Simply in Season

Recently, while visiting with a friend, I was introduced to the Simply In Season recipe book, by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. I was able to flip through it, and right away I could tell that this was a cookbook I wanted to have.

The format is broken up by season: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Each section is divided into the following subsections: Breads and Breakfast, Soups, Salads, Sides, Main Dishes, Desserts and Extras. This is such a fantastic difference for me - usually, cookbooks are divide into sections like Poultry, Beef, Pasta, Eggs, Cookies... But I don't plan my meals based on main ingredients, usually. I tend to look for simply a main dish, or a dessert, etc. So the Simply In Season cookbook has a HUGE positive going for it, right there.

But the even better thing about this book is that by dividing recipes into seasons, you can use it accordingly and buy food when it's at it's cheapest and freshest. As the back of the book says, "Eating in season is a great way to improve your health, support local farmers and help the environment." Health wise alone, I definitely agree with that - I believe that our Heavenly Father provided the foods that would be most appropriate for our physical needs to be harvested in the correct season. But I've always had a problem accessing ideas for eating in such a way, simply because of the cookbooks I have access to.

So I got my copy of Simply In Season in the mail just before our move. I took the opportunity to flip to the Summer section of the cookbook and plan several meals (and desserts!) for the upcoming week, exclusively from the selection provided. Tonight I tried the first one, and it was great! We ate a main dish with a huge portion of vegetables, some dairy, some grains, and a very small amount of meat. It was satisfying, tasty, fresh, easy to prepare, and easy on the pocketbook. I'm very very eager to try more of the recipes!!

There's also so much potential to make this a very whole-foods type of meal. I took some shortcuts today, since I knew I'd be coming home from the grocery store very close to dinner time, and wanted this to be as fast to prepare as possible. But I could have used plain yogurt instead of sour cream. I could have used the recipe for a Cream Soup Substitute instead of buying a can of processed cream of chicken soup. There was even a recipe for herbed croutons instead of buying them processed, or using the other option of a stuffing mix. Bottom line, it was a delicious, healthy meal, and it could be even healthier without being at all difficult. All the ingredients were easy to find and already familiar to me.

Simply In Season also comes spiral-bound... perfect for laying open to read while you're cooking! And there are enough recipes in each section that you may find that you rarely to never have to repeat them, if you're willing to try them all!

I strongly recommend checking out this recipe book, I'm very excited about it! I can't wait to see how cooking with foods in season affects our lives for the better.

Here's the recipe we enjoyed tonight (taken from page 136 of Simply In Season). As we ate it, Jesse said, "Becky, this is really good. Where did you get this idea?" I told him I got it from the Simply In Season cookbook that my friend had introduced me to, and he said, "You have that??" and went on to describe how he heard about it on NPR as he was driving to work recently, and how awesome it sounded, and came highly recommended by a local chef. I'm glad he was so impressed by my purchase. ;)

Summer Squash Bake

• 6-7 cups zucchini or yellow squash (shredded or chopped)
• 1 small onion (minced)

Combine with enough water to cook or microwave until tender, 3-4 minutes (shredded zucchini may be used without cooking). Drain, reserving the water to make Cream Soup Substitute below. Set aside.

• 1 recipe Cream Soup Substitute or 1 can condensed cream soup
• 1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
• 1 cup carrot (shredded)

Mix together in a separate bow.

• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano (chopped; or 2 teaspoons dried)
• 1 cup cooked chicken (diced; optional)
• 1 cup cheese (shredded; optional)

Add and mix thoroughly. Stir into squash mixture.

• 1/4 cup butter (melted)
• 2-3 cups Herbed Croutons or herb stuffing mix

Mix together in a separate bow. Put half into the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan or deep casserole dish. Add the squash mixture and top with the reserved croutons. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.


Cream Soup Substitute

• 2 cups dry milk powder
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup chicken or beef bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried minced onion (optional)

Mix together and store in a covered container in the refrigerator. To use combine 1 1/4 cups cold water with 1/3 cup of the mix in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Substitute this sauce for a 10-ounce can of condensed creamed soup. Add herbs such as thyme or dill or 1/4 cup minced fresh onion when preparing (optional).


Herbed Croutons

• 4 cups whole wheat bread cubes

Spread on an ungreased baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until crisp and dry, 10-15 minutes. Lightly spray dried bread cubes with oil.

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley

Mix together and toss with the bread cubes. Return the cubes to the oven and bake until crisp, about 5 minute.