A Zucchini Too Far

Necessity Zucchini is the mother of invention. For weeks now, I've been feeling like the squash are plotting their revenge against me, slowly and nefariously, as I neglect them in the crisper.  Which is packed with huge amounts of fresh vegetables.  Sadly, the rest of the fridge is practically empty, aside from an abundance of Asian condiments (the ghost of stir fries past), and the ever-present "Diego" yogurt (demanded by the kid... already brand loyal at 3... #$%^\@ marketers).

I've been feeling a little rebellious this week.  I started cooking dinner... with no idea what I was actually making.  Usually I have some sort of recipe in mind as a guide.  Not today, although it could have been inspired by this gruel.  Said gruel was a red lentil/zucchini combination that basically turned to mush.  Pretty tasty mush, but still mush. 

Gruel wasn't really what I had in mind, but it had to 1) be basically healthy, and 2) use a lot of squash, and as many other vegetables as possible (fewer for the revenge plotting).  So I started cooking some green lentils (sturdier than the red ones), and chopping some squash, onions and peppers.  Here's what I did:

Curried Zucchini with Green Lentils

• 1 cup dried green lentils
• 1 large onion, chopped - about 1 cup (divided)
• 1 bay leaf

• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 to 3 small summer squash, chopped to 1/2-inch dice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 to 2 tablespoons curry powder, or to taste (I like Madras curry powder)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, sliced (optional, garnish)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (optional, garnish)
• Cooked brown rice, for serving

Add lentils, 1/2 the onion and a bay leaf to a medium saucepan, and fill with water to about an inch above the lentils.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook about 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add cumin seeds until they become fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the green pepper and the rest of the onion and cook until they begin to soften, about 8 minutes.  Then add zucchini and cook until tender, about 10 more minutes.  (Lower the heat if the zucchini start to brown.)

When lentils are finished cooking, drain them and remove the bay leaf.  Add lentils to the skillet and reduce heat to low.  Stir in curry powder.  Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and cilantro.  Serve over brown rice, topped with a jalapeno and plain yogurt, if you wish.

This turned out pretty well; it was especially good the next day as lunch. I also made some fresh naan to go with it, mostly so my husband, who named this blog post, would have something to eat.  (Can you guess his opinion?  Hint: he really doesn't like squash.)  I'm proud of myself, as previous attempts at recipe invention have had, um, less than stellar results.  Me: 1, Squash: 0 (although there are still some in there... the coup is coming...)

Comments

[fioricet online]

This look absolutely delicious I have to do this on my own thanks for the recipe.