Sweet Potato and Zucchini Hash

I've been trying to eat more meals that are mostly vegetables, instead of a starch with veggies as an addition. Here's one I've enjoyed as a breakfast, lunch, or dinner side dish. It's great with ketchup (especially as a breakfast) or with salsa. 

This recipe is modified slightly from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates, in which it's suggest for a New Year's Day brunch. (They also suggest serving a poached egg in the middle, which obviously I omitted!)

This takes about 40 minutes to make, and the full recipe serves approximately 4 people. I halved it, and it made a great side dish for 2. I love how colorful this dish is. It's a beautiful, rewarding, and simple way to eat more vegetable matter. 

SWEET POTATO AND ZUCCHINI HASH 

4 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes (2 sweet potatoes cut into 1/2-inch cubes will yield about 4 cups)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups cubed zucchini

Bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Ease in the cubed sweet potatoes and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain and set aside.

Warm the oil in a heavy skillet. Add the onions, garlic, salt, pepper flakes, black pepper, and thyme and sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the drained sweet potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add more salt to taste.

Serve immediately. It looks pretty brought straight to the table in a cast-iron skillet, if you have one. 

zucchini skillet pie with pine nuts & capers, topped with cherry tomato salad

I invented a recipe! As much as anyone invents a recipe, I think (feel free to correct me on this). I was originally trying to follow a recipe and it didn't work out. In Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers, there's this gorgeous photograph of these zucchini skillet cakes. It calls for 2 beaten eggs, but says, in the recipe itself in several places, that you can substitute pureed tofu. I was skeptical, but I tried it. I used silken tofu, so my mixture had a texture probably similar to using eggs. Maybe it was also that I used wheat germ instead of bread crumbs. I can see how the starchiness of the breadcrumbs could help. But I really love wheat germ. 

So, after a couple attempts to fry my mixture into crisp, golden cakes, I gave up, dumped my mixture in a cast iron skillet, and stuck it in the oven. Once baked and broiled, it got gorgeously golden and even stayed together (mostly) in neat little wedges on serving. 

There's no crust of course, but it's still a pie. It's round and full of wheat germ and baked in the oven. 

First, the cherry tomato salad. 

CHERRY TOMATO SALAD

Ingredients: 

about 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (I just used a whole package) 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

2 tablespoons vinegar (try not to drop the bottle on your computer) 

2 tsp dried basil 

2 tsp dried oregano 

pinch of salt and pepper

Mix everything together. Refrigerate at least 2 hours to marinate, but the longer the better. 

ZUCCHINI SKILLET PIE WITH PINE NUTS & CAPERS

Ingredients: 

about 2 pounds or 6 medium zucchini, grated 

sea salt and freshly ground pepper 

1 cup silken tofu 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

3 tablespoons snipped chives

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1/2 cup chopped parsley 

2 teaspoons dried marjoram 

grated zest of 1 lemon 

1 cup wheat germ (or bread crumbs) 

1/2 cup pine nuts 

1/4 cup capers, rinsed

Preheat the oven to 350F. 

Toss the grated zucchini with a teaspoon of salt and set it aside in a colander while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Then rinse the zucchini and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. 

Toss the zucchini with the tofu, olive oil, chives, garlic, parsley, marjoram, and lemon zest. Stir in the wheat germ along with the pine nuts, capers, and salt and pepper to taste. 

Press the mixture into a large cast-iron skillet. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 25 minutes, until it's firmed up and the edges are beginning to turn golden. Then broil for about 3 minutes, or until the surface is a lovely gold color.