Savoury Scones

I have heaps of courgette frim the garden.  I'm thinking of every way to work it into my cooking.  These savoury scones pack in garden-fresh zucchini. Normally, I don't like fake food.  But, Daiya has a fairly good imitation cheese.  Adding a bit to this dish adds a nice flavour.

Using the ratio recipe found in the Ratio Cookbook, I use 300g spelt-wheat flour blend, 100g coconut oil and 200g almond milk.  And, baking powder. To make it savoury, smoky and flavourful, I use: smoky paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and an extra bit of salt.

In a food processor, add the flour, baking powder and solid coconut oil.  Blend until crumbly.  Then, add in the almond milk, spices, salt, "cheese," and grated zucchini.  I also added chopped onion and tarragon.

Blitz a few seconds - just until the ingredients are mixed.  Any more mixing and it'll make a tough a tough scone (and it would completely smash up the zucchini).

Gather the dough and press into a parchment lined baking round.  Bake at 180˚C (350˚F) until the tops are golden brown.

Serve warm, garnished with a bit of "cheese" and chives.

Fresh Courgetti Salad

I just got a Spiralizer! I love it.  Here's a light and flavourful dish using summer squash from the garden.

Start with a couple medium sized courgettes (zucchini) and run through the small spiralizer blades.  Halve, or quarter, a dozen cherry tomatoes.  Dice half of a small red onion.  Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and season with salt.  Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the mixture and toss lightly.

Garnish with fresh herbs: parsley, tarragon and basil.

Confit byaldi - Variation on Ratatouille

My favourite vegan french dish: Ratatouille!  It's also one of my favourite dished because I grow all the vegetables in my garden.

First, slice the squash, zucchini and eggplant.  Then, dice and fry in olive oil; the peppers, tomatoes, shallots and onions.  Once the onions and peppers are softened, spoon the mixture in a baking dish.  I chose to use small oven-safe dishes but really any baking dish will work.

Then, layer the sliced vegetables in an overlapping, alternating pattern.  Be sure to cover the entire baking dish.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top.

Wrap, or cover, the baking dishes with parchment paper (not wax paper).  This keeps the vegetables from drying out in the oven.  Bake at 350F for about an hour.  Remove from the over, let cool and refrigerate over night.

The next day, remove the parchment and cover the top with tomato sauce.  Admittedly, I used tinned tomato paste with fresh sauteed vegetables to make the top sauce.  I had only green tomatoes and those don't make an attractive sauce.

Return the sauce covered ratatouille to the oven for ~15 minutes to reheat.  Serve while it's still hot.  It's amazing on its own, but also goes well with rice and salad.

Grilled Courgette with Spaghetti and Vegan Cream Sauce

Fresh from the garden grilled zucchini snuggling a nest of spaghetti.

First, cut strips of, and grill, the zucchini.  Not too long on the grill - just hot and fast.  Be sure to take the nice even strips from the middle of the zucchini.

Hack up the remainder of the zucchini and add whatever else you've got: a few green beans, tomatoes, onions, peppers.  Caramelize over medium-high heat with a bit of olive oil and salt.

Deglaze the pan with water and allow the mixture to cool slightly.  Then add soaked walnuts and the veg mixture to the blender and puree until creamy.  Season to taste.

Arrange the plate with the cream sauce as a base, followed by spaghetti (seasoned with salt and olive oil) and wrap with the grilled courgettes.