Summer Squash Pasta

I am not a very good gardener. At least not yet anyways. In my community garden, I swear everybody else has 5 times more Tomatoes, beans, etc. But one thing I have plenty of— squashes. So I did summer squash pasta! I am constantly looking for recipes to use up my squashes. Please let me know if you have good squash recipes.

Summer Squash Pasta (Serves 4)

3/4 package of pasta about 400g (use vegan pasta for vegans)
1 zucchini chopped
1 yellow squash chopped
1 small yellow onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
½ package of mushroom sliced
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
2-3 leaves of fresh basil minced
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil the pasta according to package, drain.
2. In a sauté pan, heat oil and add garlic, be careful not to burn the garlic.
3. When garlic releases its fragrance, add vegetables; cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add stewed tomatoes and seasonings; simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add pasta into the pan and stir in minced basil, and serve.

Bean Sprouts Sesame

I think Bean sprouts in general are very underappreciated. Bean Spurts are economical, delicious, yet nutritious. I use Bean Sprouts to add crunchy yet refreshing texture to salad, sandwich, stir-fry, wraps and I love adding bean sprouts to fried rice. I buy a bag of bean Sprouts at Asian grocery store. They are usually fresher and cheaper.

This side dish is very simple. I used this bean sprouts for garnish on Red lentil Pilau. It added extra texture.

1 lb of bean sprouts

Dressing
1 tbsp of white sesame seeds (toasted)
1 ½ tbsp sugar
1 tbsp of sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce
1 sprigs of minced green onion
1 clove garlic, minced

1. Steam bean sprouts in steamer for a few minutes. Just to get rawness out.
2. toast the sesame seeds for a minute in med heat in frying pan.
3. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add the sprout and stir. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Zucchini Casserole

This recipe came from my friend Julie (thanks Julie!) and I adjusted some items in order to make it vegetarian. In the original recipe, it called for chopped cooked chicken and used cream of Chicken soup.
I simply omitted the chicken and used cream of mushroom soup instead.

I have made this dish with all kinds of left over vegetables: yellow squash, pumpkin, broccoli and carrots, green beans and carrots……very versatile recipe.

1 pkg. Stove Top
6 cups sliced zucchini (steamed)
1 can cream of mashroom soup
12 oz sour cream
1 cup chopped carrots(steamed)
¼ cup chopped onion
4 tbs of margarine.

1) Melt margarine, add stove top mix. put ½ of the dry Stove Top mix on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.
2) Add in layers of zucchini and carrots.
3) Mix together onion, sour cream and soup. Spread over top.
4) Top with remaining Stove Top mix , sprinkle seasoning mix over top.
5) Bake at 350 for 45 min.

Tofu Steak—Mushroom Sauce

This mushroom sauce is very rich and decadent and goes so well with fried tofu. I make this when I am craving something hearty.  I use dried shiitake mushrooms, and a packet of Enoki mushrooms, which can be difficult to find.  But you can substitute with any kind of mushroom.

Tofu Steak  with Mushroom sauce (serves 2-4)

2 Packets of Fried Tofu*
*you can find fried tofu in any Asian store or you can fry the firm tofu yourself.
1 cup of shiitake mushroom, chopped
1 packet of enoki mushroom, chopped
1tbs of soy
2tbs of rice wine
½ tbs of vegetarian oyster sauce
3tbs of butter or margarine
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

1)   Place tofu in a colander; pour boiled water over tofu to eliminate the excess oil.  With knife, add several ½ slits on one or both sides of tofu.
2)   In a frying pan, melt 1 tbs of butter; add tofu and sauté for about 5 minutes each side. (Equals about 10 minutes). Low medium heat.
3)   Take the tofu out of the pan. Set aside.
4)   In the same pan, add 1tbs of butter, chopped mushroom, salt and pepper, sauté with medium high heat. (A few minutes)
5)   Pour mushroom on top of tofu.
6)   In the same pan add 1 tbs of butter, soy 1tbs of rice wine ½ tbs of oyster sauce, stir until it thickens.  Pour sauce on top of tofu and mushroom