Instant Pot Baby Zucchini With Mushrooms And Bell Peppers On Banza Pasta

Zucchini makes a great topping for Banza Pasta!

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Two Birds with One Stone!
Our new strict gluten-free diet often leaves us wanting for pasta and Banza Pasta fits the bill. Also, having a easy and delicious recipe to use our abundance of summer zucchini comes in quite handy! 

As we are eating for brain health, besides avoiding gluten, we want to lower our carbs. Banza, made mostly from garbanzo beans, has way less carbs and much more fiber and protein than regular pasta.

Cooking Zucchini in an Instant Pot
Cooking zucchini in an Instant Pot can be tricky. If you don't release the pressure and uncover immediately, the zucchini can turn to mush. The trick with these delicate vegetables is to use LOW PRESSURE and only cook for ONE MINUTE! (For other vegetables, see Cooking Vegetables in your Instant Pot.)

Pick or purchase small zucchini so that you can cut them into small circles. The integrity of the circles will also keep the zucchini from overcooking.

I know some of you cook your pasta in the Instant Pot, but I do not recommend doing that with Banza or other bean pastas. Bean pasta needs lots of water and will foam up a lot during cooking. Without sufficient water, it will get gluey.

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Instant Pot Zucchini with Mushrooms and Bell Peppers
Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free
[makes 6 servings]

Requirements
Large soup pot for the pasta
Instant Pot for the zucchini 

Ingredients
Salt for the pasta water
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced or thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
8 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 pounds small zucchini, sliced in 1/2 inch rounds
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 ounces of Banza rotini per person*

* One box will make 4 servings. This recipe will make enough zucchini for 6 servings. I don't recommend making more pasta than what you will consume as it doesn't keep well. So if you are cooking for two, make 1/2 the box and save the rest of the zucchini for another night. It also makes a great side dish. One box of Banza is enough for 4 (2-ounce) servings.

Directions
Start boiling water in a large soup pot on the stove for the pasta. Salt the water according to the directions on the Banza box.

Press the SAUTE button on your Instant Pot. Heat the oil and then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and mushrooms. Cook until they soften, about 3 minutes. Press the OFF button.

Stir in the zucchini, basil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot for 1 minute at LOW PRESSURE.

While the zucchini is cooking, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. It takes about 7 minutes but test it at 6. Use a big pot as it foams up quite a bit. Scoop off the foam with a spoon and discard. When done, drain and set aside.

When the zucchini is done, IMMEDIATELY release the pressure. Carefully remove the cover so that the water on the lid doesn't dump back into the pot. Discard the water on the lid.

Stir the zucchini and test with a fork. (If it's not done, just place the cover back on the pot for another minute but don't turn it back on.)

Remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot and place on the counter to keep the zucchini from over cooking. 

Divide the pasta into individual bowls and spoon the zucchini mixture over the pasta and serve.

Save left over zucchini for another night. It makes a great side dish.

Cool As A Cucumber SaladWith Garbanzos And Cherry Tomatoes

Beat the heat with this cucumber salad.

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We've had record breaking heat this last week. Sebastopol topped its record with 111 degrees. So needless to say, we've been eating a lot of raw foods and foods that are cooling. Cucumbers are very hydrating and I just happen to have a cucumber plant that is presenting me with 2 enormous and perfect cucumbers a day! 

Here's a quick salad that we made for lunch yesterday. It also uses our garden cherry tomatoes. With protein-packed garbanzo beans and good fats from the avocado, this is a perfectly balanced vegan and gluten-free meal for two hungry people or a side dish for 4 to 6. 

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Cucumber Salad with Garbanzos and Cherry Tomatoes

Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free

[Serves 2 large meal-size salads or 4 to 6 sides]

Ingredients

Salad

1 long English cucumber or 2 smaller ones

2 dozen cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 avocado, diced

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 serrano pepper, minced (optional)

2 tablespoons red onion (optional)

Dressing

1 tablespoon EVOO or cold-pressed hemp oil

1 tablespoon lemon balsamic vinegar

1 large clove garlic, pressed

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped

Peel the cucumber and slice vertically. Then slice into half moons.

