Friday Night Photos: Trimming Basil and Tomatoes (2010 Garden Update #8)

This has been a trimming week in the garden. First I trimmed my basil plants and ended up with a big bucket of basil, which I used to make Basil Lemon Pesto (recipe coming.) If you trim the basil plants, they bush out and produce much more basil. If I get more basil than I can use from a trimming, I just freeze the basil to use in soup and pasta sauce during the winter.

This is how the basil plants looked after they were trimmed, so you can tell they were pretty bushy before trimming!

I also trim my tomato plants a few times every gardening season. Once a branch gets two bunches of tomatoes, I snip it off above the second bunch, and of course the branches that don't have any tomatoes also get trimmed. Trimming makes the tomatoes ripen more quickly and produce bigger fruit. If you want to read more, here's a good post about Pruning Tomatoes from Fine Gardening.

Thanks to Nate, I grew a few tomatoes from seeds this year for the very first time. A late-season snowstorm killed some of the plants, but I still have three that are flourishing, and it looks like I'm getting some Berkeley Tie-Dye Tomatoes. (Thanks again Nate!)

This year I'm growing these little Thai eggplants called Kermit eggplant for the first time. (This is a super close-up photo, so this little guy is only a few inches wide so far.)

For a few years now I've been growing cucumber plants inside some of my old tomato cages. The cages keep the cukes up off the ground and make it easy to spot them. I'm starting to get 1-2 cucumbers every couple of days now. (Yaay, Greek Salad!)

I also cut a nice big bucket of kale this week, and after looking at quite a few recipes, I think this one is the Raw Kale Salad I want to try first.

So that's what's been going on in my garden this week. What's growing at your house?

(If you want to see other garden updates from this year, you can click the label 2010 Garden Updates.)

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There are two ways to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
You can become a fan of Kalyn's Kitchen on Facebook.
Sometimes you can see what I'm doing on Twitter.
Here is another place where I write more about food.

Recipe for Marinated Zucchini Salad with Olives, Artichokes, Red Pepper, and Red Onion

(Updated and added to Recipe Favorites July 2010.) This recipe had been lurking in the archives of Kalyn's Kitchen since 2005 without a single photo! Then recently someone left a comment saying they liked the recipe, and it reminded me to make it and take photos. Now I'm reminding myself that salads with Parmesan cheese on them look fuzzy in photos, but I do hope the photos will inspire a lot more people to make this tasty salad. If you happen to end up with some monster zucchini in the garden, they can be used in this if you scoop out the seeds and trim away most of the pithy white part, then cut the zucchini into small pieces before you steam it. You can use this recipe as merely a starting point, because there are lots of other raw or cooked vegetables that would be good here, so have fun with this one!

Cut up zucchini into bite-sized pieces, steam for 3 minutes and then drain. (If you're using older zucchini, cut away the large seeds and most of the white part before you cut it into pieces.)

Artichoke hearts are kind of a pricey ingredient, so I only used one small jar, but you can use more if the budget permits. Be sure the artichokes are drained well.

Dump one can pitted olives into a colander and drain well.

Chop up red bell pepper into bite-sized pieces.

Cut a small red onion into bite-sized pieces. (If you don't like raw onion, leave it out, or I think green onion would be good in this.)

Mix the salad dressing, lemon juice, Parmesan, basil, and oregano. (The last few years I've been using pesto in this instead of dried basil, but if you use dried basil your dressing won't be this green!)

Put all the salad ingredients into a plastic bowl with a tight-fitting lid (or Ziploc bag) and pour over enough dressing to completely moisten ingredients. Let salad marinate 4-8 hours in the fridge. When you serve, stir in a bit more dressing and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Marinated Zucchini Salad With Olives, Artichokes, Red Pepper, and Red Onion
(Makes 4-6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn.)

