AKA The Farmhouse, Paonia, Colorado
Great recipes for using seasonal veggies like Chard, Kale, Corn, and Zucchini follow:
The following recipes are courtesy of renowned Aspen Chef Dava Parr (Paonia, resident). Chef Dava was pleased to share her delicious recipes with us and The Rocket (also known as Arugula) Salad was totally awesome! I learned that I can roast zucchini in the oven instead of saute it, and I must say I love it this way! Learn something new everyday!
Rocket and Roasted Summer Squash Salad
This is also a great way to use up leftover corn on the cob. Although I don’t have any arugula growing in my garden today, I think it isn’t too late to plant for a Fall harvest.
Roasted Summer Squash
Preheat oven to 425
1 yellow summer squash
1 Zucchini
¼ onion, chopped
½ clove garlic, crushed
3 T olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika
Combine all the ingredients above and roast for 25-30 minutes.
Arugula Salad
5 oz baby Rocket (arugula), chopped a couple times
3 ears of corn, shucked off the cob
2 oz Goat cheese
Salt & Black pepper
Dressing
1 tsp Lemon juice
2 tsp Nama Shoyu or other good soy sauce
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Whisk everything together in a little bowl or shake up in a pint jar. Lay arugula on platter, sprinkle corn and goat cheese over the top. Spoon roasted squash over Rocket, (arugula) and pour dressing over the top. Serve.
Chorizo & Chard Omelet
¼ # chorizo, crumbled
¼ cup thinly sliced onion
½ clove garlic, crushed
2 cups chard, chopped in small pieces
1 cup grated zucchini
3 eggs beaten w/ 1 T Cream
½ cup grated Jarlsberg
Sauté Chorizo with onion, garlic, chard and Zucchini over med-high heat. Spoon into a bowl and set to the side.
Raw Kale Salad
1 bunch of Kale cut in chiffonade (Strips as thin as your knife can cut, think shredded paper)
1 tsp garlic, crushed
½ cup raw pine nuts
½ cup raisins
½ cup grated Parmesan
Sea Salt & Black Pepper
3 T olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon squeezed
Blend everything together with your fingers until it is well mixed. Let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Stewed Tomatoes and Green Beans
1 pound green beans, steamed until almost done
1 T olive oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 cup of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp fresh oregano or ½ tsp dried oregano
½ cup nicoise olives, optional
1 tsp capers, optional
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Juice of half a lemon
Sauté garlic and steamed grean beans in olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes and lemon juice. Let stew for a few minutes over low heat.
Serve with a little Parmesan over the top if you like.
Fresh and Wyld Farmhouse Inn and Gardens Tucked into a serene corner of Colorado’s North Fork Valley, near charming little Paonia—and —our lovingly restored 1908 farmhouse inn and gardens is a great way to caress, de-stress, and decompress yourself while enjoying a rural lifestyle in total comfort.
Innkeeper Dava Parr (a renowned Aspen chef) prepares cutting edge comfort food for breakfast and weekend dinners from fresh, local, organic meats and produce grown right on our own four acres or from one of the many farms in Colorado’s most active natural farming region.
Call us for reservations room types vary in price and range from $90 to $135 per night. 970-527-4389 We look forward to hosting you!
Zucchini Potato Bake
Pan size depends on how many you are feeding. It can be a casserole or a larger roasting pan.
Spray pan with non-stick spray.
Cover the bottom of the pan with thin potato slices. Cover them with thin onion slices. Top these two layers with a thin layer of zucchini and top with slices of fresh tomatoes. Be sure to cut these over the pan, so the juice drips into the pan. Lightly salt and pepper. Cover the pan and bake at 350 until the veggies are tender. This is sooooooo easy and tastes great!
You can make this dish with canned tomatoes, but it is much better with fresh. We seem to always have lots of zucchini and need lots of recipes for it.
Congratulations on your daughter’s engagement!
God bless you,
Ladonna Beals
Quick and Easy Fresh Green Beans
Wash and snap beans and put into sauce pan with a small amount of water. Cover and steam until bright green, about 5 minutes.
While beans are steaming, add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet and heat to medium to medium high. Add spices to your taste. We use dried minced onion, some garlic powder and Emeril’s Original Essence, about 1/2 teaspoon each, plus some salt.
