Do you live alone or with one other person? Maybe you’re an empty nester or a new couple, just starting out. Are you wondering – what do I make with all of the summer produce from the farmers market without wasting anything? Weekly menus that utilize several ingredients in multiple ways will make sure you get all your vegetables, without sacrificing variety. This week, take a look at our menu plan for making the most of the August produce:
Summer Ratatouille
This French classic is sure to please and uses a lot of summer vegetables in the process!
Save the leftovers from a one or two person meal, and make one of the variations listed in the newsletter below.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into thin slices
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into slivers
- 4 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
- freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Over medium-low heat, add the oil to a large skillet with the onion, garlic, and bay leaf, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened.
- Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the eggplant has softened. Stir in the zucchini, red bell pepper, tomatoes, and salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the basil and few grinds of pepper to taste.
Nutritional Information
Per Serving: Calories 151, Calcium 41mg, Carbohydrate 14g, Cholesterol 0mg, Fat 11g, Fiber 5g, Iron 1mg, Protein 3mg, Sat Fat 1g, Sodium 586mg
All recipes found at RealSimple.com
Check Out the Other Recipes for One or Two in the Newsletter Below!
You can also visit the market information table for specifics on the programs!
Use the leftover ratatouille from the first recipe to make the following plant-based meals this week, including an Italian Ziti and a Goat Cheese Tart. One of the hardest parts of getting dinner on the table is figuring out what exactly that dinner is going to be. This system for a week of easy dinners follows that lead. There’s a regular schedule. You’ll never have to comb through cookbooks looking for dinner ideas, because you’ll be using the same basic starter recipe each day. But this system offers variations on those recipes, which means you’ll be eating a different meal every night of the month.
Below are some other meal planning ideas using one base recipe and three variations. Most of the vegetables can be found at the farmers market!
Vegetarian Ziti Gratin
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into thin slices
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into slivers
- 4 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound ziti
- 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar
Preperation
- Over medium-low heat, add the oil to a large skillet with the onion, garlic, and bay leaf, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened.
- Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the eggplant has softened. Stir in the zucchini, red bell pepper, tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon of the salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in basil and a few grinds of fresh pepper to taste.
- Cook the ziti according to label directions. Drain and then toss with ricotta cheese, eggs, olive oil, Parmesan, and the remaining teaspoon of salt.
- Spoon half the ziti into a lightly greased 4-quart casserole. Top with the ratatouille and then the remaining ziti. Sprinkle with Cheddar. Cover and bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook 10 minutes more.
Vegetable Goat Cheese Tart
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into thin slices
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into slivers
- 4 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
- freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces soft goat cheese
- 1 9-inch pastry shell, partially baked (follow the label directions)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Over medium-low heat, add the oil to a large skillet with the onion, garlic, and bay leaf, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened.
- Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the eggplant has softened. Stir in the zucchini, red bell pepper, tomatoes, and salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the basil and season to taste with several grinds of fresh black pepper
- Spread the goat cheese in the bottom of the piecrust. Top with the vegetables, sprinkle with Parmesan, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in a 350° F preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the Parmesan is golden and the tart is heated through.
Here’s several other recipes that use the same multiple recipe system. Prepare one big dish at the beginning of the week, or prep all the vegetables, so that meal prep goes quicker the next few days:
More Tips from the Mayo Clinic on Eating Healthy for One or Two:
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Basic Recipe
Variations
Basic Recipe
Variations
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Get to Know Your Vendor – Frog Hollar Farms
Judy and Charlie Jackson’s farm name comes from when they first purchased their farm in 1987. They started by camping at the farm, and would sit outside with a nice campfire and listen to
the sounds of nature and watch the beautiful starlit sky. They soon realized that we were almost shouting to be able to hear each other, since the tree frogs (peepers) were hollaring so loud – thus Frog Hollar Farms was born.
Judy has always had an interest in growing perennials, and Charlie had an interest in sustaining gardening, creating an agriculture business complimented by woodworking and crafts. Together, they started selling at the Chelsea Farmers Market and completed a Master Gardener Program at Hidden Lake Gardens to help them in starting their business. You can find them every Saturday selling their produce, straight from their Manchester Township farm in the Irish Hills.
