I'm seriously not a country girl. Help me cook these beans and squash

[momee]

Someone has started giving our family produce from their garden which is amazing and spectacular and so much appreciated.

I got a huge batch of kale that I didn't know what to do with and had to throw it out. :(

 

I don't want to do so with this batch which is four big squash (es?)

and two batches of beans. One batch green and one yellow!

 

I dont' know how to cook them so my fam will like them. How sad is that!

 

I'm thinking for the squash some shish ke babs with onions and chicken but what about the beans? Also I'll have more squash leftover.

Anyway to make a meal of it? I have lots of grains and beans and stuff like that on hand.

 

TIA

ps When I tried looking up recipes for Kale I was totally overwhelmed. Just looking for a practical, fam. friendly dish, thanks :)

[Jules]

What type of squash are they? Summer squash, like zucchini and yellow crook neck?

If they are those, you can use them for grilling, especially....or the zucchini (green ones) you can shredd up and use for quick bread. You can also shredd it and put it in the freezer for later use.

 

Kale can be washed up and added to smoothies, without changing the taste of it (for future use!!)

 

Beans.....doesn't matter if they green or yellow. Snip the ends off of them and boil them up for eating. Just cut them up in bite size pieces or leave them whole...boil them in salted water, add butter and salt when done....delish!

 

Does this help a little....there are many, many more things to do with what you have....but this would be the basic things, if you haven't done anything with fresh produce from a garden before.

[momee]

Thank you for your quick reply.

The squash are yellow, crook neck sounds very appropriate :) So yes, they are those.

 

I have four so was wondering if there's something that I can do as a meal with them. Don't have to do kebobs. That was my only thought.

 

No green zucchinis (yet :)).

 

The beans, just curious about extending them into a meal somehow if that's possible but I don't want to bother...

[Alessandra]

Sounds wonderful! Beans:

-- first wash them, then top and tail them (cut off a tiny bit from both ends)

-- get a BIG pot of salted water boiling - it should be big, so that when you throw the beans in, the boiling stops only momentarily.

-- put the beans in the pot. When the water begins to boil again, turn down heat so that beans are at a gentle boil.

-- cook until just tender, about 6-8 minutes. It could be more or less.

-- empty pot into a colander and run cold water over beans to stop the cooking.

 

Then you can put the beans back in pot, add butter and salt to taste.

 

Or cool beans to lukewarm and serve with vinaigrette as a salad - beans should be undercooked for this. The salad can include baby potatoes & bacon, if you wish.

 

Our favorite way is a simple Julia Child recipe: cook the beans until about half done, four minutes or so. Rinse in cold water. Put back in pot with heavy cream, tarragon (dried is OK, apologies to JC) and boil down until the cream thickens and coats the beans, Then add salt if necessary.

 

Special for homegrown beans -- if beans are very different in size, toss the smaller ones into the pot a minute or so after the bigger ones.

[Luckymama]

^^I agree with the above for the beans, except that I steam our green beans :) So jealous, our green beans probably won't be ready for two more weeks.......and I fight a never-ending battle against blasted squash vine borers........

 

I usually steam or grill summer squashes (marinate in herbs/lemon juice or just regular Italian dressing!) but my kids like it when I saute them. I cut the squashes into half or thirds across the squash, then slice those sections into long thin pieces. I saute some diced garlic and/or onions in a smidge of olive oil first, then add the squash sticks to the pan. Saute until tender. I sometimes add chopped oregano or basil or thyme to the mixture, depending on what we're eating for dinner.

[momee]

Thanks ladies. I remember now a friend telling me to cook squash with the method right above, and adding in parm cheese so it got all sticky and crispy.

YUMMO!

 

Maybe I have enough to try all those methods. Thanks!

[KnitWit]

Yellow squash can also be eaten raw.

 

We also like to saute' squash with a bit of olive oil and herbs, in addition to all the suggestions above. Actually, the saute' is delicious if you have zukes and crookneck and some onion :)

[Parrothead]

Thank you for your quick reply.

The squash are yellow, crook neck sounds very appropriate :) So yes, they are those.

 

I have four so was wondering if there's something that I can do as a meal with them. Don't have to do kebobs. That was my only thought.

 

No green zucchinis (yet :)).

 

The beans, just curious about extending them into a meal somehow if that's possible but I don't want to bother...

Make squash boats. half the squash length-wise, scoop out the seeds and fibers and discard. Set aside squash. In a medium bowl combine about 2 cups of corn, some chopped onion and sweet (green or red) pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Put the squash halves on a baking sheet, fill each squash with a heaping helping of corn mixture and sprinkle on shredded cheese. Cheddar or a nice Italian blend. Bake at 375* until squash is tender about 30 minutes. Or you can put the squash together in a glass dish and microwave. I bet you could grill these too and they would be just fine.