When beans are finished steaming, drain well and add to skillet. Stir to coat all beans with seasonings. Let cook, while stirring, until desired crispness. We like to let some of the beans brown, while being crisp and bright green.
Adjust the amount of oil and spices to the amount of beans you’re cooking, and to your taste. We don’t ever measure anything so they taste a little different each time, but they’re always yummy!
Here’s a great way to use up all those extra tomatoes in a yummy way.
Dana’s Tomato Wheels
Cut medium to large tomatoes in half horizontally.
Place wheels in a cast iron skillet
Sprinkle with sea salt
Drizzle with good quality olive oil
Bake at 325 for 3 hours
Serve as is with toast or pasta. Don’t forget to scrape out the yummy syrup created by the tomatoes in the pan.
Oh, thank you, thank you for these recipes! I have an abundance of squash right now and was wondering what to do with it! :0) I’m going to try some of these this week.
I thought you or some of your other readers might be interested in entering my giveaway for The Apron Book by EllynAnne Geisel. The author has pitched in a bonus! If so, you can find me at http://mountainmorning.blogspot.com
I LOVE getting your emails and reading your blog! Thanks for all you do!
Have a blessed day!
Brandi
2 large cucumbers, chopped into small pieces
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped small
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Combine all ingredients and chill. Serve on nachos or in a salad or eat plain.
Jesse is my 8-year old nephew and created this recipe. I tweaked it with the cilantro but the rest is his. Congrats on your daughter’s upcoming marriage!
Chopped Salad
4 medium chopped tomatoes with juice in bowl
1 medium onion chopped finely
1 medium bell pepper chopped finely
Stir together, add juice of 1 large lemon and drizzle olive oil (about 3 tablespoons) and add sea salt and fresh pepper to taste.
(This is our favorite summer salad. My kids start begging for it as soon as the first tomatoes have ripped. It is perfect over vegetables. We eat it over peas and butterbeans. It also makes a wonderful light supper served over hot cornbread).
I got this off of Recipezaar.com. It’s the sight I go to for recipes all the time. Even my zucchini haters ate this!
Italian Saute
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup fresh mushroom, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon garlic, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, cut into about 10 wedges each
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated (I use low fat cheese)
salt and pepper (optional)
Directions
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, zucchini, onion, spices and garlic.
Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper now if you’re going to.
Add tomatoes, and sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover skillet with a lid and continue cooking on low heat until cheese is melted, (about 4 minutes.).
bake (upside down)1/2 (or whole depending on your family size) a speghetti squash..
After is has baked..take the squash(like noodles) and use a fork to put the squash in a bowl..
Add chicken (baked or any left over)
Add fresh cucumbers
Add diced zuchini squash
Add cherry tomatoes halved
add red or white onions (chopped)
Pour on it.. a really good Ceasar Salad Dressing.
Salt and Pepper to taste..
One word…yummy
Roasted Veggie Tabboulleh
1 1/2 C Bulgur Wheat
2 C. Boiling Water
1 Large Tomatoe, not grilled
1 1/2 c. Grilled corn kernels from 4 ears
1 zucchini, grilled and finely diced
2 c. peeled, finely diced cucumber
1/2 red onion, grilled and finely diced
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley
1 1/2 T. finedly chopped fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 t. sea salt
Pepper, to taste
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 large lemon
Soak bulgur in a large bowl & boiling water. Roast veggies on grill and finely dice. Cut grill blackened corn off ears. Fluff bulgar with fork and toss all veggies into bulgur. Season with S & P. Add lemon juice and oil & toss until well combined. I made this while camping and it was excellent, even better the next day. Egg plant & yellow squash works great too. Winter: place frozen corn on a sheet pan and roast at 350F for 20-25 min, until soft. quick and easy.
Grilled Tomato, Zucchini and Squash
Peel & slice zucchini, yellow squash and onions (red or white or sweet).
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, minced garlic and olive oil and toss ingredients.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Optional-Grate some butter over the top, a little will do. Use a stick of frozen butter and a hand grater.
Slice tomatoes. Place tomatoes on top of other veggies.
Place in a foil pouch and grill about 20 minutes or till veggies are tender.
You can also cook in a baking pan under the broiler till the veggies are tender.