Place the cucumber in a medium bowl and add the tomatoes, avocado, garbanzo beans, pepper (if using), and red onion (if using). 

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a cup or small bowl and stir with a fork until well incorporated. 

Pour over the cucumber salad and toss gently. Serve immediately.

And remember to stay cool!

Basil Tomato Soup With Corn & Cavatelli PastaFreeze A Big Batch For Winter

Yellow tomatoes make a delightful soup.

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Yellow Tomatoes

I picked up a yellow tomato plant at the farmer's market this spring. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the strain, but it grew the biggest, most beautiful, low-acid, tomatoes I've ever experienced. Some of them were a pound and a half! I am definitely going to save its seeds so that I can grow them again next year. Since they are late producers, I'm still harvesting them, even though it's early October.

Since I've already canned dozens of jars of red tomatoes, I thought I'd make and freeze lots of soup so that we could enjoy it this winter. (If you are going to freeze this soup, do so without the corn or pasta. It will take up less freezer space and you can add the corn and cooked pasta when you use it.) It's also a very versatile soup so add any veggies and grain you desire. Or for protein, add some beans or peas. The combinations are endless. This may become one of your favorite soups - it's certainly becoming one of mine.

I developed this recipe using a combination of yellow tomatoes and pink brandywines that are also late producers and are low in acid. You can make this soup with any tomato, but it's best when you use ones that are pulpy, not watery.

Heirloom yellow and pink brandywine tomatoes

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Basil Tomato Soup

Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free with gluten-free pasta

[makes about 8 cups]

Requirements

Hand Immersion Blender

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups diced onion

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 pound new potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

4 to 5 pounds tomatoes, quartered (8 cups)

4 cups vegetable broth

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

2 tablespoons lemon juice, as needed

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

1 1/2 cups corn kernels (if frozen, thaw)

4 ounces dry pasta or more (cavatelli or shells)

Directions

Add oil to a large soup pot. Cook the onion and red bell pepper on medium-low heat until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. 

Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft and the tomatoes are falling apart. I do not remove the skin or seeds because the immersion blender crushes them up pretty well, but if you want, you can pull out the skins with a long fork during the time it's simmering.

While the soup is simmering, prepare pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside.

Remove the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. I prefer an immersion blender rather than a high speed blender, because the immersion blender leaves the soup thicker. If you have to use a blender, don't over process.

Blend until smooth with an immersion blender

Adjust salt and pepper and add lemon juice until it reaches the desired acidity. Stir in the fresh basil.

If you are going to freeze this soup for later, let cool and put in a freezer-safe jar. Allow room at the top as it will expand.

To serve, stir in the corn and cooked pasta. Top with additional fresh basil.

Enjoy!

How To Cut A Tomato When You Only Need A Slice Or Two

Need a big juicy tomato slice for your sandwich? Try this!

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How to Cut a Tomato
This may seem ridiculously simple, but it's a little trick I use when I need a nice juicy slice or two of tomato for a sandwich or a veggie burger. This method does a few things:

* it gives you a big, center slice of tomato without messing with the blossom end or stem which doesn't make a good sandwich slice anyway

* it lets you store the rest of the tomato without the cut end touching the plastic wrap

* the left over tomato stays fresh in the refrigerator longer

Here we go!

Pick a big, juicy tomato.This bad boy came out of my garden - it's a pink Brandywine.

Slice to the left of the middle depending on how big a slice you want to end up with

Cut a slice or two

Place the remaining tomato top over the bottom.
It should fig snug.

Place in a baggy.
Don't worry, the open tomato won't touch the plastic.

Place the slice of tomato in your sandwich or on a burger.
Using a round, whole grain bun is perfect.
This is a hummus, cucumber, avocado and tomato sandwich.

Enjoy!

Results Of This Year's Corn CropFresh Corn, Tomato And Cucumber Salad

Fresh corn makes a great salad topping.

