Spaghetti Squash Salad with Tomato, Basil & Feta ♥

Spaghetti Squash - do they have their own flavor or simply deliver other flavors? So far, my vote's on 'delivery'.

This particular spaghetti squash was home-grown, just-picked and small (maybe a pound versus the typical three-pound footballs from the grocery) so I figured if ever there were flavor to be found, this was it. Nope.

But nonetheless, this salad - which 'delivers' fresh tomato, basil and feta - was quite good and easy to pull together.

Spaghetti squash does have its compensations. It has virtually no calories and cooks in a flash (here, in the microwave). So -- as long as we expect no flavor from the squash itself, it's a perfect delivery vehicle.

NEXT TIME I'll be tempted to put the salad into a casserole dish and warm through to serve hot. I'm quite sure that the inspiring recipe intended this to be a warm side dish, but spaghetti squash doesn't hold heat so it just didn't turn out that way. I'll also use all tomatoes versus a mix of tomatoes/red pepper - the tomato moisture is appreciated.

KITCHEN NOTES The 'spaghetti' strings weren't visible until the squash was cooked. I even wondered if I'd brought home a yellow acorn squash.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES See the Recipe Box for more winter squash recipes. Tis the season! I've already roasted a butternut squash so new recipes to come!

A YEAR AGO I discovered the anatomy of a squash and for the first time, cooked squash blossoms.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH SALAD with TOMATO, BASIL & FETA

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes
Serves 4

HOW TO COOK SPAGHETTI SQUASH IN THE MICROWAVE (here, when cut, you can also cook whole spaghetti squash in the microwave)
1 spaghetti squash (tonight, a small one, about a pound)
1/4 cup water

Cut the squash in half pole to pole. Place cut-side down in a microwave-safe dish with the water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for about 6 minutes, turn the dish, then another 6 minutes. (Microwave strengths do vary, so do the moisture content and size of squash. Use the information here as a guideline, not a formula.)

Let squash rest, covered, for 2 - 3 minutes, primarily to cool. (I opened it up first, to make sure the squash was done, then recovered.) With a fork, scrape the flesh, creating 'spaghetti' strings.

MEANWHILE
1/2 pound fresh tomatoes, chopped (I had just one small tomato)
Red pepper, diced (did add nice crunch)
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 square inches feta, crumbled

1 tablespoon olive oil (I added this at the end, hoping it wouldn't be needed, but it was, almost as much as 'binder' as flavor and richness)
Salt & pepper

Mix tomato, pepper, onion, basil, oregano and feta in a medium bowl. Stir in spaghetti squash. Add olive oil and seasoning as needed.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 92 Cal (35% from Fat, 14% from Protein, 51% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 4 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 13 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 2 g Sugar; 110 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 184 mg Sodium; 13 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE Adapted from Gourmet, September 1990

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Eat more vegetables! A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and is the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes, quick, easy, and yes, delicious. Start with the Alphabet of Vegetables or dive into all the Weight Watchers vegetable recipes or all the low carb vegetable recipes. © Copyright 2007

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Warm Sweet Potato Salad ♥

I like this dressing! It's made from dried New Mexico chiles (or something called guajillo chiles which I've never seen before), which impart depth and smokiness, not heat. And by itself, it made up in just 10 minutes, a quick and easy job. It would be a great alternate dressing for last year's Warm Root Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette.

NEXT TIME Since the sweet potatoes take much longer to skillet sauté, I've re-arranged the recipe to shorten your time requirements. But another time, I'd be tempted then roast or steam the sweet potatoes, then toss lightly in some dressing -- or maybe grill slices of sweet potato brushed with the dressing. Did I mention I really like this dressing?!

NUTRITION Cooking the potatoes this way took a whole lot more oil than I'm comfortable with -- and the nutrition analysis (see below) definitely shows this. After cooking and then eating, my skin even felt oily. As much as I like the dressing, I'd like it more if less were used. Still, this was a very satisfying vegetarian main dish salad.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES Sweet potatoes are quite a favorite so I'm surprised to find relatively few sweet potato recipes in the Recipe Box. Time to fix that!

