Tales from our Garden: Zucchini Fries with Herb Mayo

Year, after year zucchini seems to take over our garden. Before we even discover the zucchini growing it grows into ginormous sizes. 

I have began to run out of zucchini ideas so last week I decided to go with a classic.Whenever I think of zucchini I think of the breaded and crispy zucchini sticks that I used to order on my days off as staff at Camp Timberlane at the local Haliburton restaurant McKecks. This time, I went a little healthier than the deep fried ones from back in the day and decided to oven  bake them instead and instead of the creamy ranch dressing that used to come on the side I whipped up a herb mayo for dipping. These went great with a side salad and some barbequed sausages.

Zucchini Fries
Serves 4 as a side

• 2 green zucchini, or 1 large one cut into strips
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of flour
• 2 cups of italian bread crumbs
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil for drizzling

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the egg, flour and bread crumbs into separate bowls. Season each with some salt and pepper. Mix the garlic powder and paprika with the bread crumbs.
3. Dredge a strip of zucchini into the flour mixture, followed by the egg and then finally the breadcrumbs, place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining zucchini.
4. Drizzle the zucchini with some olive oil and place in the oven to bake. 
5. After 10 minutes, flip the zucchini over and place back in the oven for another 10-12 minutes or until the breading is golden and crispy and the zucchini is tender. 
6. Serve with some herb may for dipping. 
7. ENJOY!

Herb Mayo
Makes 1 cup

• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp. chives, chopped
• zest and juice of one lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients.
2. Season with salt and pepper and serve. 

Tales from our Garden: Kale and Carrot Slaw

Wow! It has been quite awhile since I posted. The past couple months have been crazy including renovations on our house which has kept me out of the kitchen. Things are back to normal now so regular posts should resume.

We now have some catching up to do.

Over the May long weekend we planted our garden for this year, this year it includes:
- four types of tomatoes (beefsteak, cherry, heirloom and san marzano)
- kale
- carrots
- green onions
- peas
- corn
- zucchini
- cucumber
- herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano)
- berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and red currants)

The past few weeks have brought us many delicious raspberries which I have been enjoying by the bowl full daily,

This past weekend, I attended a pot luck picnic and decided to pick my first bunch of kale and a carrot from the garden to make up a delicious and easy kale slaw. This salad is perfect for a BBQ or potluck as the kale is hearty enough to remain crisp and not get soggy after a few hours.

This recipe is the first of many of this season's Tales from our Garden, so enjoy!

Kale and Carrot Slaw
Serves 6-8 as a side dish

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. honey
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 bunch of kale, shredded
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 cup roasted sunflower seeds
• kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, honey and a pinch each of salt and pepper until combined. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking until the mixture is thick and emulsified. 
2. Toss the dressing with the kale, carrots and sunflower seeds. Season with some more salt and pepper and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving. 

Tales from our Garden: Fresh Tomato Sauce

Our garden definitely has no lack of tomatoes and because we are only two people I needed a way to use up a bunch before they all went bad so last week I decided to whip up some delicious fresh tomato sauce and finished it off with some fresh garden picked basil. I must say it was one of the best tomato sauces I have ever eaten.

Since making this batch a week a go we now have a fresh batch of picked tomatoes, two HUGE bowl fulls to be exact. This weekend I am going to make a super large batch of this sauce and freeze it in individual portions that way we can enjoy our fresh garden tomato sauce all year long.

Fresh Tomato Sauce
Makes about 2 cups of sauce

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 10 medium sized plum tomatoes, peeled (see how here) and chopped 
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh torn basil 

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the oil, onions and garlic and saute until softened and lightly golden.
2. Add in the tomatoes, lower the heat and let simmer for 30-45 minutes stirring occasionally until you have a nice thick tomato sauce
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste and finish with a good sprinkling of fresh torn basil.

Tales from our Garden: Zucchini Fritters

Jordan and I took advantage of this past holiday Monday and spent the day lazily lounging in our backyard enjoying the quiet and the beautiful weather.

Mid-afternoon I took a small break from the outdoors to fix us a quick lunch. On my way inside I picked a large zucchini and some parsley from our garden. I got inside and decided to whip up a quick batch of zucchini fritters (kind of like a potato latke but with zucchini instead of potato)

They were the perfect light lunch to enjoy outdoors with a nice cold glass of white wine. It was a perfect afternoon!

Zucchini Fritters (adapted from a recipe in Martha Stewart Living)
Makes about 6 large fritters

• 1 medium sized zucchini
• 1/4 of a Spanish onion
• 2 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
• 1 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 large egg
• the zest of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil for frying

1. Using the large side of a box grater, grate the zucchini and onion onto a large, clean tea towel. Squeeze any excess moisture out from the zucchini and onion using the towel and then empty out into a large mixing bowl.
2. Combine the zucchini and onion with the parsley, cheese, flour, egg, lemon zest and salt and pepper.
3. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once heated pour in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Spoon in mounds of the zucchini mixture, flattening with the back of the spoon.
4. Cook until crisp on both sides, about 2-3 minutes a side and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. 
5. Sprinkle with some sea salt and serve.