4-5 small zucchini, cut into half moon slices about 1/2 inch thick (or bite sized pieces)
1 can large pitted black olives, drained very well
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained very well
1 red or green pepper chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 red onion chopped into bite-sized pieces

Dressing:
1 cup Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing
(or your favorite Italian dressing with no sugar)
juice of half lemon (2 T)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese
1 T dried basil (or use 2 T basil pesto or 3 T. chopped fresh basil)
1 tsp. dried oregano
Optional: additional 1/4 cup grated parmesan to sprinkle over salad just before serving

Cut zucchini into quarter slices or bite sized pieces. (If you're using large zucchini, cut away the seeds and most of the white part.) Steam zucchini until barely tender/crisp, about 3 minutes, then drain very well. (You can plunge the steamed zucchini into water with ice cubes to stop the cooking if you're in a hurry, but I don't always do that.)

While zucchini is cooking, open olives and artichoke hearts and dump into a colander to drain well. (Draining the zucchini and olives well is essential or the finished salad will be watery.) Chop the red bell pepper and red onion into bite-sized pieces.

Combine zucchini, olives, artichoke hearts, red pepper and red onion in plastic or glass container with a lid (or use a Ziploc bag.) Pour dressing over, just enough to cover veggies, and stir gently. (I usually only use part of the dressing to marinate the veggies and then stir in a little more dressing when I serve it.)

Marinate in refrigerator 4-8 hours. If you can turn it over once in a while to keep the vegetables covered with dressing that would be great, but it's not essential. Just before serving stir in a little of the reserved dressing. Sprinkle the salad with more freshly grated Parmesan cheese when serving if desired.

At the risk of sounding like a cheese snob, let me say that this is best with freshly grated cheese. I like to grate it on the large side of the grater for the final 1/4 cup and serve the salad with the grated cheese not mixed in. However if all you have is pre-grated Parmesan, not to worry. It will still be yummy.

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South Beach Suggestions:

This salad is perfect for any phase of the South Beach Diet, but be sure to choose a dressing with less than 2 grams of sugar per serving. For phase one, this would taste great with Grilled Spicy Tuna, or Marinated Flank Steak. For phase two or three, add something like Georgette's Really Lemony Greek Pilafi.

More Salads with Zucchini:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Marinated Summer Squash and Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Herbs, and Parmesan from Kalyn's Kitchen
Raw Summer Squash Salad with Arugula, Feta, and Herbs from Kalyn's Kitchen
Zucchini Carpaccio (raw zucchini salad) With Lemon, Herbs, and Goat Cheese from Kalyn's Kitchen
Warm Zucchini Salad from Eat. Drink. Smile.
Zucchini Salad with Yogurt Dressing from Scrumptious Street Blog
Marinated Zucchini from A Life (Time) of Cooking
Fried Zucchini Salad with Feta from The Culinary Chase
(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There are two ways to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
You can become a fan of Kalyn's Kitchen on Facebook.
Sometimes you can see what I'm doing on Twitter.
Here is another place where I write more about food.

Recipe for Marinated Summer Squash and Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Herbs, and Parmesan

Every year when I'm planting my garden I try at least one plant variety that's new to me, and this year the one that caught my eye at the garden center was the little scalloped Flying Saucer Squash. According to the info that came in the plant, this two-colored squash hybrid is perfect for eating raw. Last summer I loved Zucchini Carpaccio and Raw Summer Squash Salad, so when these cute little squashes started showing up on the plants, I decided to come up with a new salad to try them. I was eating this for lunch as a main-dish salad, so I added garbanzo beans for more protein, and I marinated the beans and squash in a lemony vinaigrette before I combined them with the fresh herbs and sprinkled with parmesan. The Flying Saucer Squash did stay delightfully crisp in the salad (much more so than zucchini or regular yellow summer squash,) and I loved this combination. I think Flying Saucer Squash just became a regular garden plant for me.

These yellow and green ones are the little cuties that inspired this salad, but any combination of yellow summer squash and/or zucchini will work.

Rinse chickpeas, until no more foam appears, and drain well.

Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil.

I used a 3mm blade in my mandoline to slice the squash, but you can certainly cut them by hand as well. (Some people may prefer a slightly thinner slice, but I like to keep a bit of crunch in the squash for a salad like this.)

Remove drained garbanzos to a bowl with a tight-fitting lid that's big enough to hold all salad ingredients, pat dry with paper towels, then toss with 2 T dressing and let garbanzos start to marinate.

