Zucchini and Tomato Stew with Polenta

What a delicious way to use up the zucchini from your summer garden. Make this into a vegetarian recipe by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Use low sodium broth to keep the sodium down. Also, you can change up the vegetables, as long as you keep the zucchini, tomato, and garbanzo beans. For this picture, we added beet greens from the garden, mushrooms, and black eyed peas.

Ingredients:

• 1 large zucchini, cut into ½ thick cubes
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• ½ cups shredded carrots
• 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of garbanzo beans, (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• ¼ cup of fresh basil, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 3 cups of chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon of crushed oregano
• ½ teaspoon crushed thyme
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup of tomato paste
• 1 cup of corn meal
• 4 cups of chicken broth

Preparation:
Place all the stew ingredients in the crock pot and mix well to combine.
Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4.
Just before serving:
Bring the 4 cups of chicken broth to a boil.
Stir 1 cup of the hot broth into the corn meal in a separate pan.
Slowly stir in the remaining broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
Cook and stir for another 2-3 minutes.
Place a spoonful of polenta in a bowl and a spoonful of stew on top.

Photo/Suzanne Pitner
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Portobello Stroganoff

Portobello mushrooms take the place of the meat in this classic favorite.

Ingredients:
1 pound of plain or spinach fettucini
1 cup of sour cream
2 tablespoons of flour
¾ cup of vegetable broth
1 tablespoon of Kitchen Bouquet cooking sauce
¼ teaspoon of black pepper
12 ounces of Portobello mushrooms tops, cut into thin slices
1 tablespoon of butter
1 onion, quartered
1 clove of garlic, crushed, or 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
Fresh parsley
1 package of frozen broccoli
½ lemon

Preparation:
Cook the fettucini in boiling water according to package directions.
Melt the butter in a pan.
Cook the garlic in the butter for two minutes.
Add the mushrooms and onions and cook until tender.
Stir together the sour cream broth, Kitchen Bouquet, and pepper and add to the pan.
Simmer until it begins to thicken.
Drain the noodles.
Cook the broccoli in the microwave oven.
Squeeze some lemon juice over the top of the broccoli. Grate some lemon zest over it.
Serve the stroganoff over the fettucini, garnished with sprigs of parsley.

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Southwestern Baked Acorn Squash with Black Beans and Corn

This is a meal that takes about an hour to bake in the oven. It’s a vegan meal, perfect for those Meatless Mondays. If you want to add meat to this, a pound of Italian sausage, or a pound of ground turkey works nicely.

Ingredients:

• 2 acorn squash, cut in half and seeded.
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes (or 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilis)
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of corn, drained
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the acorn squash in a baking dish with the inside facing up.
Cook the onion in the oil.
Add the tomatoes, beans, corn, and spices and stir well.
Spoon the filling into the hollow part of the squash.
Pour ¼ cup of water into the baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake one hour.
Pull back the foil and test for doneness. The squash should be fork tender.
Additional filling can be kept warm on the stove and served as second helpings.

Photo credit: CC Harmon

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