Grilled Veggies with Couscous, Feta & Orange-Balsamic Vinaigrette

 

This was one of the side dishes I made for our Labor Day weekend cookout. I knew I wanted some kind of grilled veggies with our meal and finally found this recipe on my Whole Foods app that I decided to try. I had a box of Isaraeli Pearl couscous in my pantry that worked perfectly and the orange-balsamic vinaigrette dressed this dish up just enough without being too overpowering ( I may actually add more next time to give it just a bit more flavor). You could easily substitute quinoa or white or brown rice and use whatever veggies you have on hand.  This recipe served 5 people and we had some leftovers.

 

Ingredients

6-7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2  tablespoons lemon juice
1 tsp teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large red onion, thickly sliced
1 large yellow squash, chopped (can also slice into rounds if desired)
1 large zucchini, chopped (can also slice into rounds if desired)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup + 2 or 3 Tbsp orange juice
2 1/2  teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
1/3 cup feta cheese crumbles
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions
1.Combine 4 Tbsp of the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add onions, squash, zucchini and peppers and toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.

2.Preheat grill. Arrange marinated vegetables in a single layer on the grill and cook, flipping once, until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and keep warm.

3.Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add orange juice and reduce liquid by half, 6 to 8 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, then remove from the heat and set vinaigrette aside.

4.Cook couscous according to package directions (should take about 15 mins or less to cook)

5.Arrange couscous in the middle of a large platter. Top with grilled vegetables and drizzle with warm vinaigrette. Garnish with feta cheese and parsley and serve.



Recipe source: adapted from Whole Foods





Squash Casserole

With about a month to go until the official start of Fall (Sept, 22nd) and the nice weather we have been having, I am already craving all kinds of fall foods.... soups, pies, chili,casseroles, pumpkin spice lattes, just to name a few. Although I am not a fan of cold weather, I do like the Fall. I'm ready for some Football parties so I can make lots of yummy appetizers and desserts!

I rarely buy or eat bacon, but I bought some on sale last week at the Fresh Market because I was craving some squash casserole. This recipe is my Grandma's (dad's side) and reminds me of Thanksgiving dinner. It's so good!  And I think you should definitely try it.

* The recipe below made a 9 inch pan. You can double it and bake in a larger pan for more people.

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs of yellow squash (approx 4-5 small to medium squash), sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sour cream
3-4 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
cracker crumbs for topping

Directions
1.Pre-heat oven to 350
2. Add the sliced squash and the onion to a large pot and cover with water. Boil until squash is tender and then drain.
3. Once drained, put the squash in a medium to large bowl and add in the cheese, butter, sour cream and cracker crumbs.
4. Add mixture to a greased 9 inch square pan and top with a few small handfuls of cracker crumbs.
5. Bake for about 30 mins or until crackers start to brown.

*This also makes tasty leftovers :)



Recipe source: My awesome Grandma

Jalapeno Hush Puppies

I got a craving for some hush puppies a few weeks ago and finally got around to making some. It had been a really really long time since I'd had them and I don't think I've ever made them myself so I was excited to try them. They actually brought back some good memories and reminded me of fishing at my Grandma and Papaw's when I was a kid and having catfish and hush puppies for dinner.

I found a basic recipe and added some chopped pickeled jalapenos to it. They turned out with a perfect combination of sweet and spicy. I will definitely not be waiting this long again to make them!

Ingredients
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup organic sugar
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup self-rising flour

1/2 cup self-rising cornmeal

1-2 Tbsp chopped pickeld jalapeno peppers (I used hot)

dash of salt

dash of pepper

vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1.Whisk together the egg, sugar, and onion.

2.Stir in the flour and cornmeal.

3.Heat approx 2 inches of oil in medium or large pot to 365.

4. Form batter into small balls just a bit smaller then a tablespoon (batter will be sticky so doesn't have to be perfect...I used a cookie scoop to do mine) drop into oil, and fry until golden brown. You can do a teaspoon if you would like but I thought they were too small.

5. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Recipe source: adapted from Allrecipes.com (Vicki C)

Baked Pesto Squash

My husband won an iPad from his work a few weeks ago and I've been checking out all kinds of apps. I actually don't even own a smartphone so this has been kinda fun for me! Anyways, I downloaded the Wholefoods app for some good recipe ideas and I love it. You can customize it really easily and it has all kinds of healthy dishes. I did a search for squash since we had some we needed to use and found my inspiration for this. The original recipe used Parmesan cheese and had a tomato sauce with it, but I tweaked it a little and used Mozarella cheese and just did without the sauce since I didn't have any sundried tomatoes. I am a huge pesto lover so I really liked these! I can't wait to start growing our own squash in a few weeks!

Ingredients

1-2 medium yellow squash (can use zucchini as well)

1/2 cup of panko
1/2 cup of homemade or storebought basil pesto
handful of Mozarella cheese for topping
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.Pre-heat oven to 425
2.Prepare a bowl with the pesto and a bowl with the panko (add salt and pepper if desired)
3.Cut squash into 1/2 inch slices
4.Dip squash slices into pesto then into panko

5.Place on baking sheet and top with shredded Mozarella
6.Bake for 20-30 mins or until cheese is melted

These can be served hot or at room temperature. 



Recipe source: adapted from Wholefoods