What to Pick Up at the Market This Weekend, Summer Squash!

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It’s time for summer squash and you can find many varieties at the local Farmer’s Market! Squash and Zucchini have a taste and texture that can be adapted to many different types of recipes, from traditional Southern to Italian or Greek Style. No matter the way you like to eat and prepare your squash, this spring and summer veggie packs a load of health benefits.

Squash is low in calories, only about 36 calories in a cup, and yellow squash is said to be a brilliant source for Vitamin C, A, and Magnesium, great for eye health too! Much research shows that squash provides antioxidants that aid in the prevention of cancer as well as promoting heart and colon health!

Farmers Market Summer Pasta Salad

Ingredients

  • 12 oz whole wheat orzo pasta
  • 2 medium fresh tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 medium summer squash, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 medium zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 medium head of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
  • ½ medium red onion, sliced thin
  • 15 oz jar roasted red peppers (⅔ jar) ($1.34)
  • ½ bunch parsley, optional

Dressing

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and boil for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Drain in a colander.
  2. While the pasta is cooling, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, oregano, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
  3. Combine the cooked pasta, chopped vegetables, and vinaigrette. Stir until everything is well mixed and coated with vinaigrette. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

Note:  This could be also done easily with a Greek dressing and sprinkled Feta cheese

 

Grilled Summer Squash

Ingredients

  • 4 yellow summer squash, washed thoroughly and sliced into thin strips
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • sea salt
  • pepper

Directions

  1. Brush slices of squash with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper
  2. Place directly on the grill grate, of a hot grill.
  3. Grill 4 minutes on each side, until soft and slightly charred, sometimes I like to grill mine a tad longer. Serve warm.

Note:  For a little extra added flavor, sprinkle on some Dry Ranch dressing mix, or Dry Italian Dressing mix

 

No Crust Summer Squash and Sweet Corn Pie

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • Half of a yellow onion, diced
  • 2 ears sweet corn
  • 2-3 yellow squash, sliced very thin, (you may use zucchini or a combination of the two) 4 cups
  • 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 12 ounces shredded cheese (I used both Mozzarella and Swiss)
  • 4 eggs, beaten

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Heat the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, squash, and mushrooms. While the veggies sauté, cut the corn kernels off the cob. Add them to the pan and continue to sauté until the veggies are soft, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.
  2. Once the mixture has cooled for a few minutes, stir in the basil, oregano, salt, cheese, and the beaten egg. Line a pie pan (9-inch or larger) with parchment paper or just grease a pan with nonstick spray. Transfer the mixture to the pan. Arrange the top so the zucchini slices lay flat and look nice. Top with a little extra cheese for looks, cover with greased foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes to brown the top. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting into slices.

 

Summer Squash Tacos

Ingredients

  • 4 medium summer squash, cut in half lengthwise
  • ½ cup salsa
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey (or lean ground beef if you prefer)
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, low sodium
  • ½ small onion, chopped fine
  • ¼ cup bell pepper, chopped fine
  • 4 oz can tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ cup reduced-fat Mexican blend shredded cheese
  • ¼ cup chopped scallions or cilantro, for topping

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds of the squash, reserving ¾ cup and storing the rest for later use.
  2. Place the squash in the boiling water for 1 minute, then place on a paper towel to drain.
  3. Spoon ¼ cup salsa into the bottom of a large baking dish and arrange squash face up. Set aside.
  4. Brown turkey, (or beef) in a large skillet until no longer pink. Add seasoning, onion, pepper, ¾ cup reserved chopped squash, tomato sauce, and water and stir to combine. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
  5. Fill each squash boat with the turkey mixture, then top with cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes or until squash is soft and cheese is melted. Garnish and serve with salsa.

Spicy Easy Pickled Squash

Ingredients

  • 9 sprigs fresh cilantro
  • 3 large cloves garlic, halved
  • 3 tsp. mixed peppercorns
  • 3 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1½ lbs. yellow squash and zucchini, sliced into thin rounds.
  • ⅓ c. thinly sliced sweet onion
  • 1¼ c. apple cider vinegar
  • 1¼ c. water
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2½ T. honey

Directions

  1. In a large glass jar or bowl that holds about 2 quarts, add the cilantro, garlic, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, zucchini, and onion. Set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring vinegar, water, salt, and honey to a boil. Pour hot mixture over contents in the jar, pressing down on the vegetables so that brine covers them completely. Let cool on the counter to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or 2 days for maximum flavor. Keeps in refrigerator for 2 months.

Lightly Sautéed Squash and Onions

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 large or 2 small sweet onions, chopped or sliced
  • 2 medium zucchini, chopped or sliced
  • 3 yellow squash, chopped or sliced
  • 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic (do not drain)
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, (I use dry Italian dressing mix, or sometimes a dash of Soy Sauce, low sodium)

Directions

  1. Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted, add the chopped onions and sauté until crisp tender and starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the squash, zucchini, tomatoes with juice, pepper, salt, and seasoning.
  3. Heat until boiling. Cover and cook over medium-low until the squash is crisp tender but not falling apart. Remove the lid and boil until some of the liquid is evaporated.
  4. The “true” Southern way to cook this is to really cook it down, so can do that or just sauté it until it is more “crisp tender.”