Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

This Blog post is written by my boys. They are in Boston without me right now, tending the garden and going to sailing camp. Apparently, while I was away my patty pan squash turned enormous, and my boys created this recipe for dinner tonight. I am so proud of them! I am proud they grew the squash. I am proud they came up with a creative way to eat it. I am proud they could execute the idea, and then super proud that they thought it was blog-worthy, and wrote the blog themselves for publishing. So here it is...by my guest writers and guest chefs...usually the blog photo sensations...the Riddle boys.

What do you make when mom's away and the boys find unexpected squash in her garden? 

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash!

We were surprised when we found these strange squash in our garden. They looked like little yellow umbrellas. We asked our garden guru, Marjorie, and she told us they were "patty pan squash." She went to Newburry College for a culinary degree, and worked in the kitchens of Harvard Business School and Westin Hotels where she saw these squash served. She told us she has only seen them once at Haymarket, but you don't normally see them in the grocery store because fancy restaurants buy them up first.

Apparently, they are normally picked when they are small (golf-ball sized) because they are more tender. Marjorie would serve 3-4 on a plate. However, ours are the size of a soup bowl (upside down), because we have been away for two weeks, leaving no one to pick our fancy-schmancy squash.

We harvested 3 squash, and decided it would be best to eat them stuffed. Preferably with something delicious and nutritious. The sin is a little tough, but the flesh of the squash is light, mild and refreshing.

Some Comments while we were eating:

"This is way better than Wahlburgers!" "Yeah, and cheaper too!"

"This will be a meal that we remember."

" I think we can all agree that this stuffing will need to be used in other recipes."

So if you ever find something unexpected in your garden, just ask the old ladies who hand out in the community garden every day. They know their stuff!

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash:

Ingredients:

3 Large Patty Pan Squash

1 lb Ground Turkey

4  Slices of Bacon, cut into one inch pieces

2 small fresh onions with greens (or one medium onion)

1 bunch (6-8 leaves) of Swiss Chard, chopped

1 bunch (6-8 leaves) kale, stems removed & chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced

2 Eggs

2-4 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese

8-12 fresh Basil leaves, chopped

Salt, Pepper and Red Pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Cut the top off of the squash, hollow out the insides to 1/2 inch thickness. Discard the seeds, but save the scraped squash for the stuffing. Cook the squash bowls and lids in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Cook the bacon in the skillet until browned. Add the onions, garlic, scraped squash and swiss chard stems. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

When the vegetables have cooked, add the ground turkey. After the turkey is cooked, add the swiss chard and kale leaves along with the wine, simmering until most of the liquid is evaporated.

Just before stuffing, stir in the eggs, basil and cheese.

Stuff the squash with the stuffing mixture, then bake with the lids on for 30 minutes, until the outside of the squash starts to brown.

Enjoy!

July 4th Keto Brownies

Further into our quest for good Keto recipes we decided to make a special dessert for the 4th of July. We were super American and went out for Mexican food for lunch. Those not on the Keto diet ordered sopapias, (which are totally not Keto), and I promised the one doing Keto with me a dessert.

He chose these brownies. They turned out really well! I mean, if you are going to put butter, dark chocolate and eggs in a pan it will most likely be delicious. Ours tuned out very goey in the middle. I am not sure that I would cook them any longer because the edges will get over done. We cooled the brownies in the parchment on a cooling rack, cut the edges for first day enjoyment, then put the rest in the refrigerator. Today all of it can be cut and enjoyed!

Keto Brownies:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond flour
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
12 tablespoons softened butter
2 oz dark chocolate
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
3/4 cup Swerve
1/2 teaspoon pink sea salt
1/3 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8x8 baking pan by lining the bottom and sides with parchment paper. I cut two strips that we cross and fold over the edges.

2. In a glass measuring cup combine the chocolate and butter. Melt in 20 second intervals until the chocolate is soft and the butter melted, then whist together. If you do not have a microwave you can easily us a double boiler.

3. In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients: almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Next, beat the eggs together in a small bowl, then stir in the vanilla.

4. Make sure your chocolate and butter mixture has cooled down and is  not scalding, or in this next step you will make chocolate flavored scrambled eggs. Quickly whisk the beaten eggs into the chocolate and butter mixture. Gradually add in the dry ingredients, stirring well and scraping down the sides.

5. When all ingredients are combined, pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes. At 20 minutes check your brownies. You want the edges to be well set, and the middle to be slightly moist when touching. Ours typically take 30 - 35 minutes to get just right, and the middle still needs to wait to be cut until after refrigerating.

Shawarma Spice

Last year Keith and I visited NYC. right next to our hotel was the amazing Lebanese restaurant where they made incredible Shawarma. Growing up in a Greek household I was very familiar with the Greek Gyro sandwich, but I had never had chicken Shawarma. I was determined to find a way to replicate it and make it at home.

