My friend and I attempted to go wild ricing, but without success this year. As in, our worst outing yet. A handful of circumstances were working against us: drought had the lake levels low and I think that impacted how warm the water became (not good for rice), a canoe near us overturned so we rendered assistance for an hour, then had lunch, and after an hour of trying to rice, we were chased off the lake by a severe storm. I think that was a sign this was not our year. So it goes. We had a good time anyway.
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| Kansas City at Sunset, 2016 |
The Meal Plan:
Sat (out) wild ricing (S) I don't remember...
Sun (L) salad (S) Zucchini soup
Mon (yoga/bkgrp) leftovers
Tues - mac-n-cheese with zucchini
Wed (yoga) soup
Thurs - mac-n-cheese
Fri - (D out) soup
Lunches - sandwiches
Zucchini Soup (Milk Street Tuesday Nights Mediterranean) vegetarian
I'm always on the lookout for a new zucchini soup. This one was different in that it incorportated toasted pumpkin seeds, flour as a thickener and lemon. I'm not entirely wild about flour as a thickener when I could add more zucchini. The pumpkin seeds were quite yummy and I found myself eating them on the side. The lemon was definitely present - not an "in your face" flavor, but there. I would make this again, it's a lovely summer soup.
Skillet Mac & Cheese with Zucchini & Pimiento (Eating Well, Sept 2021) vegetarian
This was good and could have been better if I hadn't overcooked my pasta. My "test" noodle must have been the one slightly undercooked noodle in the pot when I sampled. So a small "argh!". I like my food spicy, but the 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper was too much for this dish. A tich of heat is nice, and this was more "whoo! spicy!". Recommend 1/8 tsp. I did use summer squash as that's what was ripe in the garden. And if I were to make this again, I'd skip the panko or perhaps toast separately and put on before serving. With leftovers, it becomes lost in the reheating.
Recommended with some modifications.
Served 4-6 (I got 6-8 servings out of this, it's filling)
8 ounces whole-wheat elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups diced zucchini and/or summer squash
½ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 4-ounce jar diced pimientos (see Tip), rinsed
½ cup panko breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.
Cook macaroni 1 minute less than the package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Add zucchini (and/or summer squash) and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium and melt butter in the skillet. Sprinkle with flour and whisk until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk milk, dry mustard, cayenne and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the skillet, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in cheese and pimientos. Using a slotted spoon, add the reserved vegetables to the skillet along with the pasta. Stir to coat.
Mix panko, garlic powder and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the casserole. Transfer to the oven and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the topping is golden, about 15 minutes.
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