Teriyaki Kabobs With Coconut Rice

Kabob Ingredients: 10-12 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes. One recipe for Teriyaki Marinade and Stir-Fry Sauce 1 Tbs corn starch 1 lb extra-firm tofu, beef, shrimp, scallops, or boneless chicken 1 medium squash or zucchini 1 or 2 sweet or hot peppers About two dozen cherry tomatoes 1 onion Fresh basil or cilantro (optional)

Coconut Rice Ingredients: (Adapted from Steamy Kitchen) 1 Tbs canola or peanut oil 1 Tbs local honey 1 tsp sea salt 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed and drained 1 can unsweetened first-pressed coconut milk (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 1/2 cups water 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Method: Prepare the Teriyaki Marinade, refrigerate.  If using tofu, press well to remove liquid. Cut the tofu, beef or chicken into 1-inch pieces.  Place in a bowl with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the teriyaki marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to one day.  With the remaining teriyaki sauce, warm in a saucepan on medium heat.  Place 1 Tbs corn starch in a jug with 3-4 tbs water and mix well.  Just before the marinade begins to boil, stir in the corn starch and water.  Continue stirring until it thickens.  Remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare the coconut rice, heat oil, honey and salt in a medium to large sized saucepan on medium heat.  Stir and cook until the mixture begins to bubble. Turn heat to high and add the rinsed and drained rice to the pan.  Stir until coated well with the oil and honey mixture.  Add the coconut milk and water.  Continue to stir until the coconut milk is blended and smooth. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until you can just see the rice under the surface of the liquid. Cover with a tight fitting lid and set a timer for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, remove from heat, but do not open the lid.  Let rest for 10 minutes.  Toast coconut flakes in a dry skillet on medium to medium-high heat.  Stir frequently to avoid burning. It should take a couple of minutes.  Remove from the pan when it is golden brown. Set aside.

Assembling the kabobs can take some time if you don't have help, so you may want to do this step ahead of time.  When they are assembled you can place them in a sealed plastic storage bag or a covered casserole dish and refrigerate until you are ready to grill. To prepare the ingredients, cut the squash, peppers and onion into 1-inch pieces, or 1/4 inch ribbons for creative layering. Assemble the vegetables and meat/tofu onto the soaked skewers.  Brush with a little oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  When your barbecue is hot, place the kabobs on the grill, turning 1/4 turn every 3-5 minutes, or when the vegetables have blistered. If using chicken, shrimp or scallops, check to ensure it is cooked through before removing from the grill.  Place in a flat-bottomed dish and cover with the thickened teriyaki sauce.

When the rice is finished, sprinkle toasted coconut over each serving of rice, place kabobs on top, and garnish with basil or cilantro.

Squash Fritter Pizzas

First of all, I have to thank CSA member Katie Pridemore for sharing her version of this recipe on the Signal Mountain Farm Facebook page.  Hers was the inspiration for this post and a link to her recipe is posted at the bottom half of this page. I played around with the idea of using a non-dairy version of a squash fritter for the crust, and after testing several cooking methods, was decidedly in favor of a pan-fried, individual sized "pizza."  The squash crust is delicious made with cheese, but if you are looking for a dairy free, or lower saturated fat base for your toppings, this one is perfect.  With the addition of lentils, the fritters become a filling meal all by themselves. Topping the crispy goodness with pesto, fresh mozzarella, marinated tomatoes and fresh basil make the whole combination positively sublime. This recipe makes about eight 7-inch pizza bases.

Squash fritter ingredients: 4 cups squash or zucchini, grated 1 cup dry red lentils 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup canola, olive or peanut oil 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 3 medium farm-fresh eggs Sea salt & black pepper to taste More oil for frying

Method: Grate the squash or zucchini or shred in a food processor.  Put the grated squash in a colander and salt well.  Let stand for at least one hour.  Meanwhile, place the dry lentils in a medium sized bowl with two to three cups of boiling water.  Cover and let stand for one hour, or until they have absorbed most of the water.  Once the lentils have soaked up most of the moisture, drain, then place in a blender or food processor and pulse until they are mostly ground up.