Vary this by adding fresh chopped herbs and your favorite cheese, like cilantro and mozzarella cheese or basil and Parmesan.
I adjust the amounts in this recipe based on what I have available from my garden at the time.
Michele’s Fried Green Tomatoes
Slice and set aside:
Green tomatoes (¼ inch slices)
Mix:
½ c corn meal
½ c whole wheat flour
3 TBS sugar
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 ½ tsp to 2 tsp onion powder
Pepper to taste
Mix in a small bowl: 1 c buttermilk with 7 shakes Worcestershire sauce.
In a caste iron skillet pour just enough oil in the bottom to cover the bottom of the pan, heat oil (coconut oil would be the healthiest).
Dip ¼ inch slices of green tomatoes in the buttermilk mixture, and then coat each side in the flour mixture. Dip again in buttermilk and then flour for a good coating.
Let each side cook to a crispy golden brown. Lay cooked slices on a baking dish with a paper towel on the bottom and sit in a 250° oven till you finish cooking all slices. Serve hot!
Fried Green Tomatoes is a southern food and I was born in LA {that’s lower Alabama;-)}
Blessings!
We love this raw summer salsa on chips, on quesidillias, in taco salad, and on fresh sliced cucumbers as a cool refreshing salad:
Raw Summer Salsa
ingredients are approximate amounts, as the recipe is forgiving and to taste:
4 cups of diced fresh garden tomatoes-works with all types
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, stems removed, finely chopped
2-3 Tbsp. of raw onion chopped, can use green onions, I like Vidalia
1/2 of a lime juiced, more or less to taste
1 tsp. of sea salt
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
If you have a Cuisinart, then place the jalapeno, cilantro, and onion in the chopper and pulse till finely chopped but NOT a gooey mush. Mix all ingredients together well in a glass or stoneware bowl, cover and refridgerate or mix and eat immediately. If you wait, the flavors have a chance to blend and the salt to dissolve. This is a great way to use up garden jalapenos and tomatoes and cucumbers. I have never tried it but I bet it would be good on raw zuchinni and yellow squash mixed in with the cucumbers as well.
Hope you enjoy!!!! Don’t we love our summer gardens!!!!
Hello Marilyn,
Congratulations on the engagement of your daughter, Laura.
I am submitting a recipe using eggplant. One summer, we grew eggplant, thinking we might get a few eggplants, well, we ended up with a bumper crop of this lovely purple vegetable!
This recipe is one I found in “The Victory Garden” cookbook. Just thinking about this particular dish makes my mouth water. It is so good, and so pretty too. It is also a good way to use the bumper crop of tomatoes that you may also have.
Red, White and Blue-Black Eggplant
1 pound eggplant
Salt
3 large, ripe tomatoes
6 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups sliced onions
Freshly ground pepper
3 Tablespoons freshly chopped basil, or 2 tsp dried basil
Wash eggplant, but do not peel. Remove the ca and slice off the other end. Quarter the eggplant lengthwise. Then, slice each quarter again into lengthwise 1/4 – 3/8 inch pieces. Salt the slices and let drain for 30 minutes. (it’s important to salt the eggplants to get out the water). Core the tomatoes, core and thinly slice. Cut the cheese into 6 1/2 inch slices.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil, and saute the onions until soft without browning, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan. Pat the eggplant dry, and brown the slices a few at a time, using most of the remaining oil. Salt and pepper the slices. Lightly oil a 9 X6 inch 2 quart baking dish. Spread half of the onions on the bottom. Sprinkle with the basil. Starting at one end of the baking dish, arrange alternate standing layers of one slice of eggplant, skin side up, 2 or 3 slices of tomato (as best fits across eggplant), and then a slice of cheese against the tomatoes. Repeat these three rows, working down the baking dish. When all have been fitted in, top with the remaining onions (add more basil if you wish). Cover the dish tightly and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.
This dish can be easily doubled.
If you are like us you have sooo many pears they are breaking the tree branches. Here is a quick and easy dessert to use up some of them.
Easy Caramel Pears
8-9 fresh pears, peeled with stems left on
1 cup cream de cocoa liquor or white cooking wine
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tsp nutmeg
1 Tsp cloves
Caramel sauce
Place all the pears in a crockpot, cut bottoms flat to make them stand up.