Layer the squash in the colander in three layers, sprinkling 1 tsp. coarse salt on each layer. Let squash drain in the sink for 10-15 minutes, until they squash pieces are quite wet looking from water that's been released.

Then spread the squash out on a layer of paper towels.

Put another layer of paper towels over the top and press down, until most of the liquid from the squash has been absorbed by the paper towels. (Don't skip doing this or the salad will be watery.)

Put the towel-dried squash into the bowl with the garbanzo beans, add 3 T more dressing, put the lid on, and turn the bowl over a few times so all the squash is coated with dressing. Let beans and squash marinate 1-2 hours, turning over a few times if you're around.

When you're ready to serve the salad, chop 1 C of fresh herbs. I used flat Italian parsley and fresh basil, but I think mint or dill would also be good in this.

Toss salad with the rest of the dressing, then mix in chopped fresh herbs and season with fresh ground black pepper. Arrange salad on serving plate and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, then serve.

Marinated Summer Squash and Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Herbs, and Parmesan
(Makes 4-6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

1 can chickpeas, rinsed well and drained
1 lemon, zest and juice, plus enough more juice to make a total of 1/4 C fresh lemon juice
5 T olive oil
1 1/2 lb. thinly sliced summer squash, about 3-4 squash (use any summer squash you'd like, but small Flying Saucer squash are especially good in this)
1 T coarse ground kosher salt or sea salt (be sure it's coarse ground salt)
1 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used a combination of flat Italian parsley and fresh basil, but mint or dill would also be good)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Dump chickpeas into a colander placed in the sink, then rinse with cold water until no more foam appears. Let chickpeas drain while you make dressing.

Zest the lemon and put zest in a small glass measuring cup or a small bowl. Squeeze lemon juice, then add more if needed until you have 1/4 C fresh lemon juice and add juice to lemon zest. Whisk in 5 T olive oil. Pat chickpeas dry with a paper towel, then place in a bowl with a tight-fitting lid that's large enough to hold all the salad ingredients. Add 2 T dressing and let chickpeas start to marinate.

Wash squash if needed and cut off stem and blossom end. Cut squash in half if large, then thinly slice. (I used a mandoline with a 3mm blade, but you can also cut it by hand.)

Layer 1/3 of squash in colander, sprinkle with 1 tsp. coarse ground salt, then repeat with two more layers. Let squash sit in a colander in the sink until water is released, about 10-15 minutes. When squash looks wet, spread out on a strip of paper towel, put another layer of towel on top and press down on paper towel until all the water is absorbed by the paper towels. (Don't skip this step or the salad will be watery.)

Put the dried squash into the plastic bowl with the marinating chickpeas, add 3 T more dressing and let squash and chickpeas marinate 1-2 hours at room temperature. (If you're home turn the bowl over a few times to keep the squash and chickpeas coated with the dressing.)

When you're ready to serve the salad, chop 1 cup fresh herbs of your choice. Toss salad with the rest of the dressing (or as much as you need for salad to be well coated with dressing), mix in chopped fresh herbs, and season with fresh ground black pepper. Arrange salad on individual plates and top each serving with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

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South Beach Suggestions:

This salad would make a great main dish lunch or side dish for any phase of the South Beach Diet.

More Salads with Raw Zucchini or Summer Squash:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Raw Summer Squash Salad with Arugula, Feta, and Herbs from Kalyn's Kitchen
Zucchini Carpaccio with Lemon, Herbs, and Goat Cheese from Kalyn's Kitchen
Summer Squash Salad from Elana's Pantry
Zucchini Crudo from Michael Ruhlman
Marinated Raw Summer Squash from Chick in the Kitchen
Zucchini Ribbon Salad from Whipped
Zucchini Carpaccio from The Paupered Chef
(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There are two ways to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
You can become a fan of Kalyn's Kitchen on Facebook.
Sometimes you can see what I'm doing on Twitter.
Here is another place where I write more about food.

