Boulder County Farmer's Market Pattypan Squash, Tomato, and Corn

I did not know if it would be a dish I would want to make again. My friend Sue texted me she could not find the recipe on my blog and could I send it to her. Thought I better get to writing down exactly what I did concoct, because it was rather tasty...
I have decided that Pattypan Squash is the primo of the Squash Family. Pattypans are also a good source of magnesium, niacin, and Vitamins A and C.

Ingredients

• 4 small Pattypan squash, ends cut off and sliced in thirds lengthwise
• 2 fresh ears of corn, kernels cut from the cob
• olive oil for brushing
• 2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
• 1 handful of fresh basil, sliced
• 4 ounces of fresh mozzarella, sliced or 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta and 2 tablespoons Parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place the Pattypan slices on a baking sheet, brush both sides with a thin layer of olive oil and roast in a 400-degree oven for about 20 minutes; turning over once. Place roasted slices in a baking dish. Salt and pepper to taste.

Roast the kernels of corn and tomato slice for about 10 minutes in the same preheated oven. Place the tomato slices and corn on top of the Pattypan slices evenly.

Evenly place the slices of mozzarella on top or combine Ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese and dollop on top.

Sprinkle with the sliced basil and salt and pepper to taste.

When ready to serve; heat under a broiler until hot.

Beautiful Granddaughters

August 11 ~ Ava Grace

August 17 ~ Ally Harper

Parsley Lemon Pesto

Growing up, we had minced parsley in our salad every night. Mom was born and raised in Brussels, Belgium and as a result some of her heritage was reflected in the meals. Parsley is packed with SO much goodness and is much more than an afterthought or as a garnish. It seems unfortunate to me that nutritionist do not tote the benefits more...
I found this recipe on Pinterest and is another Giada De Laurentii creation. She serves over pasta, but I think you could serve it with just about anything from poultry, beef, fish, sweet potato, rice or even an omelet.
My prep chef was painting the front door, so I was alone taking the parsley leaves off the stem. A somewhat tedious job but with great rewards!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (tightly packed) Italian parsley leaves (I had 3 1/2 cups)
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper

Directions

In a food processor, combine parsley, pine nuts, lemon juice, and lemon peel.

With the machine running, add the oil, blending until mixture is creamy.

Transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan, salt and pepper.

I use the Glad mini round storage containers to divide up the pesto and freeze.

Rice Pilaf with Crimini Mushrooms

I am eating leftovers of this delicious rice as we speak. I added a cooked egg for protein and Parsley Lemon Pesto (blog: 8/28/15 (sauce label) because I am obsessed with pesto...
Do use the crimini mushroom, as they add a richer flavor than button mushrooms.
I have not use vegetable broth much and will do so again in other rice dishes instead of plain water.
Applause to lifeambrosia.com!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups crimini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 cup long grain rice (I used organic jasmine 365 Whole Foods brand)
• 2 cups vegetable broth (I used Pacific low-sodium brand)
• fresh pepper and salt
• fresh parsley, minced

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter and olive oil. Once butter is melted; add shallot and garlic. Cook 1-minute.

Add the mushrooms and cook 3 minutes or until mushrooms soften slightly.

Stir in the rice and cook until slightly translucent, stirring to prevent the bottom sticking. About 3 minutes on my induction stovetop.

Stir in vegetable broth and bring to a boil.

Cover pan and reduce heat to low and cook an additional 20 minutes; until all the liquid is absorbed.

Add fresh pepper and salt to taste. 

Add fresh parsley.

Green Chili & IPA Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

OK another lifesambrosia.com recipe. Love slow cooker recipes, love Mexican anything. So this was a win, win. I have several glass containers of last years green chilies made into our Green Chili Sauce (blog 4/12/13) and used the sauce instead of using the canned green chili in the original recipe. Again, I am sure the original recipe is amazing, I just had the homemade sauce on hand. The meat is versatile; as you can use a BBQ sauce on top or add more green chili sauce to a burrito or nachos. Nachos is what I am voting for!

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 pound pork shoulder 
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced (I used red, cause that is what I had)
• 1 7 ounce can diced green chili (I used about 2 cups of homemade Green Chili Sauce.
• 1 cup water (added enough water to Green Chili Sauce to equal 2 cups)
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle IPA beer (I am sure any beer will do, but we LOVE IPA)

Directions:

Season pork on both side with salt.

Place onion on bottom of slow cooker. Place pork on top. Pour green chiles, water and beer over top of pork. 

Cook on low for 6 hours.

Remove pork from slow cooker and shred. Tedious because you have to remove the pork fat, but not saying this is not worth it!

As Des says, "Enjoy!"

