Eating of the Season's bounty . . .

and why it just makes so much sense to do so.

Choosing to eat vegan has so many benefits including (but certainly not limited to) better health and a greener, cleaner option for our planet but choosing to eat primarily if not fully from that which is in season, makes even more sense.  

There are so many reasons why that even just one of them can be enough to give it a try.  Perhaps you will find your reason amongst mine listed below and my hope is that you will be inspired by the recipe provided.  By the close of this post you will see for yourself: 

Eating of the Season's bounty is both easy and yummy!

But that's not all:

Buying local or even growing your own food is definitely a more sustainable option, better for the planet and for us. No yucky gas fumes being pushed into the air from big rigs and if you choose to grow organically, no harmful pesticides polluting our food, our air or our water.

It's certainly more cost effective.  
Growing your own is basically free! Minus the work you put into it, but how fun is it? And how accomplished do you feel having done it yourself? And best part and I can attest to this: it really does taste that much better; the love put into it is totally detectable! But I stray! haha. Growing your own or buying locally from what is in season means no one needs to be reimbursed from the inconvenience of driving thousands of miles to bring it to you.  
(AND THIS DAY IN AGE, WITH HOW OUR FOOD IS GOVERNED AND SO MUCH OF IT TAMPERED WITH, I'M FRANKLY AFRAID TO EAT ANYTHING; MORE ON THAT LATER)

It just plain tastes better and is better for you! 

When a food is grown naturally and not forced in some hothouse or some indoor fabricated garden of sorts, it is able to ripen effectively and all of the flavors remain intact, in addition to all of the wonderfully rich nutrients our bodies need.

In the weeks past, my mixed greens bed was overflowing and KALE was the predominant food of choice on our table.  While the Kale is still thriving and flourishing, for sure, our palates are craving for a bit more variety (another plus, you really appreciate the variety more).

And so, there are two things that I find are plentiful in my garden right now and they are:

Squash, squash and squash! :)

AND 

Green Tomatoes

So without further ado, I present to you two recipes inspired by the bounty of my summer garden:

Grilled Zucchini Steaks with Chimichurri sauce 

This recipe is so simple and so tasty.  It's the vegan take on the Argentinian dish that is usually made with grilled skirt steak.  Chimichurri is the name for the marinade/sauce/topping used; a blend of oil, vinegar, garlic, fresh herbs, and a bit of spice. 

Simply start by rinsing your squash and slicing into nice thick steaks. 

Assemble the following ingredients for your marinade.  They will also be used in your Chimichurri mixture.  

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (I use raw)

1/2 c. oil

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

2-3 cloves of fresh garlic (or 1-2 tbsp. garlic puree)

Douse each squash steak in the marinade and set aside.  I stacked mine back on a cookie sheet until they were ready to be grilled. Depending on how much squash you are making, you may find you will run out of marinade or may have some left over.  I happened to have a lot and did need to make up a quick half batch to continue.  Whatever you have left can simply be kept in the bowl and added to your Chimichurri mixture. 

I like to get my Chimichurri made before I grill my steaks so as to let it sit and have all of the wonderful flavors steep and merge. 

In that same bowl, REPEAT the marinade recipe above and ADD the following:

1/4 c. of fresh oregano

1/4 c. fresh mint

1/2-1 c. fresh basil

1/4 c. fresh cilantro ( or 1 tbsp. dried as I did) 

(I used this blend only because it is what I had left in my garden; feel free to play with this step)

I cheated with this recipe in two ways though I am always an advocate for using fresh ingredients whenever possible.

Dice and add to your mixture:

2 to 3 sweet red peppers (that have been charred, peeled, and cored) 

or 1 c. of roasted peppers (either in olive oil or water)

I opted not to add in any additional "fire" this time but if you choose to do so, you may also add in some red pepper flakes or fresh jalapeno or serrano chiles.

Once your steaks have been grilled, top them off with your Chimichurri mixture.  This can be served by itself as a meal with a little rice blend or quinoa OR can be a side dish.  

We chose to serve it up with another of our favorite seasonal summer dishes:

Fried Green Tomatoes with a balsamic glaze

(GLUTEN-FREE/VEGAN)

Recipe available tomorrow so be sure to check back in!

Until then . . .

As always . . . 

Love and light,

Amber

Image credits: 

Eat Local from http://drhiphop85.com/2012/08/24/for-the-healthy-33-ways-to-eat-environmentally-friendly/

Bounty of squash and beans was taken at our local Food Pantry community garden where me and the kids are privilged to volunteer.