Recipe for Chicken Egg Foo Yung with Mushrooms and Green Onions

In 2001 I went to Hong Kong and Beijing with my brother Rand, and it didn't take long to realize that most of what we consider to be "Chinese food" in the U.S. is definitely Chinese-American food. I know Egg Foo Yung is one of those dishes that falls in the Chinese-American category, and although it doesn't get much respect compared to more exotic items you find on menus, it can be one of my favorites when it's made well. I learned to love Egg Foo Yung at The Pagoda, a Chinese American Restaurant in Salt Lake (with a Japanese name!) My family went there for special occasions, and I remember eating Egg Foo Yung there as a reward for making the honor roll in high school. In all the years since then, I don't think I've thought of making Egg Foo Yung myself until I saw this recipe from Fine Cooking. Their version was a little different than the dish I learned to like as a teenager but equally delicious, and if you like Egg Foo Yung, you should try this recipe right away!

The recipe from Fine Cooking had red bell pepper strips, but I made this twice and I preferred the version with just mushrooms. You could easily leave out the chicken if you prefer and add any type of mild-flavored vegetable of your choice. (I think zucchini would be a great addition to this if you have a surplus from your garden!)

Cut chicken breast into thin strips, then marinate in sesame oil and soy sauce.

Whisk together oyster sauce, white vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Beat eggs with salt and pepper and sesame oil. (You're going to add the cooked chicken and vegetables to this, so use a big bowl like I did.)

Clean 4 green onions, then slice on the diagonal and separate dark green pieces from white/light green pieces. I bought mushrooms already sliced, but if needed, wash and slice mushrooms.

Heat 1 T oil in a 10 inch frying pan, add chicken pieces and cook 3-4 minutes, until chicken is cooked but not browned. Transfer chicken to a plate. (I used a non-stick frying pan, which worked well for this.)

Heat another T oil, then add white/light green pieces of green onion and cook about 1 minute. Add sliced mushrooms and cook 4-5 minutes, until mushrooms are softened and give up some liquid.

Put chicken, green onions and mushrooms into the bowl with the eggs and stir to combine.

Wipe out the frying pan with a paper towel, add the remaining 2 T oil and heat over high heat until the oil is shimmering, then add the egg mixture. Sides will puff up; immediately reduce heat to medium.

Cook the egg mixture on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, using a turner to gently stir the center, lifting up the cooked parts so the uncooked egg can run under and cook. When eggs are starting to look firm, turn heat to low, use turner to press down the mixture so it's relatively flat, and cook 2-3 minutes more. (The center will still look slightly wet, similar to how scrambled eggs look when you take then off the heat.)

When eggs are cooked, remove the pan from the heat, put a plate over the top of the pan, and turn it over so Egg Foo Yung is centered on the plate. (This is the hardest part of the recipe, but be brave!)

Pour the sauce mixture over the egg pancake, sprinkle with sliced green parts of green onion, and devour!

Chicken Egg Foo Yung with Mushrooms and Green Onions
(Makes 2-4 servings, depending on what else you serve it with. Recipe adapted slightly from Fine Cooking.)

1 boneless-skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips (about 8 oz)
1 T + 1 tsp. soy sauce
1 T Asian sesame oil, divided
1 T Oyster Sauce
1 tsp. white vinegar
6 eggs, beaten
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 green onions, cut on diagonal and dark green and white/light green parts kept separate
1/4 C peanut oil or canola oil, divided
4-6 oz. sliced mushrooms (I used cremini mushrooms)

Cut chicken into thin crosswise strips, not more than 1/4 inch wide. (I cut some of the thicker pieces in half again after I sliced the chicken breast.) Put chicken in small bowl and add 1 tsp. soy sauce and 1 tsp. sesame oil.

Whisk together the Oyster Sauce, white vinegar, 1 T soy sauce and 1 tsp. sesame oil, and set aside. Using a large bowl (so you can add cooked ingredients later) beat the eggs with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp. sesame oil.

Clean green onions, then slice on the diagonal, keeping the dark green and white/light green parts separate. Wash mushrooms and cut into slices about 3/8 inch (or use pre-sliced mushrooms like I did.)