We found a great Shawarma spice mix recipe and tried it out this week. We rubbed the spice on the chicken and let it sit in a container in the refrigerator for two days. The chicken could be grilled, which is awesome, or cooked in a pan. We did not have time for the grill, so we just used the cast iron skillet.

Our family was running in different directions this evening, and so we ate the shawarma in a few different ways. The boys heading to baseball put their chicken thighs on a bun with lettuce, tomato and Greek feta dressing. The rest of us ate our shawarma chopped up on salad.  Shawarma goes well with rice, stewed eggplant, tabouli, or hummus. Enjoy any way you like!

Shawarma Spice Mix:

1 1/2 tablespoons ground Cumin
1 tablespoon ground Coriander
1/2 tablespoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon  Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground Cloves
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Cardamom

Mix well together. Store in a sealed dry container.

What's Left in the cooler? Let's eat it for breakfast!

This one is weird, but I hope it inspires you to not take this cooking thing too seriously. Sometimes we make very organized shopping lists and get all our ingredients and have everything all planned out, and then there is the rest of life. On the fifth morning of camping you don't get to be picky. We eat what is left, because 1. It is what is left, and 2. We don't want to carry it home. So the last morning of camping our breakfast was an odd mix of what we had left in the cooler, but it ended up being one of the boys' favorite camping breakfasts ever! All this to say...don't be afraid to look in your refrigerator, see what is there and mix it up. Try something, be creative...and if it doesn't work out...no worries. Tomorrow is another day! We enjoyed this skillet with the last hard boiled eggs :)

Spiralized Zucchini Skillet Keto Breakfast

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
3 medium zucchini, spiralized
2 garlic scapes
1 7 oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes
10 slices of deli ham
5 string cheese sticks
assorted fresh herbs (basil & Oregano)

1. Heat a large cast iron skillet. Add butter, garlic scapes and spiralized zucchini. Saute for about 3 minutes. Dice the ham slices and add to the skillet. Toss together for about 2 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

2. While the veggie mix simmers, unwrap and chop up the cheese sticks and herbs. Right before you are ready to serve, sprinkle the cheese and herbs on top. Serve and enjoy.

Keto Granola

It has been a bit of a treasure hunt to find breakfasts that do not involve eggs and meat on the Keto diet. I will tell the truth...sometimes I do get tired of bacon.

We went camping last week and in preparation I decided to try this Keto granola recipe. I changed the recipe from the original, using Swerve instead of honey and adding coconut and hemp hearts. It turned out great! We have used it for parfaits, and on our Keto pancakes with whole Greek yogurt. It went over very well with the boys, and travels well. I hope you enjoy it.

Keto Granola

Ingredients

1 cup whole almonds (processed in your food processor to a coarse meal)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup hemp hearts
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon powdered Swerve
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pink sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position rack to the middle of the oven. Line a large sheet pan with a piece of parchment.

2.  In a medium sized bowl combine processed almonds, sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts and coconut flakes.

3. In a microwave safe bowl combine peanut butter and coconut oil. If they are in a solid state, microwave for about 30 seconds until the peanut butter is soft and the oil is melted. Whisk them both together, add the swerve, cinnamon and salt.

4. Pour the oil & peanut butter mix on top of the nut mix. Stir well. Distribute the granola evenly on the prepared baking pan. Bake until fragrant and slightly golden, about 15 minutes. Use a flat spatula to turn the granola, and return to the oven for an extra 5-10 minutes. Depending on your oven and the humidity, you may need to keep turning the granola and giving it more time. In the end you want it to be evenly golden and toasted and mostly dry.

5. Remove granola from the oven and move the parchment to a cooling rack. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fat Bombs

We have been dabbling in the Keto life here in the Riddlehaus. As of June I have committed to a year of trying the no-carb, high fat retraining diet. So far the good things I have noticed are that my digestion is so much better. I think carbs make my tummy sad. I also notice I have more energy and my  monthly "lady problems" have been much less extreme. All that to say...there will be a lot more Keto recipes up on the blog so I can keep track of things that work. This first one is a fat bomb. It sounds like something terrible, but as far as Keto goes, fat is what you feed your brain, so in the afternoon, when I really want a brownie or cookies, fat bombs are key to keeping me on track. They are slightly sweet, chocolaty and peanut filled, and satisfying. The key is...you really can only eat one or two at a time. Still, self control necessary, can't get out of that one...ever.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fat Bombs

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons coconut oil
4 tablespoons peanut butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons powdered swerve sweetener
pinch of pink sea salt
peanuts

1. Combine coconut oil and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl. If they are in solid form (if it is not summer) melt them for 30 seconds in the microwave.

2. Add cocoa, vanilla, swerve and sea salt to the peanut butter and coconut oil, then whisk together until smooth.

3. Use a mini muffin tin, fill 12 tins 3/4 full with the fat bomb mixture. Sprinkle a few peanuts on top of each one, and gently press the nuts into the mix.

4. Let them set in the freezer for at least an hour. Pop them out of the mini muffin pan and store in a container in the freezer. Enjoy from frozen.