Zucchini with Tomatoes and Onion

Last week we stopped in to see our friend Jason at his clinic. He does acupuncture as well as gives one heck of an effective deep soft tissue massage. As soon as we arrived, he exclaimed, “Here, Judy, look what I have for you!” You see, as soon as he gets home, Jason transforms into his alter-ego, Farmer Jason, lavishing his skills, affection and care upon his prized vegetables.

Direct from Farmer Jason’s Garden

Come to think of it, that’s how he treats his clients too.

Come together, right now…

The recipe is a simple and delicious one that you can put together and serve as a quick side dish or embellish a bit and transform it into a main.

mise en place

By the way, “mise en place” is a French term used in cooking that means everything in its place. Before beginning a dish, whether large or small, it’s a good thing to get out all the bowls, utensils and ingredients you’ll need. OK, or at least attempt to. And then prep all the ingredients. And when you’re ready to begin, the cooking process just hums along. Doesn’t always work when I’m throwing things together in the moment BUT when I do know what I’m doing, the concept of mis’ en plas makes it all go super-smooth.

Jason’s dad likes to saute onions and garlic and add chunks of zucchini and tomato to cook together.

From China? Romania? Italy? No Matter, Think Global

Guess what? My mom does the same thing. China – Romania – New York – Los Angeles.

Hit it maestro!  It’s a small world after all….

ZUCCHINI WITH TOMATOES & ONION

Ingredients:

Directions:

Heat large skillet. Add 1 T.  oil to heat through. Saute diced onions with salt and pepper for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for about a half minute more.  Then add the zucchini and tomatoes and saute together for 5 minutes or until tomatoes begin releasing their juices. Cover and let simmer on low-medium heat about 5 more minutes or until desired degree of tenderness. Add fresh dill to finish and adjust seasonings if needed.

bb tip: Turn your veggies into a main dish!

Serve over rice or another grain. OR, as in this case, boil a little short pasta and mix it through with a bit of grated Parmesan or Asiago. In this case, I used a quinoa pasta (yes, it exists… would I fib you?). I like an equal ratio of veggie to pasta or more veggies to pasta. Lightens things up a bit.