Tempura-Battered Zucchini with Hollandaise Sauce

Abandoned Edibles*

Zucchini; Cherry Tomatoes

(additional ingredients: tempura batter, beer, canola oil, spinach, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, butter, eggs, lemon juice, salt, spices, etc.)

* NOTE: these foods were not 'abandoned', but rather kindly given to me by talented friends who GREW them in their home gardens!  A shout out and MAHALO to Mz. Jackie M and Ms. Emily M for sharing their delicious veggies.

What I did: my oh my, I sure do LOVE the end of summer.  So many delicious fruits and vegetables are in season!  I was lucky enough to be gifted with zucchini and cherry tomatoes from two friends the other day, and I must confess: fried zucchini is one of my FAVORITE foods...especially when you pair it with smooth, luxurious, artery-clogging hollandaise sauce for dipping!  You just can't go wrong!

This was a pretty simple meal to make.  First, I made sure to sweat my zucchini after cutting them up (as I learned when I made my fried eggplant dish last year, sweating veggies such as eggplant, cucumbers, and zucchini make them less soggy) before I started frying.  While the zucs were sweating, I made a batter...and I'll confess something here...I have found the perfect batter balance.  I use this brand of pre-packaged tempura mix, but I substitute 3/4 of the water called for with BEER instead when making it, and let me tell you--the results are delicious.  A tempura/beer battered hybrid.  Oh yeah.  Oh yeeeeeeaaaaaaah!  It IS as good as it sounds...trust me.

At any rate, once the zucchinis were done sweating, I rinsed them (a vital step), patted them dry, dipped them in my tempura batter, and fried them right up.  Once they were done I made a quick 'easy' hollandaise sauce (1 stick of butter melted, add in 3 beaten eggs on super low heat, add in lemon juice, whisk whisk whisk until it thickens!), threw together a salad of spinach, mozzarella, prosciutto, and cherry tomatoes, and viola: dinner was served!

The Verdict

Oh, SO delicious...I could just die!  Seriously I LOVE fried zucchini with hollandaise.  And the salad...those delicious little tomatoes with fresh mozzarella...it was just perfect.  One thing of note, however--since I cheated when I made the hollandaise sauce, and made an 'easy' version, the sauce ended up much lighter and fluffier than a typical hollandaise would normally  be.  This of course is attributed to the egg WHITES that were included in addition to the yolks...and you know what?  It actually worked out better, see as how the hollandaise was used for dipping (and not, say, smothered over a poached egg on an english muffin).  Just look how it coats and clings to the zucchini chip so perfectly:



Nice, right?  I think I'll use this 'easy' hollandaise route from here on out!  I never liked separating eggs much, anyway.

Taste: 9

Apperance: 8

Creativity: 4

Improvements for next time: you can't improve perfection, dahling!  And fried zucchini + hollandaise sauce IS perfection.  Simple, easy, and delicious--and simply the BEST.

Tortellini with Veggie Marinara

Abandoned Edibles
red cherry tomatoes, portabella mushroom, zucchini, broccoli, onion, sweet peppers, green pepper, parmesan cheese
(additional ingredients: tortellini, marinara sauce, beef stock, butter, olive oil, minced garlic, spices, etc.)

What I did: since I had such a plethora of wonderful veggies at my fingertips, AND since tortellini was on sale at the co-op, I decided to make a veggie marinara. I sauteed the veggies in olive oil and butter, de-glazed the pan with a bit of beef broth, added some marinara sauce, and simmered for a bit. I added the cherry tomatoes at the last minute, threw the tortellini in some boiling water, and voila: veggie marinara with tortellini! I topped everything off with a generous helping of parmesan cheese (you can never have too much, in my opinion)--it was simple, easy, and fast.



The Verdict
Great! Somewhat uninspired, I must admit (especially after last month's posting of beef stick stew) but overall tasty and satisfying.

Taste: 7.5
Creativity: 6
Appearance: 7

Improvements for next time: protein! Some type of meat?

Seitan Stir Fry

Abandoned Edibles
broccoli, chicken-style seitan, white mushrooms, zucchini, onions
(additional ingredients: better than bouillon chicken soup base, olive oil, butter, white rice, soy sauce, spices, etc.)

What I did: I made stir fry. Veggies + high heat + butter and oil + bouillon and spices + white rice = dinner! I am not in the mood to write tonight, can you tell?


The Verdict
Easy, simple, good. Yum.

Taste: 8
Creativity: 6
Appearance: 8

Improvements for next time: more veggies, of course!

Zucchini 'Noodles' with Bison Marinara & Sauteed Mushrooms

Abandoned Edibles
zucchini, red pepper, white mushrooms, bellavitano cheese
*BONUS* leftover AEs: marinara sauce (additional ingredients: onion, garlic, butter, ground bison, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, vinegar, spices. etc.)

What I did: first of all, I must confess--I have discovered a new favorite cheese. Bellavitano is DELICIOUS, and I got the leftovers from the sample we put out at the Co-op the day prior. It's parmesean-esque in flavor, but not as hard--yet still deliciously crunchy at times: perfect to pair with marinara. I had an abundance of zucchini, so I decided to cut them into thin strips along with the red pepper and sauté them in a little bit of vinegar, olive oil, butter, and spices as a sort of 'pasta' base for the sauce. I crumbled the bison in a pan, cooked it, threw in some marinara (also added a pinch of sugar to offset the acid of the tomato base) and sauteed some onions and mushrooms on the side. I built the dish with the zucchini as the base, bison marinara on top, and added the mushrooms/onions with crumbled bellavitano cheese as a garnish.



The Verdict
GOOD. This was really quite delicious. I probably should have made even MORE zucchini 'pasta', but I was hungry and in a rush. The vinegar was an important addition--I used just a tad--but I suspect it contributed to both the flavor and pasta-like 'texture' of the zucchini and peppers.

Taste: 8
Creativity: 8
Appearance: 7

Improvements for next time: there was a texture variation with the peppers and zucchini, and I think I could have sauteed the peppers a little longer. Also: more Bellavitano! This cheese is seriously DELICIOUS, I could have definitely used more.

Eggplant and Zucchini Spaghetti Muffins

Abandoned Edibles
marinara sauce, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, white cheddar cheese
*BONUS* leftover AEs: leftover spaghetti noodles (additional ingredients: ground pork, onion, egg, panko bread crumbs, butter, spices, etc.)

What I did: dude. This was by FAR the weirdest thing I have cooked with AEs, mainly due to two things: 1) the only baking device I currently own is a motherfuckin' MUFFIN PAN, and 2) I had leftover spaghetti noodles from the night before that I desperately wanted to use. So, I figured, hey--might as well make spaghetti muffins, eh? Basically, what I did was make a three-layered mini casserole in each muffin tin. I made a base (or 'crust') of chopped up spaghetti noodles, egg, and panko bread crumbs for the bottom, added a layer of cooked ground pork, cubed zucchini and onions, a layer of shredded cheese, and then marinara sauce on top. I baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. And, of course, I greased the hell out of those muffin rounds with butter. Whilst these frankensteinian vittles were cooking, I sliced, battered, and fried rounds of eggplant. I served this dish with fried eggplant on the bottom, spaghetti muffin atop the eggplant, and additional marinara sauce and shredded cheese on top of the muffin.




The Verdict
First of all, apologies for the horrible pictures--I was rather drunk by the time I finished cooking. But back to the matter at hand: spaghetti muffins! Yes, they were bizarre, but also rather tasty. I was pretty proud of myself. Pat on the back for me!

Taste: 7
Creativity: 9
Appearance: 6

Improvements for next time: I can't even IMAGINE.