Recipes

You've harvested the garden... Now what? Let's cook!

Christy's Zucchini Fritters

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium)
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 2 green onions, sliced (whites and midway up green parts)
  • 1/2 tsp.Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp.garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 cup flour of choice (I like almond flour)
  • 1–2 oil for frying (I use ghee or olive oil)

Instructions:

  1. In a bowl, place the shredded zucchini and 1/2 tsp. sea salt. Stir gently and let set for 10 minutes to allow zucchini to sweat. After the 10 minutes, transfer the zucchini to a flour sack towel, paper towel, cheesecloth or nut milk bag. Squeeze as much liquid out as you possibly can.
  2. While the zucchini is “sweating,” in another bowl combine the eggs, green onions, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, additional sea salt, black pepper and flour.
  3.  Combine the squeezed shredded zucchini with the egg mixture and stir to combine. (If the zucchini still holds a lot of moisture or eggs were on the larger side, you may need to add additional flour to achieve that pancake-like consistency.)
  4. Place a medium/large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add oil to the skillet. Once hot (make sure the oil is hot and sizzles when you add the batter) drop 1/4 cup portions of the zucchini mixture onto the pan. Press down gently so they’re about 1/2-inch thick.
  5. Cook on each side for 3-5 minutes. Flip carefully so they don’t fall apart. When done, transfer to a wire rack or plate lined with a paper towel. Repeat until zucchini mixture is gone, adding more oil to the pan between each batch.
  6. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or a drizzle ranch dressing. Top with sliced green onion and a pinch of crush red pepper for kick. Add additional sea salt and pepper to taste.

NOTES

  • To Store: Store fritters in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • To Freeze: Layer cooled fritters in an airtight container separating each row with parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months.
  • To Reheat: Fritters can easily be reheated, frozen or thawed, in a skillet over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of ghee to the skillet heat and then add the fritters to the pan to reheat. Add more oil as needed. You can also reheat fritters in the oven. Temp set at 375 degrees F. Time will vary depending on whether the fritters are being reheated from frozen or thawed.

 

 

Edith's Zucchini Hummus

I like recipes that don’t require cooking which means you’re eating raw food. This is one of my favorites, and a great way to use zucchini and add nutrition.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup diced zucchini (peel if you like)
  • 1/3 cup raw tahini
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin



Instructions:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients into a mini food chopper, starting with just 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. 
  2. Then add tahini and cumin.
  3. Blend until smooth and creamy,
  4. Add more lemon juice, garlic, and salt as desired to make your perfect dip.
  5. Serve chilled with your favorite veggies or crackers.




Christy’s Tomato Bolognese

This is the freshest, fastest tomato sauce in my recipe files.  I have seriously made this in 45 minutes from start to finish. Lovingly adapted from  Erren’s Kitchen.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1-2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 28 ounce fresh tomatoes, crushed or pureed
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 good sized handful fresh parsley, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 good handful of fresh basil, chopped
  • ½ pound spaghetti
  • Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese for serving 

Instructions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and fry another minute.
  2. Add the ground beef; fry until fully cooked and no pink shows at all in the meat (about 8 minutes). Add the oregano and tomato paste and mix with the meat.
  3. Add the tomatoes, parsley, and bring to a boil. Season with the salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, and cook for at least 15 minutes (you can cook longer for a deeper flavor).
  4. In the meantime, cook the spaghetti 1 minute less than package instructions. Drain, saving about ½ cup of pasta water.
  5. Add pasta to sauce, adding just enough pasta water to marry sauce to pasta.
  6. Add basil and serve topped with cheese.

Recipe Notes

  • The longer the sauce simmers, the thicker it will be.  I like to let it simmer an hour.
  • Make it your own and add your own fresh herbs.
  • Also good with 1/2 cup red wine.  🙂

Edith's Cucumber Avocado Jalapeno Soup

I love this soup.  No using the stove.  Eating raw food – my favorite things.  

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 firm-ripe California avocado
  • 1 3/4 English cucumbers (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 (8-ounce) container plain low-fat yogurt (1 cup)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh jalapeño chile with seeds
  • 1 cup small ice cubes   
  • Garnish: diced avocado and chopped chives

Instructions:

  1. Peel and pit avocado. 
  2. Blend all ingredients in a blender until very smooth, about 1 minute.
  3. Garnish!

Recipe Notes:

  1. You can add more or less jalapeno. 
  2. You don’t have to use ice cubes unless you’re serving right away.
  3. Leaving in the fridge for a couple of hours makes the tastes meld.

Christy’s Summer Harvest Stew

This recipe can use a lot of your garden veggies!  Lovingly adapted from Chris at All Recipes. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound Italian sausages
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 1 large potato, peeled & diced
  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded & diced.
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large zucchini, diced
  • 28 ounces fresh or canned tomatoes.
  • 21 fluid ounces stock or water
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 15 ounces fresh or canned green beans, drained
  • Parmesan Cheese

Instructions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion 3 minutes.
  2. Add garlic for 1 minute
  3. Add potato, butternut squash, green bell pepper. Saute for 3 minutes.
  4. Add sausage. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often, until potatoes are slightly tender.
  5. Mix the zucchini into pot. Pour in the tomatoes and their liquid and stock/ water. Season with basil, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, and simmer 40 minutes.
  6. Add green beans and continue cooking 5 minutes, until beans are heated through.
  7. Serve topped with parmesan cheese

Recipe Notes

  • Great with crusty bread.
  • Freezes well.

