Have an abundance of vegetables? Try these two recipes

Wok & Roll by Peter Kwong, (Frederic) Inter-County Leader
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Thank goodness that my wife started her garden right after we moved to the Northwoods. There was not much happening the first couple of years, a zucchini here and there, maybe a handful of tomatoes or kale. But the last two years have been nuts!

We were bombarded with mutant zucchinis and tomatoes last year. And this year the harvest doubled, or even tripled! I am thinking of putting a fence around the house, hoping that those tomato plants won’t keep growing and snatch me off the planet.

Well, I guess I shouldn’t keep complaining, as our food bills have drastically gone down. Also, the garden has kept us both busy — she does the gardening and I do the cooking.

So, what to do with the overabundance of vegetables? My neighbors are getting smart now, they all leave their floodlights on around their homes when it gets dark, so, no chance of sneaking up with buckets of cucumbers and tomatoes in the middle of the night and leaving them by the doorsteps.

What to do? What to do?

Needless to say, when the world gives you lemons, the best thing to do is to make lemonade. But what if the world gives you vegetables? Well, I’ll just cook them!

After spending hours going over my old files and my favorite food magazines, I’ve come up with a few interesting recipes. Of course, I would love to share them with you all. Are you ready?

Vegetable Quiche

(This is relatively easy, as you can purchase the frozen pie crust at the store and all the other ingredients are from your garden or things you probably keep on hand.)

Ingredients (for two pies)

• Zucchini, 4 medium
• Tomatoes, 4 medium
• Mushroom, 8 oz
• Corn, 2 cups
• Cheese, 4 cups
• Cornstarch/flour, 2 tablespoons
• Heavy cream, 2 cups
• Eggs, 4 large, beaten
• Seasoning to taste

Method

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put pie crust in and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Use a fork to poke some holes in the crust to prevent bubbles forming during baking.
3. In separate saute pan, add butter and cook all the veggies.
4. Add seasoning to taste.
5. In a separate bowl, add beaten eggs, heavy cream, cornstarch and 1 cup cheese, mix well.
6. When crusts are done, add cooked vegetables, spread evenly.
7. Then add egg mix slowly, make sure all are evenly coated.
8. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
9. Put pies back in oven, and cook for another 20-30 minutes.
10. Test the pie with a toothpick, if it comes out clean with nothing sticking to it, then it is done,
11. Turn the oven to “broil” and brown the top layer for 5-8 min. The top should be golden brown.
12. Take the pies out and let cool off
13. Or leave in oven to ensure that inside is thoroughly cooked
14. Enjoy!

You can use this recipe with whatever you grow in your garden; follow the recipe, but you can modify it any way you like to suit your kitchen setup and also your taste. Here is another simple one:

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes and zucchini

Ingredients

• Tomatoes, 4 each
• Zucchini, 2 each
• Basil/Tarragon, 1 bunch (for garnish)
• Eggs, 6 each (scrambled)
• Cheese, 1 cup
• Seasoning to taste

Method

1. Slice all veggies to bite-size.
2. Scramble the eggs, set aside.
3. In heated pan, add butter, then veggies.
4. Cook till tender, add seasoning and set aside.
5. In same pan, add butter, then eggs.
6. When eggs are half done, add cheese.
7. Add cooked veggies back to the eggs.
8. Viola! (oh, and garnish with sliced herbs).

Serve them with toast or over rice.

I am coming up with more vegan dishes now as my family has become vegetarian. So, enjoy and let me know how it turns out for you. Meanwhile, I just have to have my grilled steak with sauteed mushrooms all by myself.

Writer’s note: send me an email if you have any questions, phkwong1668@gmail.com.