Great Recipes using the Garden's Bounty

[me&thegals]

These were EZ! I used the extra batter to dip and fry chunks of banana peppers, and those were great, too! Extra special with salt and fresh lemon juice.

Eggplant FrittersLightyears restaurant, Spring Green, WI

cup flour, sifted
2 tablespoons fine cornmeal
3 tablespoons light vegetable oil (olive, canola, corn or soy)
teaspoon vinegar
cup water (about), room temperature
1 egg white
2 medium fresh eggplants, cut into -inch slices, peeled if desired (see note)
Fresh lemon juice for garnish
Lemon wedges for garnish
In large mixing bowl, place flour and meal. Add oil, vinegar and water and stir to a smooth, thin cream, adding more water if necessary. Cover bowl and let sit at least 1 hour, but not more than 2 hours.
When ready to fry, heat enough oil in deep-fryer or wok to cover eggplant to 365 degrees. Do not wait for the oil to smoke before adding eggplant.
Beat egg white into stiff peaks and fold into batter.
Dip eggplant slices in batter, coat well, then deep-fry in hot oil about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on scrunched paper towels, then place on platter. (Let oil return to proper temperature between batches.) Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve piping hot with lemon wedges. Makes 20 fritters, 4 to 5 servings.
Note: If eggplant is less than 100% fresh, place slices in a colander and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt and let sit and drain 1 hour. Rinse off salt and dry thoroughly.

 

[me&thegals]

Spicy Bean Salsaallrecipes.com--Also known as cowboy's caviar, this salsa is a hit everywhere I take it! Although it calls for canned ingredients, I always substitute in fresh instead. In this case, you might need to add a bit more salt for taste.

1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained (2 cups fresh)1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained (2 cups fresh)
1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

In a medium bowl, combine black-eyed peas, black beans, corn, onion, green bell pepper, jalapeno peppers and tomatoes. Season with Italian-style salad dressing and garlic salt; mix well. Cover, and refrigerate overnight to blend flavors.

 

[me&thegals]

This one sounds strange, but it is delicious! Even my meat-and-potatoes hubby loves it

Green Tomato Stewallrecipes.com
cup flour
salt and pepper
2 pounds chuck, cut into 1 pieces
3-4 T vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 small hot green pepper, seeded and minced
2 cups beef broth
4 medium-sized green tomatoes, sliced
4 ounces mild green chilies, drained and chopped
2 cups corn
chopped fresh parsley

Combine flour with 1 t salt and t pepper in bag. Coat beef pieces. Heat 2 T oil, brown beef, and drain. Repeat until finished. Add onion. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 min. Add garlic and hot green pepper; cook for 4 min. Return meat and sprinkle with 2 T of the reserved flour mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 min. Slowly stir in 1 cup broth, scraping bottom and sides of pot. Add tomatoes, mild chilies and remaining broth. Heat to boiling; cover and bake in oven at 350 x 1 hour (or stovetop), stirring occasionally. Stir in corn; cook about 1 hour longer. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with rice.

 

[me&thegals]

Butternut Squash Friesallrecipes.com
1 (2-pound) butternut squash, halved and seeded
salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Use a sharp knife to carefully cut away the peel from the squash. Cut the squash into sticks like French fries. Arrange squash pieces on a baking sheet and season with salt.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, turning the fries over halfway through baking. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and become crispy.

 

[ScottyG]

PASTA WITH SPICY SQUASH

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
about 1 1/2 pounds butternut or other winter squashpeeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tsp. thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound pasta, in small shapes like little shells
1/2 cup parmesan or romano cheese

DIRECTIONS

In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, onion and crushed red pepper and cook over moderately high heat until the garlic and onion are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and thyme, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Turn down to medium low, cover, and cook until the squash is tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook up the pasta. Drain it, reserving 1/2 cup or so of the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta and cooking water to the squash mixture in the skillet, then toss gently to combine. Turn off the heat, add the cheese, mix up and serve.

 

[me&thegals]

That sounds great, ScottyG! I will be trying that this winter and putting it in my recipe files