End of Summer Vegetable Bake

My favorite vegetable dish...ever.






1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
1 bunch of broccoli, broken into florets
1 Tb butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
4 eggs
1/3 cup half and half
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese, divided

• Cook cauliflower and broccoli in a small amount of water until crisp-tender (8-10 min.)  Drain.
• In large skillet, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender.  Stir in tomatoes, seasonings, cauliflower and broccoli.  Cook, uncovered until heated through (about 4 min.) stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, beat eggs and half and half.  Stir in 1 cup of Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese and vegetable mixture.
• Transfer to a greased 2 qt. baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining Swiss cheese and bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1 bag of frozen corn, thawed under running water
a can of black beans
1 avocado, diced
three or four tomatoes, diced
a bunch of cilantro, diced
a packet of Italian seasoning dressing
the juice of a lime
a bunch of green onions, sliced
1-2 jalapeños, diced (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate or serve immediately.

White Gravy

My dad made this gravy last night and it is delicious!  It would be great not only on potatoes but also over chicken or with biscuits.





4 cups milk
1 cup of half and half
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup chives, diced
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tb salt - to taste
1 Tb pepper
a pinch of sage

• In a large saucepan cook onions, chives and garlic in the butter until onions are translucent.
• Add flour and stir for a minute.  Quickly whisk in milk and half and half.  Add sage, salt and pepper.
• Stir the gravy constantly until it becomes thick and creamy.

Summer Squash Casserole

This recipe is a modified version of Paula Dean's recipe on Food Network.  It's good!

6 summer squash/ zucchini

1 cup onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

2 Tb butter

2 slices white bread

1 medium bowl ice water

1 egg

Salt and pepper

1 cup cracker crumbs, or enough to cover casserole

Parmesan cheese

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Peel and cut squash into cubes. Boil until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes, and drain.
• Brown onion, garlic, and basil in 2 tablespoons butter seasoned with salt and pepper. Soak bread in ice water and wring out; chop fine. Add to onion and garlic mixture; cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add drained squash and stir. Remove from heat. Beat egg and add, allowing it to absorb into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
• Place in casserole dish or baking pan. Cover top with cracker crumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crumbs brown.

Note: You can refrigerate this dish for up to 2 days before baking, but you should add the bread crumb topping right before you bake.

No-Fry French Fries

2 medium potatoes
1/4 cup Italian reduced fat Dressing
1/4 cup Parmesan grated topping

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash potatoes and pat dry. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch thick strips.
• Transfer to a large plastic bag and pour Italian dressing and Parmesan into the bag. Toss well.
• Arrange potatoes in a single layer on 2 large baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray. Spray fries again with spray.
• Bake for 12 minutes. Turn fries with a spatula. Continue baking and turn every 10 minutes. (I ended up cooking my fries for 30 minutes.)

Pear Cranberry Sauce

I think the flavors of the cranberry and lemon blend well in this sauce.  The honey and pear also give it a nice flavor without being overly sweet.




1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 (12 oz) bag fresh cranberries
1 cup honey

4-5 pears -peeled, cored and diced
1 Tb lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest

• In saucepan, stir water and sugar over medium high heat until boiling. Stir in pears and reduce heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add cranberries and honey. Continue to cook until cranberries pop and mixture thickens.
• Remove from heat and add lemon juice and zest. Cool to room temperature. This can be refrigerated for up to a week and freezes well.

*For a sweet cranberry sauce:

Combine in a saucepan, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries and one small box of raspberry jello.  Cook over medium heat until cranberries pop open.  Cool and refrigerate.

Salsa

This is my favorite salsa. I can eat a whole batch of it if I'm not careful. It has just the right amount of kick to it. Even my kids, who have a hard time with vegis or spice like it.

8 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
1 Anaheim pepper, chopped
7-10 green onions, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp dried cumin
1 Tb salt
2 Tb brown sugar
1/2 cup chili vinegar *


Mix all ingredients together, or blend in the blender until desired consistency. Refrigerate.

* To make chili vinegar, buy red wine vinegar and empty it into a bowl. Stuff as many small, dried, red chilies into the bottle as you can. Replace the vinegar and let the bottle sit for at least 2 weeks.