 

If you want to make it into a more filling meal add some shredded cooked chilken to the corn mixture.

[momee]

Wow! The squash boats sound very economical - and since we're going for frugal - that's what I'll do with them this time. What an inexp. dinner this will be, since we have salad and I'm baking bread today!

 

Thanks much...I'm keeping the other ideas too because squash is something plentiful in summer I do know that :)

[hweakland]

My family loves green beans (or yellow, purple etc.) with bacon, shallots (or onions) and garlic.

 

I start by cooking the bacon till crisp, remove and then add the shallots/onions and a pat of butter. I saute this till the onions are soft and then add the prepared beans (ends cut off and snapped). When the beans are soft I add crushed garlic and crumbled bacon.

 

You can also do the same recipe with just about any veg including squash, tomatoes, okra and kale or any other green. I have also added some of our raw goat milk cream, parm cheese and fettucine to make it a complete meal.

 

This is the only recipe I know that gets my husband to eat squash and it is also a fav with the kiddos.

 

Blessings

Hope

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

In case you ever get any more kale, here's an easy recipe that my family loves:

 

http://blog.sigsiv.com/2009/02/chickpeas-and-kale-stir-fry.html

[helena]

I do an easy Sri Lankan recipe with kale

wash

fold lengthwise slice out stem

roll like a cigar, slice very thin

dice onion (on the smaller side)

 

use a wok or a deep pan (I use deep iron skillet)

 

get a little oil going in the pan, throw in onion

cook on low until transparent

 

it's optional, but sometimes I'll throw in a little mustard seed at the beginning too. you want to get those in first so they toast a bit.

 

once onion is transparent, throw in kale, cook on med/high

turn the kale a few times

 

add shredded coconut when kale is 3/4 done.

 

I use unsweetened coconut for the most part, but once in a while I use sweetened. The kids like that. :)

[helena]

For the crook neck, have you ever tried calabacitas?

http://saboruniversal.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/calabacitas-con-carne.jpg

Squash, corn, tomato, cilantro, chili, cheese, cumin.. it goes well with Mexican rice. :D

[twilkin]

My family loves to bake summer squash as a main dish. Cut squash lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the guts so you have a thick shell. Now is the time to get creative. For a Mexican flare mix fried beef, salsa, beans, olives, onions, ect..and scoop it into the shell and top with cheddar or colby-jack. Bake till tender.

We also like chicken mixed with rice, onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, topped with parmesan cheese.

Mix up the ingredients for a different dish each time.

 

For the green bean or yellow we also turn this into a main dish.

Fry bacon or smoked sausage, add onion, garlic, mushrooms. This is what I'm making tonight.

[Cricket]

My favorite unhealthy way to eat squash and/or zucchini: Zucchini Fritters. The recipe is gluten-free (I use gluten-free oat flour) but you can easily substitute regular flour for the oat flour. So yummy! Even the kids eat them as fast as I make them. You could even add more than one zucchini to the recipe.

[RanchMom]

When I first moved to this German settled region, I was introduced to Green Bean Dumpling Soup. There are recipes online, I'm sure. It's EZ and delish! Kids love it, too.

[Teachin'Mine]

For the yellow squash, wash them and cut off the very ends. Then split them lengthwise and lay them flat on the cutting board. I take one and reverse half so the fat and skinny ends are together and then I make about 1/4 inch slices. Sautee some onion in olive oil and add the squash. Add salt and some pepper if you like pepper. Awesome and quick! :)

 

If the beans are green beans - wash them and eat! They can be absolutely delicious raw when they are straight out of the garden. You can also just steam them.

[*Jessica*]

 

Pioneer Woman Fresh Green Beans are better than candy.

[Nakia]

Make squash boats. half the squash length-wise, scoop out the seeds and fibers and discard. Set aside squash. In a medium bowl combine about 2 cups of corn, some chopped onion and sweet (green or red) pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Put the squash halves on a baking sheet, fill each squash with a heaping helping of corn mixture and sprinkle on shredded cheese. Cheddar or a nice Italian blend. Bake at 375* until squash is tender about 30 minutes. Or you can put the squash together in a glass dish and microwave. I bet you could grill these too and they would be just fine.

 

If you want to make it into a more filling meal add some shredded cooked chilken to the corn mixture.

 

My family loves to bake summer squash as a main dish. Cut squash lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the guts so you have a thick shell. Now is the time to get creative. For a Mexican flare mix fried beef, salsa, beans, olives, onions, ect..and scoop it into the shell and top with cheddar or colby-jack. Bake till tender.

We also like chicken mixed with rice, onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, topped with parmesan cheese.

Mix up the ingredients for a different dish each time.

 

For the green bean or yellow we also turn this into a main dish.

Fry bacon or smoked sausage, add onion, garlic, mushrooms. This is what I'm making tonight.

 

Thanks so much for sharing!! These sound awesome!