Rotini & Veggie Skillet

I got this recipe from a Barilla Pasta box.  Luckily, I had most of the veggies on hand.  I made some substitutions:  I skipped the onion and yellow squash and used diced tomatoes instead of the cherry tomatoes.  It was delicious!

Rotini and Veggie Skillet
Prep time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

1 box Rotini pasta
4 Tbsp Olive oil
1 small Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 Bell pepper, chopped
1 medium Zucchini, diced
1 medium Yellow squash, diced
1 bunch Asparagus, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, halved
Salt and Pepper, to taste
4 leaves Basil, torn

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute onion for 3-4 minutes until translucent.

3. Add garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute.

4. Add bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash and asparagus and saute for 5 minutes.

5. Add tomatoes; season with salt and pepper and saute for 2 more minutes. 

6. Drain pasta and toss with the sauce and basil.

Veggie Scrambles

Disclaimer: This was originally a Frittata recipe.  However, I am not good at making frittata's on the stove (I prefer baking them), so this ended up being a veggie scramble.  Here is the original recipe:

Calico Pepper Frittata
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 spicy pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
(my addition) 1 medium tomato, seeded & chopped
(my addition) 3 okras, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
5 eggs
1 1/4 cup egg substitute
1 Tbsp grated Romano cheese (I substituted monterrey jack)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

In a large nonstick skillet, saute veggies and garlic in oil until crisp-tender.  In large bowl, whisk eggs & egg substitute.  Pour into the skillet.  Sprinkle with cheese, salt & pepper.

As the eggs set, lift edges, letting uncooked portion flow underneath (or in my case, just scramble the whole thing as it cooks).  Cook until eggs are completely set, about 8-10 minutes.  Cut into wedges (or serve as you would scrambled eggs).

This is a picture of another veggie scramble I made.  I simply stirred some eggs together with some of our garden vegetables and cooked it like I would scrambled eggs.  I served it with bacon and some leftover Italian bread I had from the Panzanella recipe. 

The frittata recipe is from Birds & Bloom Grow It Cook It (A to Z veggie guide plus 350+ tips for your BEST garden ever!!).  You have probably noticed by now that I love this magazine.  Every recipe I have made from it has been delicious (even when I have to adjust for my lack in cooking skills). 

Roasted Ratatouille

This roasted dish is definitely prettier than the other Ratatouille recipe, but we did not like it as much as the stove-top version.  My husband liked the red pepper flakes in this one, though.

Roasted Ratatouille

1 lb eggplant, diced and cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 1/2 lbs tomatoes, quartered
1/2 lb zucchini, diced into 1/2" cubes
1/2 lb yellow squash, diced into 1/2" cubes
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes or hot sauce (optional)
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and set aside in a colander to drain for at least 30 minutes.  Rinse, drain, and pat dry.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Saute the onion and garlic about 5 minutes (do not brown).  Add the bell pepper and continue to saute for another 5 minutes. 

4. Add the tomatoes and smash a bit with a spoon.  Stir in the diced eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, vinegar, sugar, and red pepper flakes, if desired.  Transfer the mixture to a baking pan and bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time, until the vegetables are browned just a bit on the edges.  Season with salt and pepper.

This recipe is from "The Cleaner Plate Club" cookbook: The Cleaner Plate Club: Raising Healthy Eaters One Meal at a Time.  I am encouraged by the concept of the book...cooking whole foods that the whole family can enjoy.  This was my second attempt at making a meal from the cookbook (first was a moderately good cucumber salad recipe), and I am hopeful that we will enjoy more of the recipes.

Egg & Veggie Scramble

This is another great way to use up vegetables and give your breakfast a healthy boost.

For each scramble:

2 eggs
2-3 Tbsp chopped veggies (I like tomatoes, bell peppers, & onions in mine)
1-2 Tbsp shredded cheese

Whisk the eggs, veggies & cheese in a small bowl.  Pour into greased pan and cook on medium heat until eggs are almost set.  Stir until eggs are to desired consistency.  Enjoy with your favorite breakfast sides...we like turkey bacon, cinnamon rolls, and fruit salad (below).

At Season's Peak:
Right now our local grocer has Golden-dew melon and Ranier cherries advertised as being at the peak flavor for the season.  I cut up the melon, halved and pitted the cherries, and combined them in a bowl along with some sliced strawberries and red grapes.  Yum!

Chicken & Vegetable Stir-fry

This is one of my go-to recipes when I need to use up vegetables.  It is super simple and very quick to make.  You can use whatever vegetables that you like in your stir-fry.  The stir-fry I made for the picture included green beans, bell peppers, onions, and celery.

Sesame Chicken & Vegetable Stir-fry (2-3 servings)

6-9 oz cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 lb vegetables of your choice, cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp low-sodium teriyaki sauce
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
Dash pepper
2-3 servings of cooked rice

I usually prepare the rice and allow it to cook while I am chopping the vegetables and cooking the stir-fry.

Preheat oil in a 12" saute pan or wok.  Saute the chicken and vegetables for 5 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook 1-2 more minutes.

The recipe can be doubled or tripled (or as much as your saute pan or wok will allow).

Serve over rice.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille is not a pretty dish.  What it lacks in beauty, though, it more than makes up for in taste...especially when you use fresh local produce.  Here is a pic of the vegetable ingredients:

Look at all those vibrant colors.  Just like in painting, if you mix all those colors you get brown.  Cooked up it looks like this:

And it is delicious!

I serve it over rice, so the first thing I do is make enough rice servings for my family.  By the time the rice is done, so is the Ratatouille.

Ratatouille (6 servings)

1 medium eggplant (1 - 1 1/2 lbs)

2 small zucchini (1/2 lb)

1 medium green pepper, chopped (1 cup)

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

2 medium tomatoes, cut into fourths

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Wash eggplant and peel (if desired).  Cut in half inch cubes.  Boil 5-8 minutes or until tender.

Wash zucchini.  Remove stem and blossom ends but do not peel.  Cut in half inch cubes.  Boil 3-6 minutes.

Cook eggplant, zucchini and remaining ingredients in 12" skillet over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender.

Serve over rice.