Using a 10 inch frying pan, heat 1 T oil over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook 3-4 minutes, or until chicken is cooked but not browned. Transfer chicken to a plate to cool slightly before you add it to the egg. (I used a non-stick frying pan, which worked well for this.)

Heat another T oil, then add white/light green pieces of green onion and cook about 1 minute. Add sliced mushrooms and cook 4-5 minutes, stirring a few times, until mushrooms are softened and give up some liquid. Transfer cooked vegetables and chicken to egg mixture and stir to combine.

Wipe out the frying pan with a paper towel, then heat the remaining 2 T oil over high heat until the oil is shimmering, then add the egg mixture. The sides will puff up; immediately lower heat to medium. Continue to cook eggs on medium heat, using the turner to gently stir and lift the center part of the egg mixture so the uncooked egg can run under and get cooked. Cook like this about 4-5 minutes, or until eggs are starting to look firm. Then turn heat to low, use the turner to press down on the mixture so it's relatively flat, and cook 2-3 minutes more. (The center will still look slightly wet, similar to how scrambled eggs look when you take then off the heat.)

When eggs are cooked, remove the pan from the heat, put a dinner plate over the top of the pan, and turn it over so Egg Foo Yung is centered on the plate. (This is the hardest part of the recipe, but be brave!) Pour the sauce mixture over the egg pancake, sprinkle with dark green parts of green onion, and devour!

The first time I made this I had some leftovers which I kept in the fridge overnight, but I didn't think it was that good reheated. Make as much as you can eat right away, or invite friends to finish this with you!

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South Beach Suggestions:

This recipe is a perfect main dish for any phase of the South Beach Diet, or any type of low-glycemic plan. Don't worry about the generous amount of oil; these types of oil are considered "good fats" and some oil is left in the pan.

More Chinese (or Chinese-American) Recipes to Try:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Pork and Broccoli Stir-Fry with Ginger and Hoisin Sauce from Kalyn's Kitchen
Garlic-Lover's Vegetable Stir Fry with Eggplant, Zucchini, and Yellow Squash from Kalyn's Kitchen
Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli with Ginger and Ponzu Sauce from Kalyn's Kitchen
Restaurant-Style Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce from Rasa Malaysia
Chinese Steamed Fish from Steamy Kitchen
Chinese-Style Green Beans from Cooking with Amy
Hot and Sour Soup from Simply Recipes
Pork in Sweet Soy Sauce from Kayotic Kitchen
(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There are two ways to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
You can become a fan of Kalyn's Kitchen on Facebook.
Sometimes you can see what I'm doing on Twitter.
Here is another place where I write more about food.

Friday Night Photos: The Yin and Yang of Gardening (2010 Garden Update #7)

The Chinese believe that everything in life has Yin and Yang aspects, and I've certainly found this to be true of gardening. Sometimes the garden can give you bountiful gifts, like a whole colander full of green beans you find hiding under the leaves.

But for every bountiful harvest, there seems to be an equal numbers of garden heartbreaks. This year I planted four rows of swiss chard, and every bit has been eaten down to the stalks. (I have no idea what is eating my chard like this; would love to hear from anyone who has thoughts about what it might be.)

Of course, if you look hard enough you can find a kind of savage beauty even in garden destruction.

Some plants bring more pleasure than you ever imagined, like these Flying Saucer Squash that turned out to be beautifully multi-colored. (I can imagine they'll make a lovely Raw Summer Squash Salad.)

It is heartbreaking when plants don't flourish, and there's no apparent reason. (This is one of two Celebrity tomatoes side-by-side and the other one is about three times the size.)

Sometimes the plants give it their all and manage to produce good things, even if they aren't 100% healthy!

If you look for it, you can see the future in your garden, and when I look at this Roma Tomato plant, I'm seeing Slow Roasted Tomatoes.

And when you look at your plants and see that Green Zebra Tomatoes are well on the way to ripeness, you forget all the garden heartbreak and only think of the pleasure to come.

What kind of uplifting and heartbreaking things are happening in your garden this year?

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There are two ways to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
You can become a fan of Kalyn's Kitchen on Facebook.
Sometimes you can see what I'm doing on Twitter.
Here is another place where I write more about food.