beef, rice & yellow squash skillet dish

beef, rice & yellow squash skillet dish

it’s moving week in our house!  it feels like we have been prepping to move forever.  we are temporarily moving into a basement apartment (8-12 weeks) so most of our stuff has to go into storage…which has made packing a little more challenging.  needless to say, this week will be full of simple quick meals!  i am still trying to eat down our pantry & freezer and every ingredient in this dish i had on hand.  (the onions and yellow squash were from our CSA share last week).

we don’t eat a ton of gluten free grains, but the four main ones that we still incorporate into meals are rice, corn, quinoa and some gf rolled oats.  one thing i am pretty strict on is what i cook my rice and quinoa in.  i very rarely just cook it in water, but instead always try to use homemade bone broth (i freeze it in big batches).  i could write a huge long post on the benefits and nutrients packed into bone broth (and after this move, i will).  i drink a big mug of it everyday, but getting it into my kids is fairly challenging.  i have found that cooking grains and other dishes in it, is a fool proof way to get some broth into my family’s diet. here is my quick: beef, rice and yellow squash skillet dish!

 

beef, rice & yellow squash skillet dish
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups bone broth (i used beef)
  • 1 ½ cups brown rice
  • 1 lb. grass-fed beef
  • 2 Tbsp. coconut or olive oil
  • ½ yellow onion (diced finely)
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 3 yellow squash
  • salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. cook rice in bone broth (i use a rice steamer, but can easily be done on stovetop)
  2. in a skillet, sauté diced onion & crushed garlic in 1 T. coconut oil.
  3. when onion becomes translucent, add in beef and cook until brown.
  4. toss in sliced yellow squash and cook down for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
  5. when squash becomes slightly soft add in the cooked rice, remaining coconut or olive oil.
  6. mix together well and add in salt & pepper to desired flavor
  7. serve!

 

my week – new fermenting attempts & freezing blueberries!

my week – new fermenting attempts & freezing blueberries!

i am super excited about my 3 new jars of veggies that are fermenting on my counter right now.  we got some yummy pickling cucumbers and a beautiful head of red cabbage in our CSA share last week, so i knew i needed to try some new recipes with them. i have two types of cucumbers recipes turning into lacto-fermented pickles, one is a pretty simple garlic-dill and the second has more kick with some cayenne and red pepper flakes.  i will hopefully be sharing the recipes in a few days when they are done (i have no clue how they are going to taste). i also made a batch of garden dill fermented veggies, featuring red & green cabbage, a cucumber, carrots, garlic and dill.  dont’ they look pretty! i can’t wait to try them.

 

also, this week i have been busy freezing blueberries.  we try to freeze 50-70 lbs each summer and typically those won’t make it through the whole year, but that really is about all the freezer space i can give up.  i wash and dry them and then flash freeze them on cookie sheets before putting in containers.  we love blueberries in this house!

simple summer ratatouille

simple summer ratatouille

i have been a horrible blogger.  between a much needed mini-vacation to the beach/dunes in michigan, shooting weddings, a large pile of design work, canning a ton of peaches (in the 95 degree heat), house & land closings and now packing for our first move to temporary housing…i have been a little busy.  never fear, my husband and i have still been cooking a ton and trying to keep healthy, nourishing meals in front of our family during this busy season of our lives.  so, my little blog has suffered a bit, but i do have a bunch of recipes to share (i just need to find the time to share them).

here is a family favorite side dish.  our csa share last week was just screaming for me to make ratatouille from it.  i had these amazing onions, a huge bunch of fresh basil, a few varieties of japanese eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash!  i know this is nowhere near how traditional french ratatouille is made, but this is easy, quick and still has amazing flavor! the only main items used in this dish that were not fresh from our csa were the crushed tomatoes & garlic cloves.  that makes me happy!

the picture is right before the ratatouille went into the oven.

 

side note: a lot of ratatouille recipes include red or yellow bell peppers in them.  i think that they would make a wonderful addition.  i just didn’t have any.

 

simple summer ratatouille
Author: 
Recipe type: side dish
 
simple side dish, with a wonderful array of flavors!
Ingredients
  • 2 japanese eggplants (i peeled mine)
  • 2 medium zucchini
  • 2 medium yellow squash
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 1 can of organic crushed tomatoes
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • handful of basil
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • sea salt to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • parchment paper
Instructions
  1. peel eggplant if you want (this is not necessary) and then trim ends off of the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash
  2. slice the vegetables thinly, using a mandolin or knife (mine were between 1/16th and ⅛th in thickness)
  3. set vegetables aside
  4. in a food processor or vita-mix puree the canned tomatoes, basil and garlic
  5. layer a thin layer of sliced onions on the bottom of a baking dish
  6. pour tomato mixture on top of the onions and spread evenly
  7. starting on the outside, begin layering the eggplant, zucchini & yellow squash into the tomato sauce all the way around the pan
  8. drizzle with olive oil
  9. sprinkle with sea salt & ground black pepper
  10. cut parchment paper to fit baking dish
  11. cover loosely with parchment paper and bake at 375 for approx. 1 hour
  12. vegetables should be fully cooked, but not mushy.

items used in this recipe:

shared on: food renegade

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