TWO YEARS AGO Hurricane Rice ... in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the much-missed Paper Chef inspired many of us to cook with New Orleans-inspired ingredients

WARM SWEET POTATO SALAD

Hands-on time: 35 minutes (plus occasional attention for the duration)
Time to table: 50 minutes
Makes 8 side dishes, 4 main dish servings

SWEET POTATOES (if pan sautéing)
1 tablespoon oil (I used corn)
1 red onion, diced (I skipped this and used 1 dozen green onions, cut on the diagonal)
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
Watercress (I skipped this)
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet on MEDIUM. Add the onion and sweet potato as they're prepped, stirring to coat with oil. Let cook, stirring often, letting brown a bit. When dressing is ready, add a tablespoon at a time to speed cooking and flavor the sweet potatoes. I used about 1/3 of the dressing. Season to taste with salt.

DRESSING
3/4 cup oil (I used corn)
2 medium dried New Mexico chilies (or guiajillo chiles), stemmed and seeded
2 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup vinegar (I used balsamic which Rick Bayless says adds sweetness, he prefers sherry vinegar for richness, or champagne or white wine vinegar for lightness)
Salt to taste

In a large skillet, warm the oil on MEDIUM. Add the peppers and garlic and let warm for a minute or two. Transfer to a blender. Add remaining ingredients and whizz til smooth. [RICK BAYLESS' ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS: Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the peppers and garlic after letting warm together for a minute or two. Transfer to a blender and finish the dressing. The skillet will still have some oil in it, use this to start cooking the onion and potatoes.]

ASSEMBLY
Salad Greens
Dressing
Sweet Potato Salad

Dress greens with a tablespoon of dressing per serving. Top with sweet potatoes. Serve while still warm.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
With 4 servings - Per Serving: 466 Cal (58% from Fat, 3% from Protein, 39% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 31 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 7 g Mono Fat; 46 g Carb; 6 g Fiber; NetCarb40; 16 g Sugar; 75 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 63 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 11 points

With 8 servings - Per Serving: 233 Cal (58% from Fat, 3% from Protein, 39% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 16 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 4 g Mono Fat; 23 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; 8 g Sugar; 38 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 31 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 5 points

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE
Adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

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Eat more vegetables! A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and is the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes, quick, easy, and yes, delicious. Start with the Alphabet of Vegetables or dive into all the Weight Watchers vegetable recipes or all the low carb vegetable recipes. © Copyright 2007

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Summer Vegetable Curry ♥

One of my favorite summer stews, vegan and delicious and a great way to use a collection of vegetables from a CSA or the farmers market when the season's at its peak.

~recipe & photo updated 2011~
~more recently updated recipes~
~such a summer favorite, republished 2011~

2007: By design, most vegetable recipes here on A Veggie Venture are simple and thus nearly always feature a single vegetable at a time. But there are times -- now! -- when the market's vegetables are so plentiful, eyes exceed appetite and soon it's almost Saturday and the vegetable bin is still overflowing from last week's purchases.

So this summer vegetable curry, an Indian-spiced riff on 2005's Summer Vegetable Stew, is perfect using up a lot of vegetables all at once. It takes some chopping and dicing but in the end, is completely delicious both hot and cold. I especially like it cold, doused in a splash of cream. Swoon ...
Keep Reading ->>>

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Baked Eggs & Tomatoes & Whaaat? ♥

Yes, those are little fishy anchovy guys draped amid the tomatoes and eggs. I love their salty contribution but for anyone who's anchovy skittish, the eggs and tomatoes are entirely gorgeous, all on their own.

This is an easy breakfast recipe, one to make spur of the moment some lazy weekend while the tomatoes are still luscious. I used thick slices of fresh San Marzano tomatoes: beautiful.

