hello there friends!
today’s recipe was an improvisation that came from the moment we all (or at least us broke folks) dread: the moment you realize that a bunch of things in the fridge are about to go bad. we have a very limited farmer’s market budget so if one thing gets funky before we can eat it, my husband and i both get really sad and feel guilty about wasting a piece of the very precious produce we allow ourselves to buy.
we came home after a beautiful afternoon in the park (we are loving the bay area’s not too hot+not too cold, perfect park weather) and opened the fridge to see what would be for dinner. lo and behold, there were THREE things that were on the brink of rotting and so i had to think fast. how could i use summer squash, rosemary and spinach together to make a yummy dinner? i just started cooking and boy, am i glad i did. with the addition of some black beans (gotta get that protein!) we had a delicious+healthy meal.
ROSEMARY SUMMER SQUASH BEAN BOWL
(VEGAN+GLUTEN FREE)
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly
- 1 clove garlic (or more if you prefer), sliced
- 2 large sprigs of rosemary (see note)
- a few summer squash (any kind is fine, although i enjoy yellow scallops the most), sliced
- a few tablespoons of oil (i used olive)
- a few cups of spinach
- salt+pepper to taste
- heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large pan on medium heat and add both the rosemary sprigs+garlic
- after a minute or so, add the squash and stir to coat with the oil
- saute until tender and lightly browned, stirring often (about 5-8 minutes)
- add the spinach to the squash and cover, allowing the spinach to steam for a few minutes
- meanwhile, heat about a tablespoon of oil in a small pan and add the beans, stirring occasionally
- remove the rosemary sprigs from the squash and add salt+pepper to taste to both dishes
- serve a bowl of the black beans with the squash+spinach on top
YUM!
note: in ayurveda, the year is divided into the seasons of the three doshas, or constitution types. summer is the time of pitta which is fiery and can fill us with impatience, irritability and anger. summer squash is a great pitta-reducing vegetable, cooling down our bodies and keeping us relaxed. rosemary aggravates pitta however, so a cooling herb such as mint, dill, tarragon or cilantro would be better to use (in that case, you would just finely chop the herbs and not remove them from the dish). adding some pepitas (pumpkin seeds) would also be a great addition!
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