Vegetarian Pizza I

-Preheat your oven to 450°F.

-Chop up about 2 cups of summer squash (2-3 squash).

-Heat 1 TBS olive oil in heavy sauté pan over medium heat.

-Add the summer squash, dried red pepper flakes to taste and 2 cloves of garlic put through a garlic press.

-Sauté until vegetables are almost tender, about 5 minutes then remove from heat.

-Place a pizza crust on baking sheet.

-Spread ¾ cup mushroom pasta sauce or pizza sauce over the crust.

-Slice up 10-15 Kalamata olives.

-Spread the squash over the crust and top with 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese and the olives.

-Sprinkle with ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese.

-Bake pizza until cheese melts and crust is crisp, about 13 minutes.

-Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve.

Sweet-and-Sour Tofu with Summer Vegetables and Black Rice

From Vegetarian Suppers by Deborah Madison.

For the black rice, measure out 1½ cups black rice. Wash the rice in several changes of water.

-Drain the rice, then put it in a pot and add 2¼ cups water.

-Soak for 1 hour, then add a scant tsp of sea salt and bring to a boil.

-Turn the heat to low and cook for 35 minutes.

-Turn off heat and let the rice stand for 10 minutes to steam before removing the lid.

-Mix together the following:

2 TBS Balsamic vinegar

3 TBS tamari

A scant TBS light brown or maple sugar

½ tsp sea salt

-Chop up 2 slicing tomatoes or ½ pint cherry tomatoes so that you have 1 cup chopped tomatoes.

-Add the tomatoes to the vinegar mixture and set aside.

-Tip and tail several handfuls of green beans.

-Bring a large skillet of water to a boil, add some salt and the beans and cook until just tender/firm.

-Lift them out and rinse to stop the cooking.

-Chop 1 cube of firm tofu into cubes.

-Lower the heat on the skillet and add the tofu, cook for about 3 minutes, then remove to a plate.

-Empty the skillet and return it to the stove.

-Chop up the following:

1 TBS fresh ginger

1 onion or some summer leeks

1 large or 2 small summer squash

1-2 carrots and/or some bok choy

4 cloves of garlic

-Turn the heat on high under the pan and add 4 tsp roasted peanut oil.

-When the pan is hot, add the ginger and stir-fry 30 seconds.

-Then add the onion, carrot and summer squash and stir-fry about 5 minutes.

-Add the garlic, tomatoes, beans and sauce and then the tofu.

-Mix together ¾ cup stock or water and 1 tsp cornstarch and add it to the pan.

-Cook until bubbling and hot, then stir in some chopped cilantro. Serve with the black rice.

Summer Squash Cake with Ginger and Hazelnuts

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

-Sift together the following:

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

-Stir in 1¼ cups sugar.

-Grate enough summer squash so you have 1½ cups.

-In another bowl, whisk together the following:

2 large eggs

½ cup melted butter

⅓ cup orange juice

2 tsp orange zest

2 tsp peeled and grated ginger root

1 tsp vanilla extract

-Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the flour and stir until just combined.

-Fold in ½ cup chopped hazelnuts and the summer squash.

-Butter and flour a 8x8 square pan.

-Scrape the batter into the pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.

Ronde de Nice Squash and Carrot Fritters with Yogurt Dip

Summer Squash and Carrot Fritters with Yogurt Dip

-Grate 4 small carrots.

-Then grate 2 large Ronde de Nice summer squash.

-To make the batter for the fritters: in a large bowl, whisk together the following:

1 cup flour, more as needed

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp sea salt

-In a separate large bowl, whisk together the following

1 cup milk, more as needed

1 large egg

¼ tsp grated lemon zest

¼ tsp pepper

-Pour dry ingredients into wet; whisk until just blended, batter should be slightly thicker than cream. If it’s too thick, add some milk; if it’s too thin, sprinkle with additional flour.

-Stir in the carrots, zucchini and scallions.

-Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

-To make the yogurt dip: using a mortar and pestle or the back of a knife, mash together the 1 finely chopped garlic clove and ¼ tsp sea salt.

-In a small bowl, whisk together:

½ cup plain yogurt

1 TBS chopped mint or cilantro

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

The garlic/salt mixture

-Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

-Fill a wide saucepan with 1 inch of olive oil; heat until the temperature registers 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer (or until a small drip of batter browns immediately).

-Line a cookie sheet with paper towels.

-Working in batches, drop battered vegetables by the tablespoon into the oil, being sure not to overcrowd the pan.

-Fry, turning occasionally, until golden all over, about 3 to 4 minutes.

-Use a slotted spoon to transfer fritters to the cookie sheet to drain.

-Transfer fritters to a platter or plate; sprinkle with sea salt and serve with yogurt dip.