No tomatoes? Then how about Baked Eggs in Cream with Spinach?

Not excited about eggs? Then how about more recipes for perfect summer tomatoes?

REVISITING a COOKBOOK Some years back, my long-time friend Lisa (and soon-to-be Portland food blogger!) recommended Janet Mandel's My Kitchen in Spain and its '225 Authentic Regional Recipes'. I made a thing or two but felt uninspired. Then I remade Summer Vegetable Stew (because so many of you were clicking on it, thank you for the reminder!) and it was soooo delicious. I rifled back through the cookbook and found myself wanting to make every single recipe! So don't be surprised to find more as time passes ...

KITCHEN NOTES The inspiring recipe specified adding the eggs to the partly-heated tomatoes and baking for another 4 minutes. Even after 14 minutes, the whole egg was barely cooked but would make raw-egg people (hello, 80K!) squeamish. A second egg, whose yolk broke and dispersed throughout the tomatoes, was perfectly cooked -- in fact, while the dish wouldn't be as pretty, next time I might whisk an egg or two (or my favorite for omelettes, an egg plus two extra whites) and pour over the tomatoes.

NUTRITION NOTES With only 5 net carbs, this is a great addition to the breakfast options in the brand-new low-carb vegetable recipes.

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A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK in KITCHEN PARADE Two recipes for fall's abundant bell peppers, a pair of grilled pepper salads

TWO YEARS AGO Early Autumn Leaves in Soup and one of my least-intuitive Weight Watchers tips

BAKED EGGS & TOMATOES

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 20 - 40 minutes
Serves 1 but easily multiplied

Fresh tomatoes
Parsley, chopped
Dried oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
1 teaspoon olive oil (plenty ...)

1 - 2 eggs
1 - 2 anchovy filets, optional

Preheat oven to 375F. Slice tomatoes about 1/3 inch thick and layer in an oven-safe dish, overlapping a bit. Sprinkle with parsley, oregano, garlic and salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. (Wipe the sides of the dish with a damp paper towel if you care about aesthetics.) Bake for about 10 minutes plus whatever time is left to preheat. Carefully slip an egg onto the tomatoes, then place an anchovy or two alongside. Bake for another 4 - 20 minutes, or until whites are cooked and yolk fully heated through. (This will still qualify as 'raw' or 'uncooked' egg for anyone who worries about salmonella.)

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving (with 1 egg, 1 anchovy): 164 Cal (60% from Fat, 23% from Protein, 17% from Carb); 10 g Protein; 11 g Tot Fat; 3 g Sat Fat; 6 g Mono Fat; 7 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; NetCarb5; 1 g Sugar; 60 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 241 mg Sodium; 249 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 3 points

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE Adapted from My Kitchen in Spain

SHORTHAND RECIPE
BAKED EGGS & TOMATOES Slice tomatoes into oven-safe dish, top w parsley, dried oregano, S&P, 1t EVOO. Bake 375F 10min. Top w egg (or mixed egg/whites) & anchovy, bake another x min. WW=3

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How to eat more vegetables? A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes with quick and easy favorite vegetable recipes, the Alphabet of Vegetables, Weight Watchers low-point recipes, the just-relaunched low-carb vegetable recipes and microwave vegetable recipes.

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Fresh Tomato & Basil Stuffed Peppers ♥

Stuff me! That's what every vegetable is shouting right now. And I'm listening!

Earlier this week, I stuffed eight-ball zucchini with rice 'n' stuff but these are a whole 'nother take, peppers with fresh tomato and other garden goodness.

SAN MARZANO TOMATOES For the first time, I found fresh San Marzano tomatoes. They have the meatiness of a Roma so are good for stuffing. And taste-wise they are VERY good -- I can't put my finger on it, but they are definitely different, startlingly so at first, then you just want to gobble them up and can't really tell.