Edith's Hunter Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion

  • 1 parsnip
  • 
4 carrots

  • 1 medium potato

  • 4 cloves of garlic

  • 3 bay leaves

  • 1 tbsp mustard

  • 1/2 tsp maple syrup

  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

  • handful of fresh parsley and lovage
   (note: I’ve never used lovage.  It’s still delicious)
  • salt, pepper

Instructions:

  1. Chop roughly onion, parsnip, carrots, potato, and garlic, and add to a large pot with bay leaves, and cover with water. 
  2. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat, and cook until veggies are soft, about 20-30 minutes.
  3. Discard bay leaves, and add mustard, maple syrup, vinegar, and fresh herbs, then using an immersion blender blend sauce until completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
  4.  

Edith’s Chia Jam

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen fruit (Peach, plum, any berries, rhubarb, cherries, fig, etc.)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, agave, maple syrup, or sugar
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds, plus more if needed
  • Spices that suit your whim

Instructions:

Prepare the fruit: remove stems, pits, seeds, and skin from the fruit. Chop large fruits into small pieces. Berries can be left whole.

Cook the fruit until it starts to break down. Transfer the fruit to a saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook until the fruit breaks down and becomes syrupy, 5 to 10 minutes. Mash the fruit with the back of a spatula or a potato masher, leaving it as smooth or as lumpy as you like.

Stir in the sweetener and lemon juice. Remove from the heat.  Taste and add more sweetener or lemon juice as needed.  Stir in the chia seeds. Add the chia seeds and stir to combine.

Let stand 5 minutes and the chia will thicken the jam. If you want it thicker, stir in more chia seeds 1 teaspoon at a time.

Transfer to a jar or other storage container. Once the jam has cooled to room temperature, transfer it to a jar or other storage container. Store in the fridge for about 2 weeks. The jam will thicken further and become more set once completely chilled. The jam can also be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge before using.

 

Christy’s Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

This spicy pickle recipe is based on a recipe I saw on Heidi’s FoodieCrush She based HER recipe on an NPR recipe. Just goes to show that good recipes, like good books, are best when passed on.

Ingredients:

For the Homemade Pickling Spice
  • 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
  • 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoons dill seed
  • 1 tablespoon allspice berries
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 10-12 bay leaves crumbled
For the Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles
  • About 10 to 12 lbs of cucumbers
  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups white vinegar
  • 4 cups water
  • 5 tablespoons pickling salt
  • Dried dill weed ( 2-3 fronds and stalks per jar)
  • 20-30 whole garlic cloves peeled and lightly smashed (4-5 per jar)
  • 1/8 teaspoon Ball Pickle Crisp (Optional)

Instructions:

For the Homemade Pickling Spice

  1. Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and stir to mix.

For the Spicy Killer Garlic Dill Pickles

  1. Prepare your jars and lids for canning.  Submerge in boiling water for minutes.  Add a minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level.
  2. In a good size pot bring the vinegars, water and salt to a simmer.
  3. To each sterilized jar add: 2-3 tablespoons of pickling spice, 2-3 fronds and stalks of dried dill weed, and 4-5 whole garlic cloves to each jar. Pack the whole or sliced cucumbers into the jars so they are tight but aren’t damaged in the process. The cucumbers should sit below the neck of the jar. Trim the cucumbers if they’re poking up too high.
  4. Add pickle crips at the top of the packed cukes just before the brine is added
  5. Pour the brine into the jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace, just covering the cucumbers.
  6. Wipe the rims of the jars and use tongs to place the lids and rings (that have been sterilized in simmering water) on top of the jars. To avoid contamination, do not touch the lids where they sit on the jars with your fingers.
  7. Process in a canner water bath of boiling water for 10 minutes. Add 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level.  Remove the jars from the pot and allow them to cool on a dishtowel on the counter. As the jars cool you will hear them pop as they seal. Sealed jars should feel solid when tapped and be concave in shape.
  8. Store in a dry cool place. Pickles will be ready to try in about 7-10 days but get even better over time. They can be stored for up to 1 year.

Recipe Notes

  • To make these as refrigerator pickles, skip the hot water bath and place the jars directly into the fridge instead where they will last for 1-2 months. 
  • Pickling salt really makes a difference. Do not use table salt. Can use kosher in a pinch, just make sure it has completely dissolved.
  • If jars do not pop after 24 hrs, put them in water bath again. Or treat them as refrigerator pickles.
  • I have used jared garlic instead of whole garlic cloves.
  • For extra spice, try 10-18 small Thai red peppers split down the middle but not separated, leaving seeds intact (2-3 per jar).
  • I have also added a grape leaf to the jar. The tannin-rich leaves keep lacto-fermented foods crispy, without negatively effecting the taste of the pickles.