Stuffed Grilled Zucchini

I have been getting quite a bit of zucchini in my Graber Organic Farms CSA boxes & it has been really great to come up with new ways to serve it. This has been one of my family's favorites! I use exclusively oils from The Olive Twist (they'll ship to you!), but you can use what you have. Sauteing the veggies in the Tuscan Herb oil & massaging the garlic oil into the raw zucchini really added a flavor pop that I would have to recommend though!

4 zucchini 

4 oz panchetta

4 oz seitan (wheat meat), chopped

4 spring onions, chopped (white & light green parts)

1 red, orange, or yellow sweet pepper, chopped

1 T pesto (if you've got it)

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 c seasoned croutons, smashed to crumbs

olive oil

pepper

1. Halve zucchini & scrape out insides leaving about 1/4 inch wall around the exterior (save & chop the scrapings)
2. Heat some olive oil & pan fry the panchetta, bacon bits, & seitan until the panchetta is toasty & browned.
3. Add the zucchini scrapings, onions, & sweet pepper to the pan.
4. Saute until lightly browned & fragrant. 
5. Remove from heat, add the garlic & pesto and stir until just fragrant.
6. Lightly oil and sprinkle each zucchini half with pepper 
7. Place zucchini cut side down on a hot grill.
8. Grill about 5 minutes until dark char lines appear.
9. Remove zucchini from grill.
10. Add cheese & croutons to the meat & veggies and stir until combined.
11. Stuff each zucchini shell with meat & veggie mix.
12. Place back on hot grill until cheese is bubbly & delicious.

Blueberry Vanilla Lavender Jam

I got a plesant suprise in this week's CSA box...BLUEBERRIES!  After munching on about half of them, I decided that I needed to come up with a way to preserve (and share) some of them. I liked this recipe because it doesn't require any pectin (blueberries have lots of that) or any other special equipment.

2 c blueberries
2 T water

1 vanilla bean

2 c sugar
3 sprigs lavender
1 T bottled lemon juice

1. Combine the blueberries, vanilla, & water in a pan and bring to a boil.
2. Mash & muddle the blueberries a bit to get them to release their flavor.
3. Add the sugar & lavender and stir to dissolve.
4. Stir in the lemon juice.
5. Boil, stirring frequently, until the desired gel is achieved (remember, the sugar will set up more in the jar!)
6. Remove from the heat, remove lavender & vanilla, and let jam cool about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To can, use the boiling water method.  Leave 1/4 inch headspace and process for 5 minutes.

Gingered Beef Stir-Fry

Until we tasted our first fresh, ripe, local veggie, my family & I were not veggie fans. As such I haven't many veggie-full recipes. Since then, I have been bale to participate in a lovely, local CSA from Graber Organic Farms. This is what I did with my most recent box of fresh veggies from them!

1 lb steak, sliced thin against the grain

2 T olive oil

1/4 c water

2 bunches broccoli

2 c sugar snap peas

3 spring onions, sliced thin

1 zucchini, roughly chopped

1 yellow summer squash, roughly chopped

1 T candied ginger, chopped

4 cloves garlic, pressed

Sauce:

3/4 c chicken broth

1/8 c red wine

1/8 c brown sugar

2 t olive oil

2 t cornstarch

1. Heat oil in a wok or large pan until smoking.
2. Sear beef quickly in oil.
3. Add broccoli, peas, & water.
4. Cover pan & steam veggies for 3 minutes.
5. Uncover pan & let water evaporate, about 2 minutes.
6. Add reaming veggies, ginger, & garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
7. Whisk sauce together & add to center of pan, stirring until thickened & veggies are coated.
8. Serve over rice or fresh spinach.

Maple Mustard Vinaigrette

I made a delicious Maple-Bourbon grilled pork loin to slice & serve on top of salad, & I was looking for a dressing that would go well with it. This is it! It would make a great dipping sauce for chicken as well & it helped to cut the bitter flavor of some of my greens, which had begun to bolt before they were picked.

1/3 c maple syrup
2 T chopped spring onions (you could use shallots or chives, too)
3 T Grey Poupon
3 T vinegar (I used Traditional 18-year Aged Balsamic from The Olive Twist, but their Fig Balsamic would be amazing, too.)
1 T olive oil (I used Arbequina from The Olive Twist)
1/4 t pepper
1/8 t salt (I don't add this, but some of us thought it needed it)