Roasted & Herbed Zucchini & Squash

There seems to be a lull going on right now. I can’t really put my finger on it. Things are calm right now, slow and mild but I can feel that it is temporary. Something is on the horizon, life just seems like its on the cusp of inaction and action. I wouldn’t say I feel anxious but there is this creeping sense of anticipation nagging at me. It may be the seasons changing, the anticipation of fall. We’re having some pretty warm weather for this time of year and I am ready for the cooler days and big bowl of soup weather to come.  Maybe that’s what’s nagging me. Hopefully I can exhale once the leaves turn. I’m not necessarily excited to see summer go, its just time for scarves, sweaters, boots and that crisp morning smell of autumn leaves, wet grass and dew. Okay, maybe I am a little excited.

One thing that was great about this summer was the massive garden project that developed in my boyfriend’s backyard and in his family’s backyard. The yards were a stones throw away from each other so you could say it was just one big garden compound. My boyfriend’s sister and brother-in-law were the green thumb geniuses. They planted several tomato varieties, squash of all kinds, beans, herbs, gourds, greens – we pretty much had our own produce section this summer. I did a lot of cooking but didn’t take a lot of pictures. I’ve mentioned a certain distraction that I’ve had over the last few months, it applies here as well.

I’ve been meaning to post recipes for weeks now. I’ll cook something and midway through eating it, I remember the little red camera sitting unused on the desk in the office. I have resorted to leaving the camera in the kitchen to remind myself to take photos for recipe posts. I talked about restarting the engine and – by George, I am going to do it!

I found a recipe online for a roasted zucchini. I love roasting vegetables, it makes them so sweet, tender and delicious! I added squash to the recipe, made some modifications and used fresh herbs from the compound garden. You can use dried herbs as well but just remember that dried herbs are more concentrated so, use sparingly. There are still plenty of zucchini and squash in the garden still so, this may be a side for dinner again soon.

Roasted & Herbed Zucchini & Squash

2 medium zucchini

2 medium crookneck, summer or yellow squash

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 sprig fresh rosemay (1/8 tsp dried rosemary)

2 sprigs fresh thyme (1/4 tsp dried thyme)

2 sprigs fresh marjoram (1/8 tsp dried marjoram)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 F

Slice zucchinis and squash in half length wise, remove seeds. Cut up into 2 inch pieces. Strip herb leaves off stems and finely chop. In a large bowl toss zucchini, sqaush, herbs, garlic and olive oil together. Pour mixture on to a large baking sheet or baking pan. You don’t want to crowd the veggies or they will steam instead of roast. Place baking sheet on top rack of oven and let roast for 5 to 7 mins. Check to see if edges are browning. If they are not, add 2 or 3 mins. and check again. Remove once edges have browned and crisped and place in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!