Raw Zucchini Spaghetti with Basil Walnut Pesto

I love zucchini!  It's one of my favorite summer veggies.  I have found that I prefer it raw because no matter how you prepare it, it retains it's crunch.  Lucky for me, my CSA, The Good Food Collective, provides me with an abundance of it!

To make zucchini noodles, you will need a spiral slicer.  There are many options for spiral slicers.  I have a World Cuisine Tri-Blade Spiral Vegetable Slicer.  It's a hand crank and was inexpensive.

SALAD

1 green zucchini

1 yellow zucchini

1 seedless cucumber (if desired)

Tomatoes (I use a variety of heirlooms to get the best flavor)

PESTO

2-3 large handfuls of fresh basil

3-5 large cloves of garlic (adjust to your liking)

1 handful of raw walnuts

Good quality olive oil (flavored olive oil works great!)

Up to1 tablespoon of sea salt

Wash the zucch and leave the skins on.

Cut off the ends and put it through the spiral slicer using the smallest noodle blade.  Put noodles in a non-reactive bowl and sprinkle with olive oil.  Dice the tomatoes and put them in with the zucch.

Put the basil, garlic, and walnuts in a food processor and chop.  When everything is chopped well, drizzle in olive oil until you are happy with the consistence of the pesto.  Add sea salt until the flavor is to your liking.  Mix in with the veggies and let sit on the counter for about 2 hours before serving. Stir frequently to release all the yummy juices!

Couscous Stuffed Peppers

This is one of those recipes that came about by trying to make a meal out of what was already in the house.   I

4 large bell peppers, any color (you can also use long Italian green or other large banana peppers)
1 box of organic couscous, rice, farro, quinoa, or any other small grain.  Any flavor is fine.
Fresh shelling peas-as amny as you like (you can use frozen if fresh are not available)
1 large carrot diced
1/2 of a large red onion
5 garlic scapes diced
1/2 of a small green zucchini diced
1/2 of a small yellow summer squash diced
1 fresh ear of corn on the cob (you can use frozen if fresh are not available)
1/8 cup red or yellow lentils

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions.

Cook the lentils in 1/2 cup of water until tender but not mushy.  Drain any remaining water.

Shell the peas, stip the corn off the cob, and dice the rest of the veggies.  ***Do not precook the corn!

Sautee' the veggies in good quality olive oil on medium high heat for 5-10 minutes.  Stir constantly to prevent burning.

When the couscous is done, add it to the veggies and mix well.  Turn off heat.

Cut off the tops of the peppers and scoop out the seeds.  You can keep the tops for little covers while they bake if you like.

Evenly distribute the couscous/veggie mixture between the peppers.  Put the tops back on and bake at 350 in a open pan for 20-30 minutes. 

 

 

###Please note that couscous is made from semolina, which is made from wheat. If you are intolerant to gluten, you can use a hardy red or brown rice.

Tomato Avocado Salad

I made this great salad today for dinner.  It was just enough for one.  Everything came from my garden except for the avocado.

1/2 Haas avocado diced
1 big handful of cherry tomatoes halved
1-2 cloves of garlic finely diced
12 fresh basil leaves finely chopped
The leaves of 5 stalks of fresh cilantro finely chopped
3 zucchini flowers chopped
3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste

Put everything in a bowl and mix together.  Let stand at room temp for about 15 minutes before eating to let all the flavors mingle.  You can refrigerate this but it tastes best at room temp.

Check out this recipe and a ton of others on Allergy Free Alaska