Day 26 - Squash and Bulger salad

Bulgur is an ancient grain.  In fact, making wheat into bulgur is an ancient process that riginated in the Mediterranean region and has been an integral part of Middle Eastern cuisine for thousands of years. It is described as man's first "processed food." In approximately 2,800 B.C., the Chinese emperor Shen Nung declared it one of five sacred crops along with rice, millet, barley and soybeans. Biblical references indicate it was prepared by ancient Babylonians, Hittites and Hebrew populations some 4,000 years ago, and Arab, Israeli, Egyptian, and Roman civilizations record eating dried cooked wheat as early as 1,000 B.C. (see http://www.sunnylandmills.com/bulgur_wheat_history.shtml for additional details about Bulgur).

Heat and humidity…the enemy of appetite.  This is a very light salad, that is easy to make and very delicious.  I chose bulgur because I wanted a "good" carb.  The dressing, just lemon juice and olive oil gives this salad a very tabbouleh like taste. I added a few elements to bulk it up a little bit, but the goal was to beat the heat.  All in all, a good summer alternative.

Squash and Bulgur Salad

1 cup Bulgur
1 1/2 cups boiling water

2 medium squash
1 ripe tomato
1 cucumber
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 lemon
2 T Olive Oil
pinch of salt

Mix the Bulgur with the boiling water.  Set aside to cool.  Once the bulgur is completely cool, start the rest of the salad.

Peel and take the seeds out of the cucumber.  Cut the cucumber, squash and tomato into 1/4 inch pieces.  Add the vegetables to the cooled bulgur.   Slice the olives, chop the parsley.  Add them to the salad.

For the dressing, juice the lemon directly into the salad.  Take care not to let any seeds get into the mix. Slowly add the olive oil and mix everything very well.  Taste and add salt to taste.  Set in the fridge and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

This salad actually gets better with time.  For variety, you can add red pepper, feta cheese, use halved cheery tomatoes, or add in a little green onion.  Serve this as a side dish, or with a little pita bread.

Reviews:  Well liked by everyone.  A hit all around.

Day 25 - Squash and Black Bean Saute

My kids love Tacos.  Hard shell, soft shell, beef, chicken, fish, or veggie…It really doesn't matter to them.  It can be difficult to create a variety of side dishes to go with the tacos.  Canned refried beans are ok, but canned beans can be boring after a while.  Same with Mexican Rice.  Complicating things is this crazy squash thing.

Black beans are a staple in Central and South America.  My take on creating an appropriate side dish for tacos adds potato, corn and squash to the beans.  It is simple, and will compliment any taco filling you choose.  Tonight I chose beef tacos and soft shells.

Squash and Black Bean Saute

3 medium squash (yellow or green)
2 medium potatoes
1 14 oz can of black beans
2 green onions
2 T fresh cilantro
1 T Olive Oil
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 cup water

Cut the Squash and Potatoes into a large dice.  Chop the green onion into 1/4 inch slices.  Chop the cilantro into a fine chop.

Heat the pan over medium heat.  Add the cumin and cook for three to five minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove the cumin and set aside.  If you have a spice grinder, and feel like grinding to cumin, do so.  If you want, leave it whole.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan.  Add the potato and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the potato just begins to soften.  Add the squash, cilantro and green onion and cook for 3-5 additional minutes.  Add the cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir well to coat the vegetables.  Add the black beans and a little of the water.  Stir well.  Let the mixture stew for 15 to 20 minutes or until the veggies are really tender and the flavors are well mixed.  If the mix gets dry, add more water.  You want it to be a little soupy.

Reviews:  The 8 year old would try it.  The 15 year old did not like it. The 18 year old and Becca enjoyed this.

Day 24 - Thai Squash

First and foremost, happy birthday to my lovely wife.  It is always nice having a weekend birthday.  We spent the day running around as a family.  Mostly we just ran errands, but I thought it was still a nice day.  When we have family birthdays, I try to make sure that I cook a special meal. For her birthday dinner, I made cedar plank grilled salmon, rice, a peach/blackberry crisp for dessert, and of course, squash.

I wanted to do something a little different tonight. Sautes, bakes and salads have been running together. This recipe is adopted from one of the Moosewood books.  I've tweaked it quite a bit to lower the fat content, and added a couple of ingredients that I thought would add flavor.  We had some friends and their teenage daughter over, opened a very nice Kosta Browne 2008 RRV Pinot and ate a delicious meal with wonderful company.  It was, I hope a very nice birthday meal for Becca.

Thai Squash

4 medium summer squash, diced (1/2 inch dice) about 6 cups
1 tsp Turmeric
1 Thai chili pepper chopped very fine (optional, for more heat, include the seeds, for less heat, remove the seeds)
4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
2 T fresh mint, well chopped
2 T fresh basil, well chopped
2 T fresh cilantro, well chopped
1 14 oz can of light coconut milk
juice from 1 lime
2 T olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan.  When hot, add the squash. Cook until the squash just begins to soften.  Add the Turmeric and garlic and Thai chili.  Mix well.  Everything should start to turn very yellow from the Turmeric.  Cook for a minute or two more and add the lime juice.  Stir to incorporate, and ad the mint, cilantro and basil.  Mix very well.  Add the coconut milk.  Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 −15 minutes, or until the squash is fully cooked.

Each 1/2 cup serving is 2 weight watcher points plus.

Reviews:  I actually managed to get my 8 year old to try a single piece.  She liked it, but wouldn't eat more.  The teenagers and adults like this a lot.  I found it to be light, and really yummy.

Day 23 - Moroccan Squash

You didn't think that they had Squash in Moracco, did you?  Well, they do, and it is delicious.  This is a first for me.  I had a reader post a response with one of her favorite squash recipes.  As promised, I made her recipe, and am posting it in full along with responses from my family.   If you post, I will do my best to make your recipe. So a big shout out to Susan, thanks for reading and for responding.  It makes me feel sooooo popular!  Like one of the cool kids at school.

This recipe continues my dive into how squash and chick peas interact.  Though very different from the salad that I posted earlier, once again, from both a taste and texture perspective, squash and chick peas are really very good friends.  So here it is, Moroccan Squash.

Moroccan Squash 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion sliced very thin

5 or 6 cloves of garlic sliced very thin

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 medium squash (I used a mix of yellow and green) cut into quarters and 1/2 inch slices

1 cup tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)

1 14 oz. can chickpeas drained

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1 cups water

In a heavy bottom saute pan, heat the olive oil. Stir in the onion and cook for 6-8 minutes or until they start to brown.  Add the squash and continue to cook until the squash start to brown. Stir in spices and cook until aroma is released. Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute or two.  Add enough water (at least a half cup, more is OK too) to create a little sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes (until zucchini is tender). Add water if the pan becomes dry while cooking. Stir in chickpeas (if using) and simmer for another 3-5 minutes or until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Great with couscous, rice, or pita.

Well liked by the teenagers.  This one however, did not fool the 8 year old. She refused to even try it.  Becca liked it as well.

Coming soon:  My co-worker Jordan came back from Turkey with Paprika from the spice market.  I'll be doing something with the Paprika….not sure what….