Pasta with Shrimp, Spinach, Tomatoes, Patty Pan and Goat Cheese

Check out lifesambrosia.com I must have pinned a million recipes so far and photography is beautiful. Thank you Des! Now, I did tweak the original recipe, but that is what food dishes are all about; tailoring to what suits your tastes. I am sure if you follow her recipe solely, it would be wonderful as well. Rob and I do not live in an area with easily obtainable seafood (duh, Colorado) so alias, we rely on Whole Foods... The shrimp was on sale and wild caught and delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound dried linguine ( I used 1/2 package of Jovial Egg Rice Noodles)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (most likely used more; I like garlic)
• 1 shallot, minced (used two large slices from a red onion from the Farmer's Market, minced)
• 1 patty pan zucchini, shredded (this was my addition)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (did not use)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (I used fresh basil, about 1/4 cup, cut in slivers)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (use this to your taste) (would use fresh jalapeno next time)
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon brandy (I did not use, but used 1 tablespoon butter)
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced 
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
• 4 ounces goat cheese (I used Whole Foods Brand Herb and Garlic, but used about 3/4 of the 4 ounces)

Directions:

Cook pasta of choice according to package directions. Drain. A pic of the brand both Rob and I love. 

While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion for 3 minutes, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add shredded patty pan and cook 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl.

Return the skillet to the heat and melt the 1 tablespoon butter and add the red pepper flakes. Add the shrimp and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Set the cooked shrimp aside.

Drain the pasta and return to the pan. Add the spinach, fresh shredded basil and tomato to the hot pasta.

Add the goat cheese and garlic/onion mixture and heat in the skillet over medium heat until cheese softens.

Fill pasta bowls and add shrimp on the top. How can you go wrong with all these fresh ingredients! YUM!

Rule of Thumb for Grilling Fish in Foil Packets

Grill fish steaks or fillets 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness or 4-5 minutes per half inch of thickness.

White fish will take less time than red fish.

Let the grill heat up for 10 minutes. Temperature should be moderately hot; about 400-425 degrees.

Coconut-Lime White Fish Packets for the Grill

I was watching Food Network and the chefs were talking about how hard it is to grill fish. It was suggested to try grilling in foil packets. Sooo, I hopped on Pinterest and found this recipe on thescrumptiouspumpkin.com. This method is fairly easy in the prep department, the fish cannot stick to the grill and clean-up is a snap.
I did tweak the recipe to our taste and what was available at the Farmer's Market and in the frig. So here you go with the recipe. I am sure to be on the hunt for more "grilling in foil packets"; as this was restaurant quality!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sweet corn kernels, fresh (2 ears) or frozen
• 1 shallot, sliced (I used a small red onion)
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon jalepeno pepper, minced (my addition)
• 1 zucchini, sliced (I used 1 large patty pan)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (I used one 5.46 fl. oz can)
• 1 tablespoon lime zest (I used 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (Madras Curry Powder (blog: spices: March 23) or store bought)
• 6 ounces cod (I used two 6 ounce pieces of salmon with skin on)
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped (I used 1/4 cup)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

The original recipe parboiled the shucked corn for 5 minutes. I did not feel this was necessary with fresh sweet corn. I simply held the corn cob in a bowl, vertically, and sliced down the cob with a knife to release the kernels. Set aside in a large bowl.

The first sweet corn of the season.

Preheat your oven to 400-degrees. I sliced up the patty pan and red onion into large round pieces, brushed with olive oil and salt and pepper on both sides. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool and chop into large chunks. Add to the corn.

(The original recipe did not roast, but chopped up raw).

Add the minced garlic, jalepeno pepper and chopped cilantro to the mixture.

Combine the coconut milk and lemon juice (or lime zest), curry powder (this was my addition) and combine until smooth. Add this to your vegetable mixture.

My prep chef cleaning cilantro leaves off stems...

Using heavy duty aluminum foil; tear off two 10-inch pieces. Fold in half and open up; as you are going to use the bottom half of the foil to place your prepared foods. I did lightly grease the bottom half;  as I did not add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the coconut milk. Original recipe called for light coconut milk.

Rinse and pat dry your fish.

Divide up the vegetable mixture between the two pieces of foil and then place the fish pieces on top. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fold over the top half of the foil on each packet; matching the top half with the bottom half. Fold up the edges by rolling, forming an air-tight packet.

Roll up the edges on both of the remaining sides of the packet. The key is to roll up the edges so there are no leaks.

Preheat your grill to 400-degrees.

Place the foil packets right side up on a grill pan. We grilled for 7 minutes and then flipped over to cook an additional 7 minutes. Remove flipping once more so the packets are right side up again. (We used both a spatula and thongs to do the flipping.)

Be careful when you are opening the hot packets. I served the dish right out of the foil!