Mix all other ingredients together and pour over pears. Cook on low for 4-6 hours until pears are tender.
Let cool in liquid.
Place a pear on serving plate spoon a Tbsp of liquid over it it.and pour hot caramel sauce over
Here’s a delicious way to use an abundance of plums.
HOMEMADE PLUM JELLY
You’ll need your fruit,powdered pectin, 1/2 pint sized canning jars, jar rings/bands & seals, water bath canner, jar rack, magnetic lid lifter, jar lifter, jar funnel, jelly strainer & strainer bag.
Start by washing your equipment. You ALWAYS want to work with clean items. sterilize your jars, jar lifter, funnel, magnetic lid lifter, lids & bands. This can be done by placing them in the water bath canner filled with water. (I also like to add a tablespoon or two of white vinegar to the water as it fills. This helps keep the cloudy film from building up on the jars as they boil. It’s not a necessary step – just a personal preference.) Allow water and items to come to a full rolling boil. Let simmer until you are ready to use. An alternate method would be to wash them in the dishwasher. If your machine has a “sterilize” setting (which most newer appliances have), set the cycle to wash and sterilize. You will want to keep jars hot until ready to use. Never fill cold jars with hot liquid or else you will run the risk of the glass breaking and ruining your product. Safety first!
Meanwhile you will want to start working on making your juice. Wash fruit, making sure to remove stems and blossom ends. Chop or quarter fruit removing seeds and place in large bowl. Do not remove skins or peel fruit. Measure fruit into 1 quart (4 cups) increments. Dump into a large, heavy stock pot. for each quart of fruit measured add 1 cup of water to pot. Once all fruit and water have been measured and added, cover with a lid and allow to simmer until fruit is softened and juice has formed.
You will want to strain the fruit through a damp jelly bag or several layers of cheesecloth to get out as much juice from the fruit as possible. At this point you can either use the juice for making jelly (which we are going to do) or you could can the juice itself and use it for cooking or other cooking needs. It will also freeze nicely too.
Now for the jelly making itself. You will need…
5 cups plum juice*
1 package powdered pectin
6-1/2 cups sugar
*I started with around 5 1/2 lbs. of fruit before making juice. Once it was strained I ended up with 10 cups of juice. In order to have the jelly set well, I did this in two batches. Therefore the recipe measurements reflect this. So in essence…to use all of the juice you have you will actually need 10 cups of juice, 2 packages of pectin & 13 cups of sugar.
Combine juice and pectin in a large, heavy stock pot. stir to mix well. Over high heat, bring mixture to a boil. Stir in sugar until fully dissolved. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Let it boil hard for 1 full minute. Remove pot from heat. You may notice some foam on top of your liquid. This is normal. All you need to do at this point is skim it off.
Ladle hot liquid into your hot sterile jars. Make sure you leave at least 1/4″ head space in each jar. With a clean damp paper towel wipe down edges of jar to clean any spills. DO NOT TOUCH the mouth of the jar itself with your bare hands. Remember you are needing to keep everything as sterile as possible.
Using the magnetic lid lifter place a jar seal over the mouth of each jar. Place the jar ring. Screw rings on securely but only until secured & fingertip tightened. DO NOT screw on overly tight as you can as you need some “wiggle” room per sea in the lid for processing.
Using jar lifter place each filled & closed jar back into the water bath canner. Fill with water until jars are completely covered and you have at least 1 inch of water above the top of the jars. Place canner onto stove burner, cover and bring to a full rolling boil. Let process at full boil for 5 minutes. DO NOT start timing until after boiling has started.
Once processed, remove jars using jar lifter and place on several layers of a dish towel or newspaper (you just want to make sure to protect your counter top from the heat of the jars) and allow to cool completely. As jars cool you will hear a “ping” sound. This means your jars are sealed. Once jars have fully cooled, press down lightly over each lid. If lid does not pop back up for you then the jar has properly sealed and is now ready to be placed in the pantry for later use. If lid presses in and pops back up for you the jar is NOT properly sealed. In this case you will need to remove the lid seal and ring. DO NOT reuse the same lid seal, instead replace it with a new one, screw ring back onto jar and start the water bath processing all over again. Once cooled check to make sure seal has taken. As you can see I ended up with 21 half pint jars of jelly.
