We've had a fair amount of success eating seasonal, local foods this summer. Lately that's meant lots of zucchini and tomatoes from our garden. My sister recommended to me a cookbook that I've found to be a helpful encouragement in the quest to eat locally grown food. The title is Simply in Season, and it is commissioned by the Mennonite Central Committee. This is a community cookbook put together by over 450 recipe contributors. The recipes are divided by season, and out to the side of each recipe the particular seasonal produce used in that recipe is listed. So it's easy to go straight to the summer section and find the recipes that use peppers and summer squash, for instance.
I have to admit, I haven't tried many of the recipes. But what I really appreciate about this cookbook are the various writings throughout that offer thoughts relating to all aspects of local food, and especially those tidbits that remind us how our faith and the food we choose to eat are intertwined.
I do want to share one of the recipes that we tried that we especially liked. To me these are basically glorified quesadillas, and oh, so good!
Super Stuffed Tortillas
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion
1 green pepper
Saute garlic in 2 teaspoons oil for 1 minute. Add onion and pepper and saute until crisp-tender.
2 cups corn
1 small-medium zucchini (sliced)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
Add and continue to saute until all vegetables are tender but not browned.
2 cups cooked black beans
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
6 tablespoons salsa
Add and cook until there is no excess moisture. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, sliced green onions or chives, and chopped fresh cilantro to taste.
flour or corn tortillas
cheddar cheese, feta, or queso blanco (shredded or crumbled)
Preheat a frypan with a bit of oil and place a tortilla in pan. Add cheese in center of tortilla and add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of vegetable filling. When the tortilla is crispy, remove, and fold in half. Or place a second tortilla on top, flip, and fry crisp.
I pretty much followed the recipe as listed when I made this. I used only a scant amount of cheese - maybe only 2 tablespoons per tortilla. Just enough to hold things together. This is definitely a recipe to try!
