three of these massive zucchinis already, and I can see at least 2 more fully developed on the plant. The zucchini plant went into the ground last and it has already produced a massive amount of fruit. Absolutely tremendous yield. I've sliced-and-grilled it, chopped-and-baked it, and cooked it in tomato sauce ... so far. What else lies in store for this classic Italian summer squash, a casserole perhaps, or maybe a loaf of bread? I went ahead and pulled out a carrot or two as well, although they will certainly grow larger over time.

My green pepper plant has produced two solid peppers so far. I'd call them larger than a baseball but smaller than a softball -- about the size of a standard coffee mug or a decent sized apple. Yesterday I chopped one up and tossed it in a salad. Now that I've picked it (and will soon pick the other one) the growing power will shift to the smaller peppers already starting to blossom at the top of the plant. This plant appears to have a great yield in store!

Oh, and lest we forgot the broccoli! I planted both seedlings and seeds this year, to spread out the yield, and it worked out well. I've harvested the seedlings several times already, and now the ones planted from seed have produced their first heads. This broccoli has gone on the grill, in the steamer, in tomato sauce, pasta dishes, and even a quiche (which turned out really well). Super high yield again on the broccoli this year. It has become my most tradeable item.

Broc and Zook from the yarden for tomato sauce

Now on to the herbs. I love saying herbs with a voiced H. I got a bit lazy with the cilantro and it all flowered. I think that means no more cilantro this season. I did just cut all the tops off so maybe it will restart the growing process? Thank god I put the mint into a pot, else it would take over the world. The oregano grows steady and wide so I can clips sprigs any time I need it fresh. Very high yield there. I usually tie up a bunch to include in my veggie giveaways since I have so much. 

I don't know exactly how to handle the stevia. I planted to seedlings from Home Depot early in the season and they have done quite well. Each one had a few stems growing so I have about 5 or 6 tall stems producing broad leaves. I clipped about 6-8 inches off the top a few weeks ago and let the leaves dry out. I'll probably do the same thing again this week, and then continue clipping the tops every few weeks. I don't really know. I plan on grinding the dried leaves into powder, which I can use as a sugar replacer. I highly recommend mojitos with mint and stevia from the garden!

top of stevia plants flourishing

cut the tops off the plants

what a lovely herb

dried and ready to grind into powder