**If you only have one jar that hasn’t sealed you can always skip trying to reprocess if you like, and just place it in the refrigerator. You can still eat use it with no problem, it just can not be stored in the pantry.
Happy canning!
Here is a great summer recipe:
Raw Lentil Salad
1/2 cup lentils, soaked for at least 6 hours to make them crunchy, like a sprout…these are known as “germinated lentils)
1 small, raw zucchini, diced
1 tomato, diced
the juice of one lime
1/2 onion, diced or 1/2 cup sliced, green onions
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (you could also use 1 tsp. of garlic powder)
1 cup of coarsely-chopped, fresh cilantro
1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy your preference is.)
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil of your choice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine and mix all of the ingredients and let sit for a few hours to let the flavors combine. You can also use this mixture in a wrap. It is delicious served over a nice, green salad as well. To add even more versatility, you could top a baked potato with it. I also like to serve it over cooked, brown rice. Lots of possibilities!
oops….just an edit to the recipe I posted…
1/2 cup of lentils, soaked for at least 6 hours and drained
Here is a recipe that I rated with three stars. (I always document a rating on my recipe cards) I also marked, “Fabulous” on it. With harvest season just around the corner, we are already looking forward to enjoying this yummy, home cooked soup. It is a breeze to throw together after the squash is cooked. Try cooking the squash ahead of time to quickly assemble soup.
ENJOY!
Butternut Squash Soup
2 lb. butternut squash, cooked
4 c. chicken, beef or vegetable broth
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 c. sour cream
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Puree squash with broth. Heat to Medium-low. Stir in sour cream, cheese, butter and Cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. Heat thoroughly. Don’t boil.
This is my family’s favorite 2nd favorite zucchini recipe:
Italian Zucchini Casserole
3 medium zucchini, sliced
3 T. Veg.Oil, divided
1 medium onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 t. dried basil
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 cups dry stuffing mix
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
Saute zucchini in oil and set aside. Saute onion and garlic and add tomatoes and spices. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Place in greased 13×9 dish and stir in zucchini, stuffing and cheeses. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes or until golden.
My family’s all time favorite zucchini recipe is the most delicious chocolate cake we have ever tasted.
Double-Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Beat together 5 minutes: 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 sticks margarine, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 large eggs. Add 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup cocoa, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt. Fold in 2 cups shredded zucchini, 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped nuts.
Place in a greased and floured 13×9 pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.
When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Keep loosely covered, very moist.
Test with toothpick, my camper oven took longer, than my house oven.
Yes, we even make this while camping at the Michigan Dunes!
We enjoy this simple, raw corn dish. Each time I make it, I vary the ingredients. It lends itself well to new tastes.
Husk two ears of corn, wash the corn and cut off cob into bowl
cut up two tomatoes (I use Roma or sometimes throw in grape-tomatoes)
dice 1/2 cucumber
dice 1/2 zucchini
dice 1/2 red pepper
dice really small 1/4 jalapeno
add a clove or two of garlic through a garlic press
chop up 1/4 of a bunch of cilantro
juice 1 lime
toss in a tablespoon of olive oil
sea salt & pepper to taste
Sometimes I add carrots, green pepper, squash or whatever looks good. I also vary the herb trying parsley or adding a little tarragon, basil, mint. This is a great recipe; lite and refreshing, easy and enjoyable, tasty and new.
Zucchini Patties
1 1/4 lb. (4 to 5 cups) Zucchini, shredded
1 t. sea salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped parsley, fresh
1 T. grated parmesan
1 T. grated onion
1/8 t. to dash pepper
1 pound spaghetti sauce
One hour early- scrub and shred zucchini with grater. Put in strainer or sieve and sprinkle with part of salt. Let drain one hour, press occasionally.
In large bowl mix egg, crumbs, parsley, parmesan, onion, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Stir in zucchini. Makes about 3 cups. If you have time put in frig, mixture will thicken more. Drop by large spoonfulls in small amount of hot oil (olive, butter, or coconut). Cook till golden on each side. Heat spaghetti sauce. Pour some on top of each patty when serving. Makes 9 patties. Leftovers can be frozen with wax paper between.
You can sprinkle with parmesan of mozzarella cheese.