Summer time is veg time. This means getting out and enjoying relaxing activities, and taking advantage of bountiful fresh veggies and fruits. Whether you grow a garden, belong to a CSA, visit the farmers market, or go to pick-your-own spots, there are so many ways to enjoy the incredible goodness nature provides this time of year. If you belong to a CSA, it often requires some creativity to use all of the items in your bag. Besides the fun of searching out new recipes, one of the best ways is to make ingredient substitutions using what you have. And to think of where you can throw in some veggies, which is always a good thing.
My recent CSA bag included salad greens, zucchini, summer squash, kale, chard, cucumbers, garlic scapes, cilantro, basil, and marjoram. Here are some of the recipes I used based on my bag. And if you still can’t use everything up, it’s always nice to share the goodness. Either give items away, think of ways to freeze or can, or trade with a friend who uses a different CSA so gets some different items. Just be sure to veg out while you can.
This is a great side dish as is, but I sometimes top with shredded Gruyere when ready to serve. I doubled the vinaigrette to use half as dressing on my salad greens for another meal. You can also toss the veggies with pasta and some scape pesto.
■1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
■1 tsp Dijon mustard
■2-3 scapes, finely chopped or 2 garlic cloves, minced
■1 tbsp fresh marjoram, finely chopped or 1 tsp herbs de Provence
■1 tsp kosher salt
■2 tbsp olive oil
■2 cup broccoli florets
■8 oz sliced mushrooms
■1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
■1 medium zucchini, cut into ¼ inch thick rounds
■1 medium yellow squash, cut into ¼ inch thick rounds
■1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
■1 red onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
■15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl whisk together balsamic vinegar, mustard, scapes or garlic, marjoram or herbs de Provence, and 1 teaspoon salt.
Whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil until well blended. In a large bowl add vegetables and pour over dressing; toss to evenly coat. Spread vegetables out in an even layer on sheet pan. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add cannellini beans, tossing the mixture. Roast an additional 15 minutes. Sprinkle with additional chopped marjoram to garnish.
The recipe calls for spinach but I substituted chard, and switched scapes for garlic. And I used marjoram and scapes in my marinara sauce. Scapes are milder than garlic, so use a little more.
■1 tsp olive oil
■2 loose cups baby spinach or chard, chopped
■3 cloves garlic or 3-4 scapes, chopped
⅓ cup chopped onion
⅓ cup chopped red bell pepper
■kosher salt
■course black pepper
■¾ cup ricotta cheese
■½ cup grated parmesan cheese
■1 large egg
■4 large basil leaves, chopped
■4 large portabella mushroom caps (Try to get ones with nice tall edges. If flat, the filling will run out.)
■½ cup marinara sauce
■½ cup shredded mozzarella
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with oil. Gently remove the stems, scoop out the gills and spray the tops of mushrooms with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat; add oil, onion, garlic or scapes, and red pepper. Season with salt. Cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add spinach or chard and sauté until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl add the ricotta, parmesan and egg and mix well. Add the cooked veggies and basil and mix. Stuff the mushrooms with ricotta mixture and top each with 2 tbsp marinara and 2 tbsp mozzarella. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh basil.
This is one of our summer favorites. I double the batch and freeze the extra. It’s perfect to pull out on days that it’s too hot to even think about cooking. Serve with baguette slices slathered with scape butter. Leftover butter is great on baked potatoes, to sauté veggies in, and to cook scrambled eggs in. If you have tomatoes to use up, you can certainly flash cook them and make your own juice. But this is meant to be a no cook, no heat the kitchen meal.
■46-ounce bottle vegetable juice (the spicy version if you want extra kick)
■12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
■1 cup loosely packed cilantro or parsley
■½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
■1 cup chopped cucumber
■½ cup banana pepper rings
■2 cloves garlic or 2-3 scapes, chopped
■3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
■2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Process half of vegetable juice and all other ingredients except olive oil in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in remaining vegetable juice and olive oil. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Garnish with chopped cucumber, basil or cilantro.
■3-4 garlic scapes, blossom and tough ends trimmed
■4 ounce unsalted butter, room temperature
■½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
■¼ tsp kosher salt
Mince the scapes. In small bowl combine the butter, scapes, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Will keep up to 10 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer.