Veggie Medley a la Mexicana

I've only had two pickups from my CSA this summer, but for one person a half-share has been more than enough. To be honest, I got a bit nervous at the shear volume of vegetables at which I came home with the first time. The eggs also have been a lot for just me to consume quickly, but it has been interesting to dream up meals with a fridge overflowing with fresh herbs and really bright yellow farm fresh eggs (I've made enough omlettes in the past month that sometimes I feel like I'm working the brunch shift in my kitchen as my second job). This past week's share had me extremely excited to see the presence of one of my all-time favorite vegetables, the zucchini. These zucchini, were small baby globe shaped ones. Very cute. They were on my cutting board before I even unpacked the rest of the groceries that night.

I knew they were going to be prepared in a Mexican style because the night before I had made a big pot of black beans with some of the amazing fresh epazote, which is normally hard to find in NYC, that I also get from the CSA (For those unfamiliar with this herb, check out this explanation). Beans are better the next day, and in this case, I had planned to have them with whatever veggies I came home with.

A quick dice of these little guys (I wondered if they would taste the same as the long cucumber shaped zucchini - which they did) along side a jalapeño, some vine-ripened tomatoes, onions and garlic (both from the CSA too) and you're all set.

The tomatoes let off their juice and at the last minute I added some chopped epazote leaves and some oregano (dried from the last pickup). Of course you could use cilantro, I was all out that night. If you're the type that needs to add cheese to everything, which I am, crumble some queso fresco on top (or use feta if that's easier to find). It was exactly what a summer night meal should be, light and refreshing but also satisfying alongside the rice and beans. All I was missing was my sangria and a sunburn.

Veggie Medley a la Mexicana

Totally flexible veggie saute, this time it was with Mexican inspired flavors, but switch out the chili and epazote for some basil and thyme and it would be a la Provencal style. As the summer progresses some corn would have been a good addition.

1 medium yellow onion chopped
2-4 garlic cloves minced (or to taste)
1 jalepeño, de-seeded and de-veined, minced
3-4 zucchini (depending on their size) chopped
2 vine-ripened tomatoes chopped
Epazote, or Cilantro leaves chopped

Put about two big swirls of olive oil in a saute pan and allow to heat up. Once hot, add your onions and saute until they're translucent. Add the garlic and pepper, watching it so it doesn't burn, saute until fragrant. Then throw in the tomatoes and zucchini. Cover and allow to cook for about 5 minutes, or until zucchini is tender. Mix a bit, add a good amount of salt & pepper and fresh herbs. Stir and serve.