zucchini

Tomato Basil Farro Risotto

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup farro
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups boiling water
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Add-in
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 cup grated zucchini
1/4 cup basil leaves, minced

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat until shimmering hot. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, 3-4 minutes.
2. Pulse the farro in a blender until about half of the grains are broken into smaller pieces. Add the farro and garlic to the pot and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the water. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the farro is still chewy about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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4. While farro cooks, toss the Add-in ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.
5. Uncover, increase the heat to medium-high, and stir constantly until the farro is creamy and tender, about 5 minutes. If it’s still too chewy, add 1/2 cup of boiling water and continue stirring until thender, about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the parmesan and the tomato basil mixture from step 4. Season with up to 1/2 tsp. of salt and pepper to taste.

Easy No-Bake Veggie Lasagna

• 4-6 large zucchini
• 1 bunch kale
• 3-4 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 tsp sea salt
• Your favorite tomato sauce
• Shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese

Remove stems from kale leaves with a knife or tear the leaves from the stems. Blend kale leaves with lemon juice and salt in the food processor. Let marinate to soften, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel zucchini. Using a mandolin or peeler, slice zucchini into long strips lengthwise. When you reach the seeds, do the other side (no seeds in the slices; save these bits for another recipe). In a square pan, layer slightly overlapping slices of zucchini to cover the bottom (cut slices to fit pan as needed). You can add a second layer of zucchini “lasagna noodles,” if you like. Spoon tomato sauce over the zucchini noodles. Next, add a layer of marinated kale, then top with a layer of shredded cheese. Cover with a layer of overlapping zucchini slices. Repeat this process a second or third time (sauce, kale and cheese then zucchini slices). Top with a final layer of tomato sauce. Serve or refrigerate before serving. Cut into square pieces and lift out with a spatula.

Tip: if you find your lasagna falls apart too easily, line your square pan with parchment paper first before making the lasagna. Refrigerate to set. Gently lift out the lasagna (with the parchment paper) onto a serving plate and slice into squares before serving. Gently pushing down on each layer while making the lasagna will also help, as will making sure the tomato sauce you use is thick and not on the runny side.

Variation: sprinkle nutritional yeast on the top layer of tomato sauce.
Variation: Add in 1/3-1/2 cup nutritional yeast to your tomato sauce to give it a cheesy feel.
Variation: Use spinach instead of kale or use a combination of spinach/kale.
Variation: Use your favorite nut paté instead of the cheese.

Note: We tried this last night and while there might need to be some tweaking of the directions, it was quite delicious. I wasn’t entirely satisfied with how blending the kale with lemon juice worked out. Doing it in the food processor might have been more successful and I’ll try that next time. Also, a mandolin or some such is necessary to make the noodles. Mine works well, but it’s protective hand guard isn’t shaped quite right for zucchini, so I’ll have to figure out a better way (it was the first time I used it, so practice may be all that is necessary).

Week of 10/5

There’s still some zucchini, though it is producing less and less. I’m guessing we still have a week or two left. We have plenty of tomatoes, beefsteak, salad, and cherry. Swiss chard is going strong and the watermelons continue to ripen. The kale that I planted last month is growing well, and should be ready for harvest in a couple of weeks. We are now officially out of garlic.

Week of 9/28

Watermelons! I’ve been testing them for the last 2 weeks and I think this week they will be ready. I’ve also got some hardy kiwifruit. It needs to sit on the counter for as much as a week to finish ripening. You’ll know they are ready when the skin just begins to turn leathery and they give a little under pressure; when they are really soft, they’ve gotten a little too ripe, but are still edible. They aren’t terribly pretty, but they taste wonderful and are packed with vitamins! No need to peel them, you can eat them as is, skin and all.

We also still have plenty of tomatoes, both cherry and beefsteak heirlooms, and swiss chard. I’m harvesting fewer and fewer zucchinis, but we still have some. Garlic is still available, but we are getting close to the bottom of the barrel.