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Corn
I love corn. I love everything about it. I love to eat it raw, right off the cob. I love throwing it into soups, salads, muffins, well - you name it. But the thing I love the most is growing it. This year was our second crop and we actually harvested it on time at the peak of its tenderness (lessons learned from last year!)

Having grown up in apartments in New York City, where one is lucky to have a flower pot of parsley on the fire escape, the very thought of having enough land to grow such an enormous vegetable still blows my mind. My corn stands proudly in the entry to our little farm - a monument to a more sane life. 

Me and my daughter, Linda, playing in the corn.

Last year we planted 35 seeds and got about 48 ears of corn. This year I planted 65 seeds which yielded about 85 ears (hard to keep track as I kept eating them before accurately counting.) It looks like for each seed planted, I have gotten 1.3 to 1.4 times the ears of corn. If you google "how many ears of corn do you get from a plant", most experts say 1 to 2 ears. So my yield might be on the low side, but since it's heirloom corn, not GMO, it's naturally bred for flavor and sweetness, not high production.

Extra tender, midseason bicolor corn from Johnny's seeds.
We planted the end of May and harvested the end of August.

With all of this corn, we obviously had to freeze most of it. To freeze corn, see last year's post on Freezing Summer Corn for Winter Pleasure.

Sometimes corn can get lost when tossed in a salad so I often like to use it in a layered salad where it happily sits on top. I brought this salad to a pot luck last week where I was able to use the cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, and basil from my garden. Corn goes incredibly well with tomatoes, so you will be seeing them together in future recipes - stay tuned!

Drizzle this salad with a simple vinaigrette or your favorite dressing.

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Fresh Corn, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad
Raw Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

Ingredients
For the salad:
1 large English or other cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 large yellow heirloom tomato
1 large red heirloom tomato
Kernels from 1 large ear of non-GMO corn
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
Handfull chopped fresh basil, chopped
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 large clove garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Layer the bottom of a salad bowl with the sliced cucumbers.

Slice the tomatoes and place in a colander to drain. If they are particularly juicy, lay them on paper towels. Once they are fairly dry, place them over the cucumbers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and some of the basil.

Mix the corn kernels with the red onion and place over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with more basil and seasoning.

Cover and refrigerate until you serve. Right before serving, stir or shake the vinaigrette well and drizzle the amount desired evenly over the salad.

Enjoy!

How To Can Thick-Crushed Tomatoes From Your Garden Or Farmer's Market

How to can your garden tomatoes.

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Time to Can Tomatoes
I have a beautiful crop of tomatoes this year. It's so big that it would take every jar in my house to can them, so I'm going to cook them down until they are very thick.

I use every type of tomato in my garden to get a nice combination of acidity and flavor. This year, I was lucky enough to find New Zealand paste tomato plants at our farmer's market to add to the mix. They grew well, they have very few seeds, and they are enormous! I will definitely save seeds from this one for next year.

A 12-ounce New Zealand paste tomato

New Zealand paste tomatoes on the vine

How to Can Thick-Crushed Tomatoes

Requirements
A large Water Bath Canning pot.
A 5 1/2 quart non-reactive Dutch Oven
Pint canning jars with lids and bands
Lemon juice (1 tablespoon per pint of tomato sauce)

It's hard to say how many jars you'll need per pound of tomatoes because it will vary on the water content of the tomatoes and how thick you want the sauce to be .

Yesterday, I made 4 pints of thick, crushed tomatoes from 15 pounds of tomatoes. Here's what I did:

Wash and core tomatoes.
Cut an X on their bottoms.

Boil for 1 minute or until skins start to curl.

Peel off the skins.

Cut the tomato horizontally.

Squeeze out the seeds and juice into a bowl.
You will strain and save the juice for soup later.

Place the tomatoes in a large, non-reactive pot.
Do not use an aluminum pot or cast iron.
I prefer my enameled Le Creuset Dutch oven.
Crush them with your hands until they are broken up.

Simmer, uncovered, on medium low heat until it thickens. This could take several hours. Add salt if desired. 

