Jean’s Cuisines
With the end of gardening season upon us, vegetables are almost done producing. Here’s several recipes to use up the last of the garden vegetables and to enjoy the autumn crop of apples.
Steak Kabobs
2 lbs beef-(venison or elk) round steak cubed
Red Onion
White Onion
Yellow, Red and Orange Peppers
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Marinade courtesy The Big Sky Bounty Cookbook
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup fresh lime juice
Directions:
Prepare marinade first. Heat butter over medium-high heat and add red pepper flakes until fragrant. Add garlic and saute for two minutes. Add brown sugar, soy sauce and lime juice. Bring to a boil and boil for three to four minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Set aside. Cut steak into 1-inch cubes, slice onion, peppers and zucchini into chunks, easy enough to slide through the skewer. Assemble the kabobs by alternating the vegetables and meat until the kabob skewer is full. In a shallow pan, layer the kabobs then drizzle the marinade over the top and let sit for 2-4 hours. Heat grill to medium high heat and place kabobs on until the meat is cooked and vegetables become slightly charred. Remove meat and veggies from kabobs.
Garden Fresh Pasta Bake
4 cups cooked chicken breasts
2 tsp garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp onions, dried and minced
Basil tear into bite size
Spinach tear into bite size
12 ounces of Penne Pasta, prepared according to the package
12 ounce (1 ½ of 8oz containers) chive and onion cream cheese
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 ½ cups parmesan cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional:
To change it up, add ½ cup other garden vegetables such as asparagus, mushrooms or zucchini
Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x12 baking dish. Wash garden vegetables, dry and set aside. Prepare pasta, drain and set aside. Combine cooked chicken, minced garlic and onions, salt and pepper, cream cheese, basil and spinach together in a bowl. Add pasta and ½ cup of the cheeses together and mix. Then spoon mixtures into the baking dish. Top with remaining cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes; 15 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered until it's bubbly.
Mason Jar Apple Crisp
8 - 10 sterilized 4 oz Mason Jars
6-8 medium apples
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
¾ cup brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch of Kosher salt
Crisp Topping:
1 cup light brown sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Sprinkle of nutmeg
Pinch of kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and diced
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash, peel, core and dice apples into bite sized pieces. Place the apples into a large bowl and toss the remaining filling ingredients together. Set aside to let the flavors start to blend together while you prep the crumble. In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients for the crisp topping. Mix until it is clumpy in texture. Next, scoop the apple mixture into the mason jars and fill to the first lines of where the lid would go, sprinkle the crisp topping across the top, even with the top of the jar. Lightly press down if needed. Place mason jars on a baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown or the apples are bubbling inside the jar. Contents will be hot, so cool slightly before serving with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.
