creamy burrata and zucchini strips

You can probably tell that burrata is pretty delicious since we are writing another post about it!

This recipe took no time to make, and was one of the most delicious meals on record.

Creamy, and refreshing all at the same time!

Serves 2 Prep time: 3 minutes Total time: 8 minutes

All you need is:

• 1 zucchini, sliced thinly
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 lemon, for both juice and zest
• 1 ball of burrata
• pepper

Follow these directions for a phenomenal meal:

1. Prep your ingredients: Rinse, and cut your zucchini into small slices. Cut your lemon in half. Add water to a pan, and bring to a simmer.

2. Cook zucchini: Once simmering, add your zucchini strips into the water, cover and let simmer for 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the zucchini from the pan, draining the water.

3. Plate: Place your zucchini onto your plate, top with burrata, lemon zest, lemon juice, and pepper.

Fall frittata

A frittata is the perfect way to use up vegetables that are sitting in your fridge, waiting to be eaten.

In this recipe that we used in our after-school cooking classes, our students used up some seasonal vegetables and were excited to taste the outcome. After some patience, and steadiness in flipping the frittata, they were surprised at how delicious zucchini, peppers and spinach taste once sauteed, slightly caramelized, and mixed into fresh eggs.

Here is how to make this traditional Italian omelet:

Makes 2-4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium bell pepper
• 1/2 cup spinach
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• handful of cheese (optional)

Directions: Shred zucchini with a grater, or cut into thin rounds, dice bell peppers and garlic, rinse and dry spinach. Beat eggs in a separate bowl, set aside. Over medium heat, add garlic and veggies into a pan, and sautee for 5 minutes. Pour in eggs, and let cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes covered. If frittata appears mostly solid, it is ready to flip, if not cook for a few minutes longer. Place a larger plate over the top of the pan, hold the middle of the plate with a firm grip, and flip the frittata. Slowly and with care, slide the frittata back into the pan with the uncooked side down. Replace the lid, and cook for another 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and slice into wedges to serve.

Makes for a great packed lunch too! Click here to read our 5 steps for packing your kids a healthy school lunch.

Photo courtesy of net_efekt

Vegan Zucchini Bread

As our food + garden summer camp comes to a close, our campers are creating their last recipes to add to their Butter Beans cookbooks.

Hands down, one of their favorite foods they’ve made at camp was the vegan zucchini bread. They ranted and raved about this quick bread, so we thought we’d share the delicious recipe with you!

Makes 2 loaf pans, recipe adapted from hell yeah it’s vegan!

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups turbinado or light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2-2.5 cups grated zucchini (~3 medium sized ones)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips or raisins, optional

Directions: 

Grease 2 loaf pans, preheat the oven to 350F. Mix together flax seeds with warm water, then add sugar, oil, applesauce, vanilla and beat well. Add grated zucchini, and stir until combined. In a separate bowl, sift together remaining dry ingredients. Add dry mixture to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Pour batter into pans and bake for 50-55 minutes.

Thank you to all of the wonderful families and campers we have met along the way this summer! We hope that your children leave inspired to cook creatively, grow edible gardens, compost food scraps, support local farmers, preserve foods, make their own ice cream, and set good examples for those around them.

If you are interested in signing up for the adventures yet to come during summer camp 2013, shoot us an email at camp@butterbeanskitchen.com, we have some early bird discounts that you won’t want to miss!

Photo courtesy of lydiajoy1

what’s at the farmers market?

At the Union Square Farmer’s Market this morning, our food & garden summer campers picked out a handful of ripe tomatoes.

When we came back to home base, we discussed how we wanted to transform them into something delectable.

Some of the ideas they had were to eat them raw, and add some basil and olive oil, some of them wanted to roast them with salt and pepper, others wanted to sauté them to make a fresh tomato sauce.

We took a vote and the consensus was, fresh tomato sauce!

The tomatoes sautéed with the companionship of some fresh zucchini, garlic, basil and onion. After taking turns sautéing, we added the sauce to our freshly cooked pasta, and mixed it all up. We then topped it off with fresh parmesan, and sang our song to thank the farmers and the soil for our meal.

And then we dug in!

Flora’s seasonal recipe: zucchini season is upon us

Popping up at farmer’s markets are those familiar long green, yellow, or striped summer squashes ready to be transformed into various culinary creations like crudites, lasagna, salads, quick breads, and my flavor of the season, carpaccio!

What is this fancy sounding food? Well, it’s from Italy, like my heritage, and was coined in 1950 by Giuseppe Cipriani, the owner of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. A countess who was dining at his restaurant was advised by doctors to eat raw meat, so Giuseppe came up with a dish of thinly sliced raw beef with a creme sauce. This dish was named Carpaccio after the celebrated 15th century Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio, who was known for his use of vivid color.

Zucchini comes from the Italian word “zucca” which means squash, and “zucchini” means little squash. Vittore would be proud of this seasonal zucchini carpaccio, as it’s hues are indeed magnificent!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini
• Juice of 1 small lime
• Zest of 1/2 lime
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Sprinkle of salt

Directions:

With a mandoline, or with a sharp knife, slice your zucchini as finely and as straight as possible, either length-wise or width-wise. Keep the peel on, as it holds most of the nutritional content. Lay your slices down on a plate, and squeeze your lime juice over the carpaccio, then add your olive oil. Finish with a sprinkle of salt to taste and top with some bright green lime zest.

Cheers to seasonal summer eating!

Photo courtesy of graibeard