Tales from our Garden: Zucchini, Ricotta and Lemon Flatbread

Our zucchini is growing like crazy!!! Check out these gigantos:

This weekend I used up some zucchini in a zucchini-date loaf and last night I used up some more in a delicious and simple zucchini flat bread to accompany some pasta for dinner.

Zucchini Flatbread
Serves 4 as an accompaniment to a meal

•  1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 large clove of garlic, chopped 
• zest of 1 lemon
• small handful of parsley, chopped
• 1 store bought pizza or flat bread crust
• 1 green zucchini, sliced into rounds
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• drizzle of olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, garlic, lemon zest and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place the crust onto a baking sheet drizzled with olive oil. Spread the ricotta mixture onto the crust and top with the zucchini rounds and red onion.
4. Drizzle the flatbread with some more olive oil and place in the oven. Bake until the crust is golden and crisp and the cheese is bubbly, about 15 minutes.
5. Enjoy!

Fruity and Refreshing Ice Pops!!!

The other night I took my new Zoku Ice Pop Maker for a spin using some delicious raspberries from my garden. I made six ice pops in two different flavours, both featuring the freshly picked berries; Raspberry-Lime and Raspberry-Kiwi!

For the first flavour I prepared some homemade limeade. I combined 1/2 cup of water with 1/2 cup of sugar in a small saucepot to create a simple syrup. I placed the pot over medium-low heat and heated until the sugar was dissolved. I then combined the sugar mixture with 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice and 2 cups of ice cold water. Once I had my limeade prepared, I stuck some whole raspberries onto the wall of my ice pop maker, then proceeded to pour in my limeade and waited until they froze.

For the second flavour, I pureed 1 cup of raspberries with 1 sliced kiwi and 1 cup of water and about one Tbsp. of sugar (the amount of sugar will depend on the sweetness of your fruit).I then passed the puree through a strainer and let it chill. I then lined my ice pop maker with some freshly sliced kiwis before pouring in the fruit puree.

If you don't have one of these fantastic little gadgets, you can use traditional ice pop molds and wait for them to freeze overnight.

Look how pretty they look! They were also delicious and perfect for a warm summer night!

This new gadget is certainly helping me to get in my daily fruit servings and offers a healthier summer time snack then ice cream!!! I can't wait for the next round.....

Tales from our Garden: Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad

The time has come to finally pick some of the vegetables that we planted and I could not be more excited!

We planted three types of lettuce - Green Romaine, Red Romaine and Boston. All three are growing at a rapid pace so after researching on the internet I found out that I can pick some of the outer leaves of lettuce while the plants are still young and the plant will continue to grow. Yesterday, I headed out to the garden and plucked a bunch of leaves off of each of my Green Romaine plants.

The lettuce right before I picked it

When I think of Romaine lettuce I automatically think of Caesar salad so that is exactly what I made with my garden pickings.
 
Here is my recipe for Caesar salad. I like to roast the garlic for the dressing instead of using it raw. I love the sweetness of roasted garlic, and the fact that I don't have to chew a pack of gum after eating it.

Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad
Serves 4

• 1 head of garlic
• 1 egg (traditionally a coddled egg is used)
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. anchovy paste (can be replaced with 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce)
  
• 1/3 cup good quality olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• salt and freshly ground pepper
  
• 2 heads of romaine lettuce, ripped or cut into small pieces 
• homemade or store bought croutons
• 4 slices of bacon or pancetta, cooked until crisp and crumbled

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Follow my instructions on How-To: Roast Garlic.
3. In the bowl of a food processor  place the egg, lemon juice, Dijon and anchovy paste. Turn the machine on and slowly drizzle the olive oil through the feed tube until the mixture is thick and emulsified.
4. Turn the machine off and add in the parmesan cheese and the roasted garlic paste, pulse the machine until just combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. In a large salad bowl toss the lettuce, croutons and bacon with your desired amount of dressing.Top with some more Parmesan and serve.

*Tip: If you are worried about using a raw egg, or you just want to make the process quicker  you can replace the egg and olive oil with 3/4 cup of store bought mayonnaise (I love Hellman's Half the Fat). Simply stir the mayo together with the lemon juice, Dijon, anchovy paste/Worcestershire, parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper. 

Tales from our Garden

Welcome to the first edition of Tales from our Garden!

The past owners of our house were really into gardening and we were lucky to inherit their wonderfully landscaped backyard complete with beautiful flowers, plants and a great vegetable garden. Most vegetables are annuals and have to be replanted every year, so after a few long weeks researching on google, and a trip to a local nursery, we took advantage of the warm long weekend and got to work!

Here is picture of what we planted:

In the garden: Three types of tomatoes, two types of bell peppers, zucchini, cucumber, leeks, green onions, 4 types of lettuce, basil, sage, rosemary, parsley, thyme and strawberries!

In addition to what we planted, we were also pleasantly surprised to find a few perennial herbs and vegetables hidden around the garden:

We found this overgrown asparagus plant which was a great surprise since asparagus is one of my favourite vegetables. Did you know that asparagus can grow up to 5 ft?!?!

We also found beautiful herb plants like chives, mint and oregano.

Be sure to keep checking back as I will keep you updated on the progress of the vegetables as well as delicious recipes to accompany them!