Category: Savory

Several bright yellow pattypan squash grow from thick green vines of a robust plant.

Stuffed Pattypan Squash

Servings:
6

Prep Time:
30 minutes

Cook Time:
45 minutes

Summer squash offer bountiful opportunities for vegetable-forward dishes. Stuffed pattypan squashes offer mildly sweet flavor along with vibrant yellow color. Other varieties such as Delicata squash also work well. Stuff a few exceptionally large squashes or a plethora of smaller specimens. The filling is flexible – look for a good mix of colors and textures and a variety of flavors to compliment the squash.

Ingredients

  • 3 large (at least 6″ diameter) pattypan squashes (or more, smaller squashes)
  • 2 bell peppers
  • 2 cups brussels sprouts (or other filler vegetable)
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 3/4 cup lentils
  • 1 (2-cup) Jar tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely-chopped walnuts
  • Olive oil, as needed
  • 2 tsp. Cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. cayenne
  • black pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove a small amount of the stem and base of each squash, so that it can sit flat. Slice each squash in half longitudinally to create a disk shape. Remove the seeds to create a filling cavity.
  2. Place the squashes opening-up on a baking sheet. Brush with a liberal blend of olive oil, cumin, paprika, and half the salt. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until beginning to darken.
  3. Finely dice the peppers, sprouts, and onion. Sauté in olive oil with the remaining spices until reduced to about half of its volume (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat.
  4. Bring tomato sauce to a boil in a small pot. Add the lentils and cook for about 6 minutes, until liquid is fully absorbed. Remove from heat.
  5. Mix the lentils into the vegetable medley. Place into the squashes, mounding as needed. Top with the walnuts. Return to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until walnuts are golden brown.
Colorful stuffing fills a bright yellow disk of pattypan squash on a blue plate in a brick-paved garden.
Freshly-harvested white onions, Purple Cherokee tomatoes, and jalapeno peppers in a garden basket.

Purple Cherokee Salsa

Servings:
Variable

Prep Time:
15 minutes

Cook Time:
N/A

Garden-fresh Purple Cherokee tomatoes bring a deep and balanced flavor to homemade salsa. Nearly all of the ingredients can be grown in Oregon gardens.

Ingredients

  • 4 parts Purple Cherokee tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 part jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
  • 1 part yellow or white onions, finely chopped
  • Juice of 2-4 limes, to taste
  • Fresh cilantro, to taste
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Start by chopping the onions. Marinate the onions in lime juice while preparing the other elements.
  2. Add the chopped jalapenos to the onions and lime. Include some seeds for hotter salsa.
  3. Chop the cilantro and add to the mixture along with salt and pepper.
  4. Add the chopped tomatoes with all juices and seeds. Ensure that the flesh and skin is consistently cut into pieces no larger than 1/4″ in any dimension.
  5. Refrigerate for at least one hour, preferably one day, before using to allow the flavors to blend.
Purple Cherokee Salsa in a blue and white bowl on a stainless steel countertop.

Purple Cherokee Tomatoes also make delicious Tomato Sauce for a variety of applications.

Dozens of rain-soaked green Jalapeno peppers grow on a plant supported by a wooden stake.

Jalapeno Quinoa Sausage Stew

Servings:
8

Prep Time:
20 minutes

Cook Time:
55 minutes

This stew blends several garden vegetables with sausage and quinoa for a rich, filling meal.

Ingredients

  • 3 Medium Onions
  • 12 Jalapeno Peppers
  • 1 (Quart) Jar of Tomato Base
  • 1 12-oz Kielbasa Sausage
  • 1-2 Cups Quinoa

Directions

  1. Chop onions and saute in olive oil over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.
  2. Halve, seed, and slice the jalapenos. Add to the onions and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so.
  3. Thinly slice the sausage, add to to the onions and vegetables, and cook until the sausage has lightly browned and the onions have softened into a sauce.
  4. Add the tomato base and reduce to low heat. Stir in the quinoa and cover for 20 minutes.
  5. When the quinoa has cooked, uncover and stir. Continue cook for a few more minutes if needed until most of the liquid has cooked down.
Jalapeno Quinoa Sausage Stew in a blue bowl on a sunlit wooden table with the shadow of Jacaranda tree leaves.
A wooden basket sitting on a gravel pathway is filled with a rainbow of heirloom tomatoes, from Dr. Wychee's Yellow to Purple Cherokee.

Tomato Sauce

Bountiful late-summer tomato harvests typically exceed a volume that can be effectively eaten fresh. Surplus and misshapen tomatoes are easily converted into a base tomato sauce that can be canned, jarred, or frozen for up to one year. The resulting rich, sweet sauce can be used in place of canned tomatoes in sauces and other dishes year-round.

Tomato Sauce Base

Start with a varied blend of garden-fresh tomatoes. Cut tomatoes into 1-inch cubes or smaller, removing the stems and any damaged or rotting portions. Then, place them into a glass baking dish, up to 2/3 full. Crack black pepper evenly over the tomatoes and stir to blend the varieties. Optionally add whole cloves of garlic and/or garden-fresh basil depending on your intended future use.

Roast for 1 – 2 hours at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until tomatoes have reduced by at least half of their volume, stirring every 30 minutes. When done, can, jar, or bag and freeze the tomatoes for future use. Continue reading for a few suggestions.

Continue reading Tomato Sauce →
One medium and two small orange freshly-harvested pumpkins sit on a concrete and gravel pathway in front of a concrete wall.

Pumpkin Soup

Servings:
Varies

Prep Time:
5 minutes

Cook Time:
35 minutes

This flexible-ratio pumpkin soup is a great way to use leftover pumpkin puree when making pies. Its earthy flavor is a great way to warm up an autumn or winter lunch. Adjust the flavoring agent ratios as desired to taste.

Ingredients

  • 2 Medium White or Yellow Onions
  • Turmeric
  • Cumin
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1 – 4 cups Vegetable Stock
  • 2 – 4 cups Pumpkin Puree (fresh pumpkin instructions)
  • 1 – 2 cans Garbanzo Beans

Directions

  1. Dice the onions and sautee in olive oil until golden brown. Mix in the turmeric, cumin, and dijon and cook until thick.
  2. Add the brown sugar, then de-glaze with vegetable stock or broth. Boil for about 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in the pumpkin puree and garbanzo beans. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, until garbanzo beans are done.
A small bowl of pumpkin soup on a wood table.