KITCHEN NOTES The muddled-red peppers looked pretty but the green ones tasted better. Look for 'squatty' versus 'tall' peppers that are easier to stuff and stand upright.

NEXT TIME Next time I'll use smaller peppers, like a side dish, since one big pepper isn't all that appetizing to eat whole. I'll also chop the tomatoes so they pack better into the peppers.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES See the Recipe Box for more great vegetable recipes!

TWO YEARS AGO Tomato Cocktail ... "... this tomato cocktail is faintly sweet, almost fruity. It's frothy and refreshing."

TOMATO & BASIL STUFFED PEPPERS

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 60 minutes
Serves 2

2 peppers but easily multiplied

STUFFING, per pepper -- stuff in this order
1 ounce goat cheese or other soft cheese (I used my version of homemade Boursin which was VERY good)
Chopped parsley
Basil leaves
Chopped tomato
Sprinkle of black pepper
Sprinkle of dried thyme (important)
More basil leaves
Drizzle of olive oil
Another 1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled
More black pepper
More parsley

1/2 cup or so of white wine

Preheat oven to 350F. Slice off top 1/4 of pepper, along the crown line. Remove the membrane and seeds from both the top and the bottom. If needed, cut a very shallow slice on the bottom to help it stand straight.

Stuff the peppers, packing full and tight. (Mine didn't have enough stuffing.) Put on the 'top. Place in a shallow dish just large enough to hold the peppers and hold them upright. Pour the wine into the dish. Bake for about 40 minutes. Serve while hot.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 268 Cal (56% from Fat, 19% from Protein, 25% from Carb); 14 g Protein; 18 g Tot Fat; 9 g Sat Fat; 6 g Mono Fat; 18 g Carb; 5 g Fiber; NetCarb13; 7 g Sugar; 127 mg Calcium; 4 mg Iron; 231 mg Sodium; 26 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 6 points

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE Adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook

SHORTHAND RECIPE
TOMATO & BASIL STUFFED PEPPERS Stuff peppers w 1oz chevre, parsley, fresh basil, chopped tomato, pepper, dried thyme, more basil, drizzle olive oil, 1oz crumbled chevre, more pepper, more parsley. Bake 350F for 40min with ½ c wine in dish. VV07

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How to eat more vegetables? A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes with quick and easy favorite vegetable recipes, the Alphabet of Vegetables, Weight Watchers low-point vegetable recipes, the just-relaunched low-carb vegetable recipes and microwave vegetable recipes.

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Eight Ball Stuffed Zucchini ♥

What is it about late summer that all of a sudden I want to cook with vegetables again? For two, maybe three months, assembling vegetables into quick salads and side vegetables has been satisfying. But suddenly, I want more!

But not more complicated! These took only 20 minutes to assemble (oh wait, am I still assembling?!) and another 20 in the oven. The eight-ball 'round' zucchini are very tasty and perfect for stuffing -- no real recipe required but I'll share what I did because it was very good.

The basics would work for any stuffing. Scoop out the zucchini, steam them upside down for six or seven minutes, then stuff and toss into the oven to finish cooking and warm the contents. Yum ... a great vegetarian supper.

HOMEMADE BOURSIN I intended to use Boursin, the creamy-garlicky stuff from the grocery, as a binder. But -- what ARE they thinking? -- the stuff is selling at my local supermarket for $7.69 for 4.4 ounces which is a ridiculous $28 a pound. Forget that!!! I bought some Neufchatel, the low-fat cream cheese and made an extra-garlicky version of my Basil Cream Cheese Dip. It was perfect -- and maybe fifty cents. You could also use goat cheese or plain cream cheese, even feta, anything to bind the stuffing ingredients.

GROW YOUR OWN This is my contribution to the fun event happening at Andrea's Recipes. She's challenged us to cook something we've grown ourselves -- here it's the garlic and the basil, not much but two things I didn't grow last year!

