The Ranch Kitchen's Summer Squash

The Ranch Kitchen's Summer Squash

Finally, finally, back to blogging and sharing my recipes!  Summer has been crazy busy...house flooded, car wrecked, two Hereford shows, braces, oral surgery, my almost broken arm, and then daughter's emergency appendectomy.  Life is good though and my glass is half full and not half empty, because through it all God took good care of us and we are all healthy.  

The above picture is of one dish I make very often in our house from the crazy amount of squash my husband's garden grows each year.  I have never really cared for boiled stove top squash, so this recipe I created is far better and allows this summer veggie to hold on to it's color and nutrients better.  

You can add any type of cheese over this squash recipe at the end right before serving or without it.  Either way, it's always one of my go to dishes when we grill or cook in the house.  It was  a huge hit at our recent Jr. National Hereford show in Kansas City and it helped bring a little bit of our garden to my annual Chicken Spaghetti for a Crowd feed that I do for our Texas crowd and other state friends. 

The Ranch Kitchen's Summer Squash

6 - 8 small yellow and/or green zucchini, cut in quarters 1/2 inch thick

1 medium to large yellow or sweet 1015 onion, sliced 

1/4 cup Canola oil or grape seed oil (or vegetable oil)
1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1 - 2 teaspoons of Cajun Season, All Seasoning Spice, garlic salt/pepper, lemon pepper or seasonings of your choice.

In Teflon coated pan or wok add oil and heat on low heat.  Add squash and onions cooking on low to medium heat covered, stirring constantly allowing vegetables to 'cook down' or reduce in size.  Covering your dish with a lid will help your squash cook faster.  Also, a lot of oil is not needed due to the water in the squash that will release as you cook.  Add Cajun Seasoning like Tony Chachere's or Zatarain's,  and/or All Season Spice as you cook, tasting to see if you need more or less.  You can also add lemon pepper or any spice you prefer instead.  Cooking time is usually around 20 - 30 minutes depending on the level of your fire or heat on your electric stove top.  I have also prepared this squash in a foil pack  a lot of the time when we are in a hurry by grilling outside or in the stove.  Just place your foil wrapped squash on top of a cookie sheet in case it accidentally breaks or you'll have a mess in your stove.  Also add 4 - 5 ice cubes to help maintain the moisture in your squash as they stove seems to dry it out faster even though it is sealed in a foil pack. Always wrap your foil in an upward curl on the sides so that you do not lose your juice from your squash.

Occasionally, I add grated cheddar like Parmesan, and/or Colby Jack cheese to the top of the squash as my daughters like it that way.  

I hope you enjoy this summer squash recipe as much as we do.  When I say we eat this squash a lot...that is an understatement.  My middle daughter says no more squash when she returns to college, but my oldest one requested this for dinner tonight as part of her recovery meal from her appendectomy surgery and healthy eating plan!  Promise it's good, healthy and great warmed up the next night in the microwave.  For that reason alone, I always cook it in abundance so I have some with my next meal!

Enjoy!

Alise