To wring the moisture out of the squash, you can use cheesecloth or several layers of strong paper towels.   If you use cheesecloth, there is a good illustrative photograph on the Smitten Kitchen post for zucchini fritters. I used two layers of Viva paper towels (about 2 1/2 feet long).  Spread the squash evenly over the length of the paper towels, then begin rolling from one end.  While holding the rolled bundle of squash and paper towels (or cheesecloth) over the sink, gently squeeze until most of the moisture is extracted.  When you unroll the bundle, most of the squash should clump together and separate easily from the paper towel.  Place the squash in a large bowl with the chopped onion, ground lentils, oil, flour, baking powder, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients together.

Coat the bottom of a skillet with oil and heat the pan on medium to medium-high heat. The batter can be fried by the spoonful for an appetizer or snack-sized fritter. To make a small pizza base, use 1/2 cup of batter.  After pouring into the heated skillet, press gently with a fork to spread it evenly to about 1/4 -1/2 inch thick.  Let cook until it gets crispy and browned, then flip quickly with a wide spatula. Let brown on the other side, then remove from the pan and place on paper towel to blot the oil.

Top the pizzas with your favorite toppings and place on a baking sheet or stone.  For a toaster oven, put it on the "toast" setting (425 degrees) or broil in a conventional oven.  Cook until the cheese is melted and the toppings are hot.

If you want to try the cheesy version of the crust without lentils, try Katie's Squash Pizza Crust, borrowed from Allrecipes.com (She topped the squash crust with sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves and dried herbs.)

Optional toppings to prepare in advance: Marinated Tomatoes Pumpkin Seed Pesto Oven roasted peppers and tomatoes

Other topping ideas: Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced Artichoke hearts Kalamata olives Fresh spinach

Ploughman's Lunch

It's a fitting lunchtime meal for today, maybe because eight million people are tuned to the games in London, with a few pondering about how nice it would be to nip out for a quick pint and a ploughman's lunch at the corner pub.  Or perhaps it's because it's August and the relentless heat of southern summer has us all wanting raw veggies and simple food.  Whatever the reason, it is delightfully appetizing to stare at a plate of crisp, farm-fresh organic yellow zucchini, purple peppers, banana peppers and cherry tomatoes.  Add some good cheese, homemade pickle (or Branston if you are British) and a good crusty bread like the Niedlov's brochen, and you are in for a fantastic lunch!

Grilled Squash "Slaw" with Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes

Ingredients: 3 medium or 2 large zephyr squash 2 sweet peppers, any variety 1 yellow onion Oil Salt & pepper Fresh basil leaves, sliced (optional) 1 cup Marinated Tomatoes with liquid

Method: Slice peppers in half and remove seeds and stem.  Remove stems from the squash and slice in half lengthwise. Cut the onion in half.  Lightly brush the vegetables with oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  When your barbecue is very hot, place the vegetables on the grill cut side down.  Leave them there for 5-10 minutes, or until they begin to sweat and the cut sides have dark brown marks from the grill.  If you like softer veggies, you can turn them over and cook both sides.  When they are done, remove from the heat and let them rest until they are cool enough to handle.  Slice thinly or julienne the vegetables.  Add the sliced basil leaves (if desired) and more salt and pepper to taste.  Toss the vegetables with diced marinated tomatoes, adding some of the marinating liquid.  Serve warm or cold.

Blueberry Apple Crumble

This is an English-style recipe that is not as sweet as traditional American desserts, so if you have a sweet-tooth you may want to adjust the sugar to your taste.  Also, in many parts of the world, fresh cream or custard is poured over desserts as a sort of "gravy" to add richness and moisture.  If you prefer ice-cream or whipped cream that has been sweetened or flavored, they can also be a delicious compliment to this dish.

Ingredients: 1 pint of fresh blueberries, washed and stems removed 1 crisp apple, chopped into large chunks 1 tsp vanilla extract zest from 1/2 lemon 1 Tbs sucanat or brown sugar 1 Tbs flour (optional)

Crumble Topping: 1 cup oats 1/2 cup ground pecans 1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1/2 stick (2 oz) butter

Method: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the dry ingredients for the crumble topping. With your hands, rub the butter into the oat mixture until it resembles bread crumbs.  In a separate bowl, mix together the blueberries, apple, vanilla, lemon zest, 1 tbs sucanat and 1 tbs flour (if desired).  Place in a deep oven-proof baking dish (bowl or oval shaped is preferable).  Cover with the crumble topping and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Let rest for about 15 minutes before serving.  Pour a little cream or custard over the top before serving.