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FROM THE ARCHIVES Other 'stuffed' vegetables that I've loved are this feta-stuffed zucchini and a similar version for stuffed patty pan squash and as soon as winter squash begin to appear, acorn squash with quinoa & cherries.

A YEAR AGO Slow-Roasted Tomato Soup, a reminder to (you know what's coming, right?) slow-roast tomatoes!

TWO YEARS AGO New Potatoes with Mint & Parsley

Eight Ball Stuffed Zucchini

Hands-on time: 20 minutes (for two)
Time to table: 40 minutes
Serves 2

Eight ball zucchini, one per person

Per Zucchini, about this much, for stuffing:
1 - 2 tablespoons Boursin, goat cheese or cream cheese (or my homemade Boursin)
scant 1/2 cup cooked rice (I used a combination of brown and wild rice)
1 - 2 green onions, chopped
2 - 4 Kalamata olives, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped
Fresh red pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts (these were perfect)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Start water to boil for steaming the zucchini (I used a Dutch oven with a metal steamer rack). Wash the zucchinis well, paying special attention to the 'socket' and the stem areas. Slice off the top third or so of the stem end. With a paring knife, cut around the perimeter of the zucchini, leaving a 'wall' about 1/4 inch thick. Cut hatch marks into the flesh, without piercing the skin or the 'wall'. With a serrated grapefruit spoon, scoop out the flesh and set aside for another use. Scoop out the 'lid' too. Steam cutside down for 6 - 7 minutes.

Combine the stuffing ingredients. When the zucchini is steamed, pack tightly with filling ingredients. Place in oven dish, place the 'lid' on top and bake for about 20 minutes or until heated through.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
(a wild stab, given the variation, assumes feta for cheese) Per Serving: 262 Cal (36% from Fat, 13% from Protein, 52% from Carb); 9 g Protein; 11 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 4 g Mono Fat; 36 g Carb; 6 g Fiber; NetCarb30; 6 g Sugar; 148 mg Calcium; 4 mg Iron; 393 mg Sodium; 8 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 5 points

SHORTHAND RECIPE
STUFFED EIGHT-BALL ZUCCHINI Scoop out, steam for 6 – 7 minutes. Stuff w rice, olives, green onion, basil, red peppers, tomatoes, Boursin/goat cheese. Bake 350F 20m. VV07

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How to eat more vegetables? A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes with 800 quick and easy favorite vegetable recipes, the Alphabet of Vegetables, Weight Watchers low-point vegetable recipes, the just-relaunched low-carb vegetable recipes and microwave vegetable recipes.

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Low-Carb Vegetable Recipes

If you're a low-carb dieter, you're going to love
A Veggie Venture's
brand-new home for

low-carb vegetable recipes.

It's been re-organized but you'll find all your favorite low-carb vegetable recipes from before.

Plus -- especially good news for regular visitors -- it's completely up-to-date so there are dozens and dozens of new recipes easily accessible for the first time!


The new page is also easy to find - see it there? right at the top of every page!

Regular visitors know that there are so many vegetable recipes on A Veggie Venture, without organization, it would be hard to find 'the' recipe, you know, the quick one for supper or the perfect one for a special meal.

To make all my vegetable recipes easy to find in a flash (I always imagine someone ready to leave work, planning a grocery stop and wondering what quick vegetable to make for supper), in the last while, I've also created special sections for microwave vegetable recipes and quick vegetable recipes (where all the recipes take no more than 5 or 10 minutes to prep) and vegetable recipes for the grill. And lest I forget, the most-visited vegetable recipes here are organized by Weight Watchers points so if you're looking for Zero Point recipes or One Point recipes, or even Two-Point recipes, this section is a treasure!

How to eat more vegetables? A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes with 800 quick and easy favorite vegetable recipes, the Alphabet of Vegetables, Weight Watchers low-point vegetable recipes, the just-relaunched low-carb vegetable recipes and microwave vegetable recipes.

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