While the sauce is simmering and reducing, wash your pint jars very well.  Place the lids and caps in a pot of boiling water. 

Bring a large water bath canning pot to a boil. Keep the pint jars in the hot canning pot until they are needed. This is not just for sterilization, but to prevent breakage later if there is a temperature differential.

Cook down to the desired consistency.
You are now ready to can.

Carefully remove the jars from the hot bath and drain.Place a towel or magazine under them (do not place on a cold counter).
Put 1 tablespoon of lemon or lime juice in every pint jar.

Fill to within a quarter inch of the top.

Wipe the rims clean.
Put on the boiled lid and cap.
Screw firm but not too tight.

Place in boiling water for 35 minutes.
Water should cover jars by 2 inches.
Remove carefully using a jar lifter and place on a towel.

Let the jars cool on a towel.
Label with the date and store in a dark, cool, cabinet.

What about that Juice?

Remember that big bowl of juice and seeds you have from the initial squeezing of the tomatoes? My 15 pounds of tomatoes yielded 4 pints of tomato sauce but there was also 3 pints of juice I didn't want to waste. So I strained out the seeds, and saved it. 

Strain seeds and save the juice.

Use in soups, cook with veggies (it's great for zucchini), or drink it. Refrigerate or freeze for later.

And don't forget to save your favorite seeds for next year. Once you have fermented and dried them, store them in the refrigerator.

Julienne Cut French-Style Green Beans Are Easy To Make With Flat Romano Green Beans

French-style green beans with tomatoes, garlic and basil.

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Romano Green Beans
I love these flat green beans - they are one of my favorites to cook and grow. This year I ordered Johnny's seeds - Northeaster OG Pole beans, online. I don't think it's too late for you to plant them. In fact, I will start a second crop in a week so that I'll have more beans in the fall. 

These pole beans are growing up my hog wire fence

My daily harvest with 10 plants started from seed

French-Styled Green Beans
I love the look and texture of julienne cut, French-styled green beans but they are very difficult to make. It's so hard to julienne a round green bean that most people avoid making French-styled green beans. But when you start with a flat bean, it's a LOT easier.

Today's recipe uses Romano green beans, tomatoes, fresh basil, and garlic - all from my garden! Hopefully you have some of these in your garden or available at your local farmer's market. 

This recipe is very low in calories (less than 60 calories) and a great dish to make if you are watching your weight. 

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French-Style Green Beans with Tomatoes and Basil
Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free
[makes 4 to 6 servings]

Requirements
Medium saucepan for blanching and 10-inch frypan with cover.

Ingredients
12 ounces flat, Romano green beans
1 large or 2 small tomatoes (~9 ounces)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Directions
Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. 

Clean the green beans and trim the tops. If they are very long (8 inches or more), cut in half and place them on a cutting board.

Cut the long beans in half

Thinly slice the beans vertically, being very careful not to cut yourself and set aside.

Cut the stem top off the tomatoes and place in boiling water until the skin starts to loosen, about 60 seconds. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and let cool to the touch. Do not pour out the boiling water - you will be using it to blanch the beans. Keep the heat on the water. 

Peel the skin off of the tomatoes and dice, retaining all the juices. Set aside.

Place the julienned beans in the boiling water and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain the beans.

Heat the oil in the frypan on medium-low heat and cook the garlic until fragrant, about a minute or less. 

Add the blanched beans to the pan and toss in the oil and garlic. 

Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, the fresh basil, salt and pepper. Cover and cook a few minutes until the beans and tomatoes are the desired texture.

Cover and cook until beans and
tomatoes reach the desired texture. 

Serve as a side dish as is or over a grain. Doug and I ate the entire recipe over rice for lunch with a sprinkle of Go Veggie Vegan Parmesan Grated Topping.

Nutrition
Per serving (4): 58 calories, 3 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 57 mg omega-3 and 352 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 2 g protein, 7 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, and 296 mg sodium.

Per serving (6): 39 calories, 2 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 38 mg omega-3 and 235 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 1 g protein, 4 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 197 mg sodium.