Cauliflower Rice and Japanese Eggplant

Japanese eggplants make a fabulous summer side dish and cauliflower rice is a delicious low carbohydrate substitute for traditional rice ( and tastes just as good) .

These slender purple vegetables one of my favorite veggies. They are less bitter than the regular eggplants, cook up quickly, are low in calories while high in fiber ( skin).

Since I get my summer produce from a local organic farm, I always eat the skin of my vegetables.

My CSA pickup was overflowing this week.

There were plenty of Japanese eggplants, yellow and green zucchini, lettuces, scallions, garlic, beets, kohlrabi, cucumbers, fennel, celery, basil, beautiful long dandelion greens, cherry tomatoes, green beans, sunflowers, and raspberries. We will be having some great salads this week.

I had to work hard to pick some of the veggies

Although most of my share of veggies were waiting for me in the cool shady barn, the cherry tomatoes, green beans, sunflowers, and herbs were pick your own. That was no joke in this 97 degree heat wave we have been having. 

Surprisingly, I found people of all ages (babies on their mama's backs to grandmas with large brimmed hats)  out in the hot sunny fields picking their share of this week's prolific crops. 

The sweat was dripping off of us, but my husband and I got int and out of the fields as fast as we could bundles of pick your own string beans, cherry tomatoes, herbs, and sunflowers.

How I make it easier on myself

I've learned to bring baggies or containers with me right into the fields, which helps cut down on the work once I return home. I now immediately put the produce that I have to weigh in the barn and the produce that I need to pick in the fields in large baggies, I am able to put everything into the refrigerator as soon as I get home. I used to just put everything into shopping bags and had to sort later ( sometimes for an hour).

Hot, Tired, and Mission Complete!

We left our house at 5:00 PM and returned  home around 6:15 PM . I was drained and too tired to start prepping the salads or cooking. My food prep had to wait until 6:00 AM the next morning.

Today's Recipe Uses My Japanese Eggplant 

I made a low calorie/ lowish carb summer side dish.

Roasted eggplant, yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes, 

I roasted eggplant with cherry tomatoes, garlic, and red peppers on a cookie sheet.  Separately, I heated some riced cauliflower in a skillet and then served the roasted vegetables over the riced cauliflower ( make your own or buy organic in Trader's Joe's like I did)

Low Carb and absolutely delicious cauliflower rice

The cauliflower rice is light and fluffy and I think as tasty as regular rice without the carbs
read my post on how to cook the frozen cauliflower rice so it is light and fluffy

What a bang for my buck. Lots of flavor with very few calories. 

Of course this recipe is naturally gluten free and vegan.

Ingredients:
6 Japanese eggplants, sliced lengthwise and then chopped in large peices
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
12 mini red, yellow or orange peppers, cored chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Place vegetables into a bowl , toss with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Place on a rimmed cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.

My Notes:

1. Just for the record, Japanese eggplant is less bitter than the big round purple varieties- so I don't salt and let it sweat first.

2. Adding feta cheese will turn this side dish into an entree.

     Vegans could consider adding seeds or nuts.

3. There is nothing like fresh roasted vegetables right out of the oven. However, this recipe will taste good at room temperature or served cold the next day.

4. I read that eggplant is really a fruit??? Is that true??

5. I added some of the dandelion greens from my CSA haul to my morning green juice instead of kale.

6. To cut down on calories, I simply spray vegetables with olive oil spray while on cookie sheet.

Shared on Weekend Cooking on Beth Fish Reads

Steam Zucchini for Sweetest flavor

My CSA farm share was overrun this week with twelve beautiful yellow zucchini amidst a variety of summer lettuces, giant scallions, firm cabbage, creamy colored turnips, dark green dandelion greens, flat kale, fragrant basil and cilantro, kohlrabi, garlic scapes, purple beets, juicy raspberries, and crisp Persian cucumbers.

      With all these glorious vegetables it's easy to eat gluten free and vegetarian/ vegan

The brutal 95 degree humid heat wave of last week was probably responsible for ripening the vegetables quickly producing bumper crops of everything in the fields.

Yellow zucchini growing

Once I collected my veggies and loaded the car with my bulging baskets of freshly picked produce, I ventured back to the overgrown landscaping on the bucolic Bucks County country roads hoping to get a glimpse of a deer or fox on my drive home.

I actually did see a tiny baby fawn under a tree in an empty field. The mother was not in the photo but she was nearby in the field too.

To entertain myself on the twenty minute ride , I began to imagine what I could make with all of those lovely yellow zucchinis.

However, after picking vegetables in the heat, I was tired.
The last thing I want to do that evening was cook.

First, I thought about my mother in law Toni's flavorful zucchini quiche casserole.  However, I didn't have all the ingredients in the house, nor did I want to turn on the oven.

Next, I thought about making one of my delicious zoodle recipes, but I just didn't feel like spiralizing.

Finally,  I decided to simply steam the zucchini whole. Yes that was all I did- I washed them, and didn't peel or cut- and just put them in the steamer basket just the way they were.

I steamed for 8 minutes, removed, and served. The sweet tender squash came out absolutely delicious. Each person got a whole zucchini to eat as he/she pleased.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture. We devoured them so quickly.

It was easy, simple, healthy, and nutritious. Even my husband commented on delicious they were.

So, there you have it- you don't always need to make a fancy recipe to enjoy farm fresh summer vegetables. Sometimes simplicity is the best solution.

Steamed Whole Yellow Zucchini ( not yellow squash)

Ingredients: 
4 small to medium yellow or green young tender zucchini
3 cups of Water 
salt and pepper to taste 

Directions: 
Place water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Insert steamer basket, place 4 zucchini in the basket, cover and steam for 5-8 minutes until tender ( depends on size of zucchini)  Insert sharp knife into the zucchini to see if it is cooked. 
Serve with salt and pepper to taste and a pat of butter if desired.

My notes: 
Yellow zucchini is not the same as yellow summer squash.
The deeper yellow in the picture below are the zucchini - the lighter yellow in the photo are summer yellow squash
They have a different taste and texture; I prefer the zucchini

''shared on